Mock Newbery 2027 discussion

We have a 2013 Newbery medal.
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

With honors:

Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz
Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin
Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage

It's always exciting to hear the results. What did you think? Do you agree with their choices?

The only choice I disagree with is Three Times Lucky--it just doesn't compare to Bomb or Splendors and Glooms.

I loved all 3 honors much more than the winner, which I didn't care for, so it was a mixed bag. But I had hoped for Bomb and Three Times Lucky to win or be honored, so it was a better year than most for me.

I liked Ivan ok, but I wasn't wowed by it. I have tried twice to read Three Times Lucky, but I never managed to finish it. I just got Splendors and Glooms from the library and I haven't seen Bomb yet. Mixed bag for me.

How could I not agree with them since I have been singing the praises of Ivan since it was published. I think choosing one title from so many worthy books must be a terrible job. We all did very well in guessing what books would be honored. A big pat on the back for all of us!







Kristen wrote: "We have a 2013 Newbery medal.
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

With honors:

Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz
Bomb: The Race to Buil..."

The committee got it just right! I love The One and Only Ivan! I cried while reading it and loved every word. I think it is the right mix of a novel that is well written AND that kids love. When looking for my copy of Ivan today, I could not find it - one of my students has it checked out.

I also loved Bomb. It is narrative nonfiction at its best. Again, it is not currently in my classroom. A student has it checked out over their long weekend. The same goes for Three Times Lucky. Both my copies are out this weekend.

The only choice that I didn't get was Splendors and Glooms. Although I am not surprised, it was not a book that I got. It is still in my TBR pile. Every time I pick it up, I cannot get into it. I guess this was the committe's nod to the "high-brow" novel.

I am sad that The Lions of Little Rock did not get any love today. I loved the book, and so do my fifth graders.

Chelsea wrote: "The only choice I disagree with is Three Times Lucky--it just doesn't compare to Bomb or Splendors and Glooms."

Chelsea and Laura W. I totally agree. I tried to read Three Times Lucky twice and just couldn't get into it. It just felt like an adult trying to be a clever kid, more than an authentic kid's voice. I loved Bomb and One and Only Ivan, but I am still disappointed Wonder didn't get a single award!

If your favorite did not receive recognition, there is still hope. The Notables list will come out soon and it often recognizes additional juvenile books that didn't receive other specific awards.

Nothing for "Wonder"!!! Shocking! I was happy to see that "Code Name Verity" won the Printz but I thought Ivan was kind of a mixed bag too. Splendors and Glooms is in my reading pile and I am currently reading Bomb. Still sad about Wonder. In some ways I think its a travesty.

Margaret wrote: "Chelsea wrote: "The only choice I disagree with is Three Times Lucky--it just doesn't compare to Bomb or Splendors and Glooms."

Chelsea and Laura W. I totally agree. I tried to read Three Times ..."

I agree times three (or is it four? ;-)). I could not get into Three Times Lucky, either. You nailed it, Margaret: "It felt like an adult trying to be a clever kid" - and I found it slow. And there were so many characters introduced so quickly and coming in and out that I got confused, which frustrated me. I could appreciate some of the humor and the mystery though.

I'm happy the Ivan won, but I think Starry River of the Sky should have gotten an honor for sure. Why not more Honors? I guess they didn't rank close enough in the voting. I also enjoyed See You At Harry's and The Summer of the Gypsy Moths. As for the Honor books, I loved Bomb; it is nice to see non-fiction be included, especially since students will be reading more non-fiction due to the Common Core. I own both Splendor and Glooms and Three Times Lucky, but haven't read them, but will in February since they are part of SLJ's Battle of the Kids Books. If you love award season, you might like to follow that program. They pick 16 books, set them up in ranks (NCAA bracket style) and then have children's book authors judge the best book. It is great fun: http://battleofthebooks.slj.com/

Here's a link to my blog post about Ivan.

http://byhopewesteer.wordpress.com/20...

