Mockings and Stockings
Jonathan and I have put up posts now for half of the titles on our shortlist, and we hope you’ll continue to post on Sir Gawain, The Money We’ll Save, The Penderwicks, A Monster Calls, Heart & Soul, and Amelia Lost, as you catch up (or your thoughts do). We’ll continue to post on the other titles, and start to make some more comparisons over the next few weeks. The week of January 10th will be the online voting here (details to come). And on Monday January 16th we’ll have the in-person discussion and voting in Oakland CA. If you want to be part of the in-person discussion, don’t forget to email me; I’ll send out specific location/time information by email.
If you’d like us to follow your Mock discussions/results, let us know in the comments here.
And though we hope you’re reading our shortlist titles over the holidays, and getting serious, this is the time of year I tend to start ditching responsibility. It’s dark out, there’s my chair and throw, and I’d really like to curl up and read…?
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So here’s one more game for the weekend: Picture your chair, your throw, your cozy fire and gloomy weather, and a stocking with one Newbery winner or honor in it. You have nothing to do all day but read it. Which one is it? (Or, if it is decidedly a particular title that did not win the Newbery in it’s year: make a case for it here.)
Mine… (this is harder than I thought! Usually would be THE DARK IS RISING, but I need a few more years to between reads to appreciate it properly…) is THE THIEF.
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About Nina Lindsay
Nina Lindsay is the Children's Services Coordinator at the Oakland Public Library, CA. She chaired the 2008 Newbery Committee, and served on the 2004 and 1998 committees. You can reach her at ninalindsay@gmail.com
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I’ve expressed my undying devotion to THE WESTING GAME numerous times on this blog, so in the interests of expanding a bit, I think I would choose one of the Beverly Cleary titles – probably RAMONA QUIMBY, AGE 8.
Oh, that sounds lovely. For me, it would be THE BLUE SWORD. I go back to that one every few years.
Oh, the Dark is Rising, how I loved it. And The Thief. But for me, it would be The View from Saturday. I love every word in that book.
Oh so hard! It would have to be THE WESTING GAME or THE PRINCESS ACADEMY or FROM THE MIXED UP FILES OF MRS BASIL E FRANKWEILER… Good grief, too many to pick just one!
Okay, I’ve got it! It would definitely be aA WRINKLE IN TIME even though I’ve read it more times than I can count on my fingers. It’s just so timeless and lovely.
Hattie Big Sky for me.
Mine will always be Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. In fact, great idea, Nina–time to read it again.
The Blue Sword, with A Wrinkle In Time right and The Dark is Rising right underneath. Even though A Wrinkle In Time in what I think of as my “favorite” book, and I have a circle-quartered-by-a-cross tattoo thanks to Susan Cooper, I think The Blue Sword wins for the pure comfort. I’d have to hope for several rainy days in a row!
I’ve read Mrs. Frisby and Caddie Woodlawn each at least 20 times and they never lose their magic to me. Also on my favorite list for rereading: The Blue Sword, Dark is Rising, Mixed-Up Files, and the Witch of Blackbird Pond. However this weekend, When you Reach Me and The Graveyard book rise to the top. I’ve been wanting another look at both.
The Dark is Rising would be my choice as well. There are other books I may love as much, but that’s the one I love to sink into. I used to reread it every winter. Give me some deep cold, some heavy snow, and the whole series, and I am a happy bunny indeed.
It would be “The Thief” for me, too. But not because I love that book – because I love the books that follow it so much. I would read the whole darn series. 🙂
Great question!
I reread THE WESTING GAME two weeks ago, so that is out… MRS. FRISBY is also a favorite but we reread it in August.
I think I’ll go with THE THIEF, as well, since I’ve only read it once which is practically like never reading it at all. And, yes, Sandy… to be able to follow it with the rest of the series is just a bonus.
I love re-reading all of Jane Langton’s Hall Children series every once in a while, so I’ll curl up with THE FLEDGING.
http://evaperrymocknewbery.wordpress.com/2011/12/17/getting-down-to-it/
Anyone is welcome to follow our middle school kids’ blog posts as we finalize our decision!
And I love The Thief also – the whole series!
Oh, The Witch of Blackbird Pond. That’s what I did over Thanksgiving weekend, and it was better than ever. This morning I woke up thinking about The Dark is Rising, so it’s coming up next.
Mmmmm, So many choices. I’ve kinda been in the mood for fantasy. I considered diving into Prydain again. But that would take more than a weekend. I think it will need to be THE PERILOUS GARD.
I used to read the Prydain books every year as a kid, but haven’t had time for a re-read in ages… so I’d choose THE HIGH KING. I’d love to revisit that world and those characters. In fact, maybe I’ll pull it off the shelf right now… thanks for the idea!
I’m going to go with THE HERO AND THE CROWN, which I love even more than THE BLUE SWORD, though I certainly love both! And THE THIEF is a close runner-up, especially if I can throw in its sequels.
I also have to go with The Thief. In fact, I did just reread lit ast week during a car trip to my parents’ house. And since I left the kids there for this week I have plenty of time to reread the rest of the series too. 🙂
The Tale of Despereaux. Perfect for a dark day.
DaNae, I’m with you on The Perilous Gard. I read that every few years and love it more each time. In fact, I can quote rather a lot of it. And The Sherwood Ring.
But I also have some deep and abiding affection for The Dark is Rising and The Blue Sword, and I am stuck by how many of us look to fantasy. Does it just hold up better? There are plenty of non-fantasy titles in there I’ve read and loved but those are not the books I’d opt to reread…
I would read, Despereaux, Mixed Up Files and (nobody said this) The Twenty-One Balloons!!!!! I also love The Door in the Wall, if only I can find my copy. Doctor Dolittle (1923 winner, nobody bothers to look back that far) is also one of my favorites.