1. Young Hoosier Book Nominees Intermediate Books 2016-2017

2. “Albie has always been an almost. He's almost good at tetherball. He's almost smart enough to pass his spelling test. He almost makes his parents proud. And now that Albie is starting a brand new school for fifth grade, he's never felt more certain that almost simply isn't good enough. With everyone around him expecting him to be one thing or another, how is an almost like Albie ever supposed to figure out who he really wants to be?”” Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwjigsnY_8M

3. “ From Newbery Honor–winning author Eugene Yelchin comes another glimpse into Soviet Russia. For twelve- year-old Arcady, soccer is more than just a game. Sent to live in a children's home after his parents are declared enemies of the state, it is a means of survival, securing extra rations, respect, and protection. Ultimately, it proves to be his chance to leave. But in Soviet Russia, second chances are few and far between. Will Arcady seize his opportunity and achieve his goal? Or will he miss his shot?” Arcady’s Goal by Eugene Yelchin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjJvwXBjZMc

4. “The houses of all Three (not-so-) Little Pigs were broken into and ransacked, and the Pigs are squealing for justice. So Prince Tyrone, ruler of Fairylandia, drags in the obvious suspect: Wolfgang. The lone wolf has big teeth, sharp claws, no alibi -- and a single day to find the real culprit and clear his big bad name. When Wolf (reluctantly) teams up with the fourth Little Pig to crack the case, the Big Bad Detective Agency - - and an adventure way funnier than your average fairy tale -- is off to a howling start!” Big Bad Detective Agency by Bruce Hale

5. “Benjamin is about to lose a whole lot more than good toilet paper. If he doesn't make tons of money fast by selling candy bars and winning contests—like the Royal-T Bathroom Tissue slogan contest—his family will get kicked out of their apartment. Even with his flair for clever slogans, will Benjamin be able to win a cash prize large enough to keep a promise he made to his dad before he died? Or will he lose everything that matters to him?” Death by Toilet Paper by Donna Gephart https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QghcSHs5ivw

6. “Jesse is a wide receiver for the freshman team. High school freshman wide receiver Jesse Wagner realizes that although their team quarterback looks the part, his throws are wild. Jesse, whose older brother Jay played the position for years, knows the plays by heart, but he feels that he is too small to play QB. Jesse's brother, now in college, is wrestling with a problem of his own: his coach wants him to switch from quarterback to safety. Jay wants to quit. The brothers discuss their situations and agree on a deal: Jesse will try out for quarterback, and Jay will try playing safety.” Double Reverse by Fred Bowen

7. “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 and her subsequent experiences with the Phonic Ear, a very powerful—and very awkward—hearing aid. The Phonic Ear gives Cece the ability to hear—sometimes things she shouldn’t—but also isolates her from her classmates. She really just wants to fit in and find a true friend, someone who appreciates her as she is. After some trouble, she is finally able to harness the power of the Phonic Ear and become “El Deafo, Listener for All.” And more importantly, declare a place for herself in the world and find the friend she’s longed for.” El Deafo by Cece Bell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEmrTJOscvo

8. “Galileo. Newton. Salk. Oppenheimer. Science can change the world... but can it go too far? Eleven-year-old Ellie has never liked change. She misses fifth grade. She misses her old best friend. She even misses her dearly departed goldfish. Then one day a strange boy shows up. He’s bossy. He’s cranky. And weirdly enough... he looks a lot like Ellie’s grandfather, a scientist who’s always been slightly obsessed with immortality. Could this pimply boy really be Grandpa Melvin? Has he finally found the secret to eternal youth?” The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R54MCGhtWIE

9. “Some farms grow vegetables or grains, and some raise cows, sheep, chickens, or pigs. But have you ever heard of a butterfly farm? How do you raise a butterfly? On a farm in Costa Rica, workers care for these delicate, winged creatures as they change from eggs to caterpillars to pupae. Like any other crop, the butterflies will eventually leave the farm. But where will they go? And just how do you ship a butterfly?” Handle with Care: An Unusual Butterfly Journey by Loree Griffin Burns

