SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Book Discussion
  • Heavy Medal Mock
  • Process

October 5, 2022 by Steven Engelfried

Riots, Revolts, Racism: Historical Fiction and 2023 Mock Newbery Candidates

October 5, 2022 by Steven Engelfried   7 comments

Historical fiction has usually done pretty well in Newbery land. In the past 25 years, about 33% of the medal and honor books fit into that category. On the other hand, in the past three years only there’s been only one historical fiction novel out of the 16 titles chosen. All of which tells us absolutely nothing about this year’s likely winners, but it’s fun to look at anyway. 

As I wrote my brief (for me, anyway) impressions of five of my favorites from this year, I realized they really don’t have that much in common in terms of style and approach, except that they fit under that broad genre label:

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

I MUST BETRAY YOU by Ruta Sepetys

I really appreciate the way this one brings us right into the unique time and place of 1989 Romania, but within the framework of one person’s unique experiences. First there’s the oppressive environment that Cristian tries to negotiate, then things accelerate with vivid threats of violence and death when the revolt breaks out. Cristian’s narration, looking back after the events, works really well: he comes alive from the incidents he describes and his interactions with other characters. And we get more layers from his narrative voice, which is sometimes rueful and sometimes reflective, conveying his sense of desperation, but also his hopefulness and how he gets caught up in the possibilities:

That’s right, I though I could outwit Paddle Hands.
The very idea – was it blazing ignorance or blazing courage?
In hindsight, a bit of both.
Ignorant courage, blazing. [p 31]

MAIZY CHEN’S LAST CHANCE by Lisa Yee

This is kind of halfway historical fiction. Maizy’s summer with her grandparents includes stories told by her Opa about his own grandfather starting in the late 1800’s. Those “Lucky” stories help Maizy and Opa bond in the present, and the historical instances of racism resonate with Maizy because of the current wave of hate her family deals with. The two narrative streams converge neatly when families whose lives were impacted by Opa long ago come to his funeral. There are several other threads too: the vandalism mystery, the conflict between Maizy’s mother and grandmother, and Opa’s illness among others. They all flow together pretty smoothly, with an interesting and varied cast of characters.

MY OWN LIGHTNING by Lauren Wolk

This one’s set in 1944, and readers get a good feel for Annabelle’s environment. But more than the historical setting, Annabelle’s narration is what really brings the book to life. Her descriptions of the physical world, especially nature, and the ways she sees people bring depth and fullness to her world. She doesn’t tell us everything she knows or all that she’s thinking, and uses language creatively, expressing important ideas without spelling it all out to the reader. Like when she’s trying to connect with Andy, one small step at a time, and tells him she’s tending the dogs:

“We’ll come back out to do that,” Andy said.
I wanted to say, We will? But I left it alone.
It was enough, said once. Said at all. [p 204]

NORTHWIND by Gary Paulsen

The late Gary Paulsen used third-person narration to Leif’s journey, mostly from the character’s direct point of view. There’s hardly any dialogue, and the text neatly mixes in stories and events from Leif’s past with the current events of his journey. The regular use of direct, clipped sentences reflect the moment-to-moment existence of the protagonist. 

And it was all up to him. He could eat or starve, depending on his own actions, his own thought, his own plans.
The same as the whales.
Or the ravens.
Or any living thing. From whales down to mice. All thinking. All taking care of themselves, by themselves, for themselves… [p 170 (ebook)]

Those short bursts contrast with extended descriptions of nature and survival strategies, and somehow both styles complement each other. There’s character growth, well-paced action scenes, and thoughtful exploration of themes. Not for all readers, for sure, and you could argue that not all sections work as well as others, but worth considering especially for its execution of style. 

WHEN WINTER ROBESON CAME by Brenda Woods

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Built around the 1965 Watts riots, this is another book with a distinct narrative voice. Eden tells the story in a sort of free verse style, with mostly single-sentence paragraphs that bring a sense of immediacy to the story.

