Could Squirrels Be the New Zombies?
I spent Monday presenting a Common Core seminar to elementary school librarians in Knoxville, TN. Our YMA feed stopped working properly during the Belpre Awards, so I had to wait until our morning break to see the full results. While the Newbery picks surprised me, all the books did get great reviews, and will now find even more readers than they otherwise would have.
Now we turn our attention to this coming year, and if Jen J’s spreadsheet is any indication, there are some possible treasures waiting for us.
THE GHOSTS OF TUPELO LANDING by Sheila Turnage (4 stars)
ANGEL ISLAND by Russell Freedman (4 stars)
A SNICKER OF MAGIC by Natalie Lloyd (3 stars)
SEARCHING FOR SARAH RECTOR by Tonya Bolden (3 stars)
THE PORT CHICAGO 50 by Steve Sheinkin (2 stars)
FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, NATE! by Tim Federle (2 stars)
HOW I DISCOVERED POETRY by Marilyn Nelson (2 stars)
ZANE AND THE HURRICANE by Rodman Philbrick (2 stars)
JOSEPHINE by Patricia Hruby Powell (2 stars)
If you know of some forthcoming 2014 books that you are excited about then please let us know about them in the comments. Personally, I’m looking forward to NUTS TO YOU! by Lynne Rae Perkins.
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About Jonathan Hunt
Jonathan Hunt is the Coordinator of Library Media Services at the San Diego County Office of Education. He served on the 2006 Newbery committee, and has also judged the Caldecott Medal, the Printz Award, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards, and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. You can reach him at hunt_yellow@yahoo.com
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I’m excited about NUTS TO YOU! too. And I suspect that Jennifer Holm’s THE FOURTEENTH GOLDFISH is going to be a force to be reckoned with.
I was hoping you would do a 2014 books post!
Looking forward to:
The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond by Brenda Woods–has already received two stars. In processing as well!
Demi’s latest picture book biography–Florence Nightingale
Half a Chance by Cynthia Lord
Lois Ehlert’s memoir–The Scraps Book: Notes From a Colorful Life
Currently going through Publishers Weekly’s Spring Announcements on Edelweiss–quite overwhelming!
I thoroughly enjoyed THE PORT CHICAGO 50. And I haven’t finished it yet, but OPHELIA AND THE MARVELOUS BOY by Karen Foxlee has a promising beginning. I’m looking forward to THE FOURTEENTH GOLDFISH by Jennifer Holm and REVOLUTION by Deborah Wiles.
More Deborah Wiles! It’s been a long wait.
I too am a big fan of OPHELIA AND THE MARVELOUS BOY (and am currently reading it aloud to my class with great success), but I believe Foxlee is Australian so the book isn’t eligible. And I too can’t wait for REVOLUTION!
Excited for 2014 talk!
Candace Fleming has another biography coming out this year one on the Romanovs.
Horvath has a sequel to Mr and Mrs Bunny this year.
Jonathan Auxier’s Night Gardener looks very promising.
I just started Cynthia Lord’s new one and so far it feels very Cynthia Lordy (which is a good thing).
I’m most looking forward to Holms’ 14th Goldfish but I expect that this crazy weather here in Atlanta is slowing down its arrival.
Did you score an ARC of Goldfish? I didn’t see any. And stay off the roads.
I’ve already read A Snicker of Magic and it is fantastic! Kids love it too, I have 6 students currently reading it since it was in our January Scholastic Book order. Also really looking forward the the The Fourteenth Goldfish, The Night Gardener, and Revolution. I’m reading the first Nate book by Tim Federle now, so I am really looking forward to reading the second.
I’m most looking forward to Nightingale’s Nest, The Riverman, and The Fourteenth Goldfish.
Jonathan, you were in my town while I was at ALA. Hope you enjoyed yourself. And if you didn’t, it’s not really my town simply the place I’ve lived for the last six years. 🙂
I read THE GHOSTS OF TUPELO LANDING this week and think it is a stronger book than THREE TIMES LUCKY. I feel she really hit her stride with Mo’s voice in this one. Also it just had so many things I love in a book.
Others I’m looking forward to: THE BOYS OF BLUR by N.D. Wilson, REVOLUTION by Deborah Wiles, THE GREENGLASS HOUSE by Kate Milford, THE CASTLE BEHIND THORNS by Merrie Haskell, THE NIGHT GARDENER by Jonathan Auxier, and all the non-fiction that’s already been mentioned, particularly the Shienkin and Fleming (And I WILL read them all this year. Even if I have to buy them all myself. Am budgeting it now.)
Surprised at how many of these are not in my library yet, not even showing on order (I see several with late August publication dates – I wonder if that’s a Newbery strategy, like late-in-the-year release dates for Oscar contenders). I’ve put in suggestions to purchase several of them.
Very much liked GHOSTS OF TUPELO LANDING, A SNICKER OF MAGIC, and FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, NATE!. Liked HALF A CHANCE and LORD AND LADY BUNNY, but not as much. Looking forward to reading Duncan Tonatiuh’s SEPARATE IS NEVER EQUAL: SYLVIA MENDEZ AND HER FAMILY’S FIGHT FOR DESEGRETATION (about a pre-Brown v. Board case I’d never heard of), Candace Fleming’s THE FAMILY ROMANOV: MURDER, REBELLION, AND THE FALL OF IMPERIAL RUSSIA, Don Mitchell’s THE FREEDOM SUMMER MURDERS, Susan Goldman Rubin’s FREEDOM SUMMER: THE 1964 STRUGGLE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS IN MISSISSIPPI, and Emily McCurdy’s IDA M. TARBELL: THE WOMAN WHO CHALLENGED BIG BUSINESS — AND WON!
I was one of the few who didn’t love Deborah Wiles’ COUNTDOWN, but may like REVOLUTION more.
I think the book I’m most looking forward to, which my library says it is ordering (though it doesn’t show in the catalog yet), is Kate Milford’s THE GREENGLASS HOUSE.
Half a Chance, Revolution, and The Family Romanov have been the highlights of the spring-summer season for me. However, I still have a lot to read from the first half of this year, and know that there’s more ahead. Can’t wait for Heavy Medal to start! (It should start soon, right?!) I lurk more than I post, but I look forward to every post.
Yay, a chance to crow. My tops: CROSSOVER, THE FAMILY ROMANOV, and REVOLUTION. I haven’t bee able to shut up about the Romanov book. And I loved COUNTDOWN and basically Wiles can’t sneeze without my finding it charming. Also, TUPELO LANDING.