Friday Mock-Newbery Exercise: Battle of the Books
For today’s Friday Exercise, we get to do something that is in the bones of the Newbery Medal- comparing similar (and not-so-similar) books and how they stand against one another. You need to see how each title stands against everything else (and the criteria of course, always the criteria). And that’s how we determine the best book of the year.
- Pick a potential 2024 Newbery contender. It can be one from our nomination list, but doesn’t have to be.
- Look at the Newbery Terms and Criteria and compare the two titles. You don’t have to discuss every category but at least one .
- Explain what one book does better than the other and why that book stands out.
The purpose of this exercise is to see how closely we need to evaluate the books and to look at how they compare against each other. It’s important to remember that all these books are being discussed because they redeeming qualities, now we’re seeing what stands out as the best of the best.
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You could choose books in many ways: two books that are the same genre (like SIMON SORT OF SAYS and THE LABORS OF HERCULES BEAL), or books with similar themes (MY HEAD HAS A BELLYACHE and THE RED EAR BLOWS ITS NOSE), or two picture books (A STONE IS A STORY, MERMAID DAY), or two books that are both books (lol)….
I’ll start with two graphic novels that also both have KID in the title. MEXIKID and PARACHUTE KIDS. Both graphic novels depict family relationships (diving deep into sibling relationships), adjusting to a new place, and growing up. I think MEXIKID excels most in presentation, Pedro Martin really tackles intense writing by conveying Pedro’s perspective in the moment and the slightly older kid retelling it. This could get confusing but Martin balances it really well that it adds a depth to Pedro and the story. For PARACHUTE KIDS, character development is what really sticks out to me. All three children are thrust into a new situation and forced to grow individually and as a team.
Looking at these two books next to each other, I’m going to give PARACHUTE KIDS the win.
Now I’ll go with two poetry titles, with three nominations each: THE RED EAR BLOWS ITS NOSE AND MY HEAD HAS A BELLYACHE. Each one is a compilation of poetry for children, something that is difficult to take a Newbery win (I think because it’s difficult to apply Newbery crtieria to poetry). We haven’t had a funny poetry book win the Newbery (usually more serious stuff), but both these books have strong child appeal that carries throughout ther book. However, I think MY HEAD HAS A BELLYACHE excels more over all, specifically in presentation of information and appropriateness of style.
Please share your own thoughts and compare two books. Do one pair, or a bunch, or even go for a trio. And comment on the comments of others of course…
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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SCHOOL TRIP vs A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
I chose these because they obviously share some key features: middle school graphic novels built around a school trip to Europe. And both protagonists are artists. But they’re really different reading experiences.
A FIRST TIME is a memoir, with the author looking back at a time that was important in his life. Clearly not our modern world, as he points out (“Smoking used to be allowed on plane flights. WHAT?!” (54)). It’s set up with his embarrassment at a school assembly, then we see how over the course of the trip he steadily develops confidence, makes friends, and kind of grows up. His character development is always tied to the travels, specific experiences, and conversations and interactions with others. Very convincing. He returns to “a town that no longer scared me” (301) and kind of reclaims the poem that had bombed in the school assembly, using it to help with his broken heart.
SCHOOL TRIP takes place 30+ years later. Jordan already has friends and is more secure as an artist. Contrasting with FIRST TIME, this one opens up with a happy scene: his acceptance into art school, And his decision-making process becomes tied to his travel experiences. It’s thirteen-year-old Jordan’s voice, not an adult looking back. His sense of humor about himself and his surroundings comes through in is words and drawings. He addresses serious issues, but with a light touch. This makes sense in the comparison to FIRST TIME, where the stakes seem a little higher for Dan. But so many scenes in SCHOOL TRIP are really funny: Like his dad’s hapless attempt to interest Jordan in a VHS Charlie Brown movie (“What actually IS that in your hand?”), and the kids’ baffled reaction to grown-ups relaxing in Paris (“You mean they’re just…like…SITTING?”). And Jordan’s ultimate decision is tied to the relationships that developed or started on the trip.
