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December 3, 2018 by Steven Engelfried

December Nominations: Last Chance!

December 3, 2018 by Steven Engelfried   64 comments

Nominate-blueAround this time, Newbery Committee members are sending in their last two official nominations, after having submitted three in October and two in November.  Following that model, it’s time for Heavy Medal readers to do the same:

Submit two Newbery-eligible titles in the comments section below.

If you have missed either of the two previous nominating periods, you can include titles that you would have submitted in October and/or November.  Not allowed in the real committee, but fine for our purposes.

You can nominate titles that have already been nominated, which can raise the profile of those books in the eyes of others.  In the real committee, you would also write a justification for your nomination, possibly changing the way others view the book.  But here just listing titles is fine.

The list of previously nominated titles is here.

We’ll accept nominations through Friday, December 7th, and share the totals on Monday, December 10th.

Coming soon on Heavy Medal

  • A call for readers who would like to participate in the Official Heavy Medal Committee balloting.  Participants will need to finish the 15 titles on our Heavy Medal Long List and be ready to participate in online discussions on this blog starting January 2nd.
  • The announcement of those 15 titles, which will be selected by Roxanne, Sharon, and Steven.
  • A look at the Best of the Year lists from journals and how they line up with what we’ve all read and discussed.

But for now, it’s time for two of those so-hard-to-choose December nominations:

 

 

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About Steven Engelfried

Steven Engelfried was the Library Services Manager at the Wilsonville Public Library in Oregon until he retired in 2022 after 35 years as a full-time librarian. He served on the 2010 Newbery committee, chaired the 2013 Newbery Committee, and also served on the 2002 Caldecott committee. You can reach him at sengelfried@yahoo.com.

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Comments

  1. Julie Corsaro says

    December 3, 2018 at 10:17 am

    I previously nominated The Book of Boy, Merci Suarez and Finding Langston. Not sure I can do four now, but in order they are: The Journey of Little Charlie, The Night Diary, Saving Winslow, and Rebound. (I am also a big fan of the The Girl Who Drew Butterflies and am hoping for some Siebert love).

    • Steven Engelfried says

      December 3, 2018 at 1:22 pm

      Yes, four is fine Julie, since you only had three before. Anything that gets one person up to 7.

  2. Aud Hogan says

    December 3, 2018 at 10:34 am

    I just read Sanity and Tallulah by Molly Brooks, and it’s fantastic. The plot, dialog, and character development are all on point, as is the world building. I hope this is eligible, because it’s fantastic.

    I’m also going to throw in for Breakout by Kate Messner.

    • Steven Engelfried says

      December 3, 2018 at 1:43 pm

      I think Sanity and Tallulah should be eligible. It looks like the characters have appeared in online comics before, but in the book it says: copyright 2018. The author lives in New York.

  3. Allison M. says

    December 3, 2018 at 11:02 am

    My first time nominating this year:
    MERCI SUAREZ CHANGES GEARS
    SMALL SPACES
    THE PRINCE AND THE DRESSMAKER
    FRONT DESK
    THE DAY YOU BEGIN

    • Steven Engelfried says

      December 3, 2018 at 1:23 pm

      Since this is your first time nominating, Allison, you are welcome to add two more titles to bring your total up to 7.

  4. Joe says

    December 3, 2018 at 11:19 am

    MARTIN RISING
    BOOTS ON THE GROUND

  5. Kate Todd says

    December 3, 2018 at 11:52 am

    My December nominations:
    SEASON OF STYX MALONE by Kekla Magoon
    TWO ROADS by Joseph Bruchac

  6. Jenn Hartley says

    December 3, 2018 at 12:09 pm

    1. Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett Krosoczka
    2. Dreamers by Yuyi Morales

  7. TK says

    December 3, 2018 at 12:13 pm

    SWEEP by Jonathan Auxier
    THE UNFORGETTABLE GUINEVERE ST CLAIR by Amy Makechnie

  8. Roxanne Hsu Feldman says

    December 3, 2018 at 1:41 pm

    I nominate Sweep and Luisiana’s Way Home.

