What's the Mafia doing in Middle School?

The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander has been named the 2012 winner of the Sid Fleischman Award for Humor, a yearly award granted by The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrator’s (SCBWI).

Why'd it win? Picture the mafia, the Godfather, and folks saying, “I’m gonna make you an offer you can’t refuse.” Now pictures those folks, the mafioso, as sixth-graders with names like iBully, Prep School, and Kitten!  THE FOURTH STALL is hilarious (hence the award), but it’s also a clever tale about a kid who uses mafia-ish tactics to help schoolmates solve their problems. And just like in The Godfather, this story has intrigue, betrayal, and a level of mystery that would make Francis Ford Coppola smile. You’ll guess and re-guess about the twists until the end.

RATING: 5 out of 5 lollipops

If you want to buy a great book for a boy or a girl, THE FOURTH STALL is a sure bet. (And in case you're still wondering, it earns a five out of five lollipop rating).

The Triumvirate

Author:  Chris Rylander

Editor:  Jordan Brown

Chris Rylander receiving award

Agent:  Steven Malk (Writers House)

Reading level: Ages 8 and up Hardcover: 320 pages Publisher: Walden Pond Press (February 8, 2011) Language: English ISBN-10: 0061994960 ISBN-13: 978-0061994968

Past Sid Fleischman Award  Winners:

Year*	Winner	Book Title	Publisher
2011	Alan Silberberg	Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze	Aladdin
2010	Allen Zadoff	Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have	Egmont USA
2009	Donna Gephart	As if Being 12 3/4 Isn't Bad Enough My Mother is Running for President!	Delacorte Press
2008	No award given.
2007	Sara Pennypacker	Clementine	Hyperion
2006	David LaRochelle	Absolutely Positively Not	Arthur A. Levine Books
2005	Gennifer Choldenko	Al Capone Does My Shirts	G.P. Putnam's Sons
2004	Lisa Yee	Millicent Min, Girl Genius	Arthur A. Levine Books
2003	Sid Fleischman