Nominated by: PragmaticMom

Finalist blurb: Beans Curry is going to give it to you straight. He knows that when grown-ups don?t always tell the truth. So when his mom says everything is going to be okay even though there are no jobs for anyone on the island of Key West, he knows she?s lying to make him feel better. He can hardly blame her for it seeing as how he lies to make his little brothers feel better. The truth is life isn?t easy in Key West, Florida in 1934. No one has a lot of money, but Beans is enterprising enough to come up with his own ways of making a little extra money for his family. Though some of his monkey-making efforts have unexpected consequences that leave Beans looking to make amends by way of cleaning up Key West with the New Dealers.

From the very first sentence in which Beans declares all grown-ups liars, Full of Beans draws readers in with humor and heart as it brings a charming cast of characters to life in a fascinating time and place. An author?s note with historical details and photographs closes out this entertaining novel.