2001 Nominees

 

King of Shadows - MS

by Susan Cooper

American Nat Field joins a troupe of young actors in London where they will perform one of Shakespeare's masterpieces. Due to a mysterious illness, Nat is transported to 1599 London where he meets and works for the Bard himself.

 

Nory Ryan's Song - MS

by Patricia Reilly Giff

Nory Ryan's family has lived in Ireland for generations, barely getting by. When a terrible plague attacks the potato crops, Nory and her neighbors must summon the courage to find food, hope, and a way to help their families survive.

 

Our Only May Amelia - MS

by Jennifer Holm

Growing up in a rural isolated community in Washington state in 1901, May Amelia is the youngest in the family and the only girl. She wants to do everything her brothers do, much to her father's dismay.

 

Silent to the Bone - MS

by E.L. Konigsburg

Nikki is in a coma. The English au pair says that the baby's half-brother Branwell dropped her. Branwell isn't saying anything. He hasn't spoken since he picked up the phone and dialed 911.

 

Kit's Wilderness - All

by David Almond

He knows that John Askew is trouble, but Kit Watson is still drawn to him and his game called Death.

 

Night Hoops - All

by Carl Deuker

When Nick becomes a major player on the high school basketball team, his father expects him to be the star of the team. When his friend Trent ends up in trouble, Nick is able to put his basketball career in perspective.

 

Stick Figure: A Diary of My Former Self - All

by Lori Gottlieb

The author shares her sometimes humorous and always truthful diaries chronicling the experiences that led her to anorexia. Trying to control her life, she strives to become "the thinnest eleven-year-old on the planet."

 

Gathering Blue - All

by Lois Lowry

At a young age, Kira is left orphaned and handicapped. When the Council of Guardians summons her to judgment, Kira prepares to fight for her life. Instead, Kira finds herself honored for her almost magical artistic gifts.

 

Monster - All

by Walter Dean Myers

Steve Harmon is accused of being an accessory to a robbery/murder. Known as "Monster," he chronicles his incarceration and trial in a unique, gripping screenplay format.

 

A Long Way from Chicago - All

by Richard Peck

During the Depression, Joey and his sister spend a week in the country with their grandmother. Grandma Dowdell seems different every summer, garnering her feisty reputation while demanding justice and wishing to be left in peace.

 

Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy - All

by Sonya Sones

Cookie's older sister is unexpectedly hospitalized with mental illness, and her family is torn apart. Will Cookie's world ever be the same? Based on the author's own childhood experiences, this story is told entirely in verse.

 

Give a Boy a Gun - All  (2001 winner)

by Todd Strasser

Two students barricade their classmates and teachers in the gym and hold them at gunpoint. What events drove them to this desperate act?

 

Memories of Summer - All

by Ruth White

Lyric, Summer and their father move from rural Virginia to Flint, Michigan in the 1950's. As Lyric blossoms in her new life, Summer retreats into the frightening world of schizophrenia. Lyric relates how one family dealt with mental illness in a time when there weren't many options.

 

If You Come Softly - All

by Jacqueline Woodson

Jeremiah, an African-American basketball player from Brooklyn, and Ellie, a white Jewish student from Manhattan, meet at the same private school. When they fall in love, they struggle with the reactions of the white community.

 

Speak - All

by Laurie Halse Anderson

Melinda is an outcast who is shunned by her friends because she placed a call to the police at a rowdy party last summer. Now she faces her freshman year alone and withdrawn while trying to avoid memories that leave her barely able to speak.

 

Dreamland - HS

by Sarah Dessen

Caitlin's perfect older sister has run away. Trying to fill Cass' shoes leaves Caitlin feeling drained until she meets Rogerson, a mysterious boy who lets her be herself … sometimes.

 

The Beet Fields: Memories of a Sixteenth Summer - HS

by Gary Paulsen

The hugely popular author writes of his troubled youth in this brutal, unsentimental memoir. He lives and works with Mexican migrant laborers, is beaten, suffers theft, and discovers the mysteries of sex.

 

The Body of Christopher Creed - HS

by Carol Plum-Ucci

Nick didn't mean to hit his girlfriend, but he loves her so much and can't be without her. The court orders him into counseling, and he is forced to acknowledge and confront his violent disposition.

 

Breaking Rank - HS

by Kristen Randle

Baby is a member of a gang, and Casey is a popular honor student. When Casey is assigned to tutor Baby, they are able to see past all the stereotypes, and a relationship begins to develop that their friends refuse to understand.

 

Hard Love - HS

by Ellen Wittlinger

John feels alienated from his divorced parents, but he finds understanding in 'zine writer, Marisol, who encourages him to write about his lonely life. When he begins to fall for her, she cannot return his love.