Kirkus Prize Shortlist
The third Kirkus Prize shortlist has been announced and like its predecessors it’s chock full of Newbery possibilities. Yes, the shortlist always includes two picture books, two middle grade titles, and two young adult titles, but you know how we feel about the Newbery committee embracing the full breadth of its charge. The winner gets $50,000 which makes it, I believe, the highest cash prize for an American children’s book award. Winner will be announced on November 3. Read more here.
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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 have Freedom Over Me and We Will Not Be Silent on my Newbery Contender shelf. Thunder Boy Jr. I have on my Caldecott shelf. Of course I caution all of my Newbery readers not to overlook the outstanding picture books on the other shelf–especially “after Market.” I think I will have to warn the Caldecott readers the same on a few books that could cross over–such as Freedom Over Me.
I didn’t connect strongly with As Brave as You when I read it this summer. I look forward to hearing from my colleagues in the Heavy Medal community about their thoughts on this one. I presume we will be discussing it at some point this fall.
I know MARKET STREET beating out those longer texts for the Newbery was kind of a seismic shift, but consider too that the year before AVIARY WONDERS, INC–a picture book–did likewise in the first year of the Kirkus Prize.
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/11/03/500540635/jason-reynolds-c-e-morgan-and-susan-faludi-win-2016-kirkus-prize