  9. Steven Engelfried says

    December 3, 2018 at 1:49 pm

    SPOOKED by Gail Jarrow
    A HOUSE THAT ONCE WAS by Julie Fogliano

    I’m doing the thing where you use the last nomination for a couple of books with 0 so far, rather than putting them towards more likely contenders that have nominations already. Maybe if I felt just a little bit stronger about those more likely contenders I’d lean that way, but I’m not quite there.

  10. Sarah Wilsman says

    December 3, 2018 at 2:15 pm

    Front Desk by Kelly Yang
    Blended by Sharon Draper

  11. Eric Carpenter says

    December 3, 2018 at 2:27 pm

    For my final two nominations I’ll go with SWEEP and HEY KIDDO.

  12. Cherylynn says

    December 3, 2018 at 3:29 pm

    1. Miscalculations of Lightning Girl
    2. Assassination of Brangwain Spurge

  13. Genevieve says

    December 3, 2018 at 3:30 pm

    BREAKOUT
    JUST LIKE JACKIE

  14. Mary Clare O'Grady says

    December 3, 2018 at 3:52 pm

    I have been way behind in my reading of newly released books this year but hope to catch up with many of the books others have nominated over my upcoming winter break. So far, nothing has completely blown me away. I’m finding myself giving a lot of 4-star but really very few 5-star reviews this year.

    These are my nominations so far (first time nominating, so listing more than two):
    AMAL UNBOND
    THE PARKER INHERITANCE
    THE TRUTH AS TOLD BY MASON BUTTLE
    JUST LIKE JACKIE
    THE SEASON OF STYX MALONE

    • Mary Clare O'Grady says

      December 3, 2018 at 4:25 pm

      *AMAL UNBOUND (sorry for the typo!)

  15. Kari says

    December 3, 2018 at 6:05 pm

    I previously nominated three but I think I missed the last round.

    For this round I nominate:
    -MARTIN RISING
    -HARBOR ME

  16. Sam says

    December 3, 2018 at 6:29 pm

    Snow lane and The girl who drew butterflies

  17. Monica Edinger says

    December 3, 2018 at 6:56 pm

    SPOOKED and SWEEP.

  18. Erin says

    December 3, 2018 at 8:30 pm

    I’m just going to throw in some long shots I think at least deserve a mention/read – if you haven’t read them already.

    THE LANGUAGE OF SPELLS by Weyr
    DRAGONS IN A BAG by Elliott (It’s rare to find really good fantasy for this age group).

  19. Matthew Bowers says

    December 3, 2018 at 10:11 pm

    HOW SWEET THE SOUND by Carole Boston Weatherford
    AMAL UNBOUND by Aisha Saeed

  20. Mr. H says

    December 3, 2018 at 11:35 pm

    SAVING WINSLOW by Creech

    ECHO’S SISTER by Mosier
    One of the tougher reads of the year for me, but upon reflecting on the titles I’ve read, I don’t want to sell this one short simply because it was too sad or difficult for me to fathom how it came to be. It’s beautifully written and El’s voice was strong.

  21. Deborah says

    December 4, 2018 at 5:46 am

    December Nominations
    Sweep by Jonathan Auxier
    The Faithful Spy by John Hendrix

  22. Chris Mack says

    December 4, 2018 at 10:30 am

    The Parker Inheritance
    Season of Styx Malone

  23. DaNae says

    December 4, 2018 at 11:11 am

    Hey, Kiddo
    Baby Monkey

  24. Cory Eckert says

    December 4, 2018 at 11:33 am

    The Post Oak Mock Newbery nominates
    Checked
    Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish

    They never did choose between Ghost Boys and Harbor Me. Our final vote is next week, so we’ll see what happens!

  25. Hannah Mermelstein says

    December 4, 2018 at 11:44 am

    If we’re allowed to post on behalf of our Mock Newbery kids, our Mock Newbery group has 7 finalists. I did personally nominate 3 back in October, so I’ll give you our top 4:

    THE MISCALCULATIONS OF LIGHTNING GIRL
    GHOST BOYS
    FRONT DESK
    CHECKED

    (The other three are CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE, THE NIGHT DIARY, and JUST LIKE JACKIE.)

