Mock Newbery 2026 discussion

Moon Over Manifest was a surprise, but now that the announcements and excitement have passed for 2011, we can look ahead to a new year of reading. So be sure to post those books that are 2012 Newbery contenders here. You can also vote on the Newbery 2012 goodreads list by going to this link.

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/95...

With all of the budget cuts taking place in Texas I am having trouble getting books. The library as still not received Moon over Manifest!

Despite my lack of reading materials, I have been adding books to the bookshelf and I am very excited to read some of these.

This book will not be published until April 5th, but put Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt (Wednesday Wars) at the top of your to-read list. I loved Wed Wars, and this was as good or better, though with a very different storyline, following Doug Swieteck, who moves up into the Catskills, so it is not necessary to have read the previous book. (But it was wonderful, so why not?) It is the first book I've read in a long time that I was this excited about.

Tamsyn wrote: "This book will not be published until April 5th, but put Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt (Wednesday Wars) at the top of your to-read list. I loved Wed Wars, and this was as good or better, though ..."

It is, I thought The Wednesday Wars was so fun. I was excited when I heard Gary D. Schmidt was writing another book.

My daughter also read an ARC of it last month and was so excited. She completely agrees it is better than Wednesday Wars.

I'm excited! I can't imagine anything better than The Wednesday Wars!

Tamsyn wrote: "This book will not be published until April 5th, but put Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt (Wednesday Wars) at the top of your to-read list. I loved Wed Wars, and this was as good or better, though ..."

Haven't read Wednesday Wars but I LOVED Okay for Now! Okay for Now

Okay for Now is pubbing as YA. Will prolly push it to the Printz list. Hopefully it wont get snubbed like Conspiracy of Kings or Cardturner!!

It was awesome and makes me want to go back and read !The Wednesday Wars.

Kristen wrote: "Moon Over Manifest was a surprise, but now that the announcements and excitement have passed for 2011, we can look ahead to a new year of reading. So be sure to post those books tha..."
I really enjoyed Cynthia Voigt's new book Young Fredle, about a house mouse that suddenly finds himself pushed outside.His discovery of all the wonders in this new world also lead to his own self discovery. A sweet, uplifting tale..may not be Newbery worthy, but a good read. I also really liked Jake by Audry Couloumbis. A deceptively short, but beautifully written book.

I LOVED Okay for Now. I just read it. I think it is very young YA or very old middle grade. A great book. I hope it is considered for something. It is definitely in the Newbery age range.

Kristen wrote: "Moon Over Manifest was a surprise, but now that the announcements and excitement have passed for 2011, we can look ahead to a new year of reading. So be sure to post those books tha..."

Just finished the arc of Patricia MacLachlan's new book Waiting for the Magic...absolutely wonderful. Not out until September, but worth trying to get an advanced copy. Short, sweet and beautifully written.

I finally got my hands on one of the books making mock Newbery lists. Alexander Hamilton: The Outsider by Jean Fritz was well written. I think it has a lot of potential and is well worth reading.

I am readingInside Out and Back Again. It's about the Vietnamese refugees. It's written in prose and so far is very good.

I just finished Inside Out and Back Again. I enjoyed it. It is one of the verse novels that I think works especially well in that form.

I just finished SMALL AS AN ELEPHANT and loved that one too. So far, for Newbery, I love OKAY FOR NOW, INSIDE OUT AND BACK AGAIN and this one.

I felt a little let down by [book:Inside Out and Back Again|8537327. I just did n't think it had much of a punch. I loved the premise and the way it was written, but it did n't seem to have any real gripping moments, which is hard to believe given the circumstances.

I just got Inside Out and Back Again. I will let you all know what I think after I read it.

Today at the Texas Library Association conference I recieved Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George and it looks really cute. I'm also looking forward to reading The Flint Heart by Katherine and John Paterson.