I still think both of these books are strong contenders. I’m giving my battle nod to A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING. Though I did like the way SCHOOL TRIP shone a light on multiple characters, not just Jordan, I thought the focus on the focus on Dan in FIRST TIME was slightly more effective in terms of conveying themes and strengthening connections with the character.
BUFFALO FLATS and OPINIONS AND OPOSSUMS
In both books, the main character’s conception of God sets them apart from their community. Over the course of both books, understanding and appreciation develops, in both directions, between them and their community. I liked both books and start this exercise uncertain which I would rank higher.
Main Characters and Their Moms – As discussed before, Rebecca of BUFFALO FLATS is a well-executed “standard” hero. Her mother is even more heroic—an example for Rebecca to aspire to (or cheerfully accept she can’t match). In OPNIONS AND OPOSSUMS, Agnes’ mother too is a bit of a stock character – the mother who encourages conformity. (It is Agnes’ neighbor, Gracy, who has the “sage” role that Rebecca’s mother fills.) That said, Agnes’ mother does have depth, a backstory, understandable motivations, and an arc. Agnes herself I felt was distinctive, though that may be due to the relative dearth of books in our pool with a theme of figuring out one’s religious stance. An obvious comparison is Blume’s Margaret. I enjoyed getting to know both Rebecca and Agnes, but Rebecca starts BUFFALO FLATS basically formed while Agnes is forming. Slight edge to OPINIONS.
Secondary Characters – I am not a big fan of quirk standing in for character, and OPINIONS’ “shopping cart stories” felt like that to me. That’s a bit unfair perhaps, as there is certainly more to Mo than that. His betrayal of Agnes for example felt both understandable and real. As mentioned above, Gracy also felt a bit stock. I did like the members of Agnes’ religion class, and Miranda in particular becomes perhaps unexpectedly compelling and pivotal. Still I think BUFFALO FLATS has a slight edge here.
Setting – BUFFALO FLATS writes about a beautiful setting beautifully. Perhaps an unfair advantage, but a winning one.
Plot – Honestly not either book’s strongest suit. I thought BUFFALO FLATS was a bit episodic, and thus felt a little long and inconsistent. As beautifully as the setting is rendered, I didn’t get a terribly strong sense of the seasonal passage of time, which might’ve helped this. At least OPINIONS is quite short. Even then I could’ve done without the shopping carts and opossums (I know it’s in the title.) Braden’s other animal of interest, sheep, are much more naturally thematically connected to the book. Still slight edge to OPINIONS.
Overall, I guess it’s still a tie for me.
This is an interesting pairing. Very different in style and content, but both books explore doubts about, or faith in religion in effective ways. Rebecca’s opening meeting with God was central to BUFFALO FLATS, but once it happened it mostly stayed in the background and we saw how Rebecca carried her faith through the events and relationships. In OPOSSUMS, Agnes works her way through her questions over the course of the book, along with the related topic of telling the truth “even when telling the truth will cause problems.” Maybe a little too much spelled out words of wisdom for me over the course of the book, from Gracy and others, and a few scenes, like Miranda defying her father in public, though gratifying to readers, stretched credulity a bit. Still, OPOSSUMS is enjoyable and thought-provoking, and gets at those questions of faith at a level that I think works just right for a child audience.
Also contributing to this pairing is the strong feminist perspective and themes of both books. For Agnes, this is inextricable from her religious growth (and I agree it is pretty baldly fed to her by Gracy.) However, I would argue that Miranda’s rebellion is somewhat similar to, and no less credible than, Rebecca’s mother’s Lysistrata-like strike against Sempel’s spousal abuse.
Another book with strong feminist perspectives: REMEMBER US, where Sage gets intimidated by the older boy who “scared the game out of me,” but eventually turns it around: “He had taken something from me, and I was ready to take it back” (132). By the end, she’s founded the Hollis Hoopers with other female basketball players. There’s a lot more to Sage than that thread, but it’s still a strong theme within an excellent book.