Voice of Youth Award Books 2001-2002 3rd and 4th grades
Karen Ackerman. The Night Crossing.
It's 1938 and the Jews are being persecuted in Austria. One night
Clara awakes to hear her parents say they must leave the country
immediately. That night begins Clara's journey of fleeing the Nazi's and
crossing the mountains to Switzerland to save her family.
Richard Atwater. Mr. Popper's Penguins.
Mr. Popper is a house painter who dreams of polar exploration. One day
Mr. Popper gets an unexpected package delivered to his home. In that
package is an Antarctic penguin that forces him to change his ways!
Kate DiCamillo. Because of Winn-Dixie.
One day India Opal Buloni is sent to the store by her daddy, the
preacher, for a box of macaroni-and-cheese, some white rice, and two
tomatoes. She comes home with a dog. The dog, Winn-Dixie (named for the
grocery store where she found him), introduces India to the quirky people
in her community.
Sid Fleischman. The Whipping Boy.
It is forbidden to spank, thrash, or whack the heir to the throne,
Prince Brat. Jemmy has been plucked from the streets to serve as the
whipping boy for the young Prince Brat. When the Prince decides to run
away the two boys get involved with dangerous outlaws and have to trade
identities.
James Howe. Bunnicula.
This is a talking dog's story of a vampire rabbit. Bunnicula, the
rabbit, has fangs, sleeps all day, stays awake all night, and sucks the
juice out of vegetables. But is Bunnicula really a vampire? Read more about Bunnicula in Kids' Books We Love!
Anna Quindlen. Happily Ever After.
Kate loves to read fairy tales and one day makes a wish that
transports her back to medieval times. She finds that the life of a
princess in a castle is not all it's cracked up to be.
Jerry Spinelli. Fourth Grade Rats.
First grade babies! Second grade cats! Third grade angels! Fourth
grade rats! Suds loved being an angel last year and rat status kind of
scares him. His best friend Joey pressures him to be a true rat. But, can
Suds really be a rat?
Jill Paton Walsh. The Green Book.
Pattie and her family are among the last refugees to flee a dying
Earth in an old spaceship. They land on a very distant new planet with
very few supplies and what they do have dwindles fast. The green book with
empty pages that Pattie brings is considered a waste, but it is ultimately
the most valuable item brought.
Valerie Worth. All the Small Poems and Fourteen More.
Discover a different side of dead crabs and worn out sidewalks while
wandering in the great outdoors. These small poems about everything from
hoses and mud, to skeletons with their “silent ivory laughter,” will draw
you deeply into everyday things.
Ed Young. Lon Po Po, a Red Riding Hood Story.
In this version of Little Red Riding Hood the wolf enters the home of
three young girls disguised as their grandmother. Once the girls suspect
the true identity of their "grandmother," they trick the wolf with nuts, a
basket, and a tree.
