Maud Hart Lovelace Award Nominees 2024

Sponsored by MN Youth Reading Awards and voted on by Minnesota students in March of each year. The winners are announced on April 25, Maud Hart Lovelace's Birthday!

The Nominees for this school year are....

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Ahmed Aziz's epic year

Author(s):

Hamza, Nina

Description:

"A Indian American boy endures a family move from Hawaii to frigid Minnesota and, with the help of three life-changing books he reads in school, he learns to like reading, and ultimately, himself"--

Format:

Book

Call Number:

J FIC Ham

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The great pet heist

Author(s):

Ecton, Emily
Mottram, Dave,

Description:

When their elderly owner goes to the hospital, Butterbean the dachshund, Walt the cat, Oscar the mynah bird, and rats Marco and Polo plan a robbery to support themselves.

Format:

Book

Call Number:

J FIC Ect

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J. D. and the great barber battle

Author(s):

Dillard, J.
Roberts, Akeem S.,

Description:

"Eight-year-old J.D. turns a tragic home haircut into a thriving barber business in this hilarious new illustrated chapter book series."--Amazon.com.

Format:

Book

Call Number:

J FIC Dil

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Maizy Chen's last chance

Author(s):

Yee, Lisa

Description:

"Eleven-year-old Maizy Chen visits her estranged grandparents, who own and run a Chinese restaurant in Last Chance, Minnesota; as her visit lengthens, she makes unexpected discoveries about her family's history and herself"--

Format:

Book

Call Number:

J FIC Yee

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A place to hang the moon

Author(s):

Albus, Kate

Description:

In World War II England, orphaned siblings William, Edmund, and Anna are evacuated from London to live in the countryside, where they bounce from home to home in search of someone willing to adopt them permanently.--

Format:

Book

Call Number:

J FIC Alb

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The smartest kid in the universe

Author(s):

Grabenstein, Chris

Description:

When seventh-grader Jake McQuade mistakes the world's first ingestible knowledge pills for jelly beans, he suddenly knows all about physics and geometry and can speak Swahili (though Spanish would be a lot more useful)--but his sort-of girlfriend Grace thinks they can use his new found brilliance to save their middle school from the new principal, who is conspiring to get it shut down.

Format:

Book

Call Number:

J FIC Gra

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Twins

Author(s):

Johnson, Varian
Wright, Shannon

Description:

Maureen and Francine Carter are twins and best friends. They participate in the same clubs, enjoy the same foods, and are partners on all their school projects. But just before the girls start sixth grade, Francine becomes Fran -- a girl who wants to join the chorus, run for class president, and dress in fashionable outfits that set her apart from Maureen. A girl who seems happy to share only two classes with her sister! Maureen and Francine are growing apart and there's nothing Maureen can do to stop it. Are sisters really forever? Or will middle school change things for good?

Format:

Book

Call Number:

J FIC Joh

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When life gives you lemons, make peach pie

Author(s):

Downing, Erin
Downing, Henry,

Description:

"After a tough year, Lucy, Freddy, and Herb Peach are ready for vacation. Lucy wants to read all of the books on the summer reading list. Freddy wants to work on his art projects (when he isn't stuck in summer school). Herb wants to swim every day. Then their dad makes a big announcement: one of the inventions their mom came up with before she passed away has sold, and now they're millionaires! But Dad has bigger plans than blowing the cash on fun stuff or investing it. He's bought a used food truck. The Peaches are going to spend the summer traveling the country selling pies. It will be the Great Peach Experiment--a summer of bonding while living out one of Mom's dreams. Summer plans, sunk. And there's one more issue Dad's neglected: none of them knows how to bake..."--

Format:

Book

Call Number:

J FIC Dow

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Efrén divided

Author(s):

Cisneros, Ernesto

Description:

While his father works two jobs, seventh-grader Efrén Nava must take care of his twin siblings, kindergartners Max and Mia, after their mother is deported to Mexico. Includes glossary of Spanish words.

Format:

Book

Call Number:

J FIC Cis

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Winterborne Home for vengeance and valor

Author(s):

Carter, Ally

Description:

After years in foster care, April gets to live in a mansion where she and four other children are caught up in a mystery related to a missing heir, a lost legacy, and the Phantom.

Format:

Book

Call Number:

J FIC Car

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Before the ever after

Author(s):

Woodson, Jacqueline

Description:

ZJ's friends Ollie, Darry and Daniel help him cope when his father, a beloved professional football player, suffers severe headaches and memory loss that spell the end of his career.

