Online Mock Newbery
Okay, you know the drill by now. I need your top three clearly labeled first, second, and third so that I can assign the correct point values (i.e. 1st=4 points, 2nd=3 points, 3rd=2 points). You need to have your votes posted by the end of the day on Monday, January 19th and I will post the results on Tuesday morning. I’m still dithering between THE CROSSOVER and THE PORT CHICAGO 50 for my third place vote, but I’ll decide and post them soonish. That gives you six days to discuss, think, and vote. I’m pasting in the Top Seven nominations below so you can see which titles ostensibly have the most support on our mock Supercommittee.
(18) BROWN GIRL DREAMING
(12) THE FAMILY ROMANOV
(11) WEST OF THE MOON
(10) REVOLUTION
(10) THE NIGHT GARDENER
(8) EL DEAFO
(8) THE CROSSOVER
(7) THE PORT CHICAGO 50
(6) GREENGLASS HOUSE
(5) THE GHOSTS OF TUPELO LANDING
(5) THE FOURTEENTH GOLDFISH
(4) RIVERMAN
(4) RAIN REIGN
(2) THE PRINCESS IN BLACK
(2) NIGHTINGALE’S NEST
(2) CURIOSITY
(2) HALF A WORLD AWAY
(2) UNDER THE EGG
(1) EGG & SPOON
(1) THE SECRET HUM OF A DAISY
(1) ARCADY’S GOAL
(1) WINTER BEES
(1) HARLEM HELLFIGHTERS
(1) THE SILVER PEOPLE
(1) FLY AWAY
(1) A SNICKER OF MAGIC
(1) WHAT THE MOON SAYS
(1) CAMINAR
(1) THE TURTLE OF OMAN
(1) THE KEY THAT SWALLOWED JOEY PIGZA
(1) BURIED SUNLIGHT
(1) ABSOLUTELY ALMOST
(1) THE MISADVENTURES OF THE FAMILY FLETCHER
(1) THE THICKETY
(1) THE MADMAN OF PINEY WOODS
(1) SPARKY!
(1) THE RED PENCIL
(1) RED MADNESS
(1) THE DUMBEST IDEA EVER
(1) HALF A CHANCE
(1) FLEABRAIN LOVES FRANNY
(1) SKINK
(1) NEST
(1) UPSIDE DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE
(1) WHEN AUDREY MET ALICE
Filed under: Uncategorized
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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1. EL DEAFO
2. REVOLUTION
3. THE CROSSOVER
I was happy to see how many people nominated EL DEAFO. I’d like to see us push it as high as possible. 1 point won’t affect how REVOLUTION does here (assuming you’re not separately tallying 1st place votes for the medal.)
But dropping REVOLUTION isn’t really strategic. I take very seriously Jonathan’s finding “the plot too slow and the characters uninteresting.” I find Wiles’ writing crazy great, so I don’t have this issue. (I liked SPLENDORS AND GLOOM too.) But it’s a serious issue to have and needs to be taken into account. I take very seriously Nina’s reminder that our reaction to REVOLUTION is an adult one. She’s right. I do have trouble describing the ideal child reader for REVOLUTION, and that is a problem. I would say maybe the ideal reader is a 12-year old + a teacher. I hope our discussion has at least shown that REVOLUTION could make an amazing classroom book.
To make my 3rd place count, rather than go with my other nominations (unlikely to get many votes, though I still hope for THE PRINCESS IN BLACK), it’s between THE CROSSOVER and WEST OF THE MOON. Because of the direction of discussion on WEST OF THE MOON, and my considerations about REVOLUTION, I’m going with THE CROSSOVER.
1. THE EGG AND THE SPOON
2. BROWN GIRL DREAMING
3. UNDER THE EGG
1. BROWN GIRL DREAMING
2. FAMILY ROMANOV
3. WEST OF THE MOON
1. The Family Romanov
2. West of the Moon
3. Silver People
1. The Crossover
2. Rain Reign
3. El Deafo
1. Fourteenth Goldfish
2. Port Chicago 50
3. Brown Girl Dreaming
I hate to give up on RIVERMAN and I would probably move BGD into first place if it needed the bump to edge Romanov.
1. Family Romanov
2. Brown Girl Dreaming
3. The Crossover
1. FAMILY ROMANOV
2. WEST OF THE MOON
3. PORT CHICAGO 50
1. Greenglass House
2. Rain Reign
3. Family Romanov
1. The Night Gardener
2. Port Chicago 50
3. The Riverman
1. El Deafo
2. Princess in Black
3. The Family Romanov (only because I haven’t read The Port Chicago 50 yet. Can I have two #3 votes?)
Darn it. Maybe I should have voted for THE PRINCESS IN BLACK. I can see it getting a couple more votes.
1. Crossover
2. Night Gardener
3. Brown Girl Dreaming
1. Brown Girl Dreaming
2. Under the Egg
3. Half a World Away
All based on what I would like to see..not necessarily what I think will happen.
1. West of the moon
2. Brown girl dreaming
3. The family Romanov
1. GREENGLASS HOUSE
2. CURIOSITY
3. THE NIGHT GARDENER
1. West of the Moon
2. brown girl dreaming
3. The Family Romanov
1. The Crossover
2. Brown Girl Dreaming
3. Port Chicago 50
1. REVOLUTION
2. FAMILY ROMANOV
3. BROWN GIRL DREAMING
I have learned this year that I am really glad I will never serve on the real committee. Thanks to everyone for all the fascinating analyses – Leonard, you caused me to move REVOLUTION to my #1 spot! Whatever the outcome of this “mock Supercommittee” (thanks, Jonathan!!), I cannot wait for next year!
1 – The Thickety
2 – Winter Bees
3 – El Deafo
I haven’t read every book on the list here, but I really wasn’t impressed by most of the books that came out this year. The Thickety was excellent, and I think it deserves notice. I hadn’t thought about Winter Bees until seeing it on here, because I honestly think a lot of the quality rests on the illustrations, but since it seems eligible here I’ll go with it. I liked El Deafo, but I wouldn’t give it a Newbery. I remember very little of it, though I enjoyed it in the moment. I don’t know. We’ll see I guess, but I really think the standout this year is the Thickety.
1. Revolution
2. The Family Romanov
3. Port Chicago 50
1. Brown Girl Dreaming
2. El Deafo
3. Family Romanov
(1) ARCADY’S GOAL
(2) THE FAMILY ROMANOV
(3) BROWN GIRL DREAMING
1. West of the Moon
2. The Secret Hum of a Daisy
3. The Family Romanov
1. West of the Moon
2. El Deafo
3. The Night Gardner
I am picking these novels because I think they will appeal to children in the middle grades.
1. West of the Moon- because I love it so much and I really admire the masterful blending of fantasy/fairy tale and realistic right of passage. I also think the issue of adult sexual predation is a really important one for this age and I thought it was handled very sensitively. Finally I think the tough message about having to make difficult moral choices in order to survive was great and not something we see often enough. Very memorable.
2. The Family Romanov-because it is an insane tour-de-force. To be able to distill incredibly complex history so deftly and weave together a classic and compelling story arc out of diligently researched and well documented sources deserves an award. I also think she masterfully walked a nonpartisan line and chose her primary sources with tremendous skill and artistry.
3. The Key that Swallowed Joey Pigza-because it is astonishing and irreverent, unique and very funny. Yes it makes us uncomfortable, but boy does it capture a remarkable and recognizable character.
1. Family Romanov
2. Night Gardener
3. Brown Girl Dreaming
I completely agree with Elaine, I would not want to be on the actual committee. I sure do love reading all the critiques and thoughts about the books though. Can’t wait to see how this mock and the real committee turns out.
1.Brown girl dreaming. 2. West of the moon. 3. Joey pizza
Pigza
1. Revolution
(Excellent story and clever format, although I wonder if the format would put off readers.)
2. Night Gardener
3. Curiosity
1. Crossover
2. El Deafo
3. Absolutely Almost
1. Snicker of Magic
2. Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere
3. Ghosts of Tupelo Landing
1. The Crossover
2. The Night Gardner
3. West of the Moon
1. Greenglass House
2. El Deafo
3. Ghosts of Tupelo Landing
1) A Snicker of Magic
2) Brown Girl Dreaming
3) The Crossover
1. Brown Girl Dreaming
2. The Crossover
3. Rain Reign
1) Greenglass House- excellent setting, reminded me of The Westing Game, excellent weaving of stories within a story, did a really good job of weaving multiple characters together also the story of coming to terms with adoption
2) Rain Reign- excellent use of perspective, honest and real, great character development of all characters and great use of setting
3) Brown Girl Dreaming- excellent narrative really speaks to all parts of the criteria and great use of verse
1. Brown Girl Dreaming
2. West of the Moon
3. Crossover
1. A Snicker of Magic
2. The Family Romanov
3. El Deafo
1. Rain Reign
2. Port Chicago 50
3. Misadventures of the Family Fletcher
All chosen because they made me think about how I would deal with situations and events.
