2022 Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Award List

THE GREAT PET HEIST

By: Emily Ecton

Which book will be your favorite?

TUNE IT OUT

By: Jamie Sumner

READ 3

VOTE:

March

2022

Loud sounds, crowds and people touching or brushing up against her are painful for 12-year-old Louise Montgomery. Her mom thinks she has the voice of an angel and is destined to make it as a singer; she has spent years forcing Louise to perform in noisy coffee shops and karaoke events while the two live together in their truck. When Lou crashes their truck during a snowstorm on her way to pick up her mother from a job, the "significantly underweight" young girl is moved across the country and placed in the custody of her aunt and uncle who she doesn't know. In this new setting, Lou deals with fitting in at a fancy private school, making friends, and learning to trust the adults in her life. She is surprised by an existence in which clean clothes and food are always available. She juggles all of this while managing what she learns, with the help of the school counselor, is a sensory processing disorder (SPD). Lou's relationships with the adults in her life, including her mom, aunt, and uncle, evolve over the course of the story as she adjusts to her new normal.

Ocean's Eleven meets The Secret Life of Pets in this hilarious and delightfully illustrated novel following a ragtag group of pets who will do whatever it takes to avoid being sent to the pound. Butterbean knew she wasn't always a good dog. Still, she'd never considered herself a BAD dog -until the morning that her owner, Mrs. Food, fell in the hallway. Admittedly the tile was slipperier than usual, mostly because Butterbean had just thrown up on it. Now Butterbean and her fellow pets have to come up with a grand plan to support themselves in case Mrs. Food is unable to keep taking care of them. When they discover a mysterious man in their building who seems to have lots of loot, they plan a heist. Oscar the mynah bird is the brains of the operation. Walt the cat has the necessary slyness and slink. Marco and Polo are the reconnaissance rats. And Butterbean...well, no one would ever suspect a cute little wiener dog, right? Can these animal friends can pull off the heist of the century?

Which book will be your favorite?

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Read at least 3 books from the Master List

Vote in March 2022

ANY DAY WITH YOU

By: Mae Respicio

THE MYSTWICK SCHOOL OF MUSICRAFT

By: Jessica Khoury

BLACK BROTHER, BLACK BROTHER

By: Jewell Parker Rhodes

SEEKERS OF THE WILD REALM

By: Alexandra Ott

Filipina-American Kaia, 12, begins to see her beloved 90-year-old great-grandfather, Tatang, in a new light when he announces that he will be moving from their Santa Monica home to live in his homeland year-round. The retired teacher is a source of unwavering encouragement and support for Kaia, and the two often share quiet moments and thoughtful conversations. Intent on dissuading him, the budding digital effects artist enters a beach-themed film competition with her best friends, hoping that winning the contest with a project inspired by Filipino mythology will change his mind. Kaia's deep respect for and connection with Tatang provides an emotional lens through which to view his youthful experiences, including his immigration to America 60 years prior, internment following the Bataan Death March, and service during WWII. As she comes to understand the meaning behind Tatang's choices-and the importance of his autonomy-her perception of him expands alongside her awareness of her own strengths and the opportunities available to her.

All Amelia Jones wants is to study magic at the Mystwick School of Musicraft, like her mother did before her mysterious death. After botching the audition, however, Amelia is shocked to receive an acceptance letter. As it happens, the letter was meant for a different, deceased Amelia Jones, but the maestros in charge of the school grant our Amelia two months to prove herself. This is a book that will inevitably face unfair comparisons to the Harry Potter series, and while there are strong similarities, that isn’t a bad thing. The concept of musicraft—producing magic by playing music—feels fresh and is undeniably appealing, and who is going to say no to a trip to another magical boarding school?

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Donte is having a difficult time adjusting to life at Middlefield Prep. Going to public school in New York City to now being one of the only black boys at a prep school in Newton, MA, is a dramatic shift. What's worse, all the kids at school keep bullying him and singling him out as different, while his lighter-skinned brother, Trey, passes with ease. However a tragic, unjust incident occurs early on when the headmaster sends for police officers to handcuff, arrest, and jail Donte after an incidental brush with a teacher. Donte’s mother (she is black and their father white) challenges the school on its racism, yet within the social world of the schoolyard, the injustice is further compounded by bullies’ smirks. After one too many incidents with Alan, the captain of the school fencing team, Donte decides that he has to beat him at his own game. This quest sets Donte and Trey off on a mission to find Mr. Jones, a black former Olympic fencer and Boston Boys and Girls Club employee, who agrees to teach them how to fence.