If you couldn't already tell, I love this book.

I liked Ivan, I just didn't like it as much as I liked Wonder and See You at Harry's so I was a little disappointed, especially since Wonder didn't get any recognition. But I was happy to see Bomb get an honor and I'll be interested this list of Notables.

I haven't read Code Name Verity yet but I have heard great things about it. The Printz winner, In Darkness was one of my favorites from last year. It is, however, pretty solidly a high school book due to graphic violence and profanity. I think it has been a great year for juvenile and young adult literature.

I was happy that the One and Only Ivan won, but was VERY disappointed that Wonder did not win something, an honor or for me the big surprise not the Schneider Award.

So glad to see Three Times Lucky and The One and Only Ivan on the list. So disappointed to not see Wonder, though.

Thrilled that "Ivan " won. I have 4 copies in my elementary school library and they are always checked out.
Nice this group finally got that the books are for kids not books about making social statements.
Shocked big time that "Wonder" didn't get any recognition. Shocking.

I agree entirely with Caren. Great year for the children's lit awards. The kids are going to actually enjoy reading these titles. I am still having nightmares from a previous winning title, Kira- Kira :( So sad. Great job judges. I am sure it wasn't an easy task.

Lisa wrote: "I was happy that the One and Only Ivan won, but was VERY disappointed that Wonder did not win something, an honor or for me the big surprise not the Schneider Award."

I agree wholeheartedly about the travesty of overlooking Wonder! I also expected the Schneider if not the Newbery. :-(

I was thrilled to see Splendors and Glooms get an honor! It was one of those books that I thought was distinguished from a literary standpoint, but also happened to adore.

Not a fan of Ivan, so for me that was a pretty low note on which to end the awards webcast! I haven't read Bomb or Three Times Lucky yet, but was pleased to see some nonfiction in the mix.

RE Wonder - to me, it said a LOT that the Schneider committee didn't honor it at all. I remember several comments from people who had family members with similar disability experiences who thought the book didn't ring true/had issues, and I'm guessing the committee had the same reaction. I thought it was a powerful book in many ways, but nowhere near Newbery caliber.

I agree with you about Wonder, Jess. There were lots of flaws in it. Here's a Heavy Medal post that I pretty much agreed with. http://blogs.slj.com/heavymedal/2012/...

I agree with Jonathan Hunt's thoughts about Wonder, especially this part: "...the alternative viewpoints which were so effective early on became ridiculous by the end. The boyfriend? Really?..."

I loved it at the beginning, but I felt like Palacios lost control of the story by the end. I haven't read A Dog Called Homeless and can't really speak to why is lost out on the Schneider award, but I can more than see why it didn't win the Newbery.

The 2013 Notable Children's Books list is out.

http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/...

Among the middle grade fiction listed is:

In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz,

Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead,

May B. by Caroline Starr Rose,

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate,

See You at Harry’s by Jo Knowles,

Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin,

Twelve Kinds of Ice by Ellen Bryan Obed, AND

Wonder by R. J. Palacio.

How can someone find out what middle grade fiction books have come out so far in 2013?

I use mr. Schu's (a school librarian in Illinois) book release calendar. I can send you a link to it,but not until Monday when I'm back at work.

Benji wrote: "I use mr. Schu's (a school librarian in Illinois) book release calendar. I can send you a link to it,but not until Monday when I'm back at work."



Benji, that would be awesome! Thank you. I'll look forward to it on Monday!

I did a "Top Ten Things You May Not Know About the Newbery Award"(https://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2...) that might help explain this year's selections.

And also, thanks for the shot-out for SLJ's Battle of the Kids' Books. Among our contenders are the Newbery winner and honors AND Wonder and possible some other books you all liked. We've got some awesome judges this year and will begin announcing them this Wednesday.

Well put Monica. I enjoyed your "Top Ten" list.

Melody- Here's the link that I promised. https://www.google.com/calendar/embed...
It's a pretty thorough release calendar and I haven't had much escape my notice since I started using it. I don't know if it includes YA though. I work with elementary so I don't buy too much YA.

