If You Had to Pick a Pair: Share your top 2 Newbery contenders so far
It’s finally time to talk about books! We’ve been gathering suggestions on Heavy Medal for several months, but in that process we only ask readers to list titles and authors, putting off real discussion until the fall. For the next few months, though, we get to start discussing some of those books in earnest. And since this is a Mock Newbery blog, our goal is to identify the “most distinguished children book of the year,” using the Newbery Terms and Criteria as our guide.
To get started, I picked the two books that are near the top of my list so far (at least for today). I’m having trouble identifying a fiction front-runner: I’m torn between several excellent novels. So I’ve got one nonfiction and one picture book for now:
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HOW TO BUILD A HUMAN IN SEVEN EVOLUTIONARY STEPS by Pamela S. Turner
I’ve enjoyed several of this author’s previous books (she has a few in the excellent “Scientists in the Field” series), but was surprised by the approach she took with the topic of evolution. She utilizes humor to explore a complex subject and I think it works very well. The funny stuff includes chapter titles (“We Start Talking (and Never Shut Up)” (77)), footnotes (the “first swear word” (30)), and a consistently playful tone:
Neanderthals were shorter but sturdier and stronger, while we were taller and skinnier. In a hand-to-hand fight, you’d bet on the Neanderthal. But hey, we could outrun them.
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The humor is almost always used in service of the facts. She’s not trying to crack jokes for laughs, but rather purposefully engaging readers with references that relate to the ideas and concepts. Behind the informal approach, though, there’s a creative and carefully constructed presentation of information.
In the chapter called “We Get Swelled Heads,” for example, she states that “Large brains are costly” (35). Such an interesting way to lead into the concept of brain size…and one that will stick in the minds of readers. Then she builds on that statement. Readers learn that large brains are smarter, that they need nourishment, and that brains size is crucially linked withy food, tools, and climate. Later, she reminds us about the “large brains” concept during a discussion on digestion (66).
She uses surprising analogies that catch your attention and make sense (brain size and coffee in a blender (37)). And she’s great at identifying seemingly minor (but memorable) facts and tying them into the big ideas. Who knew that pointing was such an important skill?:
Let’s imagine there’s a herd of wild cattle nearby and I want to indicate which animal I think we should pursue. It’s limping and hopefully will be the easiest one to catch. What do I do?
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I point.
Revolutionary, right? I can see your eyes rolling from here.
Pointing is actually a big deal…”
And that leads into a fascinating exploration of communication, teaching, learning, and survival.
Not all of the funny bits worked for me…maybe a few too many Star Wars references? But still, I never felt like the humor distracted or detracted from the fresh, creative, and very effective science book.. I give it high marks for “appropriateness of style”: it’s well executed and successfully enhances the “presentation of information” which is so important in nonfiction.
BIG AND SMALL AND IN-BETWEEN by Carter Higgins
This is a creative and poetic exploration of size, perspective, and imagination. A short table of contents (a nice novelty in a picture book) lets us know what kinds of things we’ll be looking at: “Big Things,” then “In-Between Things,” then “Small Things,” and finally: “Everything.” The examples are sometimes whimsical, sometimes more serious, and just about always make you stop and think for a moment. A couple of examples from “Big Things”:
The TROPHY you got for the jump-rope contest because your feet remembered the pattern.
You imagine the the trophy is big in terms of physical size. But the words also hint at the big-ness of the accomplishment of winning a contest. As well as the big effort it took to prepare for it. That’s followed by a more poignant one:
THOSE KIDS on the playground when you want to use the seesaw and so you swing instead.
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Again, the kids are physically bigger than the kid on the swing, but in this case, size equals power, and it has a negative effect on your playground experience. These are layered meanings that are accessible to the younger readers (and listeners, since it’s also meant to be read aloud), which is a pretty tricky thing to accomplish.
Excellence in “interpretation of the theme” is also evident. The individual examples work together to celebrate the themes of perspective, curiosity, and imagination. Each of the first three chapters ends with a different outlook on the repeated elements of castle, hole, and ocean, which adds to that collective unity. The last chapter brings it together even more. It’s called “Everything,” but it’s very short:
The bluest SKY. The bittiest BUG. And you in the middle of it all.
That reminds the reader that it’s not the specific things that matter, it’s the person who sees them and thinks about them. This might not resonate with everyone, but I see it as an excellent example of doing a whole lot with very few words, as the best picture books can sometimes do.
Though I rate both of these books highly, I’m guessing they won’t be #1 and #2 for many (any?) others. Please share your own top 2 (so far) in the comments below, and feel free to delineate some of the reasons that they’re currently at the top of your list…
Filed under: Book Discussion
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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Top Two Picks so Far:
1. THe Patron Thief of Bread, by Lindsay Eagar. Plot, setting and characterization are immersive and very strong. Duck begins as quiet and struggles with feelings of inadequacy, but throughout the book, she finds her voice and, through the growing relationship with Griselde, and the discovery of her own baking talents, Duck grows more confident and helps other characters through her journey. The subplot with the gargoyle is strong as well, showing a character who feels trapped and useless. He gradually discovers his purpose even as Eagar employs a surly voice for his character, thus imphasizing irony and foreshadowing. It’s a tightly woven and strong story that might have a chance of being considered.
2. A Duet for Home, by Karina Yan Glaser. This book is well-written, has a strong setting and excellent characters. Presentation of theme is great as well as the protagonists find a home in an unexpected place. Like The Patron Thief of Bread, Glaser has written a cohesive and engaging story about a subject that is not often addressed.
I truly think these two books deserve more consideration.
Easy peasy!
#1: The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat – And not simply because there’s a childish part of my brain that truly believes that the world would be a better place if the Newbery winner The LAST Cuentista was followed by a LAST Mapmaker. The book truly is a bit of a masterpiece. Soontornvat never wastes a single word. With remarkable precision she synthesizes her world building concisely, leaving room for rip-roaring adventure, character development, and some pretty amazing anti-colonial themes. After reading some fairly bloated fantasies this year, her book was a balm.
#2: Marshmallow Clouds by Ted Kooser and Connie Wanek – When was the last time a work of pure poetry won a Newbery? Months and months and months after reading this book the actual feel of the poems remains with me. Languid lovely language just infuses this title. I know a lot of considerations go into choosing the most “distinguished” books in a given year, but boy I wish there was room for this. Because as language itself goes, none can beat it.
Just got my copy of MARSHMALLOW CLOUDS (which I placed on hold after seeing it on Betsy’s “Summer Predictions” post on Fuse 8) and am also excited about this one. The metaphors and imagery are so creative, but also right at the level where kids can totally get their meanings.
Don’t forget LAST Stop on Market Street!
So far my top two picks are
1. I Must Betray You by Rita Sepetys I think this is a very strong great historical fiction. I learned a lot about Romania that I didn’t know before. As much as I love this book I think it’s a bit above Newbery age. Parts of it get intense. I know in the past some books generated Newbery buzz but ended up winning the Printz. I’d love it to win Newbery but I see it as more likely to win the Printz.
2. The last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvant. I thought this was another fantastic Thailand inspired fantasy from Christina. It was entertaining right from the start. Just as it was getting predictable it turned and surprised me. Though no book has jumped out at me as that will win Newbery Last Mapmaker is my second favorite book of the Year and top choice for what I think could win.
I feel like I MUST BETRAY YOU fits with Newbery just fine. I don’t have the book in front of me, but remember thinking that the descriptions of violence were effective and sobering, but not sensationalized or overdone. It seemed like she wrote it with that 12-18 audience in mind, rather than 14-18. She really did convey that time and place very well and almost effortlessly, without the sometimes ponderous background that slips into some historical fiction. And the story is pretty gripping…
HEALER AND WITCH – so I actually like the “bloated” fantasies I read this year, but I get it. This one isn’t bloated. It is also a welcome example of an “older” book (protagonist is 15) where I think there should be no concern about Newbery age-appropriateness. I was talking about this book with Katrina on Goodreads and she noted that YA “has turned into a genre with certain expectations rather than just an age category.” And because of this, books like HEALER AND WITCH and previous Newbery-recognized books like Princess Academy (protagonist age 14) and Hattie Big Sky (protagonist age 16) fall into a kind of limbo. I noted that these books are all thematically about teenagers figuring out what their adult life will be. I wrote, “my 13-year-old YA-reading daughter would definitely consider all of these too “young”. . . That is ironic because these ‘MG’ books really are more about getting down to the business of being an adult without having the luxury of extended navel-gazing that modern YA feels like to me.”
AND WE RISE – another older one. I previously commented I did not finish AFRICAN TOWN, but I thought this was searing, and I think I am relatively tough on verse/poetry.
I agree that HEALER AND WITCH is more kids’ than ya. Though she’s older, and does have a marriage proposal and all, I thought that Sylvie’s most important development was coming to terms with her powers and how to use them. Also I think the much younger Martin plays a pretty big role, which also speaks to that younger audience. The title character in SOLIMAR is almost the same age and also dealing with new powers, and that book feels even younger.
So many books I haven’t read yet. I just ordered Windswept, which I’m very excited to read. Also, I hope to somehow obtain a copy of Marshmallow Clouds, although it’s not available in audio format. I agree about I must Betray You. The Last Mapmaker is good, too. Such hard decisions!
1. Endlessly Every After by Laurel Snyder. This is kind of a wacky pick but I think it’s distinguished. It’s a significant achievement to breathe new life into both the choose-your-own-adventure story and classic fairy tales. The rhyming text is excellent to read aloud, really fun and cheeky in tone. It also invites the reader to come back to the book again and again to trace different paths through the story. The book obviously has multiple plots and each one has arcs and surprises. There is never an obvious answer when the reader has a choice to make, respecting children’s understandings, abilities, and appreciations. Do I think this will win? Not really. Nevertheless I think it deserves recognition.
2. Another vote for The Last Mapmaker! I agree with everything Betsy said about it. Which is funny because I’m not a fan of Marshmallow Clouds. I think poetry collections rarely win Newbery recognition because they’re usually uneven with some excellent poems and some unremarkable ones. It makes it hard to build consensus. Like it’s unbelievable to me that poets like Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein never got Newbery recognition.
I love the “wacky pick” of ENDLESSLY EVER AFTER. Well, I don’t love the book…I never did get the appeal of choose-your-own-adventure and kind lost patience with this one after a handful of choices…But probably should have looked more closely. It would be a fun exercise to look at how Snyder makes use of that distinct form in terms of plot, style, and theme. And also, as Destinee points out, respect for that child audience (which does not include impatient retired librarians like me…)
Endlessly Ever After felt like a pick for the Caldecott. One of the strengths of that book is the illustration and the use of page turns. Turning the page the illustration often told me what happened before I even read the text. I thought I could make a stronger argument for Caldecott. I do think it deserves recognition, but maybe not Newbery.
At this point, I would go with How to Build a Human and My Own Lightning as my top reads.
How to Build a Human was a thoroughly engaging read. I put off reading it for a while because the topic of science holds little interest to me, but Turner entertains as she enlightens, and I found myself reading multiple chapters at a time with ease and anticipation. I wish this had come out a decade ago so that I could have read it aloud to my kids.
My Own Lightning is a charming read, though, admittedly, I am partial to Lauren Wolk’s luminous prose. Her world-building is so complete that I always find myself drawn into her stories, as if I’m right there with the characters. In the Mock Newbery group on Goodreads, this novel has received ambivalent praise, mostly due to concerns about how independent it is as a sequel to Wolf Hollow. I did read that first book back when it came out but decided not to reread it before tackling MOL, and I personally did not find the missing backstory details to hinder its forward motion, but maybe that’s because I’m biased.
I also didn’t re-read WOLF HOLLOW, and really didn’t remember it too well (it’s already been 6 years!). I think MY OWN LIGHTNING still works, but I can see that this could be a concern. We don’t get the details and the build up of what happened in the first book, but we do know something big and bad happened, that Andy was a part of it, but more of a follower than a leader. Since Annabelle’s forgiveness is such a bit part of LIGHTNING, I’d guess that people who read the first book (and remember it) might get what a big challenge that would be for her. This is a great example of how a re-read can help, since you can be extra alert for what the author does to address specific areas like this one, without getting caught up in the story (as I was the first time through…)
I would say my top two right now are LOVE IN THE LIBRARY by Maggie Tokuda-Hall (and I’m a staunch believer that picture books should not win the Newbery so that says something) and HAS ANYBODY SEEN FRENCHIE by Leslie Connor.
It’s always noteworthy when we really connect with a book that’s outside our typical range of favorites, as Dana does with a picture book and Beth with science. I just today finished AVIVA VS THE DYBUKK, and books where a parent has died and the other parent and child are grieving don’t always draw me. That sounds really insensitive, I know, but I think I’ve just read too many of them. AVIVA was very different: great characterizations, well realized setting, especially of the larger community, and a pretty gripping plot.
How to Build a Human is my top choice. There is so much information, but it is accessible to kids.
Maizy Chen’s Last Chance would have to be my other vote. The different layers of this book and how it’s all connected stood out to me. I also think that length-wise, the writing was perfect. There are some other books that I really enjoyed, but I felt the author added too much and it bogged down the story.
Top Picks:
AFRICAN TOWN by Latham and Waters: I read this book over a month ago, and I am still thinking about it! I did not know the history of the last slave ship to arrive in America. The settings, characters and plot are all vivid and haunting. The author uses different poetry forms/styles for each character, and you get the viewpoint of slave, slaveowners, and the ship, Clotilda. (The narrative style reminded me of Amber & Clay from last year.)
THOSE KIDS FROM FAWN CREEK by Erin Entrada Kelly: This book has strong, interesting characters, exceptional writing and a vivid setting. I love reading character studies so maybe I am biased on this one.
It looks like AFRICA TOWN may be another book that gets strong opinions from both sides. I thought the history was fascinating, but the varied styles, multiple characters seemed to require a lot of hard work on the reader’s part. This will be a good one for deeper discussion soon…
The Passport Project needs to also be part of this conversation. It is a true story of a family that took their two children out of school to travel around the world. It’s funny and personal and informative and interesting and incredibly well written. The book contains maps the photographs of the real family who took this amazing adventure.
Two picks:
THOSE KIDS FROM FAWN CREEK by Erin Entrada Kelly. Despite its dipping into overly familiar waters, Kelly’s writing is sharp and fresh, with an unapologetic denouement. Particularly appealing is its lack of didacticism, which I fear is becoming a steadfast quality in children’s lit these days
THE VISITORS by Greg Howard. A spooky, riveting book that parallels queerness with the spirit world. Atmospheric and unflinching, the capturing of time and place is remarkable. And the ending. Whew.