Nutmeg Book Award: Nutmeg Book Award 2007 Nominees Grades 4 - 6


Nutmeg Grades 4 - 6: Nutmeg Grades 4 - 6 Becoming Naomi Leon By Pam Munoz Ryan AR: 5.4 Lexile: 830 Follett: RL 6.8 IL 5-8 RC 5,11


Nutmeg Grades 4 - 6: Nutmeg Grades 4 - 6 The Boy Who Saved Baseball By John Ritter AR: 4.4 Lexile: 660 Follett: RL: 6.5 IL: 5-8 RC 5,11


Nutmeg Grades 4 - 6: Nutmeg Grades 4 - 6 Brainboy and the Deathmaster By Tor Seidler AR: 4.9 Lexile: 770 Follett RL: 6.4 IL: 3-6 RC: 5.2,14


Nutmeg Grades 4 - 6: Nutmeg Grades 4 - 6 Gifts from the Sea By Natalie Kinsey-Warnock AR: 5.3 Lexile: 990 Follett RL: 6 IL: 3-6 RC: 6.8,7


Nutmeg Grades 4 - 6: Nutmeg Grades 4 - 6 Granny Torrelli Makes Soup By Sharon Creech AR: 4.2 Lexile: 810 Follett RL: 4.5 IL: 3-6 RC: 4.5,6


Nutmeg Grades 4 - 6: Nutmeg Grades 4 - 6 Half and Half By Lensey Namioka AR: 5.0 Lexile: n/a Follett RL: 5 IL: 3-6 RC: n/a


Nutmeg Grades 4 - 6: Nutmeg Grades 4 - 6 Kensuke’s Kingdom By Michael Morpurgo AR: 4.7 Lexile: 730 Follett RL: 4.3 IL: 3-6 RC: 4.8,8


Nutmeg Grades 4 - 6: Nutmeg Grades 4 - 6 Macaroni Boy By Katherine Ayres AR: 4.7 Lexile: 700 Follett RL: 6 IL: 5-8 RC: 4.9,10


Nutmeg Grades 4 - 6: Nutmeg Grades 4 - 6 Thunder from the Sea By Joan Hiatt Harlow AR: 4.2 Lexile: 700 Follett RL: 5.7 IL: 5-8 RC: 5.1,11


Nutmeg Grades 4 - 6: Nutmeg Grades 4 - 6 The Warriors By Joseph Bruchac AR: 5.5 Lexile: 810 Follett RL: 4.8 IL: 5-8 RC: 5.1,7


Becoming Naomi Leon: Becoming Naomi Leon Website: http://www.pammunozryan.com/ Resource Guide: http://www.pammunozryan.com/naomi.html Read-alikes: Here Today by Ann Martin Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan Snap by Alison McGhee Anna Casey’s Place in the World by Adrian Fogelin Any Small Goodness by Tony Johnston Cougar Canyon by Lucy Bledsoe


Becoming Naomi Leon: Becoming Naomi Leon Snacks: coconut ice cream (or any!), hot chocolate, orange drinks, quesillos, Activities: Plan a display of student collections in the classroom or library. Allow students to show off their artwork or items they collect. Have each student collect a fabulous word. Have other students try to guess what the words mean. Play Wheel of Fortune! Trace Naomi’s route to Oaxaca. Find out about places in Mexico along their journey. Have a Mexican cooking class. Share tasty treats and recipes. 5 Fact Questions 1. What is Naomi’s full name? 2. What game show do Gram and Fabiola watch every night? 3. What gift does Owen ask Skyla for? 4. On what objects do Naomi and the others carve in Mexico? 5. What is the name of Naomi’s school librarian? 5 Questions for Discussion 1. What are the things Naomi likes about her mother? Doesn’t like? 2. Why do you think Owen needs to wear tape? 3. What are some of Naomi’s lists? What do they tell us about the way she sees things? 4. Why do you think it’s difficult for Naomi to talk loud? 5. Naomi’s family are all carvers. Does your family have any traditions that are as important to you?


