Heavy Medal, Mock Newbery, Award – Nominations Tally
After two rounds of nomination, we have 18 titles that are top contenders (4 nominations or more by 59 Heavy Medal readers). The top six titles remain the same, while This Promise of Change, Genesis Begins Again, The Bridge Home and To Night Owl from Dogfish have gained greater momentum than others. Sal & Gabi, Eventown, and A Place to Belong did not pick up additional nominations. Out of the top 19 titles listed below, only one (This Promise of Change) is nonfiction. Given the fact that 1919 The Year That Changed America just won the National Book Award for young readers and that Torpedoed has garnered much praise, I wonder whether the numbers for these two will change drastically during our December nomination round – 12/9 to 12/13.
The full nominations list could serve as inspiration of reading choices for the next three weeks. For example, I have a copy of Infinite Hope (one nomination in November) and can’t wait to read it. It could also help Heavy Medal readers to strategize: if a title you love seems already secure as a contender, would you “waste” a nomination on it or find another title that might be on the cusp of being included? (In the Real Newbery Process, you don’t have to worry about this since even a single nomination would ensure a full discussion at the Midwinter Conference.) To see the detailed nomination tally, please CLICK ON THIS LINK.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
20 | New Kid |
16 | Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise |
14 | Queen of the Sea |
12 | Line Tender |
11 | Pay Attention, Carter Jones |
9 | Lalani of the Distant Sea |
7 | This Promise of Change |
6 | Sal & Gabi Break the Universe |
6 | Other Words for Home |
6 | Genesis Begins Again |
6 | The Bridge Home |
5 | To Night Owl from Dogfish |
5 | Eventown |
4 | Sweeping Up the Heart |
4 | Beverly, Right Here |
4 | Pet |
4 | Look Both Ways |
4 | Planet Earth is Blue |
4 | A Place to Belong |
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
SLJ Blog Network
How to Do Just About Everything in 2025
Good Golden Sun: A Conversation with Brendan Wenzel
MegaGhost Vol. 1 | Review
When Book Bans are a Form of Discrimination, What is the Path to Justice?
The Necessity for Marginalized Stories Today and Always, a guest post by Wahab Algarmi
ADVERTISEMENT
In the full list, some of the ones that have 1 vote seem like they should have more? Like Scary stories for young foxes had at least 2 just in this round (me and DaNae).
Also, thunderhead is listed, but I assume that’s supposed to be Toll?
Becky nominated Thunderhead in October — and never got back to me whether she meant The Toll. It was before the actual publication date so I’m not sure that she meant The Toll. If so, The Toll would have received 3 nominations 🙂
The list seems to take you to the tally from the first round of voting not the second.
You’re right. It’s now updated and reflecting the current nominations.
That’s because the linked document is an old one. It’s now corrected and reflecting the current counts.
Thanks!
I was not sure that DaNae was actually nominating Scary Stories for Young Foxes and not just responding to your appreciation of the book. It has two votes: yours and Steven’s. If she didn’t nominate it, I’ll change the total to 3.
I would love to push for people to consider TRISTAN STRONG PUNCHES A HOLE IN THE SKY by Kwame Mbalia. It is so funny, fun, and heartfelt. Lots of action, and lots of great fully fleshed characters.
Sorry I wasn’t clear. My nominations were.
Foxes and Undefeated