List of Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl Books for 2021-2022
The Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl is a state-wide competition for students who are in the 4th grade and above. Elementary, middle, and high school each hold their own competition respectively. The DeKalb competition will be held on ......Winning teams proceed to further competition with other teams across the state.
You can find these books at your local public library, bookstore, online, or you can download them for your e-reader. Stephenson Middle School Media Center has copies of all of the titles, either in print and/or as eBooks on MackinVIA (available through Clever). Even if you are not interested in the reading bowl, these are great titles for 6th through 8th graders.
You can find these books at your local public library, bookstore, online, or you can download them for your e-reader. Stephenson Middle School Media Center has copies of all of the titles, either in print and/or as eBooks on MackinVIA (available through Clever). Even if you are not interested in the reading bowl, these are great titles for 6th through 8th graders.
Fighting Words. Bradley, Kimberly. (2020)
Description from Penguin Random House: "Ten-year-old Della has always had her older sister, Suki: When their mom went to prison, Della had Suki. When their mom’s boyfriend took them in, Della had Suki. When that same boyfriend did something so awful they had to run fast, Della had Suki. Suki is Della’s own wolf–her protector. But who has been protecting Suki? Della might get told off for swearing at school, but she has always known how to keep quiet where it counts."
2021 Newbery Honor Book
Reading bowl practice questions (lots of practice questions below):
The author discussing the book, and why it is about learning to stand up and use your words:
vimeo.com/430801551
Description from Penguin Random House: "Ten-year-old Della has always had her older sister, Suki: When their mom went to prison, Della had Suki. When their mom’s boyfriend took them in, Della had Suki. When that same boyfriend did something so awful they had to run fast, Della had Suki. Suki is Della’s own wolf–her protector. But who has been protecting Suki? Della might get told off for swearing at school, but she has always known how to keep quiet where it counts."
2021 Newbery Honor Book
Reading bowl practice questions (lots of practice questions below):
The author discussing the book, and why it is about learning to stand up and use your words:
vimeo.com/430801551
The Canyon's Edge. Bowling, Dusti. (2020).
Description from Goodreads: "A novel in verse about a young girl's struggle for survival after a climbing trip with her father goes terribly wrong.
One year after a random shooting changed their family forever, Nora and her father are exploring a slot canyon deep in the Arizona desert, hoping it will help them find peace. Nora longs for things to go back to normal, like they were when her mother was still alive, while her father keeps them isolated in fear of other people. But when they reach the bottom of the canyon, the unthinkable happens: A flash flood rips across their path, sweeping away Nora's father and all of their supplies."
What is a Slot Canyon?
https://www.opb.org/news/series/valhalla/oregon-slot-canyon-natural-wonders/
Book Talk:
https://youtu.be/C7R6X42gcAw
Description from Goodreads: "A novel in verse about a young girl's struggle for survival after a climbing trip with her father goes terribly wrong.
One year after a random shooting changed their family forever, Nora and her father are exploring a slot canyon deep in the Arizona desert, hoping it will help them find peace. Nora longs for things to go back to normal, like they were when her mother was still alive, while her father keeps them isolated in fear of other people. But when they reach the bottom of the canyon, the unthinkable happens: A flash flood rips across their path, sweeping away Nora's father and all of their supplies."
What is a Slot Canyon?
https://www.opb.org/news/series/valhalla/oregon-slot-canyon-natural-wonders/
Book Talk:
https://youtu.be/C7R6X42gcAw
The Benefits of Being an Octopus. Ann Braden. (2018).
Description from goodreads.com: "Some people can do their homework. Some people get to have crushes on boys. Some people have other things they’ve got to do.
Seventh-grader Zoey has her hands full as she takes care of her much younger siblings after school every day while her mom works her shift at the pizza parlor. Not that her mom seems to appreciate it. At least there’s Lenny, her mom’s boyfriend—they all get to live in his nice, clean trailer.
Zoey thinks how much easier everything would be if she were an octopus: eight arms to do eight things at once. Incredible camouflage ability and steady, unblinking vision. Powerful protective defenses."
Discussion questions:
Book trailer: https://youtu.be/1q0HCXEdopo
Description from goodreads.com: "Some people can do their homework. Some people get to have crushes on boys. Some people have other things they’ve got to do.
Seventh-grader Zoey has her hands full as she takes care of her much younger siblings after school every day while her mom works her shift at the pizza parlor. Not that her mom seems to appreciate it. At least there’s Lenny, her mom’s boyfriend—they all get to live in his nice, clean trailer.