1. THE FAMILY ROMANOV
2. BROWN GIRL DREAMING
3. THE PRINCESS IN BLACK (just to pick something different that hasn’t been discussed to death here)
Can I switch my 3rd place to The Princess in Black?
1. Caminar
2. El Deafo
3. Egg & Spoon
1. Brown Girl Dreaming
2. A Snicker of Magic
3. The Crossover
1. Nightingale’s Nest
2. Boys of Blur
3. West of the Moon
1. A Snicker of Magic
2. Absolutely Almost
3. The Fourteenth Goldfish
1. Brown Girl Dreaming
2. El Deafo
3. Revolution
1. BIRD by Chan
2. NEST
3. RAIN REIGN
1. The Family Romanov
2. West of the Moon
3. Brown Girl Dreaming
1. El Deafo (This is totally strategic. I love this book, but if I were on the Real Committee and didn’t feel I’d manage to convince enough of the others for it to have a chance I wouldn’t have it in my top three much less first. However, here it clearly has a chance —for an honor if not the medal– and so I’m putting as my first choice so it gets an additional three points. Perhaps if we give it an honor the ALSC powers-that-be may consider taking another look at the criteria. One can dream, anyway:)
2. West of the Moon (Still my personal favorite so I’m voting my heart here.)
3. Brown Girl Dreaming (This ties with a bunch of others as my third favorite so I decided to give it the edge.)
Jonathan and Nina, will there be an EL DEAFO redux post?
1. The Family Romanov
2. The Crossover
3. El Deafo
My #1 should be BOYS OF BLUR, but I didn’t read it in time for nominations.
So, of the ones above, my choices are:
1 – ABSOLUTELY ALMOST
2 – WEST OF THE MOON
3 – NIGHT GARDENER
I had put off reading Absolutely Almost because it looked so, well, normal. But, oh, my goodness, this book broke my heart. And I laughed through it all, even when I was crying.
1. Brown Girl Dreaming
2. El Deafo
3. West of the Moon
1. Brown Girl Dreaming
2. El Deafo
3. Princess in Black
1. Brown Girl Dreaming
2. The Crossover
3. Revolution
1. A Snicker of Magic
2. The Fourteenth Goldfish
3. El Deafo
1. Revolution
2. West of the Moon
3. Greenglass House
1. West of the Moon
2. Revolution
3. The Crossover
1. The Night Gardener
2. The Family Romanov
3. Greenglass House
1) The Crossover
2) Brown Girl Dreaming
3) El Deafo
1. El Deafo
2. Absolutely Almost
3. Greenglass House
1. Brown Girl Dreaming
2. The Crossover
3. The Key That Swallowed Joey Pigza
1. Brown Girl Dreaming
2. El Deafo
3. Revolution
1, The Crossover
2. Rain Reign
3. Brown Girl Dreaming
1. Family romanov
2. Revolution
3. West of the moon
1 Night Gardener
2. West of the Moon
3. Revolution
1. Port Chicago 50
2. Under the Egg
3. The Family Romanov
Wait! I’m changing my mind! This is why I could never serve on one of these committees. I’m plagued with indecision.
1. Port Chicago 50
2. Rain Reign
3. Under the Egg
1. The Night Gardner
2. Family Romanov
3. Rain Reign
This has really been a fantastic year! Usually I find choosing my top three pretty easy by this time, but there have been so many amazing books written this year. I’m reading Nest right now, and it is such an accomplishment for a debut author. I would love for Ehrlich to sneak in there, much like Vanderpool did with Moon Over Manifest – but I know that endings can often be a books fatal flaw, so I will not include it here.
1. Brown Girl Dreaming
2. Family Romanov
3. El Deafo
I could also happily support Rain Reign and West of the Moon. But despite its snowball-in-hell’s chances, El Deafo SO deserves award recognition.
I am going to copy Martha exactly. And not just because she’s sitting right next to me. And s-m-r-t-er than me.
1. Brown Girl Dreaming
2. Family Romanov
3. El Deafo