This time, hoping to avoid danger, we take the side streets.
But even closer to home there is trouble brewing, and
I know that what Penny feared is true.
This rebellion, riot, kind-of-like a war is spreading fast. [p 124]

You don’t ever really feel like characters or the author are looking back on the events from more modern times. The author trusts that most readers will understand the parallels between the historical happenings and current times, without any intrusions. Eden and Winter are the main characters, but we quickly get to know Eden’s family, the neighborhood kids, and the grown-ups they encounter. When they rescue Miz West, it’s tense and action-packed, but also ties in to Winter’s search for his family and Eden’s assertiveness when she decides to help her.  

These are probably my top five that qualify as historical fiction so far, with I MUST BETRAY YOU at the top. But I haven’t yet read Kwame Alexander’s THE DOOR OF NO RETURN, which has rave reviews so far. Please share your thoughts on these, or any other historical fiction from this year…

Filed under: Book Discussion

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments
2023 NewberyHeavy MedalHistorical FictionMock NewberyNewbery Award

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

January 2023

Who Will Win? 2023 Newbery Predictions

by Steven Engelfried

January 2023

Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Finalist: THE LAST MAPMAKER by Christina Soontornvat

by Steven Engelfried

January 2023

Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Finalist: BERRY SONG by Michaela Goade

by Steven Engelfried

January 2023

Mock Newbery Finalist: ATTACK OF THE BLACK RECTANGLES by Amy Sarig King

by Steven Engelfried

January 2023

Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Finalist: AIN'T BURNED ALL THE BRIGHT By Jason Reynolds

by Steven Engelfried

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

U.S. Gov: ‘All Books Must Have Round Corners’

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Review of the Day – Bear and Bird: The Picnic and Other Stories by Jarvis

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Review: Swim Team

by Esther Keller

Heavy Medal

March suggestions: early Mock Newbery possibilities

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Write What You Know. Read What You Don’t, a guest post by Lauren Thoman

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey Try Something New

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

Children’s Publishing World Reacts to Michaela Goade's History-Making Caldecott Medal, Rest of the YMA Winners

2021 Youth Media Awards Winners

A Long Time Coming: Angeline Boulley's 'Firekeeper's Daughter' Takes 2022 Printz Award

2022 Notable Books: NCTE's 21 Best Poetry and Verse Novels for Kids

Standout Debuts & Titles from Acclaimed Authors | Pondering Printz

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Leonard Kim says

    October 5, 2022 at 9:26 am

    MY OWN LIGHTNING sits a little uneasily here because of the implausibility of the lightning strike and Annabelle’s resulting ability to commune with animals. I’ve called this a “Gary Schmidt book” in that it looks like realistic historical fiction, but then some natural criticisms of it can arise because of genre expectations. Maybe a good comparable is HEALER AND WITCH, which actually feels a lot like realistic historical fiction but for a super-powered heroine. But that book is packaged as a fantasy. So maybe it’d be churlish to knock MY OWN LIGHTNING on “appropriateness of style” or “presentation of information” because of an assumed genre label. I have some thoughts about the sequel issue, but that doesn’t really fit with the theme of this post, so I’ll hold those for later.

    • Emily Mroczek says

      October 5, 2022 at 11:00 am

      I will say that genre labels play no role in Newbery criteria, so although I am with you on the confusion, I think it doesn’t bring it down. I will also save you from my “what is a genre” speal- we can totally create historical magical realism as a genre, because why not?

      However give us your sequel thoughts Leonard! I can’t handle teasers! On that note, I didn’t read WOLF HOLLOW and felt like I was missing information.

      I also just felt like the lightning strike and talking to animals was not fleshed out enough.

      • Leonard Kim says

        October 5, 2022 at 11:48 am

        I dunno. I think genre might play a role in the “appropriateness of style” criterion. You felt “talking to animals was not fleshed out enough”, but I could well imagine someone reading this as historical fiction thinking talking to animals has no place in a book like this at all. I think the level of acceptable suspension of disbelief probably does vary for readers according to what genre they think they are reading. And I also think in general that the inability to suspend disbelief is a “bring it down” level of issue for a lot of readers for a lot of books.

