Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice Award 2016 Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice Award Grades 3 - 5

Brave Girl Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909 When Clara arrived in America, she couldn't speak English. She didn't know that young women had to go to work, that they traded an education for long hours of labor, that she was expected to grow up fast. That didn't stop her. She went to night school, spent hours studying English, and helped support her family by sewing in a shirtwaist factory. She never quit or accepted that girls should be treated poorly and paid little. Fed up with the mistreatment of her fellow laborers, Clara led the largest walkout of women workers the country had seen. By Melissa Sweet

Case File 13: Zombie Kid By J. Scott Savage Even though traveling to a relative’s funeral causes Nick to miss trick-or-treating with his friends this year, the trip to Louisiana is not all bad. He returns home with a cursed amulet that, as his friends Carter and Angelo quickly diagnose, is slowly turning him into a zombie. For the three supernatural-loving friends, this is better than any Halloween dress-up. A hilarious horror adventure ensues as they try to undo the curse. By J. Scott Savage

Einstein: The Class Hamster Ned is the only student in Ms. Moreno’s class who can hear Einstein talk. Einstein may only be the class hamster, but he knows all the class lessons and all the information in the textbooks. He has even created a game show to present the information in an entertaining way. Since Ms. Moreno is always falling asleep during class, Ned and Einstein must work together to prepare the class for the upcoming KIDS KNOW STUFF competition. By Jake Tashjian

Elvis and the Underdogs Benji is a small ten-year-old boy with a big personality. Born premature, Benji is sickly, accident-prone, and at the hospital so often he even has his own punch card. So when Benji wakes up one day from a particularly bad spell, his doctors take the radical step of suggesting he get a therapy dog. But when a massive crate arrives at Benji's house, out walks a two-hundred-pound Newfoundland who can talk! Elvis’ big, direct personality helps Benji learn to overlook his physical circumstances, overcome bullying, and make new friends. By Jenny Lee

Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Kyle is a huge fan of all games. His hero, Luigi Lemoncello, the most notorious and creative game maker in the world, just so happens to be the genius behind the construction of the new town library. Kyle wins a spot as one of twelve kids invited for an overnight sleepover in the library, hosted by Mr. Lemoncello and riddled with lots and lots of games. But when morning comes, the doors stay locked. Kyle and the other kids must solve every clue and figure out every secret puzzle to find the hidden escape route! By Chris Grabenstein

Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table Will Allen is no ordinary farmer. A former basketball star, he's as tall as his truck, and he can hold a cabbage, or a basketball, in one hand. But what is most special about Farmer Will is that he can see what others can't see. When he looked at an abandoned city lot he saw a huge table, big enough to feed the whole world. No space, no problem. Poor soil, there's a solution. Needed help, found it. He succeeds in building an urban farm, engaging the community and creating healthy food in a way that is affordable and new to them. By Jacqueline Briggs Martin

Fortunately, the Milk By Neil Gaiman Dad took an awfully long time to run to the corner shop to buy milk for the cereal. Despite his children’s suspicions, dad claims that he was definitely not chatting with a friend he met on the street. He says he was held up by an unfortunate adventure involving a stegosaurus, space travel, a hot air balloon, pirates, and a near-encounter with the end of the world. Fortunately, thanks to his efforts and dedication, the milk survived the whole ordeal. By Neil Gaiman

Henry and the Cannons: An Extraordinary True Story of the American Revolution In 1775 in the dead of winter, a bookseller named Henry Knox dragged 59 cannons from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston—225 miles of lakes, forest, mountains, and few roads. It was a feat of remarkable ingenuity and determination and one of the most remarkable stories of the Revolutionary War.  By Don Brown

Hey, Charleston!: The True Story of the Jenkins Orphanage Band In 1891, Reverend Daniel Joseph Jenkins opened his orphanage in Charleston, South Carolina. He soon had hundreds of children and needed a way to support them. Jenkins asked townspeople to donate old band instruments and found teachers to show the kids how to play. Soon the orphanage had a band. They performed as far away as Paris and London, and they earned enough money to support the orphanage that still exists today. They also helped launch the music we now know as jazz. By Anne F. Rockwell

Hoop Genius: How a Desperate Teacher and a Rowdy Gym Class Invented Basketball Taking over a rowdy gym class right before winter vacation is not something James Naismith wants to do at all. The last two teachers of this class quit in frustration. The students, a bunch of energetic young men, are bored with all the regular games and activities. Naismith needs something new, exciting, and fast to keep the class happy or someone's going to get hurt. Saving this class is going to take a genius. Discover the true story of how Naismith invented basketball in 1891 at a school in Springfield, Massachusetts. By John Coy

The Matchbox Diary By Paul Fleischman When a little girl visits her great-grandfather at his curio-filled home, she chooses an unusual object to learn about: an old cigar box. It holds matchboxes filled with small objects, each one tied to a memory for her grandfather to share. They tell of his journey from Italy to a new country, before he could read and write — the olive pit his mother gave him to suck on when there wasn’t enough food; a bottle cap he saw on his way to the boat; a ticket still retaining the thrill of his first baseball game. By Paul Fleischman

The Mischievians By William Joyce Strange smells. Disappearing remotes. That itch you just can’t reach. It’s not your fault! It’s the Mischievians, an ancient race of global mischief-makers who do all the things that embarrass you. All the things that bug you. All the things that YOU get blamed for! Come meet the Homework Eater, the fiend who steals your homework! See the Endroller, the villain who uses up ALL the toilet paper! Discover the Yawn Mower, the creature who makes you yawn at the worst possible time! And many, many more. By William Joyce

Mountain Dog By Margarita Engle Uncle Tío and his mountain rescue dog Gabe are the perfect medicine for Tony after his mother is sent to jail for dogfighting. Though he feels lost when he is first sent to live with the uncle he has never met, he finds stability and security with him as a new family. With his Tió and a search-and-rescue dog named Gabe by his side, he learns how to track wild animals, is welcomed to the Cowboy Church, and makes new friends at the Mountain School. Most importantly though, it is through Gabe that Tony discovers unconditional love for the first time. By Margarita Engle

Sugar By Jewell Parker Rhodes Ten-year-old Sugar lives on the River Road sugar plantation along the banks of the Mississippi. Slavery is over, but laboring in the fields all day doesn't make her feel very free. When Chinese workers are brought in to help harvest the cane, the older River Road folks feel threatened, but Sugar is fascinated. As she befriends young Beau and elder Master Liu, they introduce her to the traditions of their culture, and she, in turn, shares the ways of plantation life. Sugar soon realizes that she must be the one to bridge the cultural gap and bring the community together.   By Jewell Parker Rhodes

Rump: The True Story of Rumplestiltskin When 12-year-old Rump finds an old spinning wheel, he discovers he has a gift for spinning straw into gold. His best friend, Red Riding Hood, warns him that magic is dangerous, and she's right. With each thread he spins, he weaves himself deeper into a curse. To break the spell, Rump must go on a perilous quest, fighting off pixies, trolls, poison apples, and a wickedly foolish queen. The odds are against him, but with courage and friendship-and a cheeky sense of humor-he just might triumph in the end. By Liesl Shurtliff