Gladstone Street School Library: Rhode Island Children's Book Award 2016

In the golden age of baseball, just about every young boy wanted to grow up to wear Yankee pinstripes, including Giuseppe Paolo DiMaggio, Jr., a first generation Italian from San Francisco. Through hard work and dedication, Joe grew up to make headlines as a top centerfielder and ace hitter-Joltin' Joe, the Yankee Clipper. During the Depression and WWII the country needed something to cheer for, and Joe was the star player who outshone the rest, all by keeping his mouth shut and his eye on the ball.

Fourth grade was supposed to be a fresh start, but Mike's already back in the principal's office. He's not a bad kid. He just can't sit still. Then, Mike and Nora discover the White Rabbit. It's an odd shop--with a special secret inside. Its owner, Mr. Zerlin, is a magician, and, amazingly, he believes Mike could be a magician, too. Has Mike finally found something he's good at?

Ben is a contest-crazed seventh grader who uses his wits and way with words in hopes of winning a big cash prize to help his family avoid eviction. Unfortunately he is about to lose a whole lot more than good toilet paper. But even with his flair for clever slogans, will he be able to win a cash prize large enough to keep a promise he made to his dad before he died?

Albie has never been the smartest kid in his class. In fact, Albie has a long list of the things he's not very good at. Albie learns to cope with the stress of a new school while learning to stand up to the bully and make new friends. Great for fans of Rebecca Stead's Liar and Spy, RJ Palacio's Wonder and Cynthia Lord's Rules.

Shrek meets Wimpy Kid in this epically funny tale of a troll trying to figure out how to be more popular As a troll, Zarf is stuck at the bottom of the middle school hierarchy, way below the prince and knights (populars), ogres and giants (jocks), and even the lowly minstrels (band geeks). But it gets worse. When the king disappears and Zarf's archenemy, the prince, ascends the throne, he makes Zarf's life even more miserable. And so it is that Zarf and his two sidekicks (a neurotic, mutton-obsessed pig and the not-funny son of the court jester) set out to find the missing king as well as their way to middle school heroism. (Okay, the heroism part might be wishful thinking.)

Eleven-year-old Nola Sutton has been best friends and neighbors with the Swift boys for practically her whole life. Together, they have a summer of fun adventures planned. But then everything changes overnight. When the boys' dad leaves without even saying good-bye, it completely destroys the Swift family, and all Nola can do is watch. Is Nola strong enough to save the Swift boys from themselves, or has she lost them forever?

Not everyone understands Rose's obsessions, her rules, and the other things that make her different - not her teachers, not other kids, and not her single father. When a storm hits their rural town, rivers overflow, the roads are flooded, and her dog Rain goes missing. Now Rose has to find her dog, even if it means leaving her routines and safe places to search.

Night of the Zombie Chickens is supposed to be Kate Walden's breakout film. Thank goodness Kate's best friend Alyssa is the star. She's great at screaming and even better at killing zombies in creative ways. But Alyssa turns into a real-life soulless zombie and ditches Kate for the most popular girl in seventh grade. Now, thanks to Alyssa's new crowd, Kate is the butt of every joke at school and consigned to the loser table at lunch. Kate hatches the perfect revenge plot against her former best friend, but she soon realizes that nothing-in filmmaking or in life-ever goes exactly as planned. Especially when there are diabolical hens out to get you.

Amira is twelve. Old enough for new responsibilities. And maybe old enough to go to school in Nyala-- Amira's one true dream. But life in her peaceful Sudanese village is shattered when the Janjaweed attack. The terrifying attackers ravage the town and unleash unspeakable horrors. After she loses nearly everything, Amira needs to find the strength to make the long journey-- on foot-- to safety at a refugee camp. Her days are tough at the camp, until the gift of a simple red pencil opens her mind-- and all kinds of possibilities.

Up close with the ocean's most fearsome and famous predator and the scientists who study them--just twenty-six miles from the Golden Gate Bridge! Massive, fast, and perfectly adapted to hunting after 11 million years of evolution, the great whites are among the planet's most fearsome, fascinating, and least understood animals.

When Carl Sagan was a young boy he went to the 1939 World's Fair and his life was changed forever. From that day on he never stopped marveling at the universe and seeking to understand it better. This book introduces the beloved man who brought the mystery of the cosmos into homes across America to a new generation of dreamers and star gazers.

Twelve-year-old Aidan lives and works at his parents' motel on the Space Coast in Florida, so he's seen a lot of weird stuff. But things at the Mercury Inn are about to get a whole lot weirder. When an actual unidentified flying object suddenly appears in the sky over the motel, Aidan begins to realize that some of the residents of the Mercury Inn may be much more unusual than he thought. Filled with quirky characters and atmosphere, this beachy alien caper, like the aging motel where it takes place, is anything but ordinary.

Eleven-year-old Suzy just can't win. Her brother is a local hero for calling 911 after seeing their elderly neighbor collapse. Feeling cast aside from all angles, Suzy sees a kindred spirit in Emily Dickinson, the subject of her summer project. Suzy decides to escape from her disappointments by emulating the poet's life of solitude. But being a recluse is harder than Suzy predicted. Will she find a way to fold Emily into her life while also remaining true to herself?

Alfie McQuinn, the notorious cat burglar, is dying. Alfie manages to get out two last words to his young son, March: "Find jewels." But March learns that his father is not talking about a stash of loot. He is talking about Jules, the twin sister March never knew he had. No sooner than the two find each other, they're picked up by the police and sent to the world's worst orphanage. March and Jules have no intention of staying put. They're tired of being pushed around. Just one good heist, and they will live the life of riches and freedom most kids only dream about.

Alton Barnes loves maps. Regular "point A to point B" ones, sure, but also maps that explain a whole lot more-like what he really thinks about his friends. And teachers. Even the principal. So when Alton's maps are stolen from his locker, there's serious trouble on the horizon...and he'll need some mad cartographic skills to escape it.

This picture book biography sheds light on how the American inventor George Ferris defied gravity and seemingly impossible odds to invent the world;s most iconic amusement park attraction, the Ferris wheel.

The Night Gardener follows two abandoned Irish siblings who travel to work as servants at a creepy, crumbling English manor house. But the house and its family are not quite what they seem. Soon the children are confronted by a mysterious spectre and an ancient curse that threatens their very lives.

Going to school and making new friends can be tough. But going to school and making new friends while wearing a bulky hearing aid strapped to your chest? That requires superpowers! In this funny, poignant graphic novel memoir, author/illustrator Cece Bell chronicles her hearing loss at a young age.

Jarrett doesn't trust Kevon, his newest foster brother. Everyone thinks Jarrett and Kevon should be friends -- but that's not gonna happen. Not when Kevon's acting like he's better than Jarrett -- and not when Jarrett finds out Kevon's keeping some major secrets. Jarrett doesn't think it's fair that he has to share his room, his friends, and his life with some stranger.