The Boy Who Saved Baseball: The Boy Who Saved Baseball Author’s Page for the book: http://www.johnhritter.com/TBWSBpage.sht Read-alikes: Baseball card series by Dan Gutman The Gorillas of Gill Park by Amy Gordon Throwing Smoke by Bruce Brooks The Journal of Biddy Owens; The Negro Leagues by W alter Dean Myers Some Kind of Pride by Maria Testa Strike Two by Amy Goldman Koss Excellent Non Fiction: Ballpark : the story of America's baseball fields by Lynn Curlee Mighty Jackie : the strike-out queen / Marissa Moss Baseball's boneheads, bad boys & just plain crazy guys / George Sullivan Promises to keep : how Jackie Robinson changed America / Sharon Robinson Casey at the bat : a ballad of the republic sung in the year 1888 by Ernest L. Thayer The hidden language of baseball : how signs and sign-stealing have influenced the course of our national pastime / Paul Dickson Baseball for everyone : stories from the great game / by Janet Wyman Coleman


The Boy Who Saved Baseball: The Boy Who Saved Baseball Snacks: Baseball cookies (icing for the stitching); burritos, tacos, oranges Activities: Play baseball with the Nutmeg titles. For each question a child answers correctly, they can advance one base; to steal bases or for doubles, ask multi-part questions. Incorrect answers are strikes/outs. Research favorite players and teams; make baseball cards for them or for yourself! Hang them up around the room. Play Monopoly – cover the board with buildings in your town. Make up your own chance cards with events unique to your town (rain causes leaks lose $100! School carnival – collect $200) Learn about baseball statistics. Figure out RBIs, HRs, Batting Averages, ERA (Earned Run Average) for players (real or imagined). Graph players’ progress through the season. 5 Fact Questions 1. What is about to happen in Dillontown as the book begins? 2. What announcement does Doc make that surprises everyone in town? 3. Who are the players on the Wildcats? 4. What do we learn about the Wildcats’ new coach? 5. What are some of the practice exercises the Wildcats use to prepare for the big game? 5 Questions for Discussion 1. Like others in town, Tom’s mother and father disagree about the proposed changes to Dillontown. Describe their differing feelings, and tell which you agree with and why. 2. Cruz accuses the developers of being like the first settlers in America, wanting to remove the local peoples from the land. Explain what you think he means by that statement. 3. Tom tells Doc his opinion, and big things start to happen in Dillontown. Can you think of other examples of small actions that lead to big changes? You can pick examples from your own life, your state, or even history. 4. Does Tom learn anything new or change because of the events of this eventful week? How? 5. Who is the most influential person in this book? Why?


Brainboy and the Deathmaster: Brainboy and the Deathmaster Publisher’s Page: www.torseidler.com Read-alikes: The Power of Un by Nancy Etchemendy Beatnik rutabagas from beyond the stars by Quentin Dodd. Virtual reality by Lisa Yount. Corrector Yui (graphic novels) by Keiko Okamoto Pendragon Series by DJ MacHale


Brainboy and the Deathmaster: Brainboy and the Deathmaster Snacks: Silver Dollar Pancakes; Pastries, Any (Fake) Chemical Concoction Activities: Look at some objects under a microscope. Are you surprised by what you see? Create plans or drawings for a new invention – share your idea with the class. Build it if you can. Mazes – Really fun alternative – have a class trip to a corn maze. Learn to put up a tent; ask an expert to visit and talk about rock climbing techniques Write Science Fiction stories and share them with each other. 5 Fact Questions 1. How do Darryl and BJ meet? 2. Who is Boris looking for? 3. Who buys Mrs. Grimsley a Mercedes? 4. What does Nina bring out of Paradise Labs when she leaves? 5. What does BANATW stand for? 5 Questions for Discussion 1. Do you think Mr. Masterly is a good scientist? Why? 2. How do Boris and BJ make a good team? Describe some of the things they manage to find out or accomplish together. 3. Some of the kids fall apart when they stop taking their vitamin pills. Why does this happen? 4. Are there any parts of the story that you thought weren’t realistic? Did you still enjoy the book? 5. What was your favorite gadget at Paradise Lab?