Through this mentorship and other new relationships, Donte discovers more about the gifts of his identity and the pride of cultural heritage.

Bryn's family lives in the valley. Above the village lies the Wild Realm, uninhabitable for humans but home to magical creatures. Seekers fly on the backs of dragons to collect the magical treasures that reside there. Bryn wants to be a Seeker, just like her late father. Bryn herself has magical powers with plants. When Seeker Oskar decides to retire, there will be a competition to replace him; this is what Bryn has been waiting for. But when she shows up for the first practice, the Head Seeker informs her that she's not allowed to train because she is a girl. Bryn decides to compete without the training. She discovers that Ari the Empath, one of the other contestants, has an unlawful dragon, and they find a way to help each other. A new wrinkle appears when the Vondur, an enemy clan who hunts dragons, begin showing up at the docks. Who let the Vondur in? And who was secretly trying to trade the dragon egg that Ari found and hatched?

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FROM THE DESK OF ZOE WASHINGTON - By: Janae Marks

ZEUS, DOG OF CHAOS

By: Kristin O'Donnell Tubb

ECHO MOUNTAIN

By: Lauren Wolk

THE WAY PAST WINTER

By: Kiran Hargrave

THE ELEPHANT'S GIRL

By: Celesta Rimington

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On her 12th birthday, Zoe Washington receives a letter from her birth father, Marcus, who has been in prison her entire life. He wants to get to know her, and even though she knows her mom won't like it, she writes back. In their letters they bond over a shared love of baking-Zoe is interning at a Boston-area bakery over the summer and dreams of becoming a pastry chef-and music. When Marcus dodges Zoe's questions about the crime he committed, she Googles him and is horrified to discover that he was accused of murdering a college classmate. But Marcus also claims he's innocent and that there's even a witness out there who could prove it. Zoe doesn't know what to believe. Can innocent people really go to prison? She begins to learn about inequality, racial bias and wrongful convictions in the criminal justice system. (Zoe and her biological parents are black, a stepfather is white.) She and Trevor set out to find the alibi witness who can prove his innocence, even though Marcus doesn't want her to get involved. But keeping secrets from her mom quickly gets Zoe in over her head, jeopardizing her chances of obtaining the information she needs to save Marcus.

Zeus, a service dog trained to aid a diabetic, is assigned to middle schooler Madden. Zeus is initially nonplussed by his assignment; it must be a dangerous job for the valedictorian of his prison-trained canine class. But after he meets Madden and his controlling military mother, he begins to rethink his position. Madden benefits from the latest diabetes-treatment technology, but sometimes the pressure of trying to fit in overrides his best intentions. Wanting to appear like just a regular kid was one of the reasons he chose to take up tuba in the band, even though it’s a physically taxing instrument. Because of the way it makes Madden stand out, Zeus becomes convinced that music, as much as he savors it, must be the enemy. He needs to protect his boy from it, leading to lots of humorous if well-meaning attacks on all things band-related, his motivation never registering with the humans in his life. This just adds to Madden’s embarrassment of having a German shepherd accompany him around his school. Narrator Zeus, ever insightful in a canine way, does a hilarious job of deciphering English, assembling interesting interpretations of new words. Madden’s fumbling attempts at a relationship with Ashvi, an attractive flute player, add spice to this engaging tale

After losing almost everything in the Great Depression, Ellie’s family moves to the Maine woods on Echo Mountain to start a farm—then tragedy strikes. Not long after getting them established in their new life, Ellie’s father is struck on the head by a falling tree and lapses into a monthslong coma, his recovery unlikely. Never feeling threatened by the wilderness the way her mother and older sister, Esther, do, Ellie takes over many of her beloved father’s chores, finding comfort and confidence in the forest. She’s fully mindful of her place in the natural world and her impact on the plants and animals she shares it with. After she becomes determined to use the resources of the woods, however novel and imaginative the application, to save her father, conflict with her mother and Esther increases sharply. Led by a dog, Ellie discovers elderly Cate—called “hag” and shunned as a witch—badly injured, living alone in a cabin on the mountaintop. Cate fully understands the 12-year-old’s slightly supernatural sense. Cate’s grandson, Larkin, Ellie’s age, flits in and out of the tale before finally claiming his place in this magnificently related story of the wide arc of responsibility, acceptance, and, ultimately, connectedness.

