Mark Twain Nominees

2012-2012 Mark Twain Nominees

	Title & Author	Description
	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	Three young wizards-in-training are kidnapped by an evil queen and their familiars--Aldwyn the alley cat, Skylar, a know-it-all blue jay, and Gilbert a tree frog who can see the future--set out on a dangerous journey to rescue the boys.
	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 to rescue, 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 moving 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	Thirteen-year-old Theodore Boone, who knows every judge, police officer, and court clerk in the small town of Strattenburg, finds himself involved in a murder trial because of knowledge he might have about a cold-blooded killer.
	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.