Maine Student Book Award Book Group
A Handful of Stars by Cynthia Lord

Good read aloud. In the blueberry barrens in Downeast Maine,12-year-old Lily is determined to raise money to pay for eye surgery for her beloved, elderly, blind dog. She meets Salma, a Hispanic girl from a migrant worker family, in Maine for the harvest. Salma decides to enter the Blueberry Queen pageant, as its first migrant contestant ever. The new friends grapple with prejudice and preconceived notions. Recommended for Gr.4+.