The Mark Twain Award

2012 - 2013 Award Nominees

2011 - 2012 Award Nominees

Each year, Missouri schoolchildren in grades 4-8 vote for their favorite book from a list of nominated titles. The Mark Twain Award is awarded to the author of this book by the Missouri Association of School Librarians.

2012-2013 Mark Twain Award Nominees
	Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea
	Seven fifth-graders at Snow Hill School in Connecticut relate how their lives are changed for the better by "rookie teacher" Mr. Terupt.

	Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs
	Twelve-year-old Teddy investigates when a popular Texas zoo's star attraction--Henry the hippopotamus--is murdered.

	The Clockwork Three by Matthew J. Kirby
	As mysterious circumstances bring Giuseppe, Frederick, and Hannah together, their lives soon interlock like the turning gears in a clock and they realize that each one holds a key to solving the others' mysteries.

	Drizzle by Kathleen Van Cleve
	When a drought threatens her family's magical rhubarb farm, eleven-year-old Polly tries to find a way to make it rain again.

	The Familiars by Adam Jay Epstein
	When a scrappy alley cat named Aldwyn passes himself off as a magical animal companion to Jack, a young wizard in training, Aldwyn and his fellow "familiars," a know-it-all blue jay and bumbling tree frog, must save the kingdom after the evil queen of Vastia kidnaps Jack and two other wizards.

	Ghost Dog Secrets by Peg Kehret
	Sixth-grader Rusty, determined to help an injured dog that is chained outdoors in frigid weather, calls animal control then takes matters into his own hands, aided by his best friend and a ghost collie that leads Rusty to an even deeper secret. Includes instructions for knitting cat blankets.

	Half Upon a Time by James Riley
	In the village of Giant's Hand Jack's grandfather has been pushing him to find a princess and get married, so when a young lady falls out of the sky wearing a shirt that says "Punk Princess," and she tells Jack that her grandmother, who looks suspiciously like the long-missing Snow White, has been kidnapped, Jack decides to help her.

	Hide & Seek by Katy Grant
	In the remote mountains of Arizona where he lives with his mother, stepfather, and two sisters, fourteen-year-old Chase discovers two kidnapped boys and gets caught up in a dangerous adventure when he comes up with a plan to get them to safety.

	Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
	Considered by many to be mentally retarded, a brilliant, impatient fifth-grader with cerebral palsy discovers a technological device that will allow her to speak for the first time.

	Palace Beautiful by Sarah DeFord Williams
	After her move in 1985 to Salt Lake City, thirteen-year-old Sadie finds a journal in a hidey-hole in the attic, and along with her sister and new friend she reads about the influenza epidemic of 1918.

	Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham
	With two attorneys for parents, thirteen-year-old Theodore Boone knows more about the law than most lawyers do. But when a high profile murder trial comes to his small town and Theo gets pulled into it, it's up to this amateur attorney to save the day.

	Twenty Gold Falcons by Amy Gordon
	Twelve-year-old Aiden is very unhappy when, after her father's death, her mother moves them from the family farm, but soon she and new friends are caught up in the search for long-lost coins in the historic Ingle building that towers over the city of Gloria.
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2011 - 2012 Mark Twain Award Nominees
	Potato Chip Puzzles by Eric Berlin
	Winston and his friends enter an all-day puzzle contest to win fifty-thousand dollars for their school, but they must also figure out who is trying to keep them from winning. Puzzles for the reader to solve are included throughout the text.

	Secret of Zoom by Lynne Jonell
	Ten-year-old Christina lives a sheltered life until she discovers a secret tunnel, an evil plot to enslave orphans, and a mysterious source of energy known as zoom.

	Runaway Twin by Peg Kehret
	Thirteen-year-old Sunny, accompanied by a stray dog, takes advantage of a windfall to travel from her Nebraska foster home to Enumclaw, Washington, to find the twin sister from whom she was separated at age three.

	Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur
	While living with her Gram in Vermont, eleven-year-old Aubrey writes letters as a way of dealing with losing her father and sister in a car accident, and then being abandoned by her grief-stricken mother.

	Million-Dollar Throw by Mike Lupica
	Eighth-grade star quarterback Nate Brodie's family is feeling the stress of the troubled economy, and Nate is frantic because his best friend Abby is going blind, so when he gets a chance to win a million dollars if he can complete a pass during the halftime of a New England Patriot's game, he is nearly overwhelmed by the pressure to succeed.

