One Plus / One Minus: Name the strengths and weaknesses of Newbery contenders
As we move into the fall, I don’t have a single personal favorite for the Newbery Medal yet. And judging by our list of compiled suggestions, there’s no obvious front runner among the community of Heavy Medal readers either. I’d love to get a better feel for what people are thinking about individual titles, so let’s play a game we’ll call: “One Plus /One Minus”:
- Pick a potential 2023 Newbery contender. It can be one from our suggestion list, but doesn’t have to be (though I’m especially interested in hearing about the books near the top of that list). It’s fine to include something not yet published if you’ve read an advance copy.
- Tell us one area where you think the book is especially excellent. You could use the literary elements noted in the Newbery Terms and Criteria (plot, setting, characters, etc.), but you don’t have to. Just think of the quality that you would lead off with if you were trying to convince others that the book is distinguished.
- You can just name the quality (“the plot is perfect”) or you can elaborate (“the plot is perfect; these are the ways that it stands out; and here’s an example or two”).
- Then tell us one aspect of the book that might not reach the level of excellence…or might even be a real flaw. Again, you can use the elements from the Terms or anything else that could be a concern in a Newbery discussion.
- Again, you can simply identify that flaw, or go into more detail about how it might prevent the book from contending for the award. You can be as brief or as detailed as you please.
The purpose of this is to get into the specifics of what makes an excellent, or a less-than-excellent book. Starting with a positive is usually the best practice with book discussion. Even if we detest the book, it’s likely that we can see some strengths in it, and if we’re talking about books from our suggestion list, we know that others have rated it highly.
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Identifying negative aspects can be equally illuminating. If it’s a book we rate lower than many other people do, it’s a chance to learn if the flaws we see are meaningful, or even valid, to other readers. It’s also valuable to look for possible weaknesses in a book that we’re enthusiastic about. That can help to prepare for discussion and also deepen our understanding of the book.
You can approach this in different ways. You might choose a book that you feel is a very strong contender. For example, I might look at one my favorites, HOW TO BUILD A HUMAN:
- PLUS: I would highlight the creative presentation of information and how that might connect strongly with learners.
- MINUS: Here I would add my mild concerns about how the pop culture references might be over-used. I really do want to know if those are valid, or just me…
You can also try this with a book that you don’t rate as highly as others seem to. My example could be AFRICA TOWN (an Emily favorite, I know), which I struggled with at times:
- PLUS: I would look the ways the authors conveyed the settings and historical background.
- MINUS: The I might question the style choices, where I thought the array of characters and poetic forms, along with the length, might distance a reader.
Please share your own thoughts in the Plus One / Plus Minus structure. Just look at one book per comment, please, but you can do as many comments as you like. And comment on the comments of others of course…
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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Solimar: the sword of the monarchs by Pam Munoz Ryan
Plus: Setting: The world building was excellent. Wonderful descriptions and a unique magic system.
Minus: Plot: The plot has some unique points, but fell back on some tropes that made the plot very predictable.
Cherylynn, I’m with you on SOLIMAR. I was really interested in that world, but was less interested as the story continued. I wonder if being the first in a series nudges a story like this towards those more typical plot elements. Since it’s not really a full plot, but just the beginning of a broader story…?
LITTLE MONARCHS a favorite of many
Plus: Plot development, takes the reader thru a lot of action and the reader feels “stressed, cheated, happy” along with the main characters
Minus: theme. The dystopia/ pandemic/ betrayal/ chaos/ relationships seems to be too much going on and everything could be developed further
A DUET FOR HOME
PLUS: Delineation of characters. The cast of characters is large. I liked how each was distinct.
MINUS: Presentation of information. As I remember it, catching the ear of an apparently all-powerful mayor fixes everything. I think such a resolution does a disservice to child readers and misinforms them as to how societal change happens. Actually, OGRESS was far more credible to me in this regard. Also everything in the viola subplot seemed to me to show more authorial enthusiasm than knowledge.
I hadn’t thought to compare DUET with OGRESS, but you’re right, they’re both about societal change (and have mayors who can help or hinder). I also appreciated the setting, where a shelter is shown as an institution with the potential to change lives in positive ways. But yes, the let’s-just-tell-the-mayor part was kind of a stretch.
The Ogress and the Orphans.
Positives: Strong characterization, engaging narration and strong setting.
Negative: Very didactic in places, a fact, that for me, hampered the plot as a whole. The presentation of the theme seemed shoved down my throat too often.
The Patron Thief of Bread
Positive: A strong, linear plot. Strong character growth and distinct characterization on every level. Presentation of theme is naturally woven into the narrative.
Negatives: The scenes with the gargoyle’s narration, while enjoyable, might cause a stumbling block for reluctant or impatient readers. The setting is vivid and immersive.
I agree on both. I thought the repetition in Ogress got a little tedious. The gargoyle narration in Patron Thief didn’t seem to quite hit its mark for me.
I totally agree about Ogress. I get why people love it and are picking it as a standout. It made me cry (always the sign of a strong Newbery contender!), and overall I think the setting and narration were really well done, but the message is really shoved down your throat, in a way that I think will bother a lot of children. In a way, I think that this book suffers from being published in 2022 rather than 2020, because the pandemic-related message feels more suited to the early days of the pandemic and is rather simplistic.
