2016 Intermediate Nutmeg Nominees
The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond by Brenda Woods
Violet is a smart, funny, brown-eyed, brown-haired girl in a family of blondes. Her mom is white, and her dad, who died before she was born, was black. She attends a mostly white school where she sometimes feels like a brown leaf on a pile of snow. Now that Violet's eleven, she decides it's time to learn about her African American heritage. Despite getting off to a rocky start trying to reclaim her dad's side of the family, she feels her confidence grow as the pieces of her life start coming together.
Violet is a smart, funny, brown-eyed, brown-haired girl in a family of blondes. Her mom is white, and her dad, who died before she was born, was black. She attends a mostly white school where she sometimes feels like a brown leaf on a pile of snow. Now that Violet's eleven, she decides it's time to learn about her African American heritage. Despite getting off to a rocky start trying to reclaim her dad's side of the family, she feels her confidence grow as the pieces of her life start coming together.
Elvis and the Underdogs by Kelly Light
Ten year old Benji is sickly and small for his age, making him the class bully's favorite target. When Benji suffers a seizure at school and is hospitalized, his mother allows him to get a therapy dog, an enormous Newfoundland named Perker Elvis Pembroke IV. Elvis turns out to be a talking therapy dog - but only Benji can hear him. Needless to say, Benji's health improves as Elvis shows him that making friends is not as frightening as he thinks.
Ten year old Benji is sickly and small for his age, making him the class bully's favorite target. When Benji suffers a seizure at school and is hospitalized, his mother allows him to get a therapy dog, an enormous Newfoundland named Perker Elvis Pembroke IV. Elvis turns out to be a talking therapy dog - but only Benji can hear him. Needless to say, Benji's health improves as Elvis shows him that making friends is not as frightening as he thinks.
***All book descriptions are courtesy of the Nutmeg Book Award website.***