Franki wrote: "I LOVED Okay for Now. I just read it. I think it is very young YA or very old middle grade. A great book. I hope it is considered for something. It is definitely in the Newbery age range."
I just finished Okay For Now and absolutely loved it. I agree it is for older middle school readers, but think YA readers will like it too. One of the best books I have read lately, and I hope it is considered for an award.

Lisa wrote: "Franki wrote: "I LOVED Okay for Now. I just read it. I think it is very young YA or very old middle grade. A great book. I hope it is considered for something. It is definitely in the Newbery age..."

I just finished Okay for Now. I hope the book gets an award. It is the best book I have read in a long time. While reading it I thought of several students in grades 5-7 who would enjoy reading about Doug and his life.

I am about 3/4 through Okay for Nowand I agree that it is really exceptional. I think it's a tween novel, but it is shelved in the j fiction section of my library. The father is hard to take, but unfortunately I think some kids will identify with Doug's relationship with him.

I might be predisposed to love Okay for Now since The Wednesday Wars is one of my favorite books ever, but I'm still gushing about it (even though I haven't finished it yet).

The tone is fantastic, the way Doug talks to the reader, the way he hides pieces of information (what the principal told him, the tattoo, even his brother's name - oh, the part where he first calls the middle brother by name just killed me!)

I'm listening to the audio version and the only downside is that I'm compelled to look up all the Audubon prints he mentions so I have a visual. I'm also thinking about incorporating the word "chump" into my vocabulary. As in, "anyone who doesn't think this is a great book is a chump."

Jess wrote: "I might be predisposed to love Okay for Now since The Wednesday Wars is one of my favorite books ever, but I'm still gushing about it (even though I haven't finished it yet).

The tone is fanta..."

I'm so glad you mentioned the part about his brother. About half way through I went through the book over and over trying to find out what his name was, thinking I'd missed it, and then gave up. Finally it is revealed and it is a watershed moment. Gives you a sense for how little all they think of him.

I just finished Inside Out and Back Again and think it's terrific. Possibly the best immigrant story I've read. I'm not usually a fan of novels in verse, but this one has me rethinking the form.

aflemming wrote: "I just finished Inside Out and Back Again and think it's terrific. Possibly the best immigrant story I've read. I'm not usually a fan of novels in verse, but this one has me rethinking the form."

Inside Out and Back Again was wonderful. It was very well written. I think that boys and girls in elementary schools would really benefit from reading about Vietnam. Girls could read Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai and boys could read All the Broken Pieces by Ann E. Burg. Both are written in verse.

I've got to add my two cents on Okay for Now: It is absolutely wonderful. If you haven't read it, get your hands on it and read it SOON. I know it's early in the year and there are a lot of wonderful books to be published for 2011, but this has kid-appeal and Newbery-appeal all over it. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

I just finished an ARC of THE ABSOLUTE VALUE OF MIKE by Kathryn Erskine and really loved it. Well written, a powerful story, very different from her other book, but just as good. I think it is due out in June.

Franki wrote: "I just finished an ARC of THE ABSOLUTE VALUE OF MIKE by Kathryn Erskine and really loved it. Well written, a powerful story, very different from her other book, but just as good. I think it is due ..."

I'm adding it to the bookshelf. Thanks for letting us know about it.

Loved Chime by Franny Billingsley, but I think it will be up for a Printz, not a Newbery.

Shelley Barnow wrote: "Loved Chime by Franny Billingsley, but I think it will be up for a Printz, not a Newbery."

I agree.

I'm reading Okay for Now, on audiobook, and it is absolutely wonderful. Schmidt is a new author for me, I don't know how I've missed him. I listen to books while commuting, and I almost missed my exit home this evening, I was so caught up in the story. A first, I've never done that before in over 5 years of being a heavy audiobook reader. I agree it is older MG, young YA.

I enjoyed Chime. It was slow to draw me in, but the writing is stunning, and in the end I loved it.