    • Roxanne Hsu Feldman says

      December 4, 2018 at 1:48 pm

      Thank you so much for the top 4… curious — what are the three other titles?

  26. Jean says

    December 4, 2018 at 1:29 pm

    Bob
    The Prince and the Dressmaker

  27. Jennifer Sauter-Price says

    December 4, 2018 at 2:00 pm

    I’ve never nomionated before, so I adding 7.

    The Season of Styx Malone
    Front Desk
    The Parker Inheritance
    The Night Diary
    Tight
    Dragons in a Bag
    The Length of a String

  28. Kelly Scaturro says

    December 4, 2018 at 3:12 pm

    Parker Inheritance
    Snow Lane

  29. Alejandro L says

    December 4, 2018 at 3:13 pm

    I nominate
    SMALL SPACES by Katherine Arden
    TRAITORS GAME by Jennifer Nielsen
    and
    BREAKOUT by Kate Messner

  30. Josiah says

    December 4, 2018 at 3:14 pm

    Cardboard kingdom was amazing it had several funny stories sad stories and I loved all of the characters
    I also enjoyed ghost boys it was really heart wrenching

  31. Reagan says

    December 4, 2018 at 3:15 pm

    Traitors Game
    Small Spaces

  32. Annelise says

    December 4, 2018 at 3:16 pm

    SMALL SPACES

    NO FIXED ADDRESS

  33. Ella says

    December 4, 2018 at 3:17 pm

    Traitors game
    Small spaces

  34. KameronC says

    December 4, 2018 at 3:18 pm

    1. Breakout
    2 The truth as told by Mason Buttle
    3. Rebound

  35. LandonM5545 says

    December 4, 2018 at 3:22 pm

    The Truth As Told By Mason Buttle
    Rebound
    Parker Inheritance

  36. Phyllis Davis says

    December 4, 2018 at 3:30 pm

    This is my first time nominating. I would like to nominate Harbor Me and The Seasons of Styx Malone. Since I did not vote during the last two nominating periods, I would also like to nominate them for the previous nominating periods.

  37. Angie says

    December 4, 2018 at 4:56 pm

    *The Season of Styx Malone
    *Sweep

  38. Carolyn says

    December 4, 2018 at 5:05 pm

    Hey Kiddo
    The Season of Styx Malone

  39. Katy says

    December 4, 2018 at 5:23 pm

    BREAKOUT by Kate Messner
    THE HEART AND MIND OF FRANCES PAULEY by April Stevens

  40. Kate McCue-Day says

    December 4, 2018 at 7:31 pm

    Bob ( too darn cute to resist)
    The Prophet Calls

  41. Christopher says

    December 4, 2018 at 10:55 pm

    I’m new! Here are my two selections:

    Amal Unbound
    Louisiana’s Way Home

  42. Melody Allen says

    December 5, 2018 at 12:08 pm

    Don’t have two at the moment. Lots more reading to do. I will sdd my name to Book of Boy as my one nomination.

  43. Leonard Kim says

    December 5, 2018 at 12:14 pm

    As in November, I’m going to nominate one in view of the Heavy Medal discussion list and one in the Newbery spirit of just getting it on the table.

    BREAKOUT – in previous comments, I mentioned the impressive homages and the intertwining of setting and character. I think it’s an overall really strong book.

    PHOTOGRAPHIC – I do think it’s a just a little pretentious, but in a way that I think is perfect for teens. It is arguably “too old” for the Newbery. This reminds me of ARE YOU AN ECHO?, one of my favorite books of 2016, in its approach to biography – integrating excellent writing, visuals, and the subject’s own work.

    Question – can one invoke previously published books in Nominations justifications? I know it’s not permitted in discussion, but this is a different part of the process.

    • Steven Engelfried says

      December 5, 2018 at 2:34 pm

      I don’t believe invoking previously published books in Nominations would be appropriate. The Newbery Manual states that “The written justifications serve as preparation for oral discussion at Midwinter and provide practice in stating clearly and succinctly your ideas about books that seem distinguished.” That seems to indicate that the written justifications and the oral discussions are part of the same process and should follow the same guidelines. When I was chair, I felt like I brought up the Terms and Criteria way so often that everyone was probably tired of it, but I think it’s most helpful if members keep those criteria in mind throughout the year and stick to them during the interactions with each other, which include the informal group discussion at the mid year Conference, the written nominations and justifications, and the final formal discussion at Midwinter.

