ALL of the blogs from the past week have focused on online resources to cope with the school & library closures due to CoVid-19. However, right before everything started shutting down the Association of Illinois School Library Educators announced their 2021 Bluestem Book Award List. Without further ado, here it is:
The Ambrose Deception by Emily Ecton
Three Chicago students, Melissa, Wilf, and Bondi, are unlikely participants in a competition for a ten thousand-dollar scholarship, unaware that there is much more at stake.
This title is available in eBook format on Overdrive.
Animals By the Numbers: A Book of Infographics by Steve Jenkins
How many species are there across the globe? How much do all of the insects in the world collectively weigh? How far can animals travel?
This title is available in eBook format on hoopla.
Bob by Wendy Mass & Rebecca Stead
Visiting her grandmother in Australia, Livy, ten, is reminded of the promise she made five years before to Bob, a strange, green creature who cannot recall who or what he is.
This title is available in eAudiobook format or eBook format on Overdrive.
Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code: A Navajo Talker’s Story by Joseph Bruchac
As a boy, Chester Nez was taught his native language and culture were useless, but he was later called on to use his Navajo language to help create an unbreakable military code during WWII.
This title is available in eBook format on Overdrive.
Click by Kayla Miller
When a school variety show leaves Olive stranded without an act to join, she wonders why all of her friends have already formed their own groups without her.
This title is available in eBook format on Overdrive.
Curiosity: The Story of a Mars Rover by Markus Motem
Maybe you remember when a little robotic spacecraft landed on a far-off planet. On August 6, 2012, the rover Curiosity touched down on the rocky surface of Mars and now she’s ready to guide you through her journey firsthand.
This title is not available in eBook format.
A Dash of Trouble by Anna Meriano
Wanting to be a part of her family’s Dia de los Muertos preparations, Leonora sneaks out of school to discover her mother, aunt, and older sisters have been keeping a secret.
This title is available in eBook format on Overdrive or on hoopla.
Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome
Discovering a book of Langston Hughes’ poetry in the library helps Langston cope with the loss of his mother, relocating from Alabama to Chicago as part of the Great Migration, and being bullied.
This title is available in eAudiobook format on hoopla and eBook format on Overdrive.
Hope in the Holler by Lisa Lewis Tyre
Upon her mother’s death, Wavie Conley, eleven, must go live with a scheming aunt in the Kentucky town her mother left behind.
This title is available in eBook format on Overdrive.
Lifeboat 12 by Susan Hood
In 1940, a group of British children, their escorts, and some sailors struggle to survive in a lifeboat when the ship taking them to safety in Canada is torpedoed.
This title is available in eAudiobook format on hoopla or on Overdrive.
Max & the Midknights by Lincoln Pierce
Max and a group of friends dubbed the Midknights go on a quest to rescue the Kingdom of Byjovia from the mean King Gastley!
This title is available in eBook format on Overdrive.
Otis and Will Discover the Deep: The Record Setting Dive by Barb Rosenstock
A biographical account of engineer Otis Barton and naturalist Will Beebe’s record–setting descent into the deep ocean in their Bathysphere craft, making the men the first humans to witness deep sea creatures in their natural habitat.
This title is available in eBook format on Overdrive.
Power Forward: Chasing the Dream by Hena Khan
Fourth-grader Zayd yearns to play basketball on the Gold Team, but when he skips orchestra rehearsal to practice, his parents forbid anything basketball-related, and tryouts are coming soon.
This title is available in eBook format on Overdrive.
Sergeant Reckless: The True Story of the Little Horse Who Became a Hero by Patricia McCormick
This book tells the true story of a brave little mare who carried artillery shells into battle numerous times with the U.S. Marines she supported throughout the Korean War.
This title is not available in eBook format.
Stef Soto, Taco Queen by Jennifer Torres
7th grader Estefania “Stef” Soto is itching to shake off the onion-and-cilantro embrace of Tia Perla, her family’s taco truck. She wants nothing more than for her dad to get a normal job and for Tia Perla to be put out to pasture. But just when it looks like Stef is going to get exactly what she wants, and her family’s livelihood is threatened, she will have to become the truck’s unlikely champion.
This title is available in eAudiobook format on hoopla and eBook format on Overdrive.
Strongheart: Wonder Dog of the Silver Screen by Candace Fleming
A German shepherd is transformed from Etzel, a police dog in Berlin, to Strongheart, a silent movie star that will need his best acting skills to prove himself innocent of attacking a girl.
This title is available in eBook format on Overdrive.
The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander
This poem is a love letter to black life in the United States. It highlights the unspeakable trauma of slavery, the faith and fire of the civil rights movement, and the grit, passion, and perseverance of some of the world’s greatest heroes.
This title is available in eBook format on Overdrive.
The Van Gogh Deception by Deron R. Hicks
When a young boy is discovered in Washington, DC’s National Gallery of Art without any recollection of who he is, he must piece together the disjointed clues of his origins while using his limited knowledge to stop one of the greatest art frauds ever attempted.
This title is available in eBook format on Overdrive.
Wedgie & Gizmo by Suzanne Selfors
While his human Elliot adjusts to his new home and stepfamily, Gizmo, an evil genius guinea pig, searches for a new evil lair where he can plot to take over the world, but Gizmo is constantly thwarted by Elliot’s little stepsister Jasmine (who likes to play dress-up), Abuela (who may or may not like to eat cavies), and Wedgie (a Corgi superhero and Gizmo’s nemesis).
This title is available in eAudiobook format & eBook format on hoopla and in eBook format on Overdrive.
A Whole New Ballgame by Phil Bildner
From the first morning with their odd new teacher fifth grade is full of shocking surprises for best friends Rip and Red.
This title is available in eBook format on Overdrive.