Reinvention of Bessica Lefter by Kristen Tracy

"I stared into the dark, cavernous hole with my best friend, Sylvie."

The summary is hidden because it may contain spoilers. If you would like to read the full summary, simply use your cursor to highlight the next few lines and it will magically appear.

Summary: Eleven-year-old Bessica's plans to begin North Teton Middle School as a new person begin to fall apart even before school begins.

Delacorte Press; 305 pages

Young Fredle by Cynthia Voigt

"I'm not finished foraging," Fredle protested.

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Summary: Fredle, a young mouse cast out of his home, faces dangers and predators outside, makes some important discoveries and allies, and learns the meaning of freedom as he struggles to return home.

Alfred A. Knopf; 227 pages

Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream by Jenny Han

"When I woke up that morning and saw the red and gold leaves swirling around my backyard, I just knew it was gonna be my kind of day."

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Summary: Korean American fourth-grader Clara Lee longs to be Little Miss Apple Pie, and when her luck seems suddenly to change for the better, she overcomes her fear of public speaking and enters the competition.

Little Brown; 147 pages

The Star Maker by Laurence Yep

"When I was a boy, Chinese people had to live in Chinatown."

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With the help of his popular Uncle Chester, a young Chinese American boy tries hard to fulfill a promise to have firecrackers for everyone on the Chinese New Year in 1954. Includes an afterword with information about the Chinese customs portrayed in the story.

Harper; 100 pages

It's Time!!

It's time to start reading 2011 titles, thinking & talking about them, and posting possibilities for the 2012 Newbery! As always, you are absolutely encouraged to post suggestions of titles you think should be included; just add them in the comments section. If you prefer, you can email your suggestions to mvoors@acpl.info.

Throughout the year, we will be posting a variety of 2011 titles on this blog with an eye towards finding this year's "most distinguished contribution to American literature for children." It promises -- as always -- to be a fun task. Thanks for joining us!