2022 Intermediate Nominees
Bob by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead (2018)
It has been five years since Livy and her family visited her grandmother in Australia. But now being back, Livy feels she has forgotten something really, really important about Gran’s house. Bob, a short greenish creature dressed in a chicken suit, hasn’t forgotten Livy or her promise to him. He’s been waiting all this time for her to come back, hiding in a closet like she told him to do. He can’t remember who or what he is, where he came from, or if he even has a family waiting for him. Five years ago, Livy promised she would help him find his way home. And how that Livy has come back, it’s time to keep that promise. Clue by clue, Bob and Livy unravel the mystery of Bob and in the process, discover the kind of magic that lasts forever.
Book Trailers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h_MO3vc4G0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRZqFeQpebg
https://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2018/04/29/book-trailer-premiere-bob-by-rebecca-stead-and-wendy-mass/
Read-alikes:
His Name Was Walter by Emily Rodda
Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate
Louisana's Way Home by Kate DiCamillo
Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart
Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
Nightmares! by Jason Segel
Hour of the Bees by Lindsay Eagar
Wishing Day by Lauren Myracle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h_MO3vc4G0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRZqFeQpebg
https://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2018/04/29/book-trailer-premiere-bob-by-rebecca-stead-and-wendy-mass/
Read-alikes:
His Name Was Walter by Emily Rodda
Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate
Louisana's Way Home by Kate DiCamillo
Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart
Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
Nightmares! by Jason Segel
Hour of the Bees by Lindsay Eagar
Wishing Day by Lauren Myracle
The Last by Katherine Applegate (2018)
Byx who is the youngest of her mythical doglike Dairne pack believed to have remarkable abilities, is the last of her species which has been hunted to near extinction in the war-torn kingdom of Nedarra. Seeking a safe haven, Byx journeys to see if the legends of other hidden Dairnes are real. Throughout her travel, she meets new allies – both animal and human. They become a unique family and uncover a secret that could threaten every creature in their world.
Book Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUk1NON-3kc
Read-alikes:
Podkin One-Ear by Kieran Larwood
The Wonderling by Mira Bartok
The Quest Begins by Erin Hunter
Silverwing by Kenneth Oppel
The Last Wild by Piers Torday
A Pack Divided by Erin Hunter
Forest of Wonders by Linda Sue Park
The Dark Hills Divide by Patrick Carman
The Coming of Hoole by Kathryn Lasky
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUk1NON-3kc
Read-alikes:
Podkin One-Ear by Kieran Larwood
The Wonderling by Mira Bartok
The Quest Begins by Erin Hunter
Silverwing by Kenneth Oppel
The Last Wild by Piers Torday
A Pack Divided by Erin Hunter
Forest of Wonders by Linda Sue Park
The Dark Hills Divide by Patrick Carman
The Coming of Hoole by Kathryn Lasky
The Last Panther by Todd Mitchell (2017)
Eleven-year-old Kiri has always had a special way with animals – they call to her. But when she has an encounter with the last known Florida panther, her life quickly changes. She is caught in the middle between her conservationist father who wants to send the panther to a zoo and the poachers in her village who want to sell it to feed their families. Her only option is to flee deep into the wilderness to not only find a way to save the panther, but to find a way for her father and the villagers to understand each other. If Kiri cannot find a solution, she will lose the panther, her home, and her father.
2018 Green Earth Book Award Honor
2018 Colorado Book Award Winner
CAL Book Award Winner
Green Prize for Sustainable Literature Award Winner
A Bank Street "Best Children's Book of the Year"
A National Geographic Giant Traveling Map of Florida Selection
Book Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpjyy0E7_H0
Read-alikes:
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
Me and Marvin Gardens by Amy Sarig King
Manatee Rescue by Nicola Davies
The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi
The Neptune Project by Polly Holyoke
Guardians of the Taiga by Stacy Hinojosa
Elephant Secret by Eric Walters
Children off Exile by Margaret Peterson Haddis
Crocodile Rescue by Melissa Christina Marquez
The Lifters by Dave Eggers (2018)
What if you discovered that the ground under your feet was hollowed out into hundreds of tunnels and passageways? And then you discover that there were mysterious forces that lived in those tunnels that needed to be stopped. When Catalina Catalan presses a silver handle in the side of a hill which opens a door to the underground tunnels, twelve-year-old Gran Flowerpetal knows that he has no choice but to follow her to save the town and the probably the known world from these forces. With some luck and some discarded hockey sticks, they might just succeed.
Book Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmyGbEKZJkE
Read-alikes:
Who Could That Be at This Hour? by Lemony Snicket
Floors by Patrick Carman
The Shadows by Jacqueline West
The Iron Trial by Holly Black
The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein
Wildwood by Colin Meloy
Jinx by Sage Blackwood
Nightmares by Jason Segel
Max Einstein: The Genius Experiment by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein (2018)
Twelve-year-old Max Einstein never knew her parents, she is obsessed & talks to Albert Einstein, lives above some Central Park stables along with other homeless types, and has hacked the computer system at New York University to attend classes. But everything changes when Dr. Zimm and his mysterious Corp organization recruit her to help solve some of the world’s toughest problems using science. Max along with a group of highly diverse, multicultural fellow child prodigies invent new ways to bring power to everywhere in the world. But that will happen only if the sinister outfit known as The Corporation doesn’t get to her first.
