The Night Gardener and Rain Reign
As you all vote, and as we await the results of Jonathan’s San Diego Mock Newbery, I wanted to invite discussion on two contenders that did not make our shortlist, but did many others, and which I expect to see (yup, there they are!) in your online Mock Ballots. Neither Jonathan nor I could quite find our way to these, even though they are both accomplished. In hindsight THE NIGHT GARDENER felt a little flatter to me than in comparison to our other contenders, but I recognize it might be this year’s DOLL BONES. RAIN REIGN requires a reader tune into that voice, which is artfully done, but…well, when we asked for you to convince us, no one stepped up for it. Now’s the time!
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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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To me, The Night Gardener was fascinating and well-written, but lacked the ‘oomph’ for serious contending status. That is, it was a good story – an entertaining one, even – but nothing truly remarkable. I felt the same way about Doll Bones, so I might not be the best voice of reason.
Also, among other tropes, I am tired of books that are vaunting the renaissance of The Power of Story. I teach a graduate course in storytelling, so I am very much aware of how important storytelling is, but Auxier’s treatment of it felt very ‘surface’ to me… more like a “Gotta get on this bandwagon!” approach. I am far more moved by Grace Lin’s artful weaving of story.
Conversely, I found Rain Reign to be absolutely, strikingly beautiful. I loved how real Rose sounded. She was grating and obnoxious at times, but a REAL character. That is, she never felt one-dimensional. She felt fully realized. I was greatly moved by the story and I think it went to deeper, darker places than I expected. There is an emergence of Rose’s character that is truly remarkable and very, very believable. I’ve taught a lot of autistic and spectrum children in my time as a public educator, and Rose is the most acutely drawn representation that I’ve read since Cynthia Lord’s Rules.
I think Rain Reign has a serious shot at the Schneider. But this is a year of tall trees, and I think it will be overshadowed by others in the Newbery Camp. In any other year, it would’ve been a stronger candidate.
RAIN REIGN is the book that we should have spent more time on. It got five starred reviews and five best of the year lists. That doesn’t correlate to Newbery recognition, but it does tell us that we were wrong to not take the book more seriously.
I’m waiting/hoping someone will speak to RAIN REIGN here. I have to say that when I look for comments in other places (comments on this blog, other Mock Newbery blogs) I find comments along the lines of “admired it despite myself”… meaning that adult readers recognize the craft, but had a hard time being engaged. I’d love to hear from anyone who’s shared it with a young audience.
6th, 7th, and 8th graders here have universally loved it. (I was surprised, especially with the 8th graders, who generally don’t want to read about little kids. But lo and behold, it has what I call the Wonder effect… since Palaccio’s tome also tends to resonate with the three grade levels I teach.)
Funny, Nina, I think what adults are saying that they “admired it despite [themselves]” is that the plotting is really melodramatic, so you feel a little guilty for liking it as much as you do!
Is the dog lost in the storm plot element a gentler version of the dead dog? REVOLUTION features one, too (as did her previous book EACH LITTLE BIRD THAT SINGS). And BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE . . .
A number of my 4th graders have read it with great pleasure, those who gravitate to titles like Rules and So B. It. It is making its quiet way around the class. Seems very kid-friendly for this population.
I’m not sure I can really articulate my reasoning when it comes to Rain Reign, but as a reader, I am deeply affected by voice, especially when that voice is so believable, the character transcends the story. I know it’s a vague and obscure explanation, but the same experience happened to me when I discovered Mo and Dale in Three Times Lucky. Rose’s character is so well drawn and so authentic, that it’s hard not to think of her as someone who actually exists. Martin’s writing is simple and nearly minimalistic, and yet she was able to solicit so many emotions and practically punch you in the gut with her story. I think there are other books this year distinguished more fully across the literary spectrum; however, I have yet to meet a character who can outshine Rose’s impact and authenticity.
Erin, your comments ring true to my memory of the book, so it’s helpful to have you put them in context like this, combined with Monica and Joe’s reports.
Regarding The Night Gardener, I have to disagree (partly) with Joe. I think there were certain elements of the ‘storytelling’ element that were ‘surface’ level, but I think that choice helped widen the audience for the book and also points to the fact that stories can be appreciated and understood on a variety of levels. Where Lin’s storytelling speaks masterfully to interconnectedness, I feel Auxier did something similar regarding the layers of stories. The depth and meaning he was able to slowly unearth through each character’s story was brilliantly done in my opinion. I too was not a big fan of Doll Bones because I found the characters and story unbelievable and the story puzzle-pieced together. However, The Night Gardener was fluid, fully imagined, and genuinely creepy.
The “genuine creepiness” is something I especially appreciate about Auxier’s work, and one that “distinguishes” it. I don’t feel it achieves the energy of plot layers/characters the way Lin’s work did, but it doesn’t have to stand against Lin’s work. A contender from this year to set it against might be EGG & SPOON, which I’ll post again on soon… where Maguire’s work is maybe less fluid, more ponderous than Auxier’s, he achieves so much more in character and theme development. And, it is also genuinely creepy/scary, though with a different ring to it.
That moment in RAIN REIGN where Rose realizes how she and her father are alike in their courage–genius storytelling, to carry us to that point on the strength of Rose’s voice, so that we understand how annoying she might be, but love her anyway. I’m in awe of Ann Martin over that sentence, and how the whole story clicks into place when you read it.
I agree, that moment in Rain, Reign when rose compared her bravery to her father’s was such a pivotal moment in the story.
2015 MLS (Massachusetts Library System) Mock Newbery Winner Announced:
Winner!
The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier
They also chose three honor books:
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin
Over 70 people who participated in the2015 MLS Mock Newbery “committee”!