1. South Carolina Junior Book Award Nominees 2012-2013

2. Lexile 1010 NonFiction, 599.4 Follow the research team on a mission to save bats from extinction. Bat Scientists by Mary Kay Carson

3. Boys Without Names by Kashmira Sheth Lexile 670 Fiction A provocative look at the brutal life of a young Indian boy who is forced to work in a sweatshop in Mumbai.

4. Camo Girl by Kekla Magoon Lexile 600 Fiction Ella is caught between choosing popularity with the new kid in class, Bailey, the only other black kid, and the unpopularity of being friends with her lifetime friend, Z.

5. Crunch by Leslie Connor Lexile 490 Fiction Fourteen-year-old Dewey tries to be responsible by managing the family bicycle repair shop while sharing household and farm duties with his siblings when their parents are stranded far from home.

6. Dark Life by Kat Falls Lexile 690 Fiction When fifteen-year-old Ty, who has always lived on the ocean floor, joins Topside girl Gemma in the frontier's underworld to seek and stop outlaws who threaten his home, they learn that the government may pose an even greater threat.

7. Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman Lexile 600 Fiction New York high schooler Elizabeth gets a job at the "New-York Circulating Material Repository," and with access to its Grimm Collection of magical objects, she and coworkers have frightening adventures with mythical creatures and stolen goods.

8. Hero by Mike Lupica Lexile 730 Fiction Zach, 14, learns he has the same special abilities as his father, who was the President's troubleshooter until "the Bads" killed him, and now he must decide whether to use his powers in the same way.

9. Is it Night or Day? By Fern Schumer Chapman Lexile 810 Fiction In 1938, Edith Westerfeld, a young German Jew, is sent to Chicago, Illinois, to live with an aunt and uncle and tries to assimilate into American culture while worrying about her parents.

10. A Long Walk to Water: A Novel based on a True Story by Linda Sue Parks Lexile 720 Fiction Eleven-year-old Salva becomes separated from his family during Sudan's civil war and must walk with other Dinka tribe members in search of a safe haven. Eleven-year-old Salva becomes separated from his family during Sudan's civil war and must walk with other Dinka tribe members in search of a safe haven.

11. Mamba Point by Kurtis Scaletta Lexile N/A Fiction After moving with his family to Liberia, Linus, 12, discovers he has a mystical connection with the black mamba, which he is told will give him some of the snake's characteristics.

12. Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine Lexile 630 Fiction Ten-year-old Caitlin, who has Asperger's Syndrome, struggles to understand emotions, show empathy, and make friends at school, while at home she seeks closure by working on a project with her father.

13. Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes Lexile 470 Fiction In New Orleans' Ninth Ward, 12-year-old Lanesha, who can see spirits, and her adopted grandmother have to weather the storm as Hurricane Katrina arrives.

14. Roots and Blues: A Celebration by Arnold Adoff Lexile N/A Non-Fiction, 811 Lyrical text explores how Blues have been part of everyday life throughout history, from its origins in the sounds of the earth, through slaves' voices singing of freedom, to today's greatest performers--and listeners.

15. Saving Sky by Diane Stanley Lexile 620 Fiction In an America that has suffered continual terrorist attacks since 9/11, Sky helps a Middle Eastern classmate, even at the risk of herself and her family.

16. Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai Lexile 800 Fiction Fleeing the Afghanistan Taliban, Fadi and his family go to the San Francisco Bay Area, but he plans to return to the Pakistani refugee camp to get his little sister.

17. Sources of Light by Margaret McMullan Lexile 840 Fiction Samantha, 14, and her mother move to Jackson, Mississippi, in 1962 after her father is killed in Vietnam, where she learns photography and sees prejudice and violence of the segregationist South.

18. The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger Lexile 760 Fiction Sixth-grader Tommy and his friends describe their interactions with a paper finger puppet of Yoda, worn by their weird classmate Dwight, as they try to figure out whether or not the puppet can really predict the future. Sixth-grader Tommy and his friends describe their interactions with a paper finger puppet of Yoda, worn by their weird classmate Dwight, as they try to figure out whether or not the puppet can really predict the future.

19. The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet by Erin Dionne Lexile 750 Fiction Hamlet's attempts to be a "normal" eighth grader become difficult thanks to her genius seven-year-old sister and her eccentric Shakespeare scholar parents.

20. Warriors in the Crossfire by Bo Flood Lexile 560 Fiction Joseph helps his family survive when Saipan natives are caught in the crossfire between Japanese soldiers and American troops at the end of World War II.

21. Woods Runner by Gary Paulsens Lexile 870 Fiction In 1776, 13-year-old Samuel sets out toward New York City to rescue his kidnapped parents from British soldiers and Indians.

22. South Carolina Junior Book Award Nominees 2012-2013