10. “Twelve-year-old Jocelyn dreams of becoming every bit as daring as her infamous father, Captain James Hook. Her grandfather, on the other hand, intends to see her starched and pressed into a fine society lady. When she's sent to Miss Eliza Crumb- Biddlecomb's Finishing School for Young Ladies, Jocelyn's hopes of following in her father's fearsome footsteps are lost in a heap of dance lessons, white gloves, and way too much pink. So when Jocelyn receives a letter from her father challenging her to avenge his untimely demise at the jaws of the Neverland crocodile, she doesn't hesitate-here at last is the adventure she has been waiting for. But Jocelyn finds that being a pirate is a bit more difficult than she'd bargained for. As if attempting to defeat the Neverland's most fearsome beast isn't enough to deal with, she's tasked with captaining a crew of woefully untrained pirates, outwitting cannibals wild for English cuisine, and rescuing her best friend from a certain pack of lost children, not to mention that pesky Peter Pan who keeps barging in uninvited.” Hook’s Revenge by Heidi Schulz

11. “You might know that Columbus discovered America, Lewis and Clark headed west with Sacajawea, and Sally Ride blasted into space. But what do you really know about these bold explorers? What were they like as kids? What pets or bad habits did they have? And what drove their passion to explore unknown parts of the world? With juicy tidbits about everything from favorite foods to first loves, Lives of the Explorers reveals these fascinating adventurers as both world-changers and real people.” Lives of the Explorers: Discoveries, Disasters (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull

12. “Capturing an engineer's creative vision and mind for detail, this fully illustrated 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. A fun, fact-filled text by Kathryn Gibbs Davis combines with Gilbert Ford's dazzling full-color illustrations to transport readers to the 1893 World's Fair, where George Ferris and his big, wonderful wheel lifted passengers to the skies for the first time.” Mr. Ferris and His Wheel by Kathryn Gibbs Davis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTsQy8NML5k

13. “Rose Howard is obsessed with homonyms. She's thrilled that her own name is a homonym, and she purposely gave her dog Rain a name with two homonyms (Reign, Rein), which, according to Rose's rules of homonyms, is very special. 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 Rain goes missing. Rose's father shouldn't have let Rain out. Now Rose has to find her dog, even if it means leaving her routines and safe places to search.” Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rr5HRQW7SZk

14. “For shy young Peter Mark Roget, books were the best companions -- and it wasn’t long before Peter began writing his own book. But he didn’t write stories; he wrote lists. Peter took his love for words and turned it to organizing ideas and finding exactly the right word to express just what he thought. His lists grew and grew, eventually turning into one of the most important reference books of all time.” The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus by Jen Bryant https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z8VGJ0s3RY

15. “New kid Mitch Sloan wants to fit in, but his nerdy love of statistics and making money isn't winning him any friends in his sports-loving town--until he finds the perfect way to attain instant popularity. But running a football betting ring at school eventually turns sour, and Mitch loses the only real friend he's made. He'll have to win her back by using his brainpower for good and helping the school football team achieve victory--if they'll listen to the advice of a former bookie!” The Rookie Bookie by L. Jon Wertheim https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQleNABx0xA

16. “Every day is a misery for a nameless, motherless Southern girl who is treated cruelly by her pa and brothers. Her life changes forever when a runaway slave named Zenobia turns to her for help and shelter. Longing for her own freedom, the girl decides to run away, and she and Zenobia set off on a harrowing journey. Along the way, Zenobia names the girl Lark, after the bird, for her ability to mimic its song. Running by night, hiding by day, the girls are pursued by Lark’s pa and brothers and by ruthless slave catchers. Brightwell, another runaway slave, joins them, and the three follow secret signs to a stop on the Underground Railroad. When the hideout is raided and Zenobia and Brightwell are captured, Lark sets out alone to rescue her friends.” Running Out Of Night by Sharon Lovejoy

17. “Serafina made a secret promise to go to school and learn to read so she can become a doctor with her best friend, Julie Marie. But following her dream isn't easy- endless chores, little money and stomach-rumbling hunger all test her resolve. When an earthquake hits and separates Serafina from friends and family, she encounters her biggest test of all. Serafina made a secret promise. Will she survive to keep it?” Serafina’s Promise by Ann E. Burg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lDDugQsbJE

