Mock Newbery 2026 discussion

Titles for next year are already being promoted in advanced readers copies and reviews. Have you heard of, or read, any noteworthy 2017 books yet?

Anything by Kate DiCamillo is noteworthy in my, and I'm sure many others', mind. Raymie Nightingale is set to publish in April 2016. I'd be interested to see what others have heard about.

I really enjoyed Dan Gemeinhart's book, The Honest Truth, so I am looking forward to his next book, Some Kind of Courage coming out on Jan. 26, 2016. His new book will be a historical fiction book. Two people gave it good reviews on Amazon.

I also very excited about Kwame Alexander's next book Booked.

Red:The True Story of Red Riding Hood is a fun read by Liesl Shurtliff. I don't know about awards....but just a great wrap up to the series. It comes out in the spring.

Niki (Daydream Reader) wrote: "Red:The True Story of Red Riding Hood is a fun read by Liesl Shurtliff. I don't know about awards....but just a great wrap up to the series. It comes out in the spring."

I will definitely look for it!

Niki (Daydream Reader) wrote: "Red:The True Story of Red Riding Hood is a fun read by Liesl Shurtliff. I don't know about awards....but just a great wrap up to the series. It comes out in the spring."

I forgot that this book was coming out. I loved Rump and liked Jack. I bet Red is good because she is a fierce character.

I wonder if once upon a time may have inspired this clever series.

Okay, I've started my amazon wishlist ...

The Key to Extraordinary by Natalie Lloyd comes out in February and is FANTASTIC! Her writing is truly magical. Definitely a 2017 contender in my opinion.

Kristen wrote: "Titles for next year are already being promoted in advanced readers copies and reviews. Have you heard of, or read, any noteworthy 2017 books yet?"

Definitely Pax by Sara Pennypacker. Illustrated by Jon Klassen. Good Rosie by Kate DiCamillo, The Gallery by Laura Marx Fitzgerald, The Night Parade by Kathryn Tanquary and The Seventh Wish By Kate Messner. Another great year for children's literature.

Can anyone tell me when the Kate DiCamillo and Kwame Alexander books come out? I can't even find them on netgalley.

Phil wrote: "Can anyone tell me when the Kate DiCamillo and Kwame Alexander books come out? I can't even find them on netgalley."

Booked April 5.

Laura wrote: "Phil wrote: "Can anyone tell me when the Kate DiCamillo and Kwame Alexander books come out? I can't even find them on netgalley."

Booked April 5."

Fantastic! My students will be thrilled. The Crossover was an important book for them. And I liked it, too.

Phil wrote: "Laura wrote: "Phil wrote: "Can anyone tell me when the Kate DiCamillo and Kwame Alexander books come out? I can't even find them on netgalley."

Booked April 5."

Fantastic! My students will be thr..."

Booked is a sequel to The Crossover. Your students should be super happy :)

did anyone read the nest by Kenneth Oppel. i know it is Canadian so not able to receive a newbery but I just finished it was bizarre and weird. But i enjoyed it I am not sure if a middle grade audience would enjoy it or not.

The Nest?- very strange. My 5th grade son read and then he made me read because he was freaked out and didn't know how to explain it to me. Well written, good-but creepy and weird.

Geebowie wrote: "did anyone read the nest by Kenneth Oppel. i know it is Canadian so not able to receive a newbery but I just finished it was bizarre and weird. But i enjoyed it I am not sure if a middle grade audi..."

I loved The Nest. It isn't for everyone but it sure was fun. So quirky and mysterious. You are always trying to figure out what is real. It is no Goosebumps but I would have gotten a kick out of reading this when I was in middle school. The Nest would have made an incredible young adult novel if it was longer and more fleshed out.

Cara wrote: "The Nest?- very strange. My 5th grade son read and then he made me read because he was freaked out and didn't know how to explain it to me. Well written, good-but creepy and weird."

I was weirded out by it, too. Very intense.