Gifts from the Sea: Gifts from the Sea Read-alikes Following Fake Man by Barbara Ware Holmes (Maine story) Walk Across the Sea by Susan Fletcher The Wanderer by Sharon Creech Charlotte’s Rose by AE Cannon Prairie Whispers by Frances Arrington The Apprenticeship of Lucas Whittaker by Cynthia DeFelice Peppermints in the Parlor by Barbara Wallace Bo & Mzzz Mad by Sid Fleischman Dave at Night by Gail Carson Levine


Gifts from the Sea: Gifts from the Sea Snacks: Apple pie, taffy, oatmeal gingerbread, black bun fruitcake Activities: String dried apples or seashells like Aquila for decoration Research and carry out some bird watching Learn about seals and selkies Listen to some fiddle music; learn some Irish jigs or reels 5 Fact Questions 1. What does Cecelia’s name mean? 2. In what state does the book take place? 3. Where is Margaret from? 4. What animal helps Cecelia and Aquila on their trip in the boat? 5. What does Papa pick for Margaret? 5 Questions for Discussion 1. Whom do you think is Celia’s true family; Aquila or Margaret? Why? 2. What things would you enjoy most and what things would you miss most about living on an island? 3. Do you think Aquila’s life is lonely? Why or why not? 4. Do you believe the seals saved Celia and Margaret? 5. Aquila seems to love Margaret and hate her at the same time. Why do you think she feels this way?


Granny Torrelli Makes Soup: Granny Torrelli Makes Soup Website: http://www.sharoncreech.com/index.html Harper Collins Reading Guide: http://www.harpercollins.com/global_scripts/product_catalog/book_xml.asp?isbn=0060292903&tc=rg Suggested Fiction Titles Quit It by Marcia Byalick The Key Collection by Andrea Cheng A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck Mountain Pose by Nancy Hope Wilson My Louisiana Sky by Kimberly Willis Holt The Ocean Within by VM Caldwell Sun and Spoon by Kevin Henkes Suggested Non Fiction Titles Honest pretzels : and 64 other amazing recipes for cooks ages 8 & up by Mollie Katzen The Young Chef’s Italian Cookbook by Rosalba Gioffre Emeril’s There’s a Chef in My Soup: Recipes for the Kid in Everyone by Emeril Lagasse Blue Moon Soup by Gary Goss


Granny Torrelli Makes Soup: Granny Torrelli Makes Soup Snacks: soup (of course!), orange salad or oranges; pasta; Italian bread; liquid lunch Activities: Research recipes and cook a few favorites; play fun music while you’re cooking. Learn some or all of the Braille alphabet; practice sending messages to each other. Find out about guide dogs; have a local guide dog trainer visit the class Learn some Italian words to say to each other 5 Fact Questions 1. Why are Bailey and Rosie fighting? 2. What is Granny Torrelli’s favorite saying and what does it mean? 3. Why did Rosie want to learn Braille and why is Bailey so upset that she can? 4. Who moves into the neighborhood that Rosie doesn’t like? 5. What story does Granny Torrelli tell to make Rosie feel better about Janine? 5 Questions for Discussion 1. Does Granny Torrelli use any tricks in her conversations with Rosie? Why do you think she does? 2. Why does so much of this story take place in the kitchen? 3. What does Bailey learn at the end of the story? 4. What do you think Granny wants to tell Rosie and Bailey when she tells the stories of Pardo and Violetta? 5. Do you think Granny Torrelli is stubborn (as she says) or patient and good as Rosie thinks?


