Newbery Nominations – 1st Round in October

(updated: Sunday, November 3rd)
The October Nominations is closed. Tallies will be posted Monday, November 4th, and next round of 2 nominations will start in mid November.
In October, the real Newbery Committee members submit their first nominations. Here at Heavy Medal, we try to simulate the process without overburdening our readers. Instead of writing justifying paragraphs for each of your nomination, all our readers have to do is list three eligible titles — keeping in mind that you will have the opportunity to nominate four more titles – 2 in November and 2 in December.
For strategies or consideration, you might want to read this post from a couple of years ago.
In the real Newbery work, only titles officially nominated by committee members would be discussed at ALA Midwinter conference where the winner and honor titles are determined each year. If all 15 members nominate the same 7 titles, there would be just seven books to be considered. If they all nominate different titles, no overlapping, then the highest possible number of books “on the table” is 105 (7 x 15.) . The reality is that quite a few titles would be nominated by multiple members so usually there are a few dozen titles to receive close examination in the closed-door meetings.
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At this time, we invite all readers to nominate three titles. Just a list of Title and Author’s last name would do.
Here are my October nominations:
New Kid by Craft
A Place to Belong by Kodahata
Sweeping Up the Heart by Henkes
We look forward to seeing your nominations.
Filed under: Process

About Roxanne Hsu Feldman
Roxanne Hsu Feldman is the Middle School (4th to 8th grade) Librarian at the Dalton School in New York City. She served on the 2002 and 2013 Newbery Committees. Roxanne was also a member of 2008-2009 Notable Books for Children, 2015 Best Fiction for Young Adults, and the 2017 Odyssey Award Committees. In 2016 Roxanne was one of the three judges for the Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards. You can reach her at at roxannefeldman@gmail.com.
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THIS PROMISE OF CHANGE by Boyce
SAL AND GABI BREAK THE UNIVERSE by Hernandez
QUEEN OF THE SEA by Meconis
Please note that Debbie Levy is the author, along with Jo Ann Allen Boyce, of This Promise of Change. Levy is an accomplished poet who tells the story of Boyce’s bravery.
PAY ATTENTION CARTER JONES by Gary D. Schmidt
BORN TO FLY by Steve Sheinkin
OTHER WORDS FOR HOME by Jasmine Warga
Nominations
1. This Promise of Change by Jo Ann Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy
2. New Kid by Jerry Craft
3. To Night Owl from Dogfish by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer
LALANI OF THE DISTANT SEA by Erin Entrada Kelly
MUMMIES EXPOSED by Kerrie Logan Hollihan
SCARY STORIES FOR YOUNG FOXES by Christian McKay Heidicker
(Interesting that with the first four sets of nominations we’ve got 12 titles with 1 each…)
Actually — This Promise of Change is nominated twice and if you count mine (5) then New Kid has two, too!
I was counting yours, Roxanne, but hadn’t seen Kate’s yet. But also I think I’m just so clueless myself about what the front-runners are this year that I’m expecting a wide variety in the nominations….
A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Ramee
New Kid by Jerry Craft
Genesis Begins Again- Williams
The Line Tender by Kate Allen
Pay Attention, Carter Jones by Gary Schmidt
New Kid by Jerry Craft
Voices: the final hours of Joan of Arc, David Elliot
Pay Attention, Carter Jones, Gary Schmidt
Queen of the sea, Dylan Meconis
The Line Tender by ALLEN
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by GEMEINHART
Queen of the Sea by MECONIS
1. Pay Attention, Carter Jones, Gary Schmidt
2. Born to Fly, Steve Sheinkin
3. New Kid, Jerry Craft
1. Lalani of the Distant Sea by Erin Entrada Kelly
2. Sal & Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez
3. All the Greys on Greene Street by Laura Tucker
1. This Promise of Change by Jo Ann Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy
2. The Last-Last Day of Summer by Lamar Giles
3. A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Ramee
I did the hyphens wrong! The Last Last-Day-of-Summer. Sorry!