Deborah wrote: "Cara wrote: "The Nest?- very strange. My 5th grade son read and then he made me read because he was freaked out and didn't know how to explain it to me. Well written, good-but creepy and weird."

I..."

It boils down to personal taste. Delighted by The Nest, still traumatized by the lightning fast wrap up and horrid ending of Orbiting Jupiter. I found the imaginary cat in Crenshaw pretty odd but the clueless parents and especially the dad more bizarre.

Deborah wrote: "Cara wrote: "The Nest?- very strange. My 5th grade son read and then he made me read because he was freaked out and didn't know how to explain it to me. Well written, good-but creepy and weird."

I had a nightmare and busted my lip when I first got into it. Creepy and hard to put down. An excellent book, but as the author is Canadian, it's not eligible for the Newbery."

Deborah wrote: "Deborah wrote: "Cara wrote: "The Nest?- very strange. My 5th grade son read and then he made me read because he was freaked out and didn't know how to explain it to me. Well written, good-but creep..."

Can't win a Newbery but sure is fun.

And it's on everyone's Best List. Maybe it can't win the Newbery,but it could certainly win with CLA. They announce their awards in April 2016.

http://www.cla.ca/AM/Template.cfm?Sec...

Deborah wrote: "And it's on everyone's Best List. Maybe it can't win the Newbery,but it could certainly win with CLA. They announce their awards in April 2016.

http://www.cla.ca/AM/Template.cfm?Sec......"

Thanks so much for the info!

In response to The Nest - I agree that this book is really a matter of taste. I'm not sure what to think of it. It was well written and so originally, but to be honest I don't know if I enjoyed it. I am a 5th grade teacher and it is one of those books that I have to be really careful who I will give it to. I'm not sure if I have anyone in my current class who would love it, but I'm sure I will be able to find a reader for it eventually. I have read two other books by Kenneth Oppel that I totally love (Airborn and The Boundless) so this book really was not what I was expecting from him. It it nice to see that he has such range even if it is not for me!

I think it's for future Stephen King and Dean Koontz readers.

I love this thread. While I'm pulling for some type of ALA recognition for Goodbye, Stranger (a delicate and gorgeously crafted novel that is one of my favorites of the year) and The War that Saved My Life (something that felt like an instant classic), I really enjoy seeing all of the other titles surface and resurface. (I'm hoping that Printz somehow connects with Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda as well.) I'm also very much appreciating the look forward to 2016 titles, especially observations from those who have consumed ARCs.

Thanks to netgalley ... I love this book, Paper Wishes! Set in 1942, this story deals with the Japanese American internment camps in a way that will be accessible for upper elementary students. Themes running through the story include loss (on so many levels), prejudice, and the importance of family and traditions. But more importantly, this book provides an expanding world view of an event students will (hopefully) never have to experience.
This story takes place in California, but there were thirteen internment camps, including one in Colorado (Amache).

This book will be a definite contender for our 4th grade 2017 Mock Newbery Book Club!

Denise wrote: "Thanks to netgalley ... I love this book, Paper Wishes! Set in 1942, this story deals with the Japanese American internment camps in a way that will be accessible for upper elementa..."

I just ran across this book. Sounds interesting.

Just read this book today. Loved it! Now to share with my class and coworkers!

Czechgirl wrote: "I also very excited about Kwame Alexander's next book Booked."

I read Booked and really enjoyed it. I loved The Crossover, but it broke my heart. Booked healed a lot of it. I also am beyond obsessed with The Mac. He ended up being my favorite character in the whole book. It's also packed with references to other books and a shout out to Mr. Schu. It's fantastic.

Jo wrote: "I wonder if once upon a time may have inspired this clever series."

We Skyped with Liesl this year and she said she has always liked the idea of fairy tales from the perspective of some of the other characters! She had some really interesting thoughts on this and told us she was working on a Snow White story from the perspective of one of the dwarves! We love her and her storytelling. We are really anticipating Red!

