Newbery Criteria Deep Dive: Delineation of Characters
Let’s switch things up a bit in todays post. Steven and I are going to look at this years books under different criteria and today we start with delineation of characters.
EMILY: First I want to break down what delineation of characters means. Merriam Webster says delineation is the action of describing or portraying something precisely. And characters is one of the persons of a drama or novel. Something else I try to remember I’d that we are looking at main AND supporting characters. Any other thoughts of delineation of characters Steven? And what book (s) did the best with main characters this year?
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STEVEN: I always think it’s interesting how quickly some authors can establish a character. Like Aurora in ANYBODY HERE SEEN FRENCHIE?. We get a feel for her exuberance and her strong sense of self from the start. That can be such a strength in a children’s book, where you need to engage a young reader pretty early. At the same time, I really appreciate characters who develop more slowly. Mallory in JENNIFER CHAN IS MISSING is kind of an elusive narrator, not letting us know everything about herself, and that works perfectly with the plot. The main characters in DUET FOR HOME and IN THE KEY OF US change mostly because of their interactions with each other.
EMILY: When I look at main characters, MY OWN LIGHTNING COMES to mind the most. I didn’t even read the first book with those characters but I still felt very attached to Annabelle and Andy. I really admired the recurring theme of “nobody Is perfect.”
On the opposite end, I did not “like” any of the characters in JENNIFER CHAN IS NOT ALONE and I think that in itself speaks to the realism of their characters.
Steven, what about secondary characterization. Any titles do a particularly good job for you?
STEVEN: THE LAST MAPMAKER had some interesting character dynamics. We see everything from Sai’s point of view, and she initially misjudges most of the other people she interacts with. Readers might even see them a little clearer than she does. There’s just enough there for readers to sense that Paiyoon is kinder and more aware than Sai thinks, for example, and that Miss Rian might not be trustworthy, but the way we discover the full truth about the supporting characters, along with Sai, is very effective.
EMILY: I think OGRESS AND THE ORPHANS had excellent secondary characterization especially with the rotating narratives. The ogress, the orphans (individually and as a whole), the townspeople (individually and as a whole), the “mayor”, the crows (individually and as a whole)- each grew throughout the novel. And I can’t name another book where I classify so many character groups as individually and a whole. That’s powerful!
Okay Steven, any final thoughts when looking at delineation of characters?
STEVEN: I always have to remind myself that it’s “delineation of…” and not just “characters.” It’s pretty easy, as a reader, to say: “I loved this character” or “that one didn’t ring true,” but those don’t really get you anywhere in a Newbery discussion. We have to identify the ways in which the author “described or portrayed…” Was it the narrative voice? The actions of the character? Descriptions of character traits? Harder to do, but also can be really illuminating.
EMILY: When looking at the criteria a piece my chair always reminded us of is “Because the literary qualities to be considered will vary depending on content, the committee need not expect to find excellence in each of the named elements. The book should, however, have distinguished qualities in all of the elements pertinent to it.” That’s something to remember as we continue through the other elements: Interpretation of the theme or concept, presentation of information including accuracy, clarity, and organization , development of a plot,
delineation of setting , and appropriateness of style.
Let us know your thoughts about characterization in this year’s books!
Filed under: Book Discussion
About Emily Mroczek-Bayci
Emily Mroczek (Bayci) is a freelance children’s librarian in the Chicago suburbs. She served on the 2019 Newbery committee. You can reach her at emilyrmroczek@gmail.com.
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Nothing to say about delineation of character, but wanted to say I love this dialogue format for your posts. More please.
Thanks Leonard and never fear more duo posts are coming soon to a blog near you!!
I really enjoyed the characters from CRESS WATERCRESS. In animals stories, characters often have a few clear traits, often ones that are kind of associated with their animal type. The cast of CRESS are more distinct and surprising. Cress herself is kind of like a moody pre-teen, acting like a child sometimes, but also rebellious and kind of annoyed with many things. Her Mama is not the most motherly of rabbits, but is “all no-nonsense when it came to right and wrong” (139-140). The minor characters also stand out. Lady Cabbage the skunk, Nasty Nasturtium, who eventually becomes Cress’ friend, Mr. Owl the landlord, and several others.
The author delineates character with a combination of telling and showing. The narrator directly describes Fricasee Sunday, for example, when we first meet her. “She was a dizzy creature, even for a hen. Half the things she said sounded like questions, and maybe they were, or maybe it was a regional accent.” (109) That’s later supported by the character’s actions and words. Here’s Fricassee demonstrating that dizzy side:
“I left all my sisters behind? No one on that farm has a spirit of adventure, I’ll tell you that! Or maybe I got locked out of the chicken yard because I was keeping an eye on some seed corn behind the gate. It’s all a blunder. I can’t remember? Anyway, I can’t go back there. What am I to do?” (117-118)
This is such an interesting post! I agree about The Last Mapmaker. I knew the antagonist well before Sai, but it was fun taking the journey along with her. And, I didn’t like the characters in Jennifer Chan is NOt lone, either. My Own Lightning had superb characters, and I loved Andy’s further development.
I love your discussion of delination of character as opposed to simply liking or disliking characters. It’s often hard for me to tell the difference.
I know I’ll keep coming back to this, but I thought the characterization in The Patron Thief of Bread was incredible. Duck’s journey to discoverying her worth is so vivid, and Griselde’s vulnerability and love is so genuine. I also loved the secondary characters, and the way that Eagar makes the gargoyle cynical but also protective and kind is very well-done. SHe also makes the antagonist vivid and somewhat empathetic, which is not easy to do.
Margi Preus’s Windswept has good characters as well, particularly the Youngers.
THE PATRON THIEF OF BREAD did have strong characterizations. It’s another example where the reader sees more than the characters. We can see how good Duck and Griselde are for each other, but each of them holds back. Duck because of her commitment to her band of thieves and Griselede just being so vulnerable, as Meredith notes. I did get a little impatient with the gargoyle’s despair and pessimism, and felt it interrupted the flow of Duck’s story at times without a strong enough connection. But that all did lead up to his final act, which was meaningful and effective.
I’m curious how this criteria is handled for nonfiction books. What should be considered when looking at MARSHMALLOW CLOUDS, QUEER DUCKS AND OTHER ANIMALS or HOW TO BUILD A HUMAN, for example?
Hi Lynne! For Nonfiction, this piece of the criteria applies: Because the literary qualities to be considered will vary depending on content, the committee need not expect to find excellence in each of the named elements. The book should, however, have distinguished qualities in all of the elements pertinent to it.”
So the Nonfiction books need to excel in the other areas!