Mock Newbery 2026 discussion

Could Lois Lowry win another Newbery with her latest book On the Horizon?

ON THE HORIZON by Lois Lowry integrates details of the author’s life with simultaneous historical crises.
The author spent her childhood in Hawaii and Japan, so the catastrophes at Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima have particular significance to her. A combination of poems and prose remembrances probe the impact of events on individuals and society.
A very personal approach to retelling highlights of the past.

This was definitely a unique and fascinating story. I really liked it and will share it with my students. However, I am not sure it was Newbery worthy.

Viewing the unforgettable attacks of Pearl Harbor, and Hiroshima through the lens of Lois Lowry's recollections and historical research puts a powerful perspective on these moments in history. Using magnificent verse and prose Lois Lowry focuses on the people devastated by these horrific events. It was excellent but not a Newbery award.

Oh dear. Did. Not. Like. At. All. Great idea, terrible execution. The fact that Lois Lowry and Allen Say saw each other as stranger children IS AMAZING. But maybe should have been a separate picture book.

I appreciate that Lowry researched specific soldiers, but the sing-song rhyme she used in some of the poems seemed to trivialize the horror and sadness of their deaths. And why were a few forms of poetry identified (e.g., triolet) but others weren't? I was disappointed.

I am not quite sure what to make of On the Horizon. A personal account in prose by one of my favorite authors. This title isn't really a children's book. Nor is it an adult book. Kind of an odd mish mash that didn't come together for me. The tribute to individual soldiers was nice. But this is a detailed, poignant, depressing read. The three year old being buried with his tricycle will probably hit children the hardest. There is a lot of material for teachers to discuss with their students. The book may become required reading or a summer reading list book. I can't think of a single child who will enjoy On the Horizon. It is pretty cool that the author and Allen Say saw each other on a playground as children and remembered the experience. That small incident might have made for a pretty cool picture book. On the Horizon is not Newbery worthy but I am sure Lowry put all of her heart into creating it.

I liked the idea of this book more than I like the book itself.

The poems are well-written.

This book read more like a list of interesting footnotes than a main idea.

Phil wrote: "I liked the idea of this book more than I like the book itself.

The poems are well-written.

This book read more like a list of interesting footnotes than a main idea."
It is true and so unfortunate.

I read it a long time ago and had a very favorable impression- I'm going to have to go back and reread- I actually felt beauty and hope at the end- not about the content of course, but rather what the author takes from these tragedies. I'm wondering why I had such a different take on this book.

I agree that this is not a children's book.

So would any book about the real realities of the atomic bombing of Japan not be for the upper ages of Newbery? A Place to Belong was on numerous watch lists last year and was very dark on the same topic. I'm just asking to get a feel for this group's ideas because I'm usually on the end saying some topics aren't appropriate. I would never recommend this book as assigned reading- but a choice?? Prisoner B 3087 was brutal- but I see that being recommend for kids all over. Thoughts? What topics aren't appropriate for this age group? I draw the line at over-sexualization, promotion of stereo-types, and gratuitous violence for starters. Realities of history- I'm thinking some 12-14 year-olds could read by choice.

Shella wrote: "So would any book about the real realities of the atomic bombing of Japan not be for the upper ages of Newbery? A Place to Belong was on numerous watch lists last year and was very dark on the same..."

I recommended this book to my 8yo because she likes history and Number the Stars.

My dislike for this book is more of a taste preference than my dislike for some other popular books. For example, I think The Girl Who Drank the Moon and Echo are just very weak books that do not accomplish what they set out to do. On the Horizon is a book that didn't do what I wanted it to do.

It pretty much goes like this: some people die; some other people die; years later Lowry looks back with Alan Say. That's it. I was looking for a forest and all I got was trees. They were nice trees, so if you like individual trees, then you will like this book.

It's a little like when I read Romeo and Juliet. Every single page was a work of art, but when you put all the pages together, it doesn't add up to much.

I thoroughly enjoyed the verses stemming from Ms. Lowry's childhood experiences in Hawaii and Japan, and appreciated the perspective she gives us on WWII history. I'm not as sure about the attraction of this sort of work for kids, at least not on the younger end of the Newbery continuum. I think this is best suited for 5th-8th grade, where the poetic language will provide a different viewpoint from their coverage of WWII in Social Studies. I only gave it a 4 because it was very short, and my expectations were sky-high about another book from the author of "The Giver" and "Number the Stars".

Maybe it is my adult eyes, but I found this to be heart wrenching. The prose and the poetic descriptions made me pause and think about some of the individuals who suffered from the fall out of war. In a way though the book was disjointed. I think certain middle age readers would find of this of interest, but I would not think this would be on a Newbery list.

I'm always on the lookout for books about World War II. So, I wanted to like On the Horizon by Louis Lowry. Maybe my expectations were too high... I don't know. In any case, this selection didn't speak to me.

Perhaps this is off topic (not Newbery related), but I was trying to think where I'd catalog this book in a library's collection. Would it be children's fiction? Non-fiction? Poetry?

Out of the four libraries in my library consortium, three had it children's nonfiction Dewey Decimal 940.54, and one had it in children's fiction...

Where would you catalog it?

On the Horizon is a true story with a few autobiographical details about Lois Lowry's life interwoven into the story. Because it is about World War II it belongs in the non-fiction 940.54 section along with all of the other World War II books in the library. World War II is such a popular subject in our library, kids will naturally look there to seek out books on this subject.