        This was before I started following Heavy Medal, but it was reported that “presentation of information” became an issue in the discussion of Schmidt’s Okay for Now vis-à-vis historically impossible happenings. And I would think that wouldn’t be an issue if we recognized that, appearances to the contrary, Schmidt does’t write realistic historical fiction. And I think, like Schmidt, one can make a stronger argument for MY OWN LIGHTNING’s Newbery-worthiness if you can convince readers to read it as a fairy tale or as you say “historical magic realism.”

      • Steven Engelfried says

        October 5, 2022 at 6:42 pm

        The powers that come from the lighting strike are really what drove the whole plot, and are also key to Annabelle’s character development. I don’t know if she forgives Andy without the insights spurred by her powers. I was okay with that incredible event because the story that it triggered to was pretty compelling. Maybe it’s more jarring because it happened in a world that was so realistic in all other ways (and is a sequel to a book that was all realistic).

        The storytelling style of THE MIDNIGHT CHILDREN leaves readers more open to magical-type events happening. And HEALER AND WITCH makes it clear from the start (from the title even) that magic exists…then tells a story that, as Leonard points out, is mostly realistic beyond the one element of witchcraft.

        In all three cases I think the authors intentionally stretch the traditional boundaries of genre. The question of what they want to accomplish by this and how successful they ultimately are seems essential to a “most distinguished book” discussion…

    • Steven Engelfried says

      October 5, 2022 at 6:30 pm

      I’d put THE MIDNIGHT CHILDREN into that genre uncertainty category too. Mostly realistic, but with some hints of magic, like the children’s “Specials” and the Hunter’s “instincts.” Set in the past, but with very few specifics. The radio shows that people listen to probably put it in the 1930s or 40s?

      This is not a flaw in any way, and clearly the author’s choice. There’s a moment when they’re looking through the “Always and Forever” book and some dates from the past are revealed, but when it seems like we might be about to learn the current year, all we get is: “The last entry…was dated eight years previous.”

      I think the choice works really well. We’re not distracted by the details of a time period. The setting is that particular town, with a larger world of orphanages and hunters looming beyond. The hints of magic make the kids’ plans and the hunter’s pursuit a little larger than life. And also make room for a key plot developments, like when Annabelle finds her Special and helps an escape, and when Lucky the cow helps out in just the right way. And the happy ending is a bit easier to accept.

  2. Cherylynn says

    October 5, 2022 at 5:30 pm

    Maizy Chen’s Last Chance grew better and better as I read it. It started out slower and one third of the way through I thought this is a nice little story about a girl learning about her immigrant great grandfather. Last chance as the title says was a very strong well developed theme. The main characters were well portrayed and felt realistic. There were a few minor characters that felt less well developed. The plot had many threads, but the historical stories were used to tie them together. The restaurant felt like a very real setting described with smells and colors along with people who visited regularly. This is one of my top books so far this year.

    • Steven Engelfried says

      October 5, 2022 at 7:27 pm

      Minor characters was also a small complaint of mine with MAIZY CHEN. I’m thinking of Daisy and the principal in particular. They both did prove to have more depth than their main traits (Daisy: facts about recycling; Principal: funny t-shirts), but still felt mostly two-dimensional…

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • Other Mock Newbery Sites

    • Anderson’s Bookshops
    • For Those About to Mock
    • Good Reads Mock Newbery
    • Northport-East Northport PL
    • Rhode Island OLIS
  • Resources

    • Jen J's Starred Reviews Spreadsheet
    • Newbery Manual
    • Newbery Medal & Honor Books
    • Newbery Terms & Criteria
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Age Level
    • Ideas
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Neverending Search
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Classroom Bookshelf
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • 2022 Youth Media Awards
    • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
    • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
    • Summer Reading 2021
    • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
    • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
    • Summer Programming Survey
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2023


    COPYRIGHT © 2023