Sorry Setting for The Patron Thief of Bread was meant to be a positive.
Moonflower by Kacen Callender
Positives: Lyrical writing. Takes big swings with the plot. Makes the reality of anxiety and depression feel palpable and understandable to the reader in ways that many fictional works for children do not.
Negatives: Mixing the reality of depression with magical realism is a risk for even the best of writers. Moon’s severe desire to stop living is rough going, and some will feel that the magical elements detract from the otherwise deadly serious subject matter.
AIN’T BURNED ALL THE BRIGHT by Jason Reynolds & Jason Griffin
One Plus: “Interpretation of the theme or concept” The three chapters capture the frustration and confusion of recent times. Without going into details of specific events, readers are immersed into that sense of helplessness that was such a big part of the worst times of the pandemic and the racism that also arose.
One Minus: I was put off by the ending, and am not sure if that’s just me and my expectations, or a misstep in the book: After finally fighting through the breathlessness (“maybe there’s an oxygen mask here / something keeping us alive”) and reaching some level of hopefulness (“their eyes and ears / pointing up this couch / just for a second becoming / the bottom lip of a smile”), I was kind of confused by the conclusion: “I still can’t help / but ask / if anyone’s seen the remote” This is kind of playful, because that’s a question that people ask all the time while watching tv…but kind of downplays the seriousness and urgency of what preceded. Nothing in the book up to then was playful at all. Maybe it means that once we have the remote, we can break away from the endless tv news cycle that’s hard to escape, and has impacted this family so much. But for me, it just struck a wrong note. This could very well be my own wish for a more positive ending, and I know I need to look at the book as it is, not what I wish it would be, so I’m really interested to hear if this part worked for others.
Different Kinds of Fruit Kyle Lukoff
Plus: Originality; the main family is representing families who are not typically represented in middle grade.
Minus: The story gets lost in the education part of it. Some of the interactions between different characters just did not feel real because they were having an important discussion. When this happened, it felt like the characters lost their voice.
I agree with this comment! The story is so original. I was honestly shocked to see such complex and interesting discussions of different expressions of gender, queerness, etc. in a middle grade book. But it does feel didactic. I appreciated that characters were allowed to be wrong and understandable/relatable at the same time, but I thought that the children came away not feeling like actual children, especially Bailey. I also thought that the sideplot about the curriculum in the classroom felt like too much on top of all of the rest of what was going on and that it didn’t really get its due — I think that should have either been the main plot or been taken out.
The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvant
Plus- Good characters with fast fun plot that keeps you hooked wanting to know more.
Minus- Parts were predictable. It just didn’t seem right master Paiyoon went along with the plan and left them. To me it’s obvious he should have seen they were lying. Though turns out he didn’t totally leave them. End seemed a little rushed .
Great insights so far. Here are eight books that are in the top 10 of our suggestion list that haven’t been mentioned yet in these comments. Anyone want to try a One Plus /One Minus for any of these?: I MUST BETRAY YOU; THOSE KIDS FROM FAWN CREEK; JENNIFER CHAN IS NOT MISSING; ANYBODY HERE SEEN FRENCHIE?; NEW FROM HERE; LOUISA JUNE AND THE NAZIS IN THE WAVE; LOVE IN THE LIBRARY.
I don’t remember LOUISA JUNE that well, but will take a stab:
PLUS: setting – I think the different locations in and around Virginia Beach were well-rendered. One reason for this: the author shows the activity of the people in those locations (e.g., the sister’s work in Newport News, the guests at the hotel) evoking a sense of setting without passive scenic description.
MINUS: plot – the beats felt a bit familiar and formulaic – of course the brother was going to die, establishing expected arcs for both parents of descent and redemption.
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
PLUS: Developed mood of suspense and foreboding and an accurate portrayal of the period’s paranoia and isolation.
MINUS: Some secondary characters seemed more needed plot pieces and three dimensional
LOVE IN THE LIBRARY
Plus: Really important topic that we haven’t seen in many kids’ books up to this point (although I hope we’ll see more in the future!)
Minus: Is this book really for kids? It feels like a picture book for adults – the characters aren’t children. My 8-year-old read it, but she’ll read anything. I did not read it to my 5-year-old; I thought she would be bored. I understand that the age range is wide, but older kids don’t tend to read picture books either.
I also wonder about the audience for this one. Kids can read it, and some will, but do its most distinguished elements come through for the child reader, or more for the adult?
I actually have this question about the flood of picture book biographies that we see these days: I often appreciate them myself, and can see their use as teaching tools, but sometimes have a hard time seeing that they would be really gripping for kids. That’s more in terms of general collection appeal rather than Newbery level books, though…
I’ll chime in with THOSE KIDS FROM FAWN CREEK.
Plus: The character development is spot-on; with an rather large cast of children, it could have been easy to lose track of who is who. Kelly imbues each child with distinction that they almost walk off the pages.
Minus: The whole plot is a little bit trope-y – new girl (slightly manic pixie dreamgirlish) arrives in standoffish town, changing hearts and minds.