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Video by Mrs. Malget

Seven years ago the biggest tornado in Nebraska history hit near the Lexington Zoo. A little girl, just five years old, was found near an animal enclosure, protected from the storm by an elephant named Nyah. With no trace of a family, the girl was named Lexington Willow and grew up at the zoo with her best friend Fisher, and the man who found Lex and became her foster father, Roger. Now that she is finally old enough, Lex can't wait to help with the elephant training. On her first day, Nyah the elephant sends her a telepathic message that sets Lex off on an adventure to get some answers about her past. To find those answers Lex must leave the safety of the zoo, meet a ghost, and begin searching for a hidden treasure. Through this adventure Lex will find the meaning of family, friendship, and courage.

A young heroine sets off into an endless winter to rescue her brother from a mythic bear. This Scandinavian-inspired fairy tale starts off strong with a mesmerizing legend of the bear Eldbjørn, who protects the forest. Three siblings—Sanna, the oldest girl; brother Oskar; and the youngest, Mila—learn of the destruction of the woods and the heart-tree to which the bear is drawn. The story then jumps forward many years—Mama died after Pípa, their fourth sibling, was born, and Papa left five years back, never to return. It is endless winter, and the children are hungry and cold and abandoned. The morning after an enormous stranger with golden eyes accompanied by a group of men arrives at their door, 17-year-old Mila discovers 16-year-old Oskar missing. The chase—in a sleigh pulled by dogs—to find and save him begins. The edgy atmosphere of the closed-in cabin is rapidly replaced by adventure as Mila’s drive to locate her brother brings to life stories Mama told them about the Bear.

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Video by Mrs. Malget

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BRAVE LIKE THAT

By: Lindsey Stoddard

WINTERBORNE HOME FOR VENGEANCE AND VALOR By: Ally Carter

GLOOM TOWN

By: Ronald L. Smith

A PLACE AT THE TABLE

By: Saadia Faruqi & Laura Shovan

When a dog is left at the firehouse where his dad works, Cyrus immediately feels a connection. As a baby, he'd been abandoned there, too. The only person who could soothe him was Brooks Olson, the firefighter who ultimately adopted him. His dad has a strict no pets policy and warns Cyrus not to get attached to the dog he named Parker. The undernourished dog has health issues, and after dropping him off at the vet, Dad instructs Cyrus to forget about Parker and focus on middle school football tryouts. The problem is, Cyrus no longer wants to play football. He hasn't found a way to share the news with his dad, who is also a local football legend. He also hasn't figured out how to explain his struggles with reading. Even though he reads fluently, he comprehends almost nothing. This issue becomes even more troubling when Cyrus is instructed to write a book report for language arts class. Balancing these secrets becomes harder, especially when Cyrus begins skipping football practice to volunteer at the shelter where Parker is housed. Cyrus is movingly supported by his grandmother, who can no longer speak after a stroke but whose love shines through. When his two football-star friends begin to unmercifully pick on puny, smart, and unconventional Eduardo, Cyrus is faced with a daunting challenge .He’s convinced he’s not brave, but can he find the courage to stand up to his friends and protect the boy he finds understands him much better than they do? When Cyrus is caught in a lie, it is time to come clean with his father about who he wants to be.

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Sixth graders Sara, a Pakistani American, and Elizabeth, a white, Jewish girl taking a South Asian cooking class taught by Sara's mom. But, Sara and Elizabeth could not be more different. Sara is at a new school that is completely unlike the small Islamic school she used to attend. Elizabeth has her own problems: her British mum has been struggling with depression. The girls meet in an after-school South Asian cooking class, which Elizabeth takes because her mom has stopped cooking, and which Sara, who hates to cook, is forced to attend because her mother is the teacher. The girls form a shaky alliance that gradually deepens, and they make plans to create the most amazing, mouth-watering cross-cultural dish together and win a spot on a local food show. They make good cooking partners . . . but can they learn to trust each other enough to become true friends?

