Spring Reading: April Mock Newbery Suggestions
We’re already 1/4 of the way through 2023, and it’s time to add more titles to our growing list of Mock Newbery suggestions. We got off to a good start in March with 16 early-year releases that Heavy Medal readers have deemed worthy of possible Newbery Medal consideration. You can look at that list of suggestions so far here.
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Please suggest up to five Newbery-eligible titles in the comments below. Please limit to books that have already been published…if you’ve read a great Advanced Reader Copy, hold off on suggesting until we reach its official release date. It’s fine to include books that have already been suggested…that can show us which titles might have the most wide-spread support so far.
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For a more detailed about our suggestions process, you can check out our March 6 post. For now, though, please share your suggestions below between now and April 8th. We’ll share the full cumulated list of suggestions a week from today, on April 10th.
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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Here’s my five for April:
HENRY LIKE ALWAYS by Jenn Bailey
JUST JERRY by Jerry Pinkney
LEEVA AT LAST by Sara Pennypacker
NEARER MY FREEDOM by Monica Edinger & Lesley Younge
WHEN SEA BECOMES SKY by Gillian McDunn
A first time for everything by Dan Santat absolutely loved it I know graphic novels are not picked for Newbery as often but this is a stellar book. Finished it and wanted to just read ut all over again.
What Happened to Rachel Riley by Claire Swinarski I enjoyed this one has a good message.
Big Tree -Pure Selznick. Art is amazing, but the writing and the story are just as good if not better.
Simon Sort of Says – Loved, loved, loved this book! Hilarious. Everyone will laugh, but I think if you’re Catholic, you’ll laugh harder. So well written. Great characters. And it handles a sensitive subject with originality.
All the Beating Hearts — Beautiful illustrations, but the writing (especially for a picture book) is exceptional.
Simon Sort of Says
First Time for Everything
and my five! I varied genres this time lol
NEARER MY FREEDOM by Monica Edinger & Lesley Younge
BEAKY BARNES EGG ON THE LOOSE- david ezra stein. This is a weird one but I can’t stop thinking about it.
EVERGREEN by Matthew Cordell
THAT FLAG by Tameka Fryer Brown
JOVITA WORE PANTS by Aida Salazar.