Dive into William Allen White book nominees

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Aug 4, 2002 by Capital-Journal

2002 marks the 50th anniversary of the William Allen White Children's Book Award. Young Kansans are eagerly reading this year's nominees so they can vote for their favorite next spring.

Read them and celebrate!

Third to fifth grades

- "Cockroach Cooties," by Laurence Yep, (Hyperion). Chinese- American siblings discover true brotherhood as they use knowledge of entomology to thwart a bully.

- "The Janitor's Boy," by Andrew Clements, (Simon & Schuster). Jack plays a vicious bubblegum prank on his janitor father but eventually appreciates and understands him.

- "Because of Winn-Dixie," by Kate DiCamillo, (Candlewick). India Opal uses her dog, Winn-Dixie, and the sharing of stories to bring together lonely people.

- "Walking to the Bus-Rider Blues," by Harriette Robinet, (Simon & Schuster). In this mystery, Alpha practices nonviolence during the bus boycott set in Montgomery, Ala.

- "So You Want to Be President?" by Judith St. George, (Penguin Putnam). A collection of amusing anecdotes and facts about U.S. presidents.

- "A Carnival of Animals," by Sid Fleischman, (HarperCollins). A "no-account" tornado changes forever the lives of the fantastic animals who live on Barefoot Mountain.

- "The Year of Miss Agnes," by Kirkpatrick Hill, (Simon & Schuster). Miss Agnes' unorthodox teaching techniques change forever an Athabascan village.

- "When Mack Comes Back," by Brad Strickland, (Penguin Putnam). Maury proves he can care for his brother Ben's puppy, Mack, when Ben enlists to fight in World War II.

- "Coyote Autumn," by Bill Wallace, (Holiday House). Brad rescues a coyote pup from coyote hunters, raises it as a pet and eventually releases Scooter back to nature.

- "Gracie's Girl," by Ellen Wittlinger, (Simon & Schuster). It isn't until Bess befriends Gracie, a homeless woman, that she gains acceptance and popularity among her peers.

Sixth to eighth grades

- "Hope Was Here," by Joan Bauer, (Penguin Putnam). Hope, the new server at a diner, gets embroiled in small-town politics and experiences a father's love for the first time.

- "Dovey Coe," by Frances O. Dowell, (Simon & Schuster). Feisty Dovey Coe is falsely accused of killing her nemesis, Parnell, in a North Carolina mountain town in 1928.

- "Friends and Enemies," by Louann Gaeddert, (Simon & Schuster). During World War II, William is caught in the middle of conflicting positions on war in his Kansas Mennonite community.

- "Nory Ryan's Song," by Patricia R. Giff, (Random House). Nory Ryan risks her life to help her family survive during the Irish Potato Famine.

- "Stick and Whittle," by Sid Hite, (Scholastic). Stick meets Whittle on the Great Plains in 1872, where they encounter kidnappers, a tornado and a bit of luck.

- "Lizzie at Last," by Claudia Mills, (Farrar, Staus, Giroux). Hoping to be popular, Lizzie creates a new image but soon discovers she can't be anyone but herself.

- "Blizzard!" by Jim Murphy, (Scholastic). Murphy uses newspaper accounts, interviews, photos, maps and drawings to recreate the East Coast blizzard of 1888.

- "The Graduation of Jake Moon," by Barbara Park, (Simon & Schuster). Jake copes with his grandfather's Alzheimer's disease, a humorous and heart-breaking experience.

- "A Year Down Yonder," by Richard Peck, (Penguin Putnam). During the Great Depression, Mary Alice's unorthodox grandma teaches her lessons about living.

- "Esperanza Rising," by Pam M. Ryan, (Scholastic). Forced to leave her privileged life in Mexico, Esperanza struggles to survive migrant camps of California during the Great Depression.

- "Stargirl," by Jerry Spinelli, (Random House). Mica High School is changed forever when Stargirl challenges the students' notions of popularity and normalcy.

- "Homeless Bird," by Gloria Whelan, (HarperCollins). When the death of Koly's husband in contemporary India leaves her homeless, Koly's embroidery skills and determination help her survive.

Gary and Barbara Bleeker teach at Emporia State University and are nationally recognized authorities on children's and young adult's books.