Format:

Book

Call Number:

J FIC Woo

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The blackbird girls

Author(s):

Blankman, Anne

Description:

"On a spring morning, neighbors Valentina Kaplan and Oksana Savchenko wake up to an angry red sky. A reactor at the nuclear power plant where their fathers work--Chernobyl--has exploded. Before they know it, the two girls, who've always been enemies, find themselves on a train bound for Leningrad to stay with Valentina's estranged grandmother, Rita Grigorievna. In their new lives in Leningrad, they begin to learn what it means to trust another person. Oksana must face the lies her parents told her all her life. Valentina must keep her grandmother's secret, one that could put all their lives in danger. And both of them discover something they've wished for: a best friend. But how far would you go to save your best friend's life? Would you risk your own?" --

Format:

Book

Call Number:

J FIC Bla

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Glitch

Author(s):

Martin, Laura

Description:

Regan Fitz and Elliot Mason have been enemies since they started training to become Glitchers--people who travel through time to preserve important historical events. But everything changes when they find a letter from Regan's future self, warning them about an impending disaster that threatens them and everyone they know. Will they be able to set aside their past in order to save the future?--Amazon.com

Format:

Book

Call Number:

J FIC Mar

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Linked

Author(s):

Korman, Gordon

Description:

"Link, Michael, and Dana live in a quiet town. But it's woken up very quickly when someone sneaks into school and vandalizes it with a swastika. Nobody can believe it. How could such a symbol of hate end up in the middle of their school? Who would do such a thing? Because Michael was the first person to see it, he's the first suspect. Because Link is one of the most popular guys in school, everyone's looking to him to figure it out. And because Dana's the only Jewish girl in the whole town, everyone's treating her more like an outsider than ever. The mystery deepens as more swastikas begin to appear. Some students decide to fight back and start a project to bring people together instead of dividing them further. The closer Link, Michael, and Dana get to the truth, the more there is to face-not just the crimes of the present, but the crimes of the past"--Dust jacket.

Format:

Book

Call Number:

YA FIC Kor

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Long Lost

Author(s):

West, Jacqueline,

Description:

Feeling lonely and out of place after her family moves to a new town, eleven-year-old Fiona Crane ventures to the local library, where she finds a gripping mystery novel about a small town, family secrets, and a tragic disappearance.

Format:

Book

Call Number:

J FIC Wes

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Starfish

Author(s):

Lisa Fipps

Description:

Ever since Ellie wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash at her fifth birthday party, she's been bullied about her weight. To cope, she tries to live by the Fat Girl Rules--like "no making waves," "avoid eating in public," and "don't move so fast that your body jiggles." And she's found her safe space--her swimming pool--where she feels weightless in a fat-obsessed world. In the water, she can stretch herself out like a starfish and take up all the room she wants. It's also where she can get away from her pushy mom, who thinks criticizing Ellie's weight will motivate her to diet. Fortunately, Ellie has allies in her dad, her therapist, and her new neighbor, Catalina, who loves Ellie for who she is. With this support buoying her, Ellie might finally be able to cast aside the Fat Girl Rules and starfish in real life--by unapologetically being her own fabulous self.

Format:

Large Print

Call Number:

LP FIC Fip

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Swim team

Author(s):

Christmas, Johnnie

Description:

"Bree can't wait for her first day at her new middle school, Enith Brigitha, home to the Mighty Manatees--until she's stuck with the only elective that fits her schedule, the dreaded Swim 101. The thought of swimming makes Bree more than a little queasy, yet she's forced to dive headfirst into one of her greatest fears. Lucky for her, Etta, an elderly occupant of her apartment building and former swim team captain, is willing to help"--

Format:

Book

Call Number:

J FIC Chr

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A Wish In The Dark

Author(s):

Christina Soontornvat

Description:

All light in Chattana is created by one man -- the Governor, who appeared after the Great Fire to bring peace and order to the city. For Pong, who was born in Namwon Prison, the magical lights represent freedom, and he dreams of the day he will be able to walk among them. But when Pong escapes from prison, he realizes that the world outside is no fairer than the one behind bars. The wealthy dine and dance under bright orb light, while the poor toil away in darkness. Worst of all, Pong's prison tattoo marks him as a fugitive who can never be truly free. Nok, the prison warden's perfect daughter, is bent on tracking Pong down and restoring her family's good name. But as Nok hunts Pong through the alleys and canals of Chattana, she uncovers secrets that make her question the truths she has always held dear.

Format:

Book

Call Number:

J FIC Soo