2021 Intermediate Nominees
The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole by Michelle Cuevas (2017)
When eleven-year-old Stella Rodriguez shows up at NASA to request that her recording be included in Carl Sagan's Golden Record, something unexpected happens: A black hole follows her home, and sets out to live in her house as a pet. The black hole swallows everything he touches, which is challenging to say the least--but also turns out to be a convenient way to get rid of those items that Stella doesn't want around. Soon the ugly sweaters her aunt has made for her all disappear within the black hole, as does the smelly class hamster she's taking care of, and most important, all the reminders of her dead father that are just too painful to have around.
It's not until Stella, her younger brother, Cosmo, the family puppy, and even the bathroom tub all get swallowed up by the black hole that Stella comes to realize she has been letting her own grief consume her. And that's not the only thing she realizes as she attempts to get back home. This is an astonishingly original and funny adventure with a great big heart.
Book Trailer
Read-alikes: (Fiction and nonfiction):
Å Black Hole is Not a Hole by Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano
Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson
Confessions of an Imaginary Friend: A Memoir by Jacques Papier
There Was a Black Hole That Swallowed the Universe by Chris Ferrie
How To Teach (Quantum) Physics To Your Dog by Chad Orzel
George's Secret to the Universe by Stephen Hawking
Everything About Black Holes by Baby Professor
Read-alikes: (Fiction and nonfiction):
Å Black Hole is Not a Hole by Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano
Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson
Confessions of an Imaginary Friend: A Memoir by Jacques Papier
There Was a Black Hole That Swallowed the Universe by Chris Ferrie
How To Teach (Quantum) Physics To Your Dog by Chad Orzel
George's Secret to the Universe by Stephen Hawking
Everything About Black Holes by Baby Professor
Everlasting Nora by Marie Miranda Cruz (2018)
After a family tragedy results in the loss of both father and home, twelve-year-old Nora lives with her mother in Manila's North Cemetery, which is the largest shantytown of its kind in the Philippines. When her mother disappears mysteriously one day, Nora is left alone. With help from her best friend Jojo and the support of his kindhearted grandmother, Nora embarks on a journey riddled with danger in order to find her mom. Along the way she also rediscovers the compassion of the human spirit, the resilience of her community, and everlasting hope in the most unexpected places.
Book Trailer
Read-alikes:
Where Watermelons Grow by Cindy Baldwin
Front Desk by Kelly Yang
Right as Rain by Lindsey Stoddard
My Fate According to the Butterby by Gail D. Villanueva
I'm Ok by Patti Kim
A Dog Called Homeless by Sarah Lean
Shooting Kabul by N. H. Senzai
The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman
Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Read-alikes:
Where Watermelons Grow by Cindy Baldwin
Front Desk by Kelly Yang
Right as Rain by Lindsey Stoddard
My Fate According to the Butterby by Gail D. Villanueva
I'm Ok by Patti Kim
A Dog Called Homeless by Sarah Lean
Shooting Kabul by N. H. Senzai
The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman
Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Heartseeker by Melinda Beatty (2018)
You're a Fallow of the Orchard. You're as tough as a green apple in summer . . .
Only Fallow was just six harvests old when she realized that not everyone sees lies. For Only, seeing lies is as beautiful as looking through a kaleidoscope, but telling them is as painful as gnawing on cut glass. Only's family warns her to keep her cunning hidden, but secrets are seldom content to stay secret.
When word of Only's ability makes its way to the King, she's plucked from her home at the orchard and brought to the castle at Bellskeep. There she learns that the kingdom is plagued by traitors, and that her task is to help the King distinguish between friend and foe. But being able to see lies doesn't necessarily mean that others aren't able to disguise their dishonesty with cunnings of their own.
In the duplicitous, power-hungry court, the truth is Only's greatest weapon . . . and her greatest weakness.
Read-alikes:
Riverbound by Melinda Beatty
The Unicorn Quest by Kamilla Benko
Spark by Sara Beth Curst
Wings of Fire Series by Tui T. Sutherland
A Story Like the WInd by Glll Lewis
The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty
Wish by Barbara O'Connor
Jake the Fake Keeps It Real by Craig Robinson and Adam Mansbach; art by Keith Knight (2017)
Jake can barely play an instrument, not even a kazoo. And his art? It's better suited for Pictionary than Picasso. Which is a real problem because Jake just faked his way into the Music and Art Academy for the gifted and talented (and Jake is pretty sure he is neither). More jokester than composer, Jake will have to think of something quick before the last laugh is on him.
Book Trailer
Interview with Illustrator
Read-alikes:
Jake the Fake Goes for Laughs by Craig Robinson
Jake the Fake Keeps His Cook by Craig Robinson
Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl
Danger! Tiger Crossing #1 by Lin Oliver
The Trouble with Chickens by Doreen Cronin
Make Way for Dynamonde Daniel by Nikki Grimes
Sideways Stories from Wayside School
The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail by Richard Peck
Lemons by Melissa Savage (2017)
Lemonade Liberty Witt’s mama always told her: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. But Lem can’t possibly make lemonade out of her new life in Willow Creek, California—the Bigfoot Capital of the World—where she’s forced to live with a grandfather she’s never met after her mother passes away. Then she meets eleven-year-old Tobin Sky, the CEO of Bigfoot Detectives Inc., who is the sole Bigfoot investigator for their small town. After he invites Lem to be his assistant for the summer, they set out on an epic adventure to capture a shot of the elusive beast on film. But along the way, Lem and Tobin end up discovering more than they ever could have imagined. And Lem realizes that maybe she can make lemonade out of her new life after all.