Zoey thinks how much easier everything would be if she were an octopus: eight arms to do eight things at once. Incredible camouflage ability and steady, unblinking vision. Powerful protective defenses."
Discussion questions:
Book trailer: https://youtu.be/1q0HCXEdopo
Efren Divided. Cisneros, Ernesto. (2020).
Description from Goodreads: "Efrén Nava’s Amá is his Superwoman - or Soperwoman, named after the delicious Mexican sopes his mother often prepares. Both Amá and Apá work hard all day to provide for the family, making sure Efrén and his younger siblings Max and Mía feel safe and loved.
But Efrén worries about his parents; although he’s American-born, his parents are undocumented. His worst nightmare comes true one day when Amá doesn’t return from work and is deported across the border to Tijuana, México."
Teaching guide with discussion questions:
Description from Goodreads: "Efrén Nava’s Amá is his Superwoman - or Soperwoman, named after the delicious Mexican sopes his mother often prepares. Both Amá and Apá work hard all day to provide for the family, making sure Efrén and his younger siblings Max and Mía feel safe and loved.
But Efrén worries about his parents; although he’s American-born, his parents are undocumented. His worst nightmare comes true one day when Amá doesn’t return from work and is deported across the border to Tijuana, México."
Teaching guide with discussion questions:
Dress Coded. Firestone, Carrie (2020).
Description from amazon.com: "Molly Frost is FED UP...
Because Olivia was yelled at for wearing a tank top.
Because Liza got dress coded and Molly didn't, even though they were wearing the exact same outfit.
Because when Jessica was pulled over by the principal and missed a math quiz, her teacher gave her an F.
Because it's impossible to find shorts that are longer than her fingertips.
Because girls' bodies are not a distraction.
Because middle school is hard enough.
And so Molly starts a podcast where girls can tell their stories, and before long, her small rebellion swells into a revolution. Because now the girls are standing up for what's right, and they're not backing down.
Quia quiz:
Book trailer: youtu.be/ml0V8tF1dnQ
Description from amazon.com: "Molly Frost is FED UP...
Because Olivia was yelled at for wearing a tank top.
Because Liza got dress coded and Molly didn't, even though they were wearing the exact same outfit.
Because when Jessica was pulled over by the principal and missed a math quiz, her teacher gave her an F.
Because it's impossible to find shorts that are longer than her fingertips.
Because girls' bodies are not a distraction.
Because middle school is hard enough.
And so Molly starts a podcast where girls can tell their stories, and before long, her small rebellion swells into a revolution. Because now the girls are standing up for what's right, and they're not backing down.
Quia quiz:
Book trailer: youtu.be/ml0V8tF1dnQ
Br. Messner, Kate (2016). New York: Bloomsbury Children's Books.
Description from barnesandnoble.com: "Nora Tucker is looking forward to summer vacation in Wolf Creek--two months of swimming, popsicles, and brushing up on her journalism skills for the school paper. But when two inmates break out of the town's maximum security prison, everything changes. Doors are locked, helicopters fly over the woods, and police patrol the school grounds. Worst of all, everyone is on edge, and fear brings out the worst in some people Nora has known her whole life. Even if the inmates are caught, she worries that home might never feel the same."
Quizlet: https://quizlet.com/413680482/breakout-by-kate-messner-flash-cards/
https://quizlet.com/276475535/break-out-flash-cards/
Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHomDiTOYzU
Description from barnesandnoble.com: "Nora Tucker is looking forward to summer vacation in Wolf Creek--two months of swimming, popsicles, and brushing up on her journalism skills for the school paper. But when two inmates break out of the town's maximum security prison, everything changes. Doors are locked, helicopters fly over the woods, and police patrol the school grounds. Worst of all, everyone is on edge, and fear brings out the worst in some people Nora has known her whole life. Even if the inmates are caught, she worries that home might never feel the same."
Quizlet: https://quizlet.com/413680482/breakout-by-kate-messner-flash-cards/
https://quizlet.com/276475535/break-out-flash-cards/
Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHomDiTOYzU
Resistance. Nielsen, Jennifer A. (2018). New York: Scholastic Press.