18. “Raina can't wait to be a big sister. But once Amara is born, things aren't quite how she expected them to be. Amara is cute, but she's also a cranky, grouchy baby, and mostly prefers to play by herself. Their relationship doesn't improve much over the years, but when a baby brother enters the picture and later, something doesn't seem right between their parents, they realize they must figure out how to get along. They are sisters, after all.” Sisters by Raina Telgemeier https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsEXPhq0aIU

19. “Booker T. Washington had an incredible passion for learning. Born a slave, he taught himself to read. When the Civil War ended, Booker finally fulfilled his dream of attending school. After graduation, he was invited to teach in Tuskegee, Alabama. Finding many eager students but no school, Booker set out to build his own school--brick by brick. An afterword gives detailed information on how the school was built.” With Books and Bricks: How Booker T. Washington Built a School by Suzanne Slade

20. “Gabby’s world is filled with daydreams. However, what began as an escape from her parents’ arguments has now taken over her life. But with the help of a new teacher, Gabby the dreamer might just become Gabby the writer, and words that carried her away might allow her to soar. Written in vivid, accessible poems, this remarkable verse novel is a celebration of imagination, of friendship, of one girl’s indomitable spirit, and of a teacher’s ability to reach out and change a life.” Words with Wings By Nikki Grimes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jCmI7aJBqs

21. “Marlin is not slow, or mute; what he is is a stutterer, and that makes it impossible for him to convince people otherwise. What he is also is a Rackham: the younger son of the world- famous explorer Ronan Rackham, the owner and proprietor of the Zoo at the Edge of the World, a resort where the well- to-do from all over the globe can come to experience the last bit of the wild left at the end of the nineteenth century. In order to impress a powerful duke who comes to visit the zoo, Marlin's father ventures into the jungle and brings back a mysterious black jaguar, the only one in captivity. Everyone is terrified of it, including Marlin—until one night, when the jaguar confers upon him a powerful gift. Soon, Marlin finds himself with a difficult choice to make and, finally, something to say. If only he can figure out how to say it.” The Zoo at the Edge of the World by Eric Kahn Gale https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBFLSWkXWTk

22. "Absolutely Almost." Absolutely Almost. Web. 7 June 2016. "Books - Heidi Schulz Books." Heidi Schulz Books. Web. 7 June 2016. "Big Bad Detective Agency." Barnes & Noble. Web. 7 June 2016. "Death by Toilet Paper." Barnes & Noble. Web. 7 June 2016. “El Deafo." Cece Bell. Web. 7 June 2016. "Eugene Yelchin - Books for Children (Official Site)." Eugene Yelchin - Books for Children (Official Site). Web. 7 June 2016. "Fred Bowen." DOUBLE REVERSE -. Web. 7 June 2016. "Handle with Care: An Unusual Butterfly Journey." Barnes & Noble. Web. 7 June 2016. "Jen Bryant - The Right Word." Jen Bryant - The Right Word. Web. 7 June 2016. "Kathryn Gibbs Davis - Mr. Ferris and His Wheel." Kathryn Gibbs Davis - Mr. Ferris and His Wheel. Web. 7 June 2016. "Lives of the Explorers: Discoveries, Disasters (and What the Neighbors Thought)." Barnes & Noble. Web. 7 June 2016. "Rain Reign." Barnes & Noble. Web. 7 June 2016. "The Fourteenth Goldfish." Barnes & Noble. Web. 7 June 2016. "The Rookie Bookie." Barnes & Noble. Web. 7 June 2016. "RUNNING OUT OF NIGHT by Sharon Lovejoy | Kirkus Reviews." Kirkus Reviews. Web. 7 June 2016. Work Cited

23. "Serafina's Promise." Barnes & Noble. Web. 7 June 2016. "Sisters." Goodreads. Web. 7 June 2016. "With Books and Bricks, How Booker T. Washington Built a School by Suzanne Slade and Nicole Tadgell | Albert Whitman & Company." Albert Whitman & Company. Web. 7 June 2016. "Words with Wings." Barnes & Noble. Web. 7 June 2016. "The Zoo at the Edge of the World." Goodreads. Web. 7 June 2016. Work Cited Continued…