SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Book Discussion
  • Heavy Medal Mock
  • Process

January 10, 2012 by Nina Lindsay

The Polls Are Open!

January 10, 2012 by Nina Lindsay   5 comments

It is time to proceed to the online ballot!  Have you:

  1. Read all of the titles on our shortlist?
  2. Read and considered the Newbery Terms & Criteria?  Considered each of these 10 titles against the criteria, and against each other using them, only?
  3. Participated in the discussion here, and listened to what other commenters have had to say in balancing one book against the other?   

If you’ve answered yes to all three, then please imagine the weighty task you have in casting a ballot for our Mock Newbery.  Our voting only works if we have succeeded in coming to some vaguely communal “decisions” about which books stand out, and the strengths and weaknesses of each.  Your voting is anonymous, and unlike other online polls, this one is not about getting your horse across the line first.  It’s about establishing a group consensus on the “most distinguished contribution to American literature for children” among the 10 on our list.

Now, establishing that consensus will be a bit of a trick.  With a committee of 15, the actual committee uses the following formula:

  • · In tabulating ballot results, the tellers assign four points to each first place vote, three points to each second place vote, and two points to each third place vote.
  • · There is a formula to determine the winner. A book must receive at least 8 first choices at four points per vote for a total of at least 32 points, and it must have an 8 point lead over the book receiving the next highest number of points.

This formula works really well with 15 members and the several/many dozen titles they’re usually voting on.  We have no way of knowing how many votes will be cast, and we only have 10 books to vote on.  Pretty soon after the polls close, I’ll post our results and we’ll see what it looks like.  Last year, when we tried this for the first time, I called our first ballot “inconclusive,” which in retrospect was probably a mistake… but it was interesting to reopen the ballot a second time and see what happened.  (Not much changed).  In my experience with Mock Newberies, it’s most satisfying when you can come up with a winner in the first round; there generally just aren’t enough books under discussion to shift votes in any substantial way in future voting.  But let’s see where we get.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

You can vote here.  Polls remain open until 6am PST Wednesday January 11th.

Filed under: Uncategorized

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

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

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

January 2023

FREEWATER wins the Newbery Medal, live reactions from Heavy Medal bloggers

by Nina Lindsay

January 2023

Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Webcast Results

by Nina Lindsay

December 2022

Calling all Mock Newbery Enthusiasts: Join the 2023 Heavy Medal Award Committee

by Nina Lindsay

October 2022

Two More Titles: November Nomination Time

by Nina Lindsay

September 2022

85 Books to Consider: Mock Newbery Suggestions Updated

by Nina Lindsay

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

Your 2023 Caldecott Comment Card

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Poems As Picture Books: Zetta Elliott Discusses the Upcoming A Song for Juneteenth

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

2023 ALA Youth Media Awards

by Esther Keller

Heavy Medal

FREEWATER wins the Newbery Medal, live reactions from Heavy Medal bloggers

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

A Conversation with Kendare Blake about BUFFY, THE NEXT GENERATION

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

A Book 25 Years in the Making: Marla Frazee Visits The Yarn

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

2021 Youth Media Awards Winners

Children’s Publishing World Reacts to Michaela Goade's History-Making Caldecott Medal, Rest of the YMA Winners

Ringing in the Newbery (and Caldecott): An awards-trivia smackdown with Betsy Bird and Travis Jonker

A Grateful Michaela Goade Makes Caldecott History

A Long Time Coming: Angeline Boulley's 'Firekeeper's Daughter' Takes 2022 Printz Award

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. samuel says

    January 10, 2012 at 1:16 pm

    FIRST PLACE OKAY FOR NOW

    SECOND PLACE SPARROW ROAD

    THIRD PLACE AMELIA LOST

  2. Mr. H says

    January 10, 2012 at 1:46 pm

    SPARROW ROAD? How’d you add that one? I would’ve added PIE and ICEFALL behind OKAY FOR NOW, had I known we could!

  3. Nina Lindsay says

    January 10, 2012 at 3:36 pm

    Well, you can’t. Make sure that to cast your vote you proceed to the surveymonkey ballot in the link. We’re still in the Mock Newbery universe with the ten titles on our shortlist only, but we will have time to look at the wider field before the actual announcements!

  4. sam leopold says

    January 10, 2012 at 7:42 pm

    sorry…was not trying to add a title. I voted on the survey monkey. I just really like Sparrow road ……though I agree that Icefall is an excellent choice also.

  5. Sara Ralph says

    January 11, 2012 at 7:45 am

    I voted for: 1) Wonderstruck – I loved this one much more than Hugo. However, I do think this one may be a longshot for the gold 2) Amelia Lost – Such a great book and not her first brilliant biography; Candace Fleming deserves some Newbery love 3) Okay For Now – The plot has flaws, but I love the world Schmidt creates so much that I can forgive them. If I could have voted for four, I would have chosen Sir Gawain…I read it over winter break, and got many laughs. Also, the ending surprised me so that made it even more enjoyable. I’m going to encourage my daughter, who is in 3rd grade, to read it.

    The book I’m championing that is not on the shortlist – Jefferson’s Sons. After failing to find a copy anywhere, I downloaded an ebook version and can’t.stop.reading. I see a distinguished setting, characters and plot and I really hope it gets at least an honor. Of course, I have a huge bias in that historical fiction is my favorite genre. I love this book as much as I did Chains and Forge, which were shutout. Hoping to read Icefall and Sparrow Road before the announcement.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • Other Mock Newbery Sites

    • Anderson’s Bookshops
    • For Those About to Mock
    • Good Reads Mock Newbery
    • Northport-East Northport PL
    • Rhode Island OLIS
  • Resources

    • Jen J's Starred Reviews Spreadsheet
    • Newbery Manual
    • Newbery Medal & Honor Books
    • Newbery Terms & Criteria
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Age Level
    • Ideas
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Neverending Search
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Classroom Bookshelf
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • 2022 Youth Media Awards
    • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
    • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
    • Summer Reading 2021
    • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
    • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
    • Summer Programming Survey
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2023


    COPYRIGHT © 2023