Monica, Thanks so much for this very clear explanation of what the judges are thinking and using as their criteria. Announcement time is my favorite time of the year (sometimes the most frustrating too)!

Benji,

Thank you for remembering to send this to me. I think when I was searching around over the weekend, I came across this one and it did look like it was geared toward elementary aged kids. But that's ok. I'll keep looking for middle school books. Thanks again!!!

I gave up on Ivan half way through on my first read but I didn't feel I could truly lament Bomb's miss without being informed. Second time through I figured out exactly why I didn't like Ivan. I wasn't comfortable with his complacency. Even though it there's a happy ending, I didn't like the external nature of his motivation. I found the whole book utterly disturbing, which I guess that's the nature of captivity. That being said, the book is without a doubt medal-distinguished.

I just think the lack of non-fiction medalists is a shame and Bomb was the perfect book to hold up as the staple of our year. I think Ivan would live on whether it received the medal or an honor. Selecting Bomb would have been a statement about non-fiction. Not that it's either here nor there when it comes to the committee process.

I am, however, delighted with Three Times Lucky. From the first page I didn't think Mo's voice could hold up throughout the entire book but I never tired of it. I thought all the secondary characters needed to come in and out because of how heavily the book rested on the small town-ness of the setting. Getting those characters to a point of familiarity without overdoing them was a fine line that Turnage walked brilliantly.

Yes, the plot meandered but I never felt it veered off. So, the very fact that it held a pretty great mystery together certainly distinguished it. I really felt like this book capitalized on the sum of its parts. Everything from the voice, to the characters, to the plot, to the genre was just a little more special than it should have been. And given it's a first-time children's author, I think it makes it an even higher caliber choice. Every student I've handed it to has adored its quirkiness. Please, give it a second read if it initially turned you off.

I can't really speak to Splendors and Glooms. I promise, I'm going to give it another try. I'm sure it's gorgeous. I'm sure the writing is superior. Again though, did she really need an honor? I understand the parameters around how the selections are made. I just think it's important to reflect on the impact that receiving this distinction has on librarians, booksellers, teachers, but most importantly the readers.

Lin and Stead's books were beautiful, no doubt. And not that it factors in, but did either of them really need the honors? For those two books?

Yeah, Wonder. It has so much going for it. Much of which is totally distinguished. I hope it was ticks away from an honor rather than immediately dismissed for its flaws. I'm sure it's one that would have made the literati, including the ones technically still alive, roll over in their graves. I still think it would have made a good Restavus honor.

I'm very thankful to be in an era that's seen more Norvelts than Manifests. And while I think Bomb would have been the more affective medalist, and even though I didn't like Ivan, it is well deserving of its medal.

Mike wrote: "I gave up on Ivan half way through on my first read but I didn't feel I could truly lament Bomb's miss without being informed. Second time through I figured out exactly why I didn't like Ivan. I wa..."

Great commentary, Mike! ;o)

I just started Three Times Lucky yesterday (because of SLJ's Battle of the Kids' books)and I am really enjoying it. I just finished Bomb. That is not my kind of boo at all but I mostly enjoyed it. I had trouble keeping everybody straight in my head.

I have had some serious issues with the Newbery committee over the years. Forgive the use of the term, but some really, im my opinion, lame titles have won, or been selected for honors. However, this year they nailed it. The One and Only Ivan is very touching, involving, funny, and loaded with food for thought. To drag out the old cliche, I was "sorry when it ended." And I must congratulate them too for choosing Bomb as an Honor book. Steve Sheinkin has consistently written excellent nonfiction books, including The Notorious Benedict Arnold and Lincoln's Grave Robbers. What makes his books work so well is that, even though you know the outcome of the story, you are riveted by each page. And, you end up learning new things about a seemingly well-worn subject. I am so glad that Bomb made the list for 2012.

John Yingling