Half and Half: Half and Half Author website: http://www.lensey.com/home.html Read-alikes: Adaline Falling Star by Mary Pope Osborne Enchanted Runner by Kimberley Griffiths Little The Land by Mildred Taylor Valley of the Moon by Sherry Garland (Dear America) Aleutian Sparrow by Karen Hesse The Haunting of Granite Falls by Eva Ibbotson Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee Pure Dead Magic by Deb Gliori Chinese Cinderella : the true story of an unwanted daughter by Adeline Yen Mah. Child of the Owl by Lawrence Yep Honeysuckle House by Andrea Cheng


Half and Half: Half and Half Snacks: Scones, Any Chinese or Scottish foods Activities: Learn some Scottish dancing! Learn some Kung Fu! Research and tell some Scottish or Chinese stories (Dress up if possible) Create your own books and illustrate them 5 Fact Questions 1. What does Fiona call her father’s mother? 2. Why does Fiona have trouble filling out her rec. center form? 3. What two activities conflict for Fiona at the folk festival? 4. What nationalities are Fiona’s mother and father? 5. Why did Fiona’s brother start taking kung fu? 5 Questions for Discussion 1. Why do you think Fiona finds it so hard to choose between her father’s talk and her Scottish dancing performance? Which would you choose to do? 2. Why do you think Fiona’s brother doesn’t want to be a Scottish dancer? 3. What nationality are you? Do you cook any special foods or enjoy any special customs? 4. Do you think it’s easy or hard to live in America and have parents from other countries? 5. What has Fiona learned that makes it easier for her to be both Scottish and Chinese?


Kensuke’s Kingdom: Kensuke’s Kingdom Read-alikes: Abel’s Island by William Steig Island (series) by Gordon Korman Flight of the Fisherbird by Nora Martin Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell Island of the Aunts by Eva Ibbotson Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry The Wanderer by Sharon Creech


Kensuke’s Kingdom: Kensuke’s Kingdom Snacks: crackers (the English kind with a prize inside), bananas, tropical fruits, rations (be creative!) Activities: Practice survival skills; learn how to use a compass, tie knots and design a well made fire (lighting it optional!) Have an expert visit (Boy/Girl Scout leader) if possible Learn about the weather; find out what clouds can tell us about the weather Find out about Japanese painting – try some if possible Learn a few words in Japanese Make a map of the air and sea battles in the Pacific during WWII. Mark each with its date and other relevant information. 5 Fact Questions 1. Tell how Michael’s family decided to make their trip. 2. What creatures did Kensuke protect on the island? 3. How did Michael become ill? 4. What is the name of Michael’s family’s boat? 5. What sport did Michael play? 5 Questions for Discussion 1. What person would you most want to be with on a deserted island? Why? 2. What items would you most want if you were stranded on an island? 3. What do you think of Kensuke’s decision not to allow Michael to leave? 4. Why did Kensuke never want to leave the island? 5. Did Michael change by the end of the book?


Macaroni Boy: Macaroni Boy Read-alikes: Six days in October : the stock market crash of 1929 by Karen Blumenthal. Dust by Arthur Slade Franklin D. Roosevelt : letters from a mill town girl by Elizabeth Winthrop. Hannah Divided by Adele Griffin Saving Grace by Priscilla Cummings The ghost and Mrs. Hobbs by Cynthia DeFelice Joshua’s Song by Joan Hiatt Harlow


Macaroni Boy: Macaroni Boy Snacks: Macaroni and cheese; ice cream/soda floats; applesauce Activities: Learn about rats Write letters to President Roosevelt telling him about the Depression and making suggestions for improvements Run a canned goods drive and donate the proceeds to a homeless shelter Find out what different foods cost in 1933; Play The Price is Right and see if students can guess what things cost now and what they cost then. 5 Fact Questions 1. Name the members of Mike’s extended family 2. During what year did the story take place? 3. Tell something you know about the Great Depression 4. What was Mike’s job at the family warehouse? 5. What pieces of information did Joseph receive from his father that helped the boys solve the mystery? 5 Questions for Discussion 1. Were Mike’s dad and his principal fair to Mike? 2. What do you think of the ways Mike dealt with Andy Simms? 3. How do you think the Great Depression affected families? 4. Do you think it’s okay for Mike to use Old Sneaky as a ‘guinea pig’ for the poison? 5. Find out about the CCC; what were its accomplishments during the Depression?


