VVMBookBlog

Last weekend the winning titles of the 2005-2006 MYRA–Minnesota Youth Reading Association–book awards were announced. Votes from students in schools all over Minnesota were counted to determine this year’s winners.

The winning title for Division 2, grades 6-8, was Hoot by Carl Hiassen.

Following close behind were City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau, Full Tilt by Neal Shusterman, and House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer. Be sure to watch for the movie version of Hoot coming out soon in May.
And the winner for Division 1, grades 3-5, was Runt by Marion Dane Bauer.

Runt was one of the four books for younger readers that was also included on our middle school list. It’s a great book for learning how wolves live in the wild.

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And here are the books on next year’s Division 2 reading list:

Hawksong – by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Things Not Seen – by Andrew Clements
Gregor the Overlander – by Suzanne Collins
**Buddha Boy – by Kathe Koja
Blizzard’s Wake – by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Airborn – by Kenneth Oppel
Rising Water – P.J. Peterson
The Boy Who Saved Baseball – by John Ritter
Becoming Naomi Léon – by Pam Muñoz Ryan
Heir Apparent – by Vivian Vande Velde
**Soldier X – by Don Wulffson

**Titles marked with asterisks have mature themes or language that may not be appropriate for all Division 2 readers.

We have a few copies of most of these, so you could get started on the list now. Or check the public libraries this summer, or wait until fall when we’ll be ready with LOTS of copies!