	11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass
	After celebrating their first nine same-day birthdays together, Amanda and Leo, having fallen out on their tenth and not speaking to each other for the last year, prepare to celebrate their eleventh birthday separately but peculiar things begin to happen as the day of their birthday begins to repeat itself over and over again.

	Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. by Kate Messner
	Gianna has less than one week to complete her leaf project if she wants to compete in the upcoming cross-country sectionals, but issues like procrastination, disorganization--and her grandmother's declining health--seem destined to keep her from finishing.

	Faith, Hope, and Ivy June by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
	During a student exchange program, seventh-graders Ivy June and Catherine share their lives, homes, and communities, and find that although their lifestyles are total opposites they have a lot in common.

	Heart of a Shepherd by Roseanne Parry
	Ignatius "Brother" Alderman, nearly twelve, promises to help his grandparents keep the family's Oregon ranch the same while his brothers are away and his father is deployed to Iraq, but as he comes to accept the inevitability of change, he also sees the man he is meant to be.

	Captain Nobody by Dean Pitchford
	When ten-year-old Newton dresses up as an unusual superhero for Halloween, he decides to keep wearing the costume after the holiday to help save townspeople and eventually his injured brother.

	Storm Chaser by Chris Platt
	When a fire forces her family to turn their home into a guest ranch, aspiring horse trainer Jessica finds herself working once again with her favorite horse, Storm Chaser, to tame the wild filly for snobbish, spoiled Ariel, Storm Chaser's future owner.

	Mudville by Kurtis Scaletta
	For twenty-two years, since a fateful baseball game against their rival town, it has rained in Moundville, so when the rain finally stops, twelve-year-old Roy, his friends, and foster brother Sturgis dare to face the curse and form a team
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Past Mark Twain Award Winners

	2011 - Stolen Children by Peg Kehret
	Fourteen-year-old Amy's excitement over her first babysitting job ends when she and her three-year-old charge are kidnapped, but a daily videorecording sent to little Kendra's parents allows Amy to send clues, in hopes of being rescued before the kidnappers decide they no longer need her.

2010 - Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn
When thirteen-year-old Ali spends the summer with her aunt and cousin at the family's vacation home, she stumbles upon a secret that her mother and aunt have been hiding for over thirty years.

2009 - Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
Demi-god Percy Jackson and his friends must journey into the Sea of Monsters to save their camp. But first Percy will discover a secret that makes him wonder whether being claimed as Poseidon's son is an honor or a cruel joke.

2008 - The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson learns he is a demigod, the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea. His mother sends him to a summer camp for demigods where he and his new friends set out on a quest to prevent a war between the gods.

2007 - Abduction! by Peg Kehret
Thirteen-year-old Bonnie has a feeling of foreboding on the very day that her six-year-old brother Matt and their dog Pookie are abducted, and she becomes involved in a major search effort as well as a frightening adventure.

2006 - The City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau
In the year 241, twelve-year-old Lina trades jobs on Assignment Day to be a Messenger to run to new places in her decaying but beloved city, perhaps even to glimpse Unknown Regions.

2005 - Wenny Has Wings by Janet Lee Carey
Having had a near-death experience in the accident that killed his younger sister, eleven-year-old Will tries to cope with the situation by writing her letters.

2004 - Zach's Lie by Roland Smith
When Jack Osborne is befriended by his school's custodian and a Basque girl, he begins to adjust to his family's sudden move to Elko, Nevada, after entering the Witness Security Program, but the drug cartel against which his father will testify is determined to track them down.

2003 - Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni describes her first summer in the town of Naomi, Florida, and all the good things that happen to her because of her big ugly dog Winn-Dixie.

2002 - Dork in Disguise by Carol Gorman
Starting middle school in a new town, brainy Jerry Flack changes his image from “dork” to “cool kid,” only to discover that he’d rather be himself.

2001 - Holes by Louis Sachar
As further evidence of his family’s bad fortune which they attribute to a curse on a distant relative, Stanley Yelnats is sent to a hellish correctional camp in the Texas desert where he finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.

2000 - Saving Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Sixth-grader Marty and his family try to help their rough neighbor, Judd Travers, change his mean ways, even though their West Virginia community continues to expect the worst of him.

1999 - Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio by Peg Kehret
The author describes her battle against polio when she was thirteen and her efforts to overcome its debilitating effects.

1998 - Titanic Crossing by Barbara Williams
In 1912, thirteen-year-old Albert considers his younger sister a pest, but things change when they travel with their mother and uncle aboard the Titanic and are caught up in its tragic sinking.

