2008 Nominees

 

Black Duck - MS

by Janet Taylor Lisle
Ruben Hart tells of how, in 1929 Newport, he and his best friend's families were caught up in the violent competition among groups trying to control the local rum-smuggling trade.
 

Down the Rabbit Hole - MS

by Peter Abrahams
Because Ingrid is an avid Sherlock Holmes fan, she can't resist the urge to try to discover who killed an Echo Falls resident.
 
 

Larklight: A Rousing Tale of Dauntless Pluck in the Farthest Reaches of Space - MS

by Philip Reeve
In an alternate Victorian England, Arthur and his sister Myrtle, residents of Larklight , a spaceworthy vessel, uncover a spidery plot to destroy the solar system.
 

Yellow Star - MS

by Jennifer Roy
Syvia was 4 years old when the Nazis forced Jews from her area of Poland into the Lodz Ghetto. Six years later, she was one of only 12 child survivors to be liberated from the ghetto.
 

Breathe: A Ghost Story - All

by Cliff McNish
After Jack and his mother move into an old house, he believes that the spirits he encounters are harmless but he soon discovers that one of them is not as she seems.
 

A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life - All

by Dana Reinhardt
Simone's life changes unexpectedly when her parents convince her to contact her biological mother, an agnostic from a Jewish family who is losing her battle with cancer.
 

Diva - All

by Alex Flinn
Caitlin pursues her dream of becoming an opera singer by attending a performing arts school even though she must leave her friends and familiar environment.
 

Endymion Spring - All

by Matthew Skelton
Having accompanied his mother and pesky younger sister to Oxford, Blake stumbles across an ancient, magical book that was secreted to England in 1453 to save it from evil forces.
 

Incantation - All

by Alice Hoffman
Estrella's family is hiding a huge secret. But will her best friend, Catalina, betray her trust because of a boy's love for Estrella and not her?
 

Let Me Play: The Story of Title IX - All

by Karen Blumenthal
A fascinating look at the history of Title IX, which bans sex discrimination in US education with highlights of the women's movement from the early twentieth century through today.
 

Life as We Knew It - All

by Susan Beth Pfeffer
After a meteor hits the moon, Miranda and her family quickly realize the danger and prepare for the worst as the world faces all sorts of natural disasters.
 

Lush - All  (2008 winner)

by Natasha Friend
Sam decides to get a new friend to help her cope with her alcoholic father and a mother in denial by leaving a biographical letter in a library book.
 

Marie, Dancing - All

by Carolyn Meyer
Living in a part of Paris in the 1800's is dismal for Marie, but an invitation to model for Edgar Degas could bring new meaning to the life for this talented Paris Opera ballet dancer.
 

The Night My Sister Went Missing - All

by Carol Plum Ucci
When his sister goes missing mysteriously, Kurt spends a night at the police station overhearing statements from witnesses that reveal the prejudices and secrets of their town.
 
 

Notes from the Midnight Driver - All

by Jordan Sonnenblick
After being assigned to perform community service at a nursing home, Alex befriends a cranky old man with lessons to impart about jazz guitar playing, love, and forgiveness.
 

The Rules of Survival - All

by Nancy Werlin
Matt tells of trying desperately to save his younger sisters and himself from the very real dangers of life with a very disturbing and dangerous woman: their mother.
 
 

Side Effects - All

by Amy Goldman Koss
When Izzy goes to the doctor to check her swollen glands, she thinks he'll give her some medicine but it’s not that simple ... Izzy has cancer.
 

Sleeping Freshman Never Lie - All

by Markus Zusak
During his first year of high school, Scott tries to keep old friends who have changed while dealing with big changes at home: the approaching birth of his baby brother.
 

The Book Thief - HS

by Marcus Zusak
Death tells the story of Liesel, whose book-stealing and story-telling talents sustain her German family and the Jewish man they are hiding during the horrors of World War II.
 

Peeps - HS

by Scott Westerfeld
Cal Thompson is a carrier of a parasite that causes vampirism, and must now hunt down all of the girlfriends he has unknowingly infected.
 

Sold - HS

by Patricia McCormick
Set in India and Pakistan, this free verse novel tells the story of 13-year-old Lakshimi, who is sold into prostitution and struggles to survive and escape the brutality she endures.
 

Theories of Relativity - HS

by Barbara Haworth-Attard
When his volatile mother throws him out of the house, Dylan is forced to live on the streets and beg for money. Yet through it all, he finds a way to survive.