Book Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4_iT_QIn2o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1N-cWo5hWA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QIekRSVw9A
Read-alikes:
Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor by Jon Scieszka
How to Capture an Invisible Cat by Paul Tobin
Secret Coders by Gene Luen Yang
Nick and Tesla's High-Voltage Danger Lab by Bob Pflugfelder
At The Bottom of the World by Bill Nye
The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm
Nikki Tesla and the Ferret-Proof Death Ray by Jess Keating
Fuzzy by Tom Angleberger
Dragons vs. Unicorns by Kate Biberdorf
Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring by Angela Cervantes (2018)
Paloma Marquez is traveling to Mexico City, birthplace of her deceased father, for the first time. She hopes that spending time there will help her unlock memories of the brief time they had together. While there, Paloma meets brother and sister, Gael and Lizzie, who present her with a challenge she cannot refuse: the siblings want help to locate a valuable ring that once belonged to the famous Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Finding the ring will not only mean a large reward and earn the thanks of all the Mexican people, but will be a way to honor her father. But the siblings have a secret. Do they want to return the ring or are they after something else entirely different.
Book Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFYcQFpKTJM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD3QMxxkETo
Author Virtual Visit information
Read-alikes
The Van Gogh Deception by Deron R. Hicks
Under the Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald
Mystery on the Museum Mile by Marcia Wells
Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
Moving Target by Christa Diaz Gonzalez
Moxie and the Art of Rule Breaking by Erin Dionne
Capture the Flag by Kate Messner
Charlotte in Paris by Annie Bryant
Treasure Hunters by James Patterson
Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech (2019)
Louie had been born prematurely and now at age eleven, the family story of him as “a pitiful, scrawny, struggling thing” has formed his outlook on life: he is determined and optimistic but doesn’t always have the best of luck – especially in dealing with other needy creatures. Then his father brings home a sickly newborn mini donkey whom Louie names Winslow. Louie and newcomer Nora (who had lost a baby brother born prematurely) bond over their determination to save the donkey. Surprising and life-altering events prove that Winslow is stronger than anyone could have dreamed.
Indie Next List Pick
2019 ALA Notable Children’s Book
2019 Texas Bluebonnet Award winner
Book Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKkACP8qGpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeFoa9JC90s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSSTF2S-8vw
Read-alikes:
Saucy by Cynthia Kadohata
White Fur Flying by Patricia MacLachlan
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Saving Marty by Paul Griffin
Pax by Sara Pennypacker
Wish by Barbara O'Connor
Chicken Boy by Frances O'Roark Dowell
Ellie's Story by W. Bruce Cameron
When Friendship Followed Me Home by Paul Griffin
The Sky at Our Feet by Nadia Hashimi (2018)
When Jason, whose father was killed in Afghanistan, learns that his Afghan-born mother has been living illegally in the United States, he is terrified that they could be separated if her secret is discovered. This fear comes to fruition when Jason sees his mother being taken from her workplace by two officers. Feeling completely alone, he takes a train to Penn Station in New York in hopes to finding his aunt. Feeling overwhelmed, Jason wonders if he has overestimated what he can do. An accident lands him in the hospital where he finds an unlikely ally in another patient. Max wants nothing more than to explore the world on her own terms; she joins Jason in plotting a daring escape from the hospital into the skyscraper jungle even while knowing they won’t be able to run forever.
Book Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhhmF5eOqP0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU59WPmMBF8
Read-alikes:
Amina's Voice by Hena Khan
Gaby, Lost and Found by Angela Cervantes
The Crossroads by Alexandra Diaz
The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman
Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart
The Turtle of Oman by Naomi Shihab Nye
Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai
Summer of a Thousand Pies by Margaret Dilloway
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhhmF5eOqP0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU59WPmMBF8
Read-alikes:
Amina's Voice by Hena Khan
Gaby, Lost and Found by Angela Cervantes
The Crossroads by Alexandra Diaz
The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman
Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart
The Turtle of Oman by Naomi Shihab Nye
Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai
Summer of a Thousand Pies by Margaret Dilloway
Two Dogs in a Trench Coat Go to School by Julie Falatko (2018)
Sassy and Waldo spend their days being the perfect watchdogs, keeping their house safe from squirrels and other invaders. But every day, their boy, Stewart, comes home from this horrible pace called “school” smelling like anxiety and loose-leaf paper. So Sassy and Waldo must save Stewart; however, dogs are not allowed in school. But the dogs have a plan: they put on an old trench coat to become a new student named Salty from Liver, Ohio. Everyone at Bea Arthur Elementary believes they are this new student, except for Stewart. It turns out Sassy and Waldo love school. What’s not to love about meat and dirty sock smells. They will have to find a new way to help Stewart.
Book Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU59WPmMBF8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwizH4zjOZk
Read-alikes:
Stick Dog by Tom Watson
Elivis and the Underdogs by Jenny Lee
Help! I'm Trapped in Obedience School by Todd Strasser
The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog by John R. Erickson
The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey
Secrets According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney
Guinea Dog by Patrick Jennings
Awesome Dog 5000 by Justin Dean
Dog Diaries by James Patterson
Wizardmatch by Lauren Magaziner (2018)
Twelve-year-old Lennie Mercado loves magic; she practices her invisibility powers all the time, and can now stay invisible for fifteen seconds. She longs for the day she can visit her grandfather, the Prime Wizard de Pomporromp at his magical estate. The day finally comes when Poppop decides to retire and his grandchildren come from all over to compete in Wizardmatch to see who will win and inherit his title, his castle and all his unlimited magical powers. The losers get – nothing. Lennie is so desperate to win, that when Poppop creates a new rule to squelch any sibling rivalries, her thoughts turn from winning Wiardmatch to sabotaging it – even if it means betraying her family.
Book Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YliwMDMI9SY
Read-alikes:
The Magic Misfits by Neil Patrick Harris
Upside-Down Magic bySarah Mlynowski
Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend
Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu
Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke
Frogkisser! by Garth Nix
The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer
Magic Mistakes by Lou Kuenzler
The Witch Boy by Molly Ostertag
