LibGuides: HIS Library: Gold Star Book Awards

Origin of the Award

Some of the librarians at international schools in Hanoi have begun a new children's choice book award for Vietnam. This has now spread to include schools in Ho Chi Minh City. For the second year we have nominated books in four categories. We will have extra copies of these books for our schools and we will be encouraging our students to read as many of them as possible throughout the 2020-2021 school year. In April of 2021, we will invite students to vote on their favorites in order to determine a winner in each category.

Gold stars or gold medals are indications of high achievement. With the Gold Star book award, we connect this meaning with the gold star in the flag that represents our beautiful host country of Vietnam.

Nominees 2020-2021

Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry; Vashti Harrison (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9780525553366
Publication Date: 2019
Zuri's hair has a mind of its own. It kinks, coils, and curls every which way. Zuri knows it's beautiful. When Daddy steps in to style it for an extra special occasion, he has a lot to learn. But he LOVES his Zuri, and he'll do anything to make her -- and her hair -- happy. -- Follett
Small in the City by Sydney Smith
Call Number: EF SMI
ISBN: 9780823442614
Publication Date: 2019
When you're small in the city, people don't see you, and loud sounds can scare you, and knowing what to do is sometimes hard. But this little kid knows what it's like, and knows the neighborhood. And a little friendly advice can go a long way, -- Follett.
Sulwe by Vashti Harrison (Illustrator); Lupita Nyong'o
Call Number: SF NYO
ISBN: 9781534425361
Publication Date: 2019
From Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o comes a powerful, moving picture book about colorism, self-esteem, and learning that true beauty comes from within. Sulwe has skin the color of midnight. She is darker than everyone in her family. She is darker than anyone in her school. Sulwe just wants to be beautiful and bright, like her mother and sister. Then a magical journey in the night sky opens her eyes and changes everything. --Follett
We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins (Illustrator)
Call Number: EF HIG
ISBN: 9781368003551
Publication Date: 2018
When the class pet bites the finger of Penelope, a tyrannosaurus rex, she finally understands why she should not eat her classmates, no matter how tasty they are. -- Follett
The Word Collector by Peter Reynolds
Call Number: EF REY
ISBN: 9780545865029
Publication Date: 2018
Jerome discovers the magic of the words all around him - short and sweet words, two-syllable treats, and multisyllable words that sound like little songs. Words that connect, transform, and empower. -- Follett

Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Call Number: F MUR
ISBN: 9780062686206
Publication Date: 2018
In 1350, a boy with a large hump on his back becomes the servant of a shadowy pilgrim on his way to Rome, who pulls the boy into a dangerous expedition across Europe to gather the seven precious relics of Saint Peter. -- Follett.
The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Raúf
Call Number: JF RAU
ISBN: 9781984850782
Publication Date: 2019
When quiet, nine-year-old Ahmet arrives in their classroom, a boy and his friends fail to draw him out but try a new plan after learning he is a Syrian refugee. --Follett
The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman
Call Number: F VEN
ISBN: 9781524738112
Publication Date: 2019
Four determined homeless children make a life for themselves in Chennai, India. -- Follett
Brown (My Alter Ego is a Superhero) by Håkon Øvreås; Øyvind Torseter (Illustrator); Kari Dickson (Translator)
Call Number: JF OVR
ISBN: 9781592702121
Publication Date: 2019
New in the neighborhood and hounded by fort-wrecking bullies, Rusty is looking glum. And to top it all off, his grandfather has just died. Rusty is stuck sorting out his emotions while the adults are busy sorting out the "practicalities" with the hospital. But one dark night, after watching a superhero movie on TV, Rusty gets an idea...Dressed in brown pants, a black-and-brown striped shirt, a brown mask and cape, and his mother's brown belt, the superhero BROWN is born! Guided by his grandfather's ghost, two cans of paint, and a little help from his friends, Brown can do anything! Just as long as nobody's parents find out. The fantastical first book in the award-winning My Alter Ego Is A Superhero series from Norway,
Sea Sirens by Amy Chu; Janet K. Lee (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9780451480170
Publication Date: 2019
"Trot, a Vietnamese American surfer girl, and Cap'n Bill, her cranky one-eyed cat, catch too big a wave and wipe out, sucked down into a magical underwater kingdom where an ancient deep-sea battle rages"-- Provided by publisher.

