More Sunshine State Young Reader award nominees!

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I just finished two more Sunshine State Young Reader award nominees and they were terrific!  I can't wait to get them into my library!

The first one is called "Wedgie and Gizmo" by Suzanne Selfors.  Selfors is no stranger to the SSYRA list-her book "The Sasquatch Escape" and "Fortune's Magic Farm" made the lists in years past.  I know why this one made the list too!  This book is told from two perspectives - Wedgie, an exuberant corgi who believes he is a super hero (with a cape!) and Gizmo, a grumpy guinea pig who believes he is an evil genius and is looking for a plausible plot to take over the world.  They are living together in a newly blended family-Gizmo's owner/servant, Elliot, has moved with his dad in with Jasmine, Jackson, their mom, and her mom (Abuela).  Elliot is the least happy about the move and in the move, Gizmo's cage was damaged so for the moment, he's living in Jasmine's Barbie dream house, which he doesn't love.  Jasmine, is thrilled and proceeds to dress up Gizmo in pink tutus, which Gizmo also doesn't love.  Elliot is sad because he's had to leave all his friends and Wedgie really wants to cheer him up.  The chapters alternate between the characters and each voice is so clear, you don't really need the pictures, but they are a super fun addition to the story.  I think the kids are going to love this one.  It's big enough to satisfy the older readers and accessible enough to be available to the younger ones.  Teachers will even love it because of the opportunity to talk about voice and point of view.  Big win for everyone!

Here's a terrific book trailer about the book!


The second one is called "Superstar" by Mandy Davis.  It's about Lester who lives with his mom and has been homeschooled.  But his mom gets a job and suddenly, he needs to attend the local public school.  Lester has some quirks that make public school difficult, like not knowing how to make friends, not being able to read social situations, extreme sensitivity to noise, and a rigid adherence to rules and order.  But Lester does have some excellent things going for him.  He's a scientist and figuring out answers to things is what he does.  So when he finds out there's a science fair, he's determined to win it.  What's great about this story is the depth of the characters and the connections between them.  What's also great is how similar these characters are to people I know and how strongly I connected to them. I also love the scientific process piece and how Lester uses it to help him, his mom and his new friends.  There's a lot to love here!  I can't wait to put this one in our library. 




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