Description from Goodreads: "Chaya Lindner is a teenager living in Nazi-occupied Poland. Simply being Jewish places her in danger of being killed or sent to the camps. After her little sister is taken away, her younger brother disappears, and her parents all but give up hope, Chaya is determined to make a difference. Using forged papers and her fair features, Chaya becomes a courier and travels between the Jewish ghettos of Poland, smuggling food, papers, and even people."
Quizlet: https://quizlet.com/340309871/resistance-by-nielsen-flash-cards/
Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATYCDrdFfnQ
Description from Goodreads: "Chaya Lindner is a teenager living in Nazi-occupied Poland. Simply being Jewish places her in danger of being killed or sent to the camps. After her little sister is taken away, her younger brother disappears, and her parents all but give up hope, Chaya is determined to make a difference. Using forged papers and her fair features, Chaya becomes a courier and travels between the Jewish ghettos of Poland, smuggling food, papers, and even people."
Quizlet: https://quizlet.com/340309871/resistance-by-nielsen-flash-cards/
Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATYCDrdFfnQ
My Brigadista Year. Paterson, Katherine (2017). Candlewick.
Description from amazon.com: "When thirteen-year-old Lora tells her parents that she wants to join Premier Castro’s army of young literacy teachers, her mother screeches to high heaven, and her father roars like a lion. Nora has barely been outside of Havana — why would she throw away her life in a remote shack with no electricity, sleeping on a hammock in somebody’s kitchen? But Nora is stubborn: didn’t her parents teach her to share what she has with someone in need? Surprisingly, Nora’s abuela takes her side, even as she makes Nora promise to come home if things get too hard. But how will Nora know for sure when that time has come? Shining light on a little-known moment in history, Katherine Paterson traces a young teen’s coming-of-age journey from a sheltered life to a singular mission: teaching fellow Cubans of all ages to read and write, while helping with the work of their daily lives and sharing the dangers posed by counterrevolutionaries hiding in the hills nearby. Inspired by true accounts, the novel includes an author’s note and a timeline of Cuban history."
Quizazz: https://quizizz.com/admin/quiz/5cf67f107a8bb8001af70846/my-brigadista-year
Author discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8c4-PoOPgE
Description from amazon.com: "When thirteen-year-old Lora tells her parents that she wants to join Premier Castro’s army of young literacy teachers, her mother screeches to high heaven, and her father roars like a lion. Nora has barely been outside of Havana — why would she throw away her life in a remote shack with no electricity, sleeping on a hammock in somebody’s kitchen? But Nora is stubborn: didn’t her parents teach her to share what she has with someone in need? Surprisingly, Nora’s abuela takes her side, even as she makes Nora promise to come home if things get too hard. But how will Nora know for sure when that time has come? Shining light on a little-known moment in history, Katherine Paterson traces a young teen’s coming-of-age journey from a sheltered life to a singular mission: teaching fellow Cubans of all ages to read and write, while helping with the work of their daily lives and sharing the dangers posed by counterrevolutionaries hiding in the hills nearby. Inspired by true accounts, the novel includes an author’s note and a timeline of Cuban history."
Quizazz: https://quizizz.com/admin/quiz/5cf67f107a8bb8001af70846/my-brigadista-year
Author discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8c4-PoOPgE
Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow . Townsend, Jessica. (2017) Little, Brown Publishers for Young Readers.
