2009 TEEN/YOUNG ADULT NUTMEG NOMINEES (Grades 7- 8)

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
Moose struggles with troublemaking, providing care for his needy sister, and handling family life on the island prison of Alcatraz.

Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos
After Nadira's father, an illegal immigrant from Bangladesh, is arrested, her older sister grows more sorrowful with each passing day. Nadira, no longer living in her sophisticated sister's shadow, must cope with the difficulties of being a Muslim in post-9/11 America.

The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer
For Enola Holmes, investigating mysteries runs in the family, including her own mother's disappearance. When her elder brother Sherlock determines she should attend a prim
oarding school, she resolves to escape and solve the mystery herself.

Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Since her father's injury, DJ Schwenk has been doggedly running her family's dairy farm. But the summer before 11th grade, the rival school's football coach sends his stuck-up, lazy quarterback, Brian, to help DJ out on the farm. DJ finds herself coaching Brian, and she starts to wonder if there is more out there for her than farm work .

Day of Tears by Julius Lester
Husbands and wives are torn apart, young children are separated from their parents, and life long friendships are instantly ended. Over the course of three days in 1859, more than 400 slaves were sold to pay one man's gambling debts. This riveting book tells their stories.

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
This novel asks the question: what happens to us when we die? When Liz Hall dies at fifteen, she discovers Elsewhere, an afterlife where people and animals age backwards until they are reborn again. But Liz desperately wants to grow up, fall in love, and get her driver's license, not rewind to fourteen!

Heat by Mike Lupica
What can a 12 year-old Cuban immigrant do when he dreams of pitching in the Little League World Series, only to be benched? Michael Arroyo relies on his best friend, Manny Cabrera, his neighbor Mrs. Cora, and the mysterious new girl pitcher he meets practicing in the shadow of Yankee Stadium.

The Schwa Was Here by Neal Shusterman
When Antsy Bonano and his friends discover that fellow 8th grade classmate Calvin Schwa can become invisible, they use the knowledge to hatch a money making plot. What begins as a surefire scheme turns into something else, as you weave through this funny, yet thought provoking journey with Cal, Antsy, and Lexie.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
When Tally turns sixteen, she will transition from an Ugly to a Pretty, receiving society's mandated plastic surgery to look like everyone else; model beautiful. But before her brithday, she meets some Uglies who have never had the surgery. And they have a secret to share with her…

Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver
A demonic bear has killed Torak's father, and Torak, a stone-age boy, must destroy the beast. On his journey he finds an orphan wolf cub and learns they can communicate with each other. Now both orphans are on a perilous journey to defeat evil.