Stacey wrote: "Jo wrote: "I wonder if once upon a time may have inspired this clever series."

We Skyped with Liesl this year and she said she has always liked the idea of fairy tales from the perspective of some..."

My kiddos are needing Red right now!!

Angie wrote: "The Key to Extraordinary by Natalie Lloyd comes out in February and is FANTASTIC! Her writing is truly magical. Definitely a 2017 contender in my opinion."

I also loved The Key. Lloyd's word choice is always magical, her characters delightful and charming, and the plotline begs to be read slowly so you can savor the story.

Good morning and happy new year! Has a January book been selected yet?

A book that is out now that I would highly recommend for consideration is Paper Wishes! I read it last week and it will be in my Mock Newbery for sure!

I have started this book and also am finding it is written well and high interest. However, it is so similar to Kirby Larson's book "Dash" that was published in 2014 and was based on a real child who went to an internment camp (and could not take her dog). Kirby's book has back matter that shares the real child's story and research about internment camps. It is a great book!

Pam wrote: "I have started this book and also am finding it is written well and high interest. However, it is so similar to Kirby Larson's book "Dash" that was published in 2014 and was based on a real child w..."

Pam wrote: "I have started this book and also am finding it is written well and high interest. However, it is so similar to Kirby Larson's book "Dash" that was published in 2014 and was based on a real child w..."

That is really interesting. Thanks for the info!

Someone else just told me that it was very similar to Dash, which I have not read. I find it so interesting that I keep coming across some great books about Japanese Americans all of a sudden. If you didn't read last year's Full Cicada Moon, you're missing out!

Lizzie and The Lost Baby is a book I really enjoyed too and it also was just released. Similar to The War Hat Saved My Life in the sense that they are both about the same topic, like Dash and Paper Wishes are.

I'm interested in seeing what Peter Brown has to offer a different age group with The Wild Robot, due out in April. Also very excited for Booked, Pax and Paper Wishes.

Jill wrote: "I'm interested in seeing what Peter Brown has to offer a different age group with The Wild Robot, due out in April."

Thanks for the heads up on this title ... just red about it on amazon. Sounds great for 4th grade readers! Pre-ordered!

Who wrote Booked

Jo wrote: "Who wrote Booked"

Kwame Alexander.

I am looking forward to "Maybe a Fox" by Kathi Appelt

Start with historical fiction, add a dash of science fiction, stir in some realistic fiction, and you have a multi-genre story, Once Was a Time, that is ultimately about friendships, all kinds of friendships.
Time travel from 1940 to 2013 separates Charlotte from family and her best friend, Kitty. Using 21st century tools, Charlotte is able to piece together what happened to her family, but what about her father and Kitty?.During her search for Kitty , Lottie learns not just about different types of friendship, but about bullying and self-identity.
This book will be totally appropriate for my targeted audience of 4th grade (10-yr-olds) readers participating in a Mock Newbery Book Club.

Thanks to netgalley for an ARC of Towers Falling!
Living in a shelter with her family, 10-year-old Deja is homeless in Brooklyn, starting 5th grade in a new school. Her best friends are Ben, also new to the school, having moved to Brooklyn from Arizona, and Sabeen, a Muslim. Dealing with the tragedy of 9/11 15 years later, the themes in this story run deep: what is home? community? family?, homelessness, divorce, friendship, American ideals. Keep a box of kleenex handy, this story will tear at your heartstrings!

Even though the subject matter (particularly 9/11) is difficult, I think this book will be appropriate for our 4th grade Mock Newbery Book Club (although it may require parental approval). The discussion potential is immense.

Raymie Nightingale should be on your list to read. It comes out in April. I thought it started off a little slow....but then I loved it! Another home run for Kate DiCamillo!

I just got my copy of Pax. I can't wait to get into it!!!

I absolutely loved Pax and think it is a strong contender for Newbery. Can't wait for Raymie Nightingale!

I am right there with you - loved Pax. The author had me convinced she is part fox, part young boy, part old wise woman.