Description from School Library Journal: Morrigan Crow is cursed and doomed to die on her 11th birthday on Eventide night. She is blamed for every bit of bad luck and misfortune that plagues the residents of the town of Jackalfax in the Wintersea Republic. When Eventide arrives early, ushering in a new Age across the realm, Morrigan is faced with the prospect of her premature death—until a strange man named Jupiter North arrives. Together the two escape the Hunt of Smoke and Shadow and come to the Free State city of Nevermoor. Miraculously alive and possibly no longer cursed, Morrigan can make a fresh start. With Jupiter's help, she has the chance to compete in a series of trials for a place in Nevermoor's most revered group: the Wundrous Society. If she succeeds, she'll also earn her place in Nevermoor and finally have a home and a caring family. Despite Jupiter's assurances, Morrigan dreads the final Show Trial, where the remaining competitors will have to demonstrate their astounding talents—something Morrigan is quite certain she doesn't possess. Morrigan will have to step boldly and learn to trust her new friends if she hopes to pass the trials and join the Wundrous Society. Townsend's debut fantasy revolves around Morrigan's struggle to find her place and discover her own worth, all while she completes magical tasks and investigates the strange world of Nevermoor. This dynamic title is filled with intricate world-building that brings the renowned figure of Jupiter North and the rest of Nevermoor to life. Set over the course of Morrigan's year of trials, this entertaining and fast-paced story is filled with astonishing details, such as the Hotel Deucalion, where Morrigan's room changes to suit her mood; the Wundrous Society grounds, which turn the weather up a notch; and even a giant talking "Magnificat" named Fenestra. VERDICT Readers, like Morrigan herself, will feel at home in this evocative novel where magic and confidence go hand in hand. An excellent and exciting work.—Emma Carbone, Brooklyn Public Library
Quizlets: https://quizlet.com/313965873/nevermoor-flash-cards/
https://quizlet.com/309107934/nevermoore-the-trials-of-morrigan-crow-flash-cards/
Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR55RFWpr6I
Description from School Library Journal: Morrigan Crow is cursed and doomed to die on her 11th birthday on Eventide night. She is blamed for every bit of bad luck and misfortune that plagues the residents of the town of Jackalfax in the Wintersea Republic. When Eventide arrives early, ushering in a new Age across the realm, Morrigan is faced with the prospect of her premature death—until a strange man named Jupiter North arrives. Together the two escape the Hunt of Smoke and Shadow and come to the Free State city of Nevermoor. Miraculously alive and possibly no longer cursed, Morrigan can make a fresh start. With Jupiter's help, she has the chance to compete in a series of trials for a place in Nevermoor's most revered group: the Wundrous Society. If she succeeds, she'll also earn her place in Nevermoor and finally have a home and a caring family. Despite Jupiter's assurances, Morrigan dreads the final Show Trial, where the remaining competitors will have to demonstrate their astounding talents—something Morrigan is quite certain she doesn't possess. Morrigan will have to step boldly and learn to trust her new friends if she hopes to pass the trials and join the Wundrous Society. Townsend's debut fantasy revolves around Morrigan's struggle to find her place and discover her own worth, all while she completes magical tasks and investigates the strange world of Nevermoor. This dynamic title is filled with intricate world-building that brings the renowned figure of Jupiter North and the rest of Nevermoor to life. Set over the course of Morrigan's year of trials, this entertaining and fast-paced story is filled with astonishing details, such as the Hotel Deucalion, where Morrigan's room changes to suit her mood; the Wundrous Society grounds, which turn the weather up a notch; and even a giant talking "Magnificat" named Fenestra. VERDICT Readers, like Morrigan herself, will feel at home in this evocative novel where magic and confidence go hand in hand. An excellent and exciting work.—Emma Carbone, Brooklyn Public Library
Quizlets: https://quizlet.com/313965873/nevermoor-flash-cards/
https://quizlet.com/309107934/nevermoore-the-trials-of-morrigan-crow-flash-cards/
Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR55RFWpr6I
Harbor Me. Woodson, Jacqueline. (2018). Penguin Random House.
Description by penguinrandomhouse.com: "It all starts when six kids have to meet for a weekly chat–by themselves, with no adults to listen in. There, in the room they soon dub the ARTT Room (short for “A Room to Talk”), they discover it’s safe to talk about what’s bothering them–everything from Esteban’s father’s deportation and Haley’s father’s incarceration to Amari’s fears of racial profiling and Ashton’s adjustment to his changing family fortunes. When the six are together, they can express the feelings and fears they have to hide from the rest of the world. And together, they can grow braver and more ready for the rest of their lives." New York Times Best Seller
Quizlet: https://quizlet.com/411737851/harbor-me-flash-cards/#_=_
https://www.readbrightly.com/brightlys-book-club-for-kids-harbor-me/
Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjKqwqpBgGM
Description by penguinrandomhouse.com: "It all starts when six kids have to meet for a weekly chat–by themselves, with no adults to listen in. There, in the room they soon dub the ARTT Room (short for “A Room to Talk”), they discover it’s safe to talk about what’s bothering them–everything from Esteban’s father’s deportation and Haley’s father’s incarceration to Amari’s fears of racial profiling and Ashton’s adjustment to his changing family fortunes. When the six are together, they can express the feelings and fears they have to hide from the rest of the world. And together, they can grow braver and more ready for the rest of their lives." New York Times Best Seller
Quizlet: https://quizlet.com/411737851/harbor-me-flash-cards/#_=_
https://www.readbrightly.com/brightlys-book-club-for-kids-harbor-me/
Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjKqwqpBgGM