Adding to the Mock Newbery List: Submit your August suggestions

We’re just over a month away from launching our 2023 Mock Newbery discussion on Heavy Medal. Until then, we’ll continue to build our reading list by asking for suggestions of possible contenders. We limit suggestions to five per month and only included books that have already been published. More information about how suggestions work can be found on this post from earlier this year. You can check this post for the list of suggestions so far; it’s fine to suggest titles that are already on the list.
My Newbery reading was derailed a bit this past month by Lloyd Alexander and Phillip Pullman. I started listening to audiobooks while walking my dog, and decided to redo some favorite fantasy series. Even though I’ve re-read the Prydain books many times, I still got so caught up in the audiobooks (read by James Langton) that I had to listen during non-dog-walk times as well. Then I started His Dark Materials (narrated by the author, with a full-cast performance) and the same thing happened. Lunchtime, before bed, lazy afternoons…no time for new books! I think I have it under control now, and am slowing down the listening (even though Lyra has now met Will and the alethiometer has just been stolen!) so that I can re-apportion my reading time back to 2022 titles. I ended up with some excellent suggestions, which I’ll add in the comments below soon (I have one that I still need to finish). We invite all readers to submit your August suggestions as well between now and Saturday, August 6th. We’ll share the updated list on August 8th.
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Filed under: Suggestions

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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OSMO UNKNOWN AND THE EIGHTPENNY WOODS by Valente
Probably not a serious candidate, but advocates of THE OGRESS AND THE ORPHANS would do well to look at this one too. It is also a fantasy born of pandemic-fueled feelings of isolation and longing for connection and wondering how society came to this pass. Like OGRESS, it is written in highly distinct style (which may not be to everyone’s taste.)
Alias Anna by Susan Hood
Solimar by Pam Munoz Ryan
*My Own Lightning
*How to Build a Human in Seven Evolutionary Steps
*Omar Rising
*Cornbread & Poppy by Matthew Cordell (reminiscent of Frog & Toad)
*Maizy Chen’s Last Chance
I just finished listening to the recordings of His Dark Materials earlier this year and loved them! I also enjoyed the recordings of the Prydain Chronicles a few years ago – Langton does a great job of bringing out the humor and camaraderie among the main characters in the books.
*My Own Lightning
*How to Build a Human in Seven Evolutionary Steps
*Omar Rising
*Cornbread & Poppy by Matthew Cordell (reminiscent of Frog & Toad books)
*Maizy Chen’s Last Chance
My five for August:
DUET FOR HOME by Karina Yan Glaser
LITTLE MONARCHS by Jonathan Case
TURTLE OF MICHIGAN by Naomi Shihab Nye
WHEN WINTER ROBESON CAME by Brenda Woods
THE WOMAN WHO SPLIT THE ATOM by Marissa Moss
Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone By Tae Keller
My Owl Lightning by Laurn Wolk
Beauty Woke by NoNieqa Ramos
Moonwalking by Zetta Elliott (don’t let the cover fool you)
Aviva vs. the Dybbuk by Mari Lowe
Wishing Upon the Same Stars by Jacquetta Nammar Feldman
And We Rise by Erica Martin
The Patron Thief of Bread by Lindsay Eagar
Hummingbird, by Natalie Lloyd.
I love audiobooks with full-cast narrations! Thank you for the recommendations. I recommend the full-cast reading of Charlotte’s Web.
HEALER AND WITCH by Werlin
Unlike OSMO and OGRESS, this fantasy feels like it could’ve been written without the pandemic. It’s more like Book of Boy in that it’s set in the historical past but a version where the magic people believed in is real. The writing is less showy (which some might prefer) compared to those other fantasies, but, where most novels would be thrilled to have one mic drop climax, this one has at least three.
Jennifer Chan is not alone- Keller
And we rise- martin
Solimar- Ryan
When Winter Robeson Came to Town- Woods
Gardener of Alcatraz- Smith