William Allen White Children’s Book Award 3 rd -5 th Grade

Background  History: Established in 1952 Ruth GagliardoEstablished in 1952 Ruth Gagliardo Directed by Emporia State UniversityDirected by Emporia State University  Purpose: Honors William Allen White, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist from KansasHonors William Allen White, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist from Kansas Encourages Kansas children to read and enjoy high quality literature Encourages Kansas children to read and enjoy high quality literature  Distinction: Thought to be the first book award program in the country decided by children Thought to be the first book award program in the country decided by children

Nominated Books  Must be published within the past year  Authors must be from the United States, Canada or Mexico  Text must be fiction, non-fiction or poetry  Selection committee chooses books for their originality, vitality, accuracy and sincerity

Participation  Who: 3 rd – 8 th grade Kansas students  What: Read 2 nominated books  Where: Check them out at the library  When: Read all year long and be ready to vote by April 15 th  Why: To select the winners!

WAW Winner 3rd-5th Grade How To Steal A Dog by Barbara O’Connor

WAW Winner 6 th -8th Grade Cracker, The Best Dog in Vietnam by Cynthia Kadohata

William Allen White Children’s Book Award 3 rd -5 th Grade Master list

The Adventure of Sir Lancelot the Great By Gerald Morris One of King Arthur’s most famous knights comes to life in this light-hearted, playful tale. He has always dreamed of joining King Arthur’s Court because of their clean armor! He defeats all comers through a series of comic adventures and complimentary illustrations enhance the telling.

Buffalo Song This story of the first efforts to save the vanishing bison (buffalo) herds from extinction in the United States in the 1870s and 1880s is based on the true experiences of Samuel Walking Coyote, a Salish (Kalispel) Indian who rescued and raised orphaned buffalo calves. This wildlife conservation is still happening today. This story of the first efforts to save the vanishing bison (buffalo) herds from extinction in the United States in the 1870s and 1880s is based on the true experiences of Samuel Walking Coyote, a Salish (Kalispel) Indian who rescued and raised orphaned buffalo calves. This wildlife conservation is still happening today. By Joseph Bruchac

Chancey of the Maury River By Gigi Amateau After being abandoned, Chancey, an albino Appaloosa horse, finds a new home with Claire who needs him as much as he needs her, but as his eyesight deteriorates, he and Claire start anew as a therapeutic team. Suspense comes into play when students are healed by the team’s adventures. After being abandoned, Chancey, an albino Appaloosa horse, finds a new home with Claire who needs him as much as he needs her, but as his eyesight deteriorates, he and Claire start anew as a therapeutic team. Suspense comes into play when students are healed by the team’s adventures.

Eleven By Patricia Reilly Giff Sam can barely read, but he discovers an old newspaper clipping just before his eleventh birthday that triggers childhood memories. With the help of a new friend, he and Caroline build a castle together for a school project and unravel the mysteries of his past.

42 Miles By Gracie Vaughn Zimmer As her thirteenth birthday approaches, JoEllen decides to bring together her two separate lives--one as Joey, who enjoys weekends with her father and other relatives on a farm, and another as Ellen, who lives with her mother in a Cincinnati apartment near her school and friends.

Freedom Train Twelve-year-old Clyde Thomason's older brother is a guard on the Freedom Train, which is carrying the Bill of Rights and other documents throughout the country in Clyde also learns about rights and freedom in his real life when he is saved from a beating by an African American boy, and later returns the favor when men in their Atlanta suburb decide to show the "Nigras" their place. History comes alive in this fictional tale. By Evelyn Coleman

Masterpiece Marvin, a beetle, makes a miniature drawing for James, a human, for his eleventh birthday. The friends soon work together to help recover a famous Durer drawing stolen from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The theft makes the adventure between Marvin and James a real “page turner.” Marvin, a beetle, makes a miniature drawing for James, a human, for his eleventh birthday. The friends soon work together to help recover a famous Durer drawing stolen from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The theft makes the adventure between Marvin and James a real “page turner.” By Elise Broach

Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maatha By Claira A. Nivola Wangari Maathai came home to Kenya after college only to find the streams dry, the people malnourished, and the trees gone. What she did to turn things around in her homeland led to her founding of the Green Belt Movement and winning the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize.

Swindle By Gordon Korman After an unscrupulous collector cons him out of a valuable baseball card, sixth-grader Griffin Bing puts together a band of misfits to break into the collector’s heavily guarded store and steal the card back. The planned heist takes a few twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat until the last page.

William Allen White

William Allen White Children’s Book Award 3 rd -5 th Grade