Thunder from the Sea: Thunder from the Sea Readalikes: Star in the Storm by Joan Hiatt Harlow Hugger to the rescue by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent Rescue dogs by Judith Janda Presnall Notes from a Liar and Her Dog by Gennifer Choldenko Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo When Mack Came Back by Brad Strickland


Thunder from the Sea: Thunder from the Sea Snacks: goldfish, molasses buns, biscuits with blackberry jam, Activities: Find out about tidal waves; what causes them and what are some famous ones? Create a brochure to help people prepare for tidal waves/flooding Find out about Newfoundland; send postcards to friends telling them about the island Research dogs and tidal waves; find out how animals may have special senses to help them detect tidal waves early. Encourage everyone in school to have ID tags for their pets; Partner with a local vet or petstore to order the tags. Practice some jannie talk of your own! 5 Fact Questions 1. How did Tom find his dog? 2. Where and when does the story take place? 3. Whom does Tom teach to read? 4. What spelling mistake does Bert make that gets Tom laughing? 5. What object of Tom’s does Bert damage in their fight? 5 Questions for Discussion 1. Discuss how Bert changes over the course of the novel. 2. Is reading be an important skill, even in a fishing village like Tom’s where everyone makes a living at sea? 3. Tom is adopted from an orphanage; from the novel, what does Tom want from his new life? Do these seem to be important needs? 4. Tom has several worries about belonging in his new life and family. What are they, and do you think they are important? Can you think of anything that kids today worry about in their own families? 5. Tom experiences an earthquake, a tidal wave, and a blizzard in the story. What advice or items seem to be most important to Tom’s survival? Do you have any advice to give Tom to help him through the story?


The Warriors: The Warriors Read-alikes: Sports Stories: Million Dollar series by Dan Gutman Throwing Smoke by Bruce Brooks Travel Team by Mike Lupica (for older) The Gorillas of Gill Park by Amy Gordon Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee Yours truly, Skye O'Shea by Megan Shull. Rosie in Chicago : play ball! by Carol Matas Summerland by Michael Chabon Boarding School Stories: My Life as a Boarding School Brat by Amy Gordon Peppermints in the Parlor by Barbara Wallace The Education of Patience Goodspeed by Heather Vogel Frederick Charlie Bone series by Jenny Nimmo The Austere Academy by Lemony Snicket Witch Week by Diana Wynne Jones Native American Reads: Heart of a Chief by Joseph Bruchac Charlie’s Raven by Jean Craighead George Code Talkers by Joseph Bruchac


The Warriors: The Warriors Snacks: corn soup, fry bread Activities: Research the history of lacrosse; find out the rules of the game and, if possible, play a few games. Invite the PE teacher or local lacrosse player to talk to students about the game. Design team jerseys; have each student design a jersey with colors, team name and number. Research other Native American games; Divide into teams and play a few together. Be storytellers; encourage children to tell their own family stories or research folktales to tell to their classroom, to younger children, or to parents. (This has been a great experience in several schools!) 5 Fact Questions 1. To what native American tribe does Jake belong? 2. Where does Jake move with his mother? 3. What do all the Warriors do after a game? 4. Why does Jake dislike his coach? 5. 5 Questions for Discussion 1. Why is Jake’s final lacrosse game successful? 2. What advice or stories does Grampa Sky share with Jake that helps him? How does it help? 3. How many of you play a sport? What makes a good coach? A less successful one? 4. Describe Jake’s feelings toward his coach; how do they change as the story evolves? 5. Have you ever moved to a new place or started a new activity that you felt was challenging, even lonely? Give Jake some advice about doing something new.