Sweeping Up the Heart by Kevin Henkes
Beverly, Right Here by Kate DiCamillo
The True History of Lyndie B. Hawkins by Gail Shepherd
SAL AND GABI BREAK THE UNIVERSE by Hernandez
PET by Emezi
ON THE COME UP by Thomas
1. Lalani of the Distant Sea, Kelly.
2. Eventown, Haydu
3. Look Both Ways: A Story Told in Ten Blocks, Reynolds.
Planet Earth is Blue -Panteleakos
Genesis Begins Again- Williams
Dig. King (longshot because it skews older but it’s a well executed look at broken families and white privilege.)
The Line Tender, Allen
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, Gemeinhart
The New Kid, Craft
MY JASPER JUNE, Snyder
THE MIRACULOUS, Redman
BEVERLY, RIGHT HERE, DiCamillo
Leilani of the Distant Sea Estrada
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, Gemeinhart
Strangers Haddix
Look Both Ways by Reynolds
The New Kid by Craft
Other Words for Home by Warga
Place to Land: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Speech that Inspired a Nation by Barry Wittenstein
Simple Art of Flying by Cory Leonardo
Sweeping Up the Heart by Kevin Henkes
Eventown by Corey Ann Haydu
New Kid by Jerry Craft
Lalani of the Distant Sea by Erin Entrada Kelly
Lalani of the Distant Sea—Erin Entrada Kelly
New Kid—Jerry Craft
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise—Dan Gemeinhart
The Lost Girl by Anne Ursu
For Black Girls Like Me by Mariama Lockington
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart
1. NEW KID by Craft
2. THE BRIDGE HOME by Venkatraman
3. THE BELL RANG by Ransome
NEW KID by Craft
LOST GIRL by Ursu
LAST LAST DAY OF SUMMER by Giles
Lalani of the Distant Sea by Erin Entrada Kelly
Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds
New Kid by Jerry Craft
The Line Tender by Kate Allen
River by Elisha Cooper
Pay Attention, Carter Jones by Gary Schmidt
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Gemeinhart
New Kid by Craft
Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Hernandez
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Gemeinhart
New Kid by Craft
The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James by Ashley Herring Blake
Sal and Gabi Break the Universe (Hernandez)
Pay Attentino, Carter Jones (Schmidt)
Other Words for Home (Warga)
1. Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
2. New Kid by Jerry Craft
3. Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis
The Line Tender by Kate Allen
The Bridge Home by T. V. Padma
Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams
1. The Simple Art of Flying by Cory Leonardo
2. The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart
3. Eventown by Corey Ann Haydu
1. Pay Attention, Carter Jones by Gary Schmidt
2. A Place to Belong by Cynthia Kadohata
3. Butterfly Yellow by Thanhha Lai
Changeling (The Oddmire #1) by William Ritter
Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga
The Miraculous by Jess Redman
Queen of the Sea
Pay Attention Carter Jones
Thunderhead
Just realized — Thunderhead is not eligible (2018 publication) — are you nominating The Toll?
New Kid – Jerry Craft
The Line Tender – Kate Allen
Beverly, Right Here – Kate DiCamillo
The Line Tender by Kate Allen
Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis
Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly
This Promise of Change (Levi and Boyce)
The Line Tender (Allen)
Queen of the Sea (Meconis)
Strange Birds by Celia C. Perez
A Place to Belong by Cynthia Kadohata
The Hunt for the Mad Wolf’s Daughter by Diane Magras
Planet Earth is Blue
Line Tender
Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise
Queen of the Sea
New Kid
Sal and Gabi Break the Universe
The Next Great Paulie Fink / Ali Benjamin
Queen of the Sea / Dylan Meconis
The Tornado / Jake Burt
The October Nominations deadline is end of Saturday, November 2nd. We will tally and post the results soon. Thank you for those who have already made your nominations — and keep them coming!
This is tough. I have 5 already and more good ideas from all of you!
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Gemeinhart
Eventown by Haydu
The Bridge Home by Venkatraman
From the Post Oak Newbs:
Planet Earth is Blue by Panteleakos
A Place to Belong by Kadohata
To Night Owl from Dogfish by Sloan
Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga
Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart
Genesis Begins Again by Alicia Williams
I always like to wait until I have read all of the main contenders on the nomination lists on Heavy medal before I comment on any. I have three to go…..and then I will join the discussion.
For now, here are three that I find distinguished
EVENTOWN
QUEEN OF THE SEA
HOW HIGH THE MOON
Line Tender – Kate Allen
Pet – Akwaeke Emezi
New Kid – Jerry Craft