What Do We Read Next? – Add Your Newbery Picks to the List

It’s August Suggestions Week on Heavy Medal. Between now and August 12th, let us know about the children’s book you’ve read that could be contenders for the 2020 Newbery Medal. Remember that eligible titles must be written by an American (citizen or resident) for child readers between 0 and 14 and published in the US in 2019. We’re not looking for surefire Newbery favorites (there’s no such thing), but for books which should at least be in the conversation as we look at the year’s most distinguished writing for children. If a book you recommend is already on our cumulated list, that’s fine. We’ll update that list shortly after August 12th. Please add up to five Suggestions in the comments below. Just title and author for now; we’ll kick off in-depth discussions in early September.
You can see the list of all titles
Filed under: Process

About Steven Engelfried
Steven Engelfried retired from full-time library work a couple years ago and now works as a part-time Youth Librarian at the West Linn Public Library in Oregon. 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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QUEEN OF THE SEA, by Meconis
For Black Girls Like Me by Mariama J Lockington
Free Lunch by Rex Ogle
Maybe He Just Likes You by Barbara Dee
Some Places More Than Others by Rene Watson
One thing I forgot to add about Suggestions: We can only suggest titles that have been published already. It’s so tempting to add great books to the list as soon as we read them, but for the purposes of this blog, we want all readers to have access to the recommended titles. And not all of us receive advance reader copies. (I’m not sure how other Newbery Committees handle it, but when I was chair we followed this same limit).
The Bridge Home
All the Greys on Greene Street
Pie in the Sky
I loved Pie in the Sky, but the author is an Indonesian national who lives in Australia. I couldn’t find a US connection
To Night Owl from Dogfish
A Place to Belong
Song for a Whale
Right as Rain, by Lindsey Stoddard.
For Black Girls Like Me by Mariama Lockington
The True History of Lyndie B. Hawkins by Gail Shepherd
Planet Earth is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos
THIS PROMISE OF CHANGE by Jo Ann Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy
I finally have some things to recommend!
Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga
We’re Not From Here by Geoff Rodkey
The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander
Queen of the sea
Spy runner
New Kid Craft
Eventown Haydu
Lost Girl Ursu
To Night Owl from Dogfish Sloan & Wolitzer
Sal and Gabi Break the Universe Hernandez
Queen of the Sea Meconis
Line Tender Allen
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise Gemeinhart
THE TREE AND ME by Deborah Zemke
To Night Owl from Dogfish
The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James
New Kid
For Black Girls Like Me by Mariama Lockington
The True History of Lyndie B. Hawkins by Gail Shepherd
Planet Earth is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos
Just read a beautiful one I must recommend:
Other Words for Home, by Jasmine Warga.
We’re Not From Here by Geoff Rodkey
Sal and Gabby Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez
Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly
Planet Earth is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos
🤚🏼Queen of the Sea
🤚🏼Dogfish & owl
Place to call Home
Opp, OTHER WORDS FOR HOME
How High the Moon by Karyn Parsons
A Place to Belong by Cynthia Kadohata
Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis