5th Grade Battle of the Books 2009-10 Colorado Springs

Because the Taliban rulers of Kabul, Afghanistan, impose strict limitations on women's freedom and behavior, eleven-year-old Parvana must disguise herself as a boy so that her family can survive after her father's arrest.

None

By None

None

By None

None

By None

None

By None

None

By None

None

By None

None

By None

None

By None

None

By None

None

By None

None

A Single Shard

By Linda Sue Park

Tree-ear, a thirteen-year-old orphan in medieval Korea, lives under a bridge in a potters' village and longs to learn how to create the delicate ceramics himself after he watches master potter Min making his beautiful pottery. Teacher's Guide available. Newbery Medal book. Reprint. 50,000 first printing.

The Thief Lord

By Cornelia Funke

Two orphaned children are on the run, hiding among the crumbling canals and misty alleyways of Venice. They are soon befriended by a gang of street children and their mysterious leader, the Thief Lord. The greatest threat to their freedom is a beautiful magical treasure with the power to spin time itself.

The City of Ember

By Jeanne DuPrau

In the year 241, twelve-year-old Lina trades jobs on Assignment Day to be a Messenger to run to new places in her decaying but beloved city, perhaps even to glimpse Unknown Regions.

Esperanza Rising

By Pam Munoz Ryan

Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor camps of Southern California, where they must adapt to the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers on the eve of the Great Depression.