1997 - A Time For Andrew by Mary Downing Hahn
When he goes to spend the summer with his great-aunt in the family’s old house, eleven-year-old Drew is drawn eighty years into the past to trade places with his great-great-uncle who is dying of diphtheria.

1996 - The Ghosts of Mercy Manor by Betty Ren Wright
Twelve-year-old Gwen, an orphan who comes to live with the Mercy family, discovers that the house is haunted by the ghost of a sad-looking young girl and is determined to solve the mystery behind her appearances.

1995 - The Man Who Loved Clowns by June Rae Wood
Thirteen-year-old Delrita, whose unhappy life has caused her to hide from the world, loves her uncle Punky but sometimes feels ashamed of his behavior because he has Down’s syndrome.

1994 - Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
When he finds a lost beagle in the hills behind his West Virginia home, Marty tries to hide it from his family and the dog’s real owner, a mean-spirited man known to shoot deer out of season and to mistreat his dogs.

1993 - Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
After his parents die, Jeffrey Lionel Magee’s life becomes legendary, as he accomplishes athletic and other feats which awe his contemporaries.

1992 - The Doll in the Garden by Mary Downing Hahn
Ater Ashley and Kristi find an antique doll buried in old Miss Cooper’s garden, they discover that they can enter a ghostly turn-of-the-century world by going through a hole in the hedge.

1991 - All About Sam by Lois Lowry
The adventures of Sam, Anastasia Krupnik’s younger brother, from his first day as a newborn through his mischievous times as a toddler.

1990 - There's a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom by Lewis Sachar
An unmanageable, but lovable, eleven-year-old misfit learns to believe in himself when he gets to know the new school counselor, who is a sort of misfit too.

1989 - Sixth-Grade Sleepover by Eve Bunting
Janey worries that the sixth grade Rabbit Reading Club’s all-night sleepover will expose her fear of the dark, but it turns out that she is not the only member with a secret.

1988 - Baby-sitting is a Dangerous Job by Willo Davis Roberts
A baby sitter and her three willful charges make a formidable team to outwit their surprised kidnappers.

1987 - The War With Grandpa by Robert K. Smith
Upset that he has to give up the room he loves to his grandfather, Pete decides to declare war in an attempt to get it back.

1986 - The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright
A dollhouse filled with a ghostly light in the middle of the night and dolls that have moved from where she last left them lead Amy and her retarded sister to unravel the mystery surrounding grisly murders that took place years ago.

1985 - A Bundle of Sticks by Pat Rhoads Mauser
At the mercy of the class bully, a fifth grader is sent to a martial arts school where he learns techniques to defend himself as well as a philosophy that allows him not to fight.

1984 - Secret Life of the Underwear Champ by Betty Miles
Ten-year-old Larry is “discovered” on the street and asked to appear in a television commercial. Only later does he find out what he is advertising.

1983 - The Girl With the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts
A 10-year-old girl, who has always looked different from other children, discovers that she not only has unusual powers but that there are others like her.

1982 - The Boy Who Saw Bigfoot by Marian T. Place
A ten-year-old boy, placed once again with new foster parents, becomes involved in a search for Bigfoot.

1981 - Soup for President by Robert Newton Peck
Rob manages Soup’s campaign for class president in their small Vermont town.

1980 - The Pinballs by Betsy Byars
Three lonely foster children learn to care about themselves and each other.

1979 - The Champion of Merrimack County by Roger Drury
The discovery of a bike-riding mouse in the bathtub is just the beginning of a series of humorous communications for the Berryfield family.

1978 - Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary
Six-year-old Ramona tries to cope with an unsympathetic first-grade teacher.

1977 - The Ghost on Saturday Night by Sid Fleischman
A thick tule fog and a ghost-raising lead to more excitement and reward than Opie had counted on.

1976 - The Home Run Trick by Scott Corbett
The Panthers try desperately to convincingly lose a baseball game when they find out the winners must play a girls’ team.

1975 - How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
Two boys set out to prove that worms can make a delicious meal.

1974 - It’s a Mile From Here to Glory by Robert C. Lee
A shy undersized sixteen-year-old finds himself suddenly popular when he becomes star of the track team.

1973 - Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
Having no one to help her with her problems, a widowed mouse visits the rats whose former imprisonment in a laboratory made them wise and long lived.

1972 - Sounder by William H. Armstrong
Angry and humiliated when his sharecropper father is jailed for stealing food for his family, a young black boy grows in courage and understanding by learning to read and with the help of the devoted dog Sounder.
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