Star Students

Evelyn is a 4th grade student at Amanda C. Rowe Elementary School in Portland, Maine.  She has read 10 MSBA nominees already this year and is currently reading her 11th!  Her favorite so far is Answers in the Pages by David Levithan because she likes how Levithan writes with lots of emotion and feeling.  She loves reading realistic fiction and poetry.  When she isn’t reading, Evelyn plays sports like softball, basketball, swimming, and does Girls on the Run.  Way to go, Evelyn! 

Evan is a seventh-grade student at Thornton Academy Middle School in Saco. He’s read twenty of the MSBA nominees so far, and his goal is to read all forty titles. His favorite so far is I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys because of the well-developed characters and the twist and turns throughout the novel. Evan is a member of our TAMS Robotics Club and the Honor Society. He generally prefers reading books in the fantasy genre. When he’s not reading, he enjoys playing the piano and video games.  

Ari is on her 23rd MSBA book - and still going strong! She is a voracious reader and, even more importantly, an all around great Scholar of the HBS LIbrary. Ari is a skilled solver of the weekly challenges involving words, geography or research questions and she always makes time to help others and spread some kindness. Ari is a joy to have in library class and inspires others to pick up a good book and enjoy the read! 

Adeline is a 4th grade student at Asa C. Adams Elementary School in Orono, Maine. She has read 10 MSBA nominees and her favorite one so far is My Nest of Silence by Matt Faulkner. She liked it so much because the story kept on flipping back and forth between Mari and Max. When she is not reading or hanging out with her dog, she is either dancing, playing violin, doing Girl Scouts, or drawing.   

Nellie is a 4th grade student at Brown Elementary School in South Portland, Maine. She has read 13 MSBA books so far and is excited to keep reading! Right now she is working on five more. Nellie loves to read because it is peaceful and feels like a movie with words. In addition to reading, Nellie enjoys being outdoors, swimming, playing basketball, and riding her bike. 

Tasman is a 4th grader at Brown School in South Portland. He has read 10 MSBA nominees this year and his favorite is Rover’s Story. He loves it because it’s about science but it’s realistic fiction, so he learned a lot of facts about Mars rovers through a great story. Tasman loves reading and also loves learning about dinosaurs and building LEGO. 

Oona is a 4th grader at Ocean Avenue Elementary School. She has read 10 MSBA books. Her favorite MSBA book so far is Daisy Woodworm because it was realistic fiction and it was about an experience she hasn't been through.  When she is not reading she likes hanging out with her friends and stretching. 

Ingrid is a 4th grader at Ocean Ave Elementary School. She has read 10 MSBA books. Her favorite one is Thirst because she thought it would be cool to learn about someone with a complicated life. When she is not reading, she is doing sports like gymnastics, soccer and basketball. 

Maya, a 5th grader at Harriet Beecher Stowe ELementary in Brunswick, has been an active and passionate reader for years, so it was no surprise when she read her 20th MSBA nominated book! In addition to reading these books, Maya is a lover of libraries in general and is a Scholar we can always rely on to help others find just the perfect book for them.  In addition to her own reading, Maya has been volunteering in the library, reading the Chickadee nominated books to the 3rd graders! 

Callen is a fifth grade student at HBS in Brunswick, Maine. Just before the Holiday weekend, he cleared 20 books including: Skandar and the Unicorn Thief, A Rover's Story, Road to After, and Daisy Woodworm Changes the World. But he isn't done. Callen plans to read: The Callers, Twelfth, and A Million Views. Of all the books, Skandar the Unicorn Thief was his favorite because he likes fantasy with Unicorns and Dragons. He likes how Skandar had to sneak his way into being a unicorn rider. When Callen is not reading, he is busy playing video games and baseball.

Nate attends Mt. Ararat Middle School in Topsham. His favorite activities involve reading and building legos, and his favorite MSBA books were A Rover's Story and Skandar and the Unicorn Thief. 

Trenton Franklin is in the 7th grade at Jefferson Village School. He has read 20 MSBA books so far this school year. Trenton has dedicated himself to reading only MSBA books since the school year started. His favorite so far is A Rover's Story. Trenton also enjoys playing with LEGOs and video games. 

Amy is a 4th grader at Harpswell Community School. Amy has read 32 MSBA books so far this year! Her favorite book is Frizzy. Amy explains, “I loved the illustrations since graphic novels are my favorite. I really liked how Marlene’s mother wanted her to fit in, but she wanted to be her own person.” When Amy is not reading, she loves to play outside with her friends or play soccer and softball.

Shannon is a 5th grader at Harpswell Community School. She has read 30 MSBA books so far!  Her favorite book is My Nest of Silence. Shannon explains, “The way the author wrote the book is so descriptive. You feel like you are in the story!” Other than being an avid reader, Shannon loves to swim competitively and crochet. She is working on crocheting Harry Potter characters. 

Sylvia is a sixth grader at Greely Middle School. She is twelve years old, and wants to be a veterinarian when she gets older. She likes to read, and play her instruments, piano, flute, clarinet, guitar, piccolo, and ukulele. Sylvia also loves to bake with her friends and her dad. Sylvia is on the middle school swim team, and likes to run with her dad and brother too. Sylvia really liked reading Wildoak, Skandar and the Unicorn Thief, and most of the other books on the MSBA list. Sylvia has read all of the books on the list!

Cameron is a sixth grader at James F. Doughty School in Bangor. He has read all 40 titles and this isn't his first time doing so! He also accomplished this incredible feat in fourth and fifth grade. His favorite book this year was We Were Wolves. Cameron was a key member of his school's Great Maine Book Tournament Kahoot team and helped us get to the final round! He plans to read all 40 again next year.