Detention by Tristan Bancks
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9780143791799
Publication Date: 2019
Sima and her family are pressed to the rough, cold ground among fifty others. They lie next to the tall fence designed to keep them in. The wires are cut one by one. When they make their escape, a guard raises the alarm. Shouting, smoke bombs, people tackled to the ground. In the chaos Sima loses her parents. -- Follett
Grenade by Alan Gratz
Call Number: F GRA
ISBN: 9781338245691
Publication Date: 2018
On April 1, 1945 with the battle of Okinawa beginning, fourteen-year-old native Okinawan Hideki, drafted into the Blood and Iron Student Corps, is handed two grenades and told to go kill American soldiers; small for his age Hideki does not really want to kill anyone, he just wants to find his family, and his struggle across the island will finally bring him face-to-face with Ray, a marine in his very first battle--and the choice he makes then will change his life forever. -- Follett
Lalani of the Distant Sea by Erin Entrada Kelly
Call Number: F KEL
ISBN: 9780062747273
Publication Date: 2019
When Lalani Sarita's mother falls gravely ill, twelve-year-old Lalani faces an impossible task--she must leave Sanlagita and find the riches of the legendary Mount Isa, which towers on an island to the north. But generations of men and boys have died on the same quest--how can an ordinary girl survive the epic tests of the archipelago? And how will she manage without Veyda, her best friend? -- Follett
The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani
Call Number: F HIR
ISBN: 9780735228528
Publication Date: 2019
Shy twelve-year-old Nisha, forced to flee her home with her Hindu family during the 1947 partition of India, tries to find her voice and make sense of the world falling apart around her by writing to her deceased Muslim mother in the pages of her diary. -- Follett
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart
Call Number: F GEM
ISBN: 9781250196705
Publication Date: 2019
Twelve-year-old Coyote and her father rush to Poplin Springs, Washington, in their old school bus to save a memory box buried in a park that will soon be demolished. -- Follett

The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson
Call Number: S 612 BRY
ISBN: 9780385539302
Publication Date: 2019
"Bill Bryson . . . guides us through the human body--how it functions, its remarkable ability to heal itself, and . . . the ways it can fail"--Provided by publisher. Includes bibliographical references (pages 387-424) and index.
The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys
Call Number: SF SEP
ISBN: 9780399160318
Publication Date: 2019
"At the Castellana Hilton in 1957 Madrid, eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson connects with Ana Moreno through photography and fate as Daniel discovers the incredibly dark side of the city under Generalissimo Franco's rule"--Provided by publisher. Includes bibliographical references (pages 483-487).
Lifel1k3 by Jay Kristoff
ISBN: 9781524713928
Publication Date: 2018
"When Eve learns she can destroy machines with her mind, she becomes a target for a group of puritanical fanatics, and with her new android best friend Ezekiel, faces cyborg assassins'--OCLC.
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
Call Number: SF REY
ISBN: 9781481438254
Publication Date: 2017
As Will, fifteen, sets out to avenge his brother Shawn's fatal shooting, seven ghosts who knew Shawn board the elevator and reveal truths Will needs to know. Written in blank verse form.
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
Call Number: SF ATW
ISBN: 9780385543781
Publication Date: 2019
"Fifteen years after the events of the handmaid's tale, the theocratic regime of the republic of Gilead maintains its grip on power, but there are signs it is beginning to rot from within"--Jacket flap.

