Black-eyed Susan Award Winners

The Black-eyed Susan Award is a Maryland book award that began in 1992 and is given for books that students choose as their favorite (http://maslmd.org/about-bes/).

Because of Winn-Dixie is written by Kate DiCamillo and won the Black-eyed Susan Award in 2001. The Black-eyed Susan Award is not the only Award that DiCamillo has received. She was also Awarded the Newbery Award for her novel The Tale of Despereaux. Awards are not the only mark of achievement as both of these books were so well received that they have also been adapted to film. I will be excited to see what DiCamillo will do next.
Because of Winn-Dixie is a touching novel about a young girl named India has recently had to move to a rural town in Florida where she doesn't know anyone. She and her dad live alone ever since her mother left them when India was very young. Though it was several years ago she and her dad both struggle with the loss. It is this loss combined with living in a new town that create a feeling of profound loneliness within India.
While shopping at Winn-Dixie one day, she discovers a mangy looking mutt getting into trouble in the store and to save the dog, India claims that it is her dog. She names the dog Winn-Dixie and quickly falls in love with this dog that helps to fill a void in India. Though her dad is reluctant, he quickly falls in love with him too. Winn-Dixie possesses an ability to befriend anyone and it is this quality that helps India begin to make friends in her new town.
This is a heart felt novel that feels like a warm hug to read.

Frindle is written by Andrew Clements and was the Black-eyed Susan Award winner in 1998 for grades 4-6. This book also won the Christopher Award, the Great Stone Face Book Award, the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Award, and many more.
What if a we weren't told what to call something? How would we ask for it? Nick discovers how language works and how words are created from his teacher Mrs. Granger. When Nick begins 5th grade he has the dreaded Mrs. Granger as a teacher and he tries is usual antics only to find out that Mrs. Granger means business. In an attempt to stall class and leave without homework his plan backfires and he is made to do an extra homework assignment and tell the class how words are created. It is this assignment that leads Nick into the battle of his 5th grade year.
Nick renames pen as a Findle. He works strategically to get his whole school and even the whole town calling pens, Frindle. His teacher gets irritated because the process causes a disruption at the school which leads to media coverage and everything spirals out of control from there and Nick finds that his word no longer belongs to him, but belongs to the world now. He and his teacher make amends and their battle creates a long lasting friendship between the two rivals in this thought provoking novel.

Ungifted by Gordon Korman was nominated for a Black-eyed Susan Award in 2014. Korman is a prolific author having published more than 70 books. This award winning author has been writing since he, himself was a kid.
Ungifted starts with a trouble maker, making trouble at his school. The novel's main character Donovan can't help himself when it comes to pranks and this last one was a doosie. He wrecks a statue and in the process destroys a bit of the school too. It's no wonder that he gets dragged into the principles office. What is surprising is that in his haste the principle accidentally adds Donovan's name to the Gifted and Talented list rather than the suspension list. So when Donovan his home biting his nails over a letter from the school, you can imagine his reaction when he finds that he is being sent to the GT school rather than getting punished.
Donovan soon learns that he is in over his head in this school. He can't keep up with the school work, but the teachers are flummoxed because he couldn't have gotten into the program unless he should truly be there so they initially ignore the problem. While avoiding the principle by staying in this school Donovan discovers that he has talents that are needed by these sometimes overworked and too intense students.
In using this book for book talks in schools with 5th and 6th graders I discovered that the book is sought after by gifted and talented students. As soon as my spiel was over, the students went to the stacks to find the books.