Kim wrote: "I've got to add my two cents on Okay for Now: It is absolutely wonderful. If you haven't read it, get your hands on it and read it SOON. I know it's early in the year and there ar..."

Couldn't agree more with all comments about okay for now - absolutely loved it!! Doug is such an incredible character - so well developed!

I just finsihed "The Other Half of My Heart" and "Inside Out and Back Again." I loved both of them! Both authors take the difficult subject of racism and deal with it in a realistic yet "non-preachy" way.

I loved Okay for Now, but I've just finished Inside Out and Back Again, and it's by far my favorite for Newbery!

I just finished The Trouble with May Amelia and in many ways enjoyed it more than the first. With Holm's track record for Newbery Honors I am curious to see where this book will go.
Anyone else read it yet?
I think the the cover is awful. May Amelia is 12! And I think the girl in the picture is wearing a pink bra? Ugh. The cover has 1900 Nasal River written all over it. Or not. When I first saw the cover for the book I thought it must jump ahead several years but no, it starts up pretty close to where the first ended.

Jeanette, I agree with you about the cover for May Amelia - just awful! And awful in a different way than the original cover for the first book - . You'd think the publisher would put a little more effort into the sequel! But, like you I really enjoyed it. It's been a while since I read the first one, and I thought it stood on its own well, and I loved that the ending wasn't tidy and completely happy.

Has anyone else read Amelia Lost? I thought it was top-notch nonfiction. The layout of the book creates a lot of suspense (alternating the chronology of Earhart's life with accounts from people involved in trying to track her down after her disappearance).

I also loved The Trouble with May Amelia (despite its cover)-- such a mix of humorous situations with tragic ones. A Very Satisfying Read.
I enjoyed Inside Out and Back Again, too, particularly in understanding the experience of learning the English language (the "Jane sees Spot Run" passage is eye-opening.

Jess wrote: "Has anyone else read Amelia Lost? "

Yes! I loved this book. I agree that the storytelling structure (of alternating between the search efforts and Amelia's life) worked well. I also liked the way the author showed both the weaknesses and the strengths of Amelia Earhart in a way that didn't feel judgmental. As a reader, I saw a famous figure in a new light, but even more intriguing were the parallels to life lessons.

Candace Fleming does such a terrific job with nonfiction. I would love to see her get a newbery nod.

Yes, I read Amelia Lost. I agree the layout and presentation was very well done. It was very interesting, I learned quite a bit about Earhart and early flight myself. I thought Fleming was very skillfull in presenting the facts without editorializing. Nicely done!

Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream by Jenny Han is cute. It is a great story for young elementary school girls, and well written. I don't know if it could win the Newbery but an honor might be a possibility.

Reading an ARC of Anne Ursu's Breadcrumbs, and I think it's wonderful.

Laurel wrote: "Reading an ARC of Anne Ursu's Breadcrumbs, and I think it's wonderful."

I am adding it to the bookshelf. Thanks for the tip.

Kristen wrote: "Laurel wrote: "Reading an ARC of Anne Ursu's Breadcrumbs, and I think it's wonderful."

I am adding it to the bookshelf. Thanks for the tip."

Thanks! I didn't know how to link it the way everyone else seems to be doing I appear to have missed a Goodreads fluency seminar somehow.

:)

Laurel wrote: Thanks! I didn't know how to link it ..."

When you're typing your reply, there's a link just at the top of the comment box that says "add book/author." If you click there, you can do a search and choose to add either a link or a cover image. Hope that helps!

Has anyone read I'll Be There by Holly Sloan? I really liked this one for older kids and teens.

Thanks, Jess!

What do people think about True... Sort of? I think it's wonderful. Moving story about struggling to be 'good', friendship, family and the difficulties of truth.

I'm a little over half way finished with True...Sort of and I love it. I do get a little tired of her own vocabulary sometimes. I can't wait to see how things are resolved.