The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
	Blue Ribbons are chosen annually by the Bulletin staff and represent what we believe to be the best of the previous year's literature for youth. See the Blue Ribbon Archive for other lists from 1990 through the present. Please feel free to copy, download, or link to these lists. We ask only that you cite the source.
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	2006 Blue Ribbons

There are always new challenges in the Blue Ribbon process, ranging this year from the increasing length of novels to the increasing preponderance of serial fiction, along with the familiar mission of evaluating the relative merits of a shockingly varied collection of books. Underneath the labor, however, is ultimately a great pleasure and privilege: the exploration of rewarding, exciting books with colleagues of great dedication and conviction and the hard-won selection of the best of the lot. Here are the fruits of that taxing and wonderful labor.

Deborah Stevenson, Editor

Books greatly enjoyed by individual committee members but not quite managing to convince the entire committee can be found at the Blue Ribbons Dissents page.

PICTURE BOOKS

• Bateman, Teresa. Keeper of Soles; illus. by Yayo. Holiday House. Gr. 2-4 (April)
  A clever cobbler tricks Death year after year, developing an offhand friendship with the lonely Grim Reaper in this wry and folkloric picture book.
  
  
• LaReau, Kara. Ugly Fish; illus. by Scott Magoon. Harcourt. 6-9 yrs (July/August)
  It's a fish-eat-fish world in the tank of the rapacious Ugly Fish, who doesn't like to share, but what happens when he meets an even bigger fish?
  
  
• Long, Ethan. Tickle the Duck!; written and illus. by Ethan Long. Little. 2-5 yrs (February)
  The more the titular duck forbids kids to tickle him, the more they'll want to touch the textured surfaces of his feet and feathers in this giggle-inducing title.
  
  
• Pericoli, Matteo. The True Story of Stellina; written and illus. by Matteo Pericoli. Knopf. Gr. 2-5 (April)
  Spare elegance in the illustrations and a matter-of-fact yet tender narrative tell this fact-based story of a little wild finch rescued by the author and his wife.
  
  
• Pinkwater, Daniel. Bad Bear Detectives: An Irving & Muktuk Story; illus. by Jill Pinkwater. Houghton. Gr. 2-4 (October)
  The two bad—and extremely funny--polar bears turn detective in order to clear their names when they're accused of a muffin heist.
  
  
• Root, Phyllis. Looking for a Moose; by Randy Cecil. Candlewick. 3-6 yrs (December)
  In this deliciously chantable rhyming story, a crew of kids take off searching for a moose—but are the animals closer than the searchers realize?
  
  
• Shannon, David. Good Boy, Fergus!; written and illus. by David Shannon. Blue Sky/Scholastic. 3-6 yrs (March)
  An obstreperous terrier mostly blithely ignores his owner's commands and entreaties in this comedy of canine misbehavior.
  
  
• Smee, Nicola. Clip-Clop; written and illus. by Nicola Smee. Sterling/Boxer. 1-3 yrs (July/August)
  This toddler-appealing tale follows Mr. Horse as he gives all of his friends a ride—with an unexpected but gleeful ending.
  
  
• Smith, Lane. John, Paul, George, and Ben; written and illus. by Lane Smith. Hyperion. Gr. 3-5 (May)
  This satirical look at our founding fathers may be short on facts, but it's long on dorky humor.
  
  
• Weatherford, Carole. Boston Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom; illus. by Kadir Nelson. Jump at the Sun/Hyperion. 6-9 yrs (November)
  Spare, poetic narrative and monumental images tell the moving story of Harriet Tubman and her faith-inspired leadership.
  
  
• Winter, Jonah. Dizzy; illus. by Sean Qualls. Levine/Scholastic. 6-10 yrs (November)
  Musical free verse and eloquent portraiture chronicle the life of jazz genius Dizzy Gillespie.
  
  

FICTION

• Anderson, M. T. The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen; illus. by Kurt Cyrus. Harcourt. Gr. 3-6 (July/August)
  This comedic and high-spirited adventure is part loving homage to and part burlesque of mid-century serial fiction.
  
  
• Anderson, M. T. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation: The Pox Party. Candlewick. Gr. 8-12 (November)
  Born a slave in the eighteenth century, Octavian Nothing changes from complacent pet to defiant resistor as he realizes that he's merely an object of scientific experimentation to his owners.
  
  
• Hardinge, Frances. Fly by Night. HarperCollins. Gr. 7-10 (September)
  A twelve-year-old outcast, her belligerent goose, and a smooth-talking rogue with whom she's been traveling find themselves in the middle of a factional war in a world where the written word is treason.
  
  
• McCormick, Patricia. Sold. Hyperion. Gr. 9-12 (December)
  In this powerful contemporary narrative, Lakshmi at first thinks she's leaving her Nepalese village for economic opportunity in Calcutta, but instead she's sold into prostitution and must work off her debt.
  