Book Trailer
Book Trailer #2
Read-alikes:
Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech
The Unteachables by Gordon Korman
Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly
Solving for M by Jennifer Swender
The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Rauf
Some Place More Than Overs by Renee Watson
The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon
Louisiana's Way Home by Kate DiCamillo
The Losers Club by Andrew Clements (2017)
Sixth grader Alec can't put a good book down.
So when Principal Vance lays down the law--pay attention in class, or else--Alec takes action. He can't lose all his reading time, so he starts a club. A club he intends to be the only member of. After all, reading isn't a team sport, and no one would want to join something called the Losers Club, right? But as more and more kids find their way to Alec's club--including his ex-friend turned bully and the girl Alec is maybe starting to like--Alec notices something. Real life might be messier than his favorite books, but it's just as interesting.
Book Trailer
Book Trailer #2
Read-alikes
Ruby Starr by Deborah Lytton
The Unteachables by Gordon Korman
Locker Hero by Rachel Renee
Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading by Tom Greenwald
Booked by Kwame Alexander
Cartboy and the Time Capsule by L. A. Campbell
Big Nate in a Class By Himself by Lincoln Peirce
School. Hasn't This Gone on Long Enough? by Jim Benton
Moving Day by Meg Cabot
A Monster Like Me by Wendy S. Swore (2019)
Sophie is a monster expert. Thanks to her Big Book of Monsters and her vivid imagination, Sophie can identify the monsters in her school and neighborhood. Clearly, the bullies are trolls and goblins. Her nice neighbor must be a good witch, and Sophie's new best friend is obviously a fairy. But what about Sophie? She's convinced she is definitely a monster because of the "monster mark" on her face. At least that's what she calls it. The doctors call it a blood tumor. Sophie tries to hide it but it covers almost half her face. And if she's a monster on the outside, then she must be a monster on the inside, too.
Book Trailer
Book Trailer #2 (author interview)
Read-alikes:
Roll with It by Jamie Summer
One-Third Nerd by Gennifer Choldenko
Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly
The Oddmire, Book 1: Cahngeling by William Ritter
Saving Fable by Scott Reintgen
Birdie by Eileen Spinelli
The Light Jar by Lisa Thompson
Because of the Rabbit by Cynthia Lord
The Phantom Tower by Keir Graff (2018)
Colm and Mal are twins so identical their own mom can't tell them apart, but they're different in just about every other way. Mal's a pragmatist while Colm's a dreamer, and they bicker and battle constantly. Neither brother is excited to be moving to Chicago for a fresh start with their mom just after their dad's death. But nothing cures homesickness like intrigue--and their new home, Brunhild Tower, has plenty of it: mysterious elderly neighbors who warn against wandering the building at midday, strange sounds in the walls, and an elevator missing a button for the thirteenth floor. One day, that button appears--and when the doors open on the missing floor, the boys are greeted by the strangest puzzle yet: a twin building that is stuck in time and bustling with activity. All of Brunhild Tower's former residents live on in this phantom tower, where the rules of the real world don't apply. But when the brothers and their newfound friends discover they're all trapped by an ancient curse, they must band together to set everyone free before it's too late.
Read-alikes:
The Secret Lake by Karen Inglis
The Storm Runner by J.C. Cervantes
Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez
The Secret Lake by Karen Inglis
The Storm Runner by J.C. Cervantes
Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez
A Story Like the Wind by Gill Lewis (2018)
A masterful story about the power of hope Rami is in a small dinghy filled with strangers, all of them refugees seeking a safe harbor. But with no motor, no oars, and a rising tide, their situation looks bleak. So Rami pulls out the only thing he brought with him--a violin--and begins to tell his fellow refugees a story through his music. And his story, about an indomitable white stallion and its struggle for freedom, gives them all the strength to remember the past and hope for the future.
Book Trailer
Read-alikes:
Illegal by Eoin Colfer
The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Nowhere Boy by Katherine Marsh
Caravan to the North by Jorge Argueta
The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman
Brothers in Hope by Mary Williams
Waiting for Unicorns by Beth Hautala
Kensuke's Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo
House Without Walls by Ching Yeung Russell
Walking With Miss Millie by Tamara Bundy (2017)
Alice is angry at having to move to Rainbow, Georgia-a too small, too hot, dried-up place she's sure will never feel like home. Then she gets put in charge of walking her elderly neighbor's dog. But Clarence won't budge without Miss Millie, so Alice and Miss Millie walk him together.
Strolling with Clarence and Miss Millie quickly becomes the highlight of Alice's day and opens her eyes to all sorts of new things to marvel over. During their walks, they meet a mix of people, and Alice sees that although there are some bullies and phonies, there are plenty of kind folks, too. Miss Millie shares her family's story with Alice, showing her the painful impact segregation has had on their town. And with Miss Millie, Alice is finally able to express her own heartache over why her family had to move there in the first place.
Book Trailer
Book Trailer #2 author reading parts of book
Book Trailer #3 behind the book info from author
Read-alikes:
Pixie Pushes on by Tamara Bundy
Mustaches for Maddie by Chad Morris and Shelly Brown
Wishtree by Katherine Applegate
The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsay Currie
Saving Marty by Paul Griffin
You Go First by Erin Entrada Kelly