  44. Evelyn Schwartz says

    December 5, 2018 at 2:16 pm

    Think I nominated a while ago, but here are my two:

    1) Bob – just discussed this with my Mock Newbery students. Loved the symbolism, voice, powerful message. The two author chapters worked for the different voices. I also really liked how it pulled up students who normally eschew fantasy, and gave my usual fantasy readers a nice dose of realistic heart. Also, it was pitched perfectly to make some of my more reluctant readers eager to participate, which in my view, really helps make it a great read for the entire Newbery age range.
    2) Prince and the Dressmaker – just read it and LOOOOOOVED. Also, would this be the first time a graphic novel has been chosen for a Newbery award?

    • Steven Engelfried says

      December 5, 2018 at 2:20 pm

      We’ve had graphic novels get Newbery Honors; ROLLER GIRL (2017) and EL DEAFO (2016). But no Newbery Medals for graphic novels yet…

  45. Frances says

    December 5, 2018 at 5:44 pm

    Orphan Band of Springdale? It’s not a book with a hook–that is, you can’t summarize it quickly and have children holding out their hands to grab it. But it’s awfully good–

  46. Lisa Hobbs says

    December 5, 2018 at 9:30 pm

    Merci Suarez Changes Gears and The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl

  47. Kathi Appelt says

    December 6, 2018 at 11:05 am

    My choices:
    JOURNEY OF THE PALE BEAR, Susan Fletcher
    PARKER INHERITANCE, Varian Johnson
    FRONT DESK, Kelly Yang
    DEAR SISTER, Alison McGhee

    • Roxanne Hsu Feldman says

      December 6, 2018 at 2:09 pm

      I love Susan Fletcher’s work! Alas, she’s British, thus ineligible.

      • Steven Engelfried says

        December 6, 2018 at 6:43 pm

        Actually there are two authors named Susan Fletcher. The author of JOURNEY OF THE PALE BEAR lives right here in Oregon. She also wrote the DRAGON KYN series, ALPHABET OF DREAMS, and other books. So JOURNEY OF THE PALE BEAR is Newbery eligible.

  48. Sue says

    December 6, 2018 at 1:37 pm

    It was difficult to choose, but I nominate SWEEP and THE ADVENTURES OF A GIRL CALLED BICYCLE.

  49. Alys says

    December 6, 2018 at 1:44 pm

    SWEEP

    I’ll have to come back for my second nomination this round, I just can’t choose.

  50. Susan N. says

    December 6, 2018 at 3:44 pm

    Merci Suarez Changes Gears– Meg Medina
    Drum Roll, Please– Lisa Jen Bigelow

  51. Margaret Capobianco says

    December 6, 2018 at 8:39 pm

    Hello, this is my first time nominating:
    Stella Diaz Has Something to Say by Angela Dominguez
    Front Desk by Kelly Yang
    The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani
    The Season of Styx Malone by Kelda Magoon
    The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty
    Harbor me by Jacqueline Woodson
    The Park Inheritance by Varian Johnson

  52. Wendy says

    December 7, 2018 at 1:18 pm

    I am in the same fix I was last time–waiting until the last minute because I cannot choose between two books! So I am going to be strategic with my last two nominations and give them both to books that have received other nominations but not yet been mentioned on the blog, in hopes that they will merit some attention.

    The Mad Wolf’s Daughter
    The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair

  53. Mary Zdrojewski says

    December 7, 2018 at 1:37 pm

    The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge (this title is a nightmare for poor spellers)
    Hey Kiddo

  54. Katrina says

    December 7, 2018 at 2:35 pm

    Snow Lane
    Assassination of Brangwain Spurge

  55. Roxanne Hsu Feldman says

    December 7, 2018 at 11:58 pm

    We are ALL DONE! Thanks for the nominations!!!

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