  
• Parkinson, Siobhán. Something Invisible. Roaring Brook. Gr. 4-7 (May)
  This tender, quirky Irish novel focuses on Jake, who's unsettled by the changes in his household but who gains sudden perspective from a tragedy in his friend's family.
  
  
• Pratchett, Terry. Wintersmith. HarperCollins. Gr. 6-8 (December)
  In her third witty and magical adventure, young witch Tiffany Aching is courted by the Wintersmith, the spirit of Winter, and she needs the help of the Wee Free Men to right the misunderstanding.
  
  
• Schlitz, Laura Amy. A Drowned Maiden’s Hair. Candlewick. Gr. 5-9 (November)
  The classic orphan story takes an original turn in this story of Maud, a nineteenth-century orphan adopted by spiritualist sisters who plan to use her to defraud a wealthy client.
  
  
• Stroud, Jonathan. Ptolemy’s Gate. Miramax/Hyperion. Gr. 6-8 (February)
  This third book in the Bartimaeus trilogy sees our three main characters—magician Nathaniel, freedom-fighter Kitty, and djinn Bartimaeus—converging again as insurgent demons threaten to overpower the human world.
  
  
• Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. Knopf. Gr. 9 up (May)
  Death narrates this complex and heartbreaking story of Liesel Meminger, a German girl whose growing love of books and those who have brought them to her keep her strong even as her life crumbles about her during the depredations of World War II.
  
  

NONFICTION

• Bausum, Ann. Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Front Lines of the Civil Rights Movement. National Geographic. Gr. 6-10 (April)
  This compelling account of the Freedom Riders focuses on the experiences of John Lewis, an African-American Southerner, and Jim Zwerg, a white Northerner, and their challenge of the segregationist laws of the South.
  
  
• Butterworth, Chris. Sea Horse: The Shyest Fish in the Sea; illus. by John Lawrence Candlewick. 4-8 yrs (October)
  Sea horses are the most kid-appealing of fish, and delicate and intriguing illustrations combined with accessible text makes this an irresistible introduction to the species.
  
  
• Engle, Margarita. The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano; illus. by Sean Qualls. Holt. Gr. 7-12 (July/August)
  A series of poignant free-verse poems speak in the voice of Juan Francisco Manzano, the nineteenth-century Cuban poet whose cruel and capricious owner refuses to grant him the freedom he's earned.
  
  
• Fradin, Judith Bloom. 5,000 Miles to Freedom; by Judith Bloom Fradin and Dennis Brindell Fradin. National Geographic. Gr. 5-10 (May)
  This is the gripping true story of Ellen and William Craft, who escaped slavery with a daring plan wherein Ellen publicly passed as a young white man and her husband as her slave on their journey north.
  
  
• Krinitz, Esther Nisenthal. Memories of Survival; written by Esther Nisenthal Krinitz and Bernice Steinhardt; illus. by Esther Nisenthal Krinitz. Hyperion, 2005. Gr. 3-6 (March)
  Fascinating and intricate embroidery scenes, accompanied by text explanations providing additional background, vividly depict the author's experiences surviving World War II as a Jew hiding in the Polish countryside.
  
  
• Krull, Kathleen. Giants of Science: Isaac Newton; illus. by Boris Kulikov. Viking. Gr. 5-8 (May)
  Krull deftly explores not only Newton's scientific and mathematical innovations but also his strange personality and complicated relationships with colleagues in this juicy and readable biography.
  
  
• Kudlinski, Kathleen V. Boy, Were We Wrong about Dinosaurs!; illus. by S. D. Schindler. Dutton, 2005. 6-10 yrs (January 2006)
  Witty illustrations add humor to this focused reminder of the way scientific understanding, especially on this most popular of topics, continues to evolve.
  
  
• Lat. Kampung Boy; written and illus. by Lat. First Second/Roaring Brook. Gr. 5-8 (January 2007)
  Cartoon illustrations fizz with energy and humor in this inviting account of a young boy's youth in rural Malaysia.
  
  
• Miller, Norma. Stompin’ at the Savoy: The Story of Norma Miller; ed. by Alan Govenar; illus. by Martin French. Candlewick. Gr. 4-8 (April)
  Miller, who embarked on her dance career in her teens, recounts with freshness and immediacy her experiences in show business and her struggle to make her career in segregated America.
  
  
• Schlitz, Laura Amy. The Hero Schliemann: The Dreamer Who Dug for Troy; illus. by Robert Byrd. Candlewick. Gr. 5-8 (October)
  A passionate, eccentric, and often unintentionally destructive amateur, Heinrich Schliemann was almost single-handedly responsible for proving the reality of Troy, and Schlitz chronicles this odd explorer's life in a sparkling literary exploration.
  
  

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