As Easy as Falling off the Face of the Earth by Lynne Rae Perkins

Ry's parents and grandfather seem to have fallen off of the face of the earth!  Ry is stranded in the middle of Montana.  He can't get a hold of anyone and no one can get a hold of him.  When Ry runs into a man named Del, a superhero, fix-it guy, the two of them travel back to Wisconsin (to find Ry's grandfather) and to the Caribbean (to find Ry's parents).  Along the way, the two run into a series of mishaps and colorful characters and have an incredible journey.  This humorous, adventure story is on the 2013 Rebecca Caudill list.

Dark Life by Kat Falls

Ty and his family live on the new frontier...under water!  The oceans have risen due to global warming and space on dry land is limited.  Gemma, a girl from the Topside, travels to Ty's community to search for her brother under the sea.  When bandits threaten one of the homes in Ty's community, Ty and Gemma work together to try to bring them to justice.  They soon learn secrets that may threaten the undersea community!  Dark Life is on the 2013 Rebecca Caudill list and is recommended for anyone who likes adventure or dystopian fiction.

Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin

Jason Blake, age 12, isn't like most kids.  Jason has autism.  His senses work overtime and he has a difficult time communicating.  However, Jason loves computers and he enjoys writing stories.  When he is writing, he feels like he can connect with the world.  When he posts his story to a website called StoryBoard, he connects with PhoneixBird (Rebecca) and wonders if he has found his first true friend.  The only problem is that he is terrified to meet her at the StoryBoard convention.  Will she accept him for who he is?  Anything But Typical is on the 2013 Rebecca Caudill list.

Black Radishes by Susan Lynn Meyer

Black Radishes is a World War II story set in France.  Gustave and his friends live in Paris when the Germans begin attacking France.  Gustave's parents decide to move out to the country where they might be safer than in the big city.  They are lucky to be in the unoccupied zone, but they are not out of danger.  They still have to register as Jews, they don't have much food, and Gustave's father isn't allowed to work.  When the Germans move closer to their small town, they decide to leave for America, but first they try to locate the friends and family they left behind in Paris.  This story has a lot of adventure and suspense!  What does the title mean?  Read to find out!!  Black Radishes is on the 2013 Rebecca Caudill list.

Born to Fly by Michael Ferrari

Have you ever wanted to fly a plane?  Eleven-year-old Bird McGill has always loved flying with her dad.  When he is sent away to fight in the war after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Bird feels her dream of becoming a pilot slip away.  Then one day, she and her friend Kenji (a Japanese American who some think might be a spy) go on a wild adventure to catch a REAL spy in their town.  This fun historical fiction story is on the 2013 Rebecca Caudill list.

Battle of the Books-Update!

Teams have been formed and students are busy reading books for the competition!  The first rounds will be on May 14th and the final battles will be on May 16th.  Good luck, Teams!!

Battle of the Books

Battle of the Books is underway at Harrison!  Students should read at least one of the books by the end of February to be placed on a team.  The battle will be in May.  The list of books can be found on our online catalog "Destiny" under "resource lists"at http://destiny.hsd36.org/quest/servlet/presentquestform.do?site=100&alreadyValidated=true.  Good luck!!

Reader's Choice Awards

During the month of February, students at Harrison will be voting on their favorite Reader's Choice Award books!  All students in grades K-3 will vote for their favorite Monarch book (see list here: http://www.islma.org/pdf/Monarch2012MasterList.pdf).  Which book will win?  Students in grades 3-5 who read 4 or more Bluestem books (http://www.islma.org/pdf/2012BluesteamBookmark.pdf) will be eligible to vote.  Students in grades 5-8 who read 3 or more Rebecca Caudill books (http://www.rcyrba.org/pdf/2012MasterList.pdf) will be eligible to vote for this award.  Results will be posted here and in the LMC!