Nominees 2019-2020

Because by Mo Willems; Amber Ren (Illustrator)
Call Number: EF WIL
ISBN: 9781368019019
Publication Date: 2019
A series of events, some seemingly very insignificant, lead to a young girl attending a life-changing concert.
Counting on Katherine by Helaine Becker; Dow Phumiruk (Illustrator)
Call Number: B(E) JOH
ISBN: 9781250137524
Publication Date: 2018
An introduction to the boundary-breaking mathematician, Katherine Johnson, reveals how her love of mathematics started at a young age led her to a job at NASA where she calculated the course of moon landings and helped save the Apollo 13 mission.
The First Journey by Phung Nguyen Quang, Huynh Kim Lien (illustrator)
Call Number: EF PHU
ISBN: 9789810992736
Publication Date: 2015
During the Mekong Delta's "floating season", when the great river overflows, An and others like him must brave the floods to attend school. When An sets out on his own for the fist time, he faces heavy rain and the mysteries of the dark Melaleuca swamp. But although strange dangers lurk in the water, An takes comfort in knowing that his friends are waiting for him at the end of his first journey alone.
Please Please the Bees by Gerald Kelley
ISBN: 9781791107345
Publication Date: 2019
"Life is sweet for Benedict. Every morning he wakes up to find jars of fresh honey on his back porch. He makes honey toast for breakfast, bakes honey cake in the afternoon, and drinks honey tea before bed. But one day, the jars on Benedict's porch are empty. The bees in his backyard have gone on strike! They are tired of doing all the work around the hive. What can Benedict do to make the bees happy and bring sweetness back to his days?"--Publisher.
Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora
ISBN: 9780316431248
Publication Date: 2018
Everyone in the neighborhood dreams of a taste of Omu's delicious stew! One by one, they follow their noses toward the scrumptious scent. And one by one, Omu offers a portion of her meal. Soon the pot is empty. Has she been so generous that she has nothing left for herself?

Bob by Wendy Mass; Rebecca Stead; Nicholas Gannon (Illustrator)
Call Number: JF MAS
ISBN: 9781250166623
Publication Date: 2018
Visiting her grandmother in Australia, Livy, ten, is reminded of the promise she made five years before to Bob, a strange, green creature who cannot recall who or what he is.
Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee
Call Number: F LEE
ISBN: 9781368013352
Publication Date: 2019
Min, a thirteen-year-old girl with fox-magic, stows away on a battle cruiser and impersonates a cadet in order to solve the mystery of what happened to her older brother in the Thousand World Space Forces. This is a unique space opera infused with elements of traditional Korean mythology.
Front Desk by Kelly Yang
ISBN: 9781338157796
Publication Date: 2018
Recent immigrants from China and desperate for work and money, ten-year-old Mia Tang's parents take a job managing a rundown motel in Southern California, even though the owner, Mr. Yao is a nasty skinflint who exploits them; while her mother (who was an engineer in China) does the cleaning, Mia works the front desk and tries to cope with demanding customers and other recent immigrants--not to mention being only one of two Chinese in her fifth grade class, the other being Mr. Yao's son, Jason.
Restart by Gordon Korman
Call Number: F KOR
ISBN: 9781338053777
Publication Date: 2017
Chase does not remember falling off the roof, in fact he does not remember anything about himself, and when he gets back to middle school he begins to learn who he was through the reactions of the other kids--trouble is, he really is not sure he likes the Chase that is being revealed, but can he take the opportunity amnesia has provided and restart his life?
The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell
ISBN: 9780316508339
Publication Date: 2017
Young wizard prince Xar, who has no magic, and warrior princess Wish, an outcast, team up on an adventure that brings them to witches long believed to be extinct.

Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed
Call Number: F SAE
ISBN: 9780399544682
Publication Date: 2018
In Pakistan, Amal holds onto her dream of being a teacher even after becoming an indentured servant to pay off her family's debt to the wealthy and corrupt Khan family.
The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge by M. T. Anderson; Eugene Yelchin (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9780763698225
Publication Date: 2018
Uptight elfin historian Brangwain Spurge is on a mission: survive being catapulted across the mountains into goblin territory, deliver a priceless peace offering to their mysterious dark lord, and spy on the goblin kingdom - from which no elf has returned alive in more than a hundred years. Brangwain's host, the goblin archivist Werfel, is delighted to show Brangwain around. They should be the best of friends, but a series of extraordinary double crosses, blunders, and cultural misunderstandings throws these two bumbling scholars into the middle of an international crisis that may spell death for them - and war for their nations.
A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea by Melissa Fleming
ISBN: 9781250105998
Publication Date: 2017
"The story of a young Syrian refugee's attempt to reach Sweden, focusing on her ordeal in icy waters after the dilapidated fishing vessel in which she was traveling--along with 500 others--sinks"--OCLC.
How to Bee by Bren MacDibble
ISBN: 9781773064185
Publication Date: 2020
"Peony lives with her sister and grandfather on a fruit farm outside the city. In a world where real bees are extinct, the quickest, bravest kids climb the fruit trees and pollinate the flowers by hand. All Peony really wants is to be a bee. Life on the farm is a scrabble, but there is enough to eat and a place to sleep, and there is love. Then Peony's mother arrives to take her away from everything she has ever known, and all Peony's grit and quick thinking might not be enough to keep her safe"--OCLC.
A Song Only I Can Hear by Barry Jonsberg
ISBN: 9781534442528
Publication Date: 2020
Thirteen-year-old Rob, a painfully shy wallflower, receives a series of mysterious text messages challenging him to leave his comfort zone as he tries to impress new student Destry Camberwick.

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
ISBN: 9781250170972
Publication Date: 2018
Seventeen-year-old Zelie, her older brother Tzain, and rogue princess Amari fight to restore magic to the land and activate a new generation of magi, but they are ruthlessly pursued by the crown prince, who believes the return of magic will mean the end of the monarchy.
The Lines We Cross by Randa Abdel-Fattah
ISBN: 9781338118667
Publication Date: 2017
Michael's parents are leaders of a new anti-immigrant political party called Aussie Values which is trying to halt the flood of refugees from the Middle East; Mina fled Afghanistan with her family ten years ago, and just wants to concentrate on fitting in and getting into college--but the mutual attraction they feel demands that they come to terms with their family's concerns and decide where they stand in the ugly anti-Muslim politics of the time.
One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
ISBN: 9781524714680
Publication Date: 2017
"When the creator of a high school gossip app mysteriously dies in front of four high-profile students all four become suspects. It's up to them to solve the case"--Provided by publisher.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
Call Number: SF MOR
ISBN: 9780062870674
Publication Date: 2018
"Based on the true story of Lale and Gita Sokolov, two Slovakian Jews, who survived Auschwitz and eventually made their home in Australia. In that terrible place, Lale was given the job of tattooing the prisoners marked for survival, literally scratching numbers into his fellow victims' arms in indelible ink to create what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust. Lale used the infinitesimal freedom of movement that this position awarded him to exchange jewels and money taken from murdered Jews for food to keep others alive. If he had been caught he would have been killed; many owed him their survival"--OCLC.
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
Call Number: SF SIL
ISBN: 9780062457790
Publication Date: 2017
"In a near-future New York City where a service alerts people on the day they will die, teenagers Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio meet using the Last Friend app and are faced with the challenge of living a lifetime on their End Day"--Provided by publisher.
Warcross by Marie Lu
Call Number: SF LU
ISBN: 9780399547966
Publication Date: 2017
"When teenage coder Emika Chen hacks her way into the opening tournament of the Warcross Championships, she glitches herself into the game as well as a sinister plot with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire"--

Cicada by Shaun Tan
ISBN: 9781338298390
Publication Date: 2019
"Cicada is overworked, under appreciated, and generally discriminated against--but after seventeen years he gets to return to the forest, and laugh at the humans"--Provided by publisher.