In this entertaining adventure reminiscent of Annie, five precocious foster siblings discover secrets in their sprawling new home. April, 12, has been in the foster system ever since her mother abandoned her with nothing but an ornate key and promise of her return. When the key turns out to bear the crest of the fabulously wealthy Winterborne family-whose sole heir, Gabriel, vanished a decade prior after his family was killed-April sneaks into the family's just-opened museum exhibit, intent on finding what it might unlock. She accidentally sets the exhibit aflame, and when she awakens in the hospital, April and several other children, including genius Sadie, who is black, and Londoner con artist Colin, are brought to Winterborne House as an effort to turn it into a group home. Once there, April discovers that Gabriel is alive, hiding in the mansions secret passages, and has a good reason for remaining hidden for so long-someone's fiendish plan, which the children must help him thwart. Great mystery, intrigue, and swashbuckling action in a rollicking story of long-lost secrets and found family.

Rory, a young dark-skinned biracial boy who takes after his father instead of his white mother, has lived in Gloom, a small, bleak fishing village all his life. His single mom can barely make ends meet, so when Rory sees that there's a job available as a valet at notoriously creepy Foxglove Manor, he decides the benefits outweigh the risks and applies for the position. Given a huge advance on his salary, he's initially ecstatic that he's able to help his mom pay the rent. However, he soon finds out that Lord Foxglove is even more evil than the rumors say. Before long, Rory can no longer ignore the sinister butler whose face looks inhuman, the mysterious dinner guests who aren’t served food yet leave behind a pile of bones with the marrow sucked out, and a human heart found buried in the back garden. When Lord Foxglove, his enigmatic employer, discovers Rory snooping, he is forced to flee for his life. Together with best friend Izzy, a white girl who lives next door, Rory sets out to unravel the mystery of the manor and save Gloom from whatever lurks inside.

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References

Association, O. L. (2021a). Seekers of the wild realm - 2022 Children’s Sequoyah Masterlist [Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bI3AYaYSsk

Association, O. L. (2021b). Tune It Out! - 2022 Children’s Sequoyah Masterlist [Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDk95mC35EU&list=PLXyzAU6fhDPss5GQ0_t4dZoktIKtW3p3J&index=8

Association, O. L. (2021c). Way past winter - 2022 Children’s Sequoyah Masterlist [Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXXpM_UEc_A&t=2s

Association, O. L. (2021d). Zeus, dog of chaos - 2022 Children’s Sequoyah Masterlist [Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT80t7-fE3o&list=PLXyzAU6fhDPss5GQ0_t4dZoktIKtW3p3J&index=10

Association, O. L. (2021e). Zeus, dog of chaos - 2022 Children’s Sequoyah Masterlist [Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT80t7-fE3o

Books, O. M. (2020a). Echo Mountain book review [Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoXl9DsBSwY

Books, O. M. (2020b). The Mystwick School of Musicraft book review [Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCJoxXHtgsU

BPLibraryKids. (2020). From the desk of Zoe Washington [Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Qp_tho4_bc

Friend, L. (2020a). “Black Brother, Black Brother” book trailer [Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFdDgqo3xlk&t=4s

Friend, L. (2020b). A Place at the Table book trailer [Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6V1X0AH_YI&t=1s

Hachette Children’s Group. (2020). Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valour trailer [Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr6V2kmVkFA

Library, B. S.-B. P. (2021). Children’s book trailer - Brave Like That [Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STPv83xqLac&t=3s

Library, J. A. E. (2021). The Great Pet Heist book review [Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiMY_Dksg30

Mills, H. (2021). Gloom Town trailer [Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTTXa-y8wnE

Rimington, C. (2020). The Elephant’s Girl official book trailer [Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBb_XPAdA1c&t=1s

Studio, H. (2020a). What is a diabetic alert dog? - Meet Zeus dog of chaos [Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUsd0AN_RSA

System, H. S. P. L. (2021). Middle grade book talk: Any day with you by Mae Respicio [Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmsr38mEkgY

Titlewave. (n.d.). Follett School Solutions. Retrieved October 19, 2021, from https://www.titlewave.com/

2022 Oklahoma Sequoyah

Book Award List

A Review of the Master List as a Prezi