The document lists and summarizes 12 children's books nominated for a Black-Eyed Susan award for 2010-2011. It includes the book title, author, genre, brief plot summary, and Lexile level for each book. The books cover a range of genres including realistic fiction, fantasy, mystery, and historical fiction. They deal with themes such as friendship, family, loss, and self-discovery. Sources for book cover images and summaries are provided.

1. Now Presenting ! Black-Eyed Susan nominees for 2010-2011 Created by Patricia Valas

2. These 4-6 Nominees will make everyone happy!

3. 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass Humor/Time travel After celebrating their first nine same-day birthdays together, Amanda and Leo, having fallen out on their tenth and not speaking to each other for the last year, prepare to celebrate their eleventh birthday separately but peculiar things begin to happen as the day of their birthday begins to repeat itself over and over again. Author’s website Lexile 650

4. Captain Nobody by Dean Pitchford Realistic When ten-year-old Newton dresses up as an unusual superhero for Halloween, he decides to keep wearing the costume after the holiday to help save townspeople and eventually his injured brother. Author’s website Lexile 750

5. Extra Credit by Andrew Clements Realistic/Multicultural As letters flow back and forth--between the prairies of Illinois and the mountains of Afghanistan, across cultural and religious divides--sixth-grader Abby, ten-year-old Amira, and eleven-year-old Sadeed begin to speak and listen to each other. Author’s website Lexile 830

6. The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas Fantasy A young thief is drawn into a life of magic and adventure after picking the pocket of the powerful wizard Nevery Flinglas, who has returned from exile to attempt to reverse the troubling decline of magic in Wellmet City. Author’s website Lexile 680

7. Masterpiece by Elise Broach Fantasy/Mystery After Marvin, a beetle, makes a miniature drawing as an eleventh birthday gift for James, a human with whom he shares a house, the two new friends work together to help recover a Durer drawing stolen from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Author’s website Lexile NC700

8. Neil Armstrong is My Uncle : & Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty Told Me by Nan Marino Realistic/Historical Set in upstate New York in the summer of 1969, Tamara, 10, is stuck at home with her cold parents while her brother is away in Vietnam. She is lonely, and blames the new foster kid on the block, Douglas, for the loss of her only friend. She mocks him for telling wild lies. Douglas is a bit too nice, but he messes up when he tries to help Tamara. Author’s website Lexile 670

9. Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson Realistic Through letters to his little sister, who is living in a different foster home, sixth-grader Lonnie, also known as "Locomotion," keeps a record of their lives while they are apart, describing his own foster family, including his foster brother who returns home after losing a leg in the Iraq War. Author’s website Lexile 860

10. Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff Realistic After her brother Jared dies, ten-year-old Annie worries about the hidden dangers of everything, from bug bites to bicycle riding, until she is befriended by a new neighbor who is grieving her own loss. Author’s website Lexile 820

11. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin Fantasy Minli, an adventurous girl from a poor village, buys a magical goldfish, and then joins a dragon who cannot fly on a quest to find the Old Man of the Moon in hopes of bringing life to Fruitless Mountain and freshness to Jade River. Author’s website Lexile 820

12. Credits The pictures came from these websites. http://school.discovery.com/homeworkhelp/worldbook/atozpictures/lr000347.html http://www.blupete.com/Nature/Wildflowers/Wild.htm http://www.jimemery.com/Virginia/blackeydsus.htm http://www.joeydragon.com/Graphics/blackeyedsusan.htm http://www.digmagazine.com/96/10-96/jacqui.cfm http:// www.geobop.com/World/NA/US/MD/Flower.htm The pictures of the book covers all came from CCPL ,BCPL or LCPL websites. The summaries came from CIP information.