CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.
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Word Nerd
CCBC Review:
Overprotected Ambrose is doing school by correspondence, which keeps him safe from bullies, but his mother would be horrified if she knew he’s struck up a friendship with Cosmo, the ex-con son of their landlords. It wouldn’t matter that Cosmo is really trying to put his life back together, and it wouldn’t matter that Ambrose is lonely. So Ambrose’s mom doesn’t know that he and Cosmo are hanging out every Wednesday night—at a Scrabble club. Ambrose excels at Scrabble, although he still has a lot to learn about how to play the game and how to handle both wins and losses with less swaggering, less petulance, and more grace. Always a misfit, the twelve-year-old finds himself for the first time fitting in with a group—adults who have their own quirks and challenges—while tough Cosmo is proving to be an excellent mentor, and even a friend. Keeping it all from his stressed-out mother is proving to be as much of a challenge as helping Cosmo avoid the thug who is hounding him for the money Cosmo owes in Susin Nielsen’s winning, warm-hearted novel that is full of humor and tenderness. ©2008 Cooperative Children's Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 10-14
Age Range:
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format:
Novel
Subjects:
Friendship
Humor
Loneliness
Mothers
School
On CCBC Booklist:
Game On! Books About Games and Gaming
Publisher:
Tundra
Publish Year: 2008
Pages: 248
ISBN: 9780887768750
CCBC Location: Fiction, Nielsen
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Our Recommended Book Search includes access to CCBC-recommended titles based on subject headings created by our staff.
Please send questions or comments about CCBC booklists to ccbcinfo@education.wisc.edu.