Add two for round two: Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Nominations
Well I’m not caught up on the first round of nominations yet, and it’s already time for another. Funny how that works!
It’s time to nominate two more titles for the Heavy Medal 2024 Mock Newbery.
Readers nominated three titles in October for a total of 33 titles and have two more now, then a final two in December. These numbers help as we create our “Early Six” booklist.
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The Newbery Manual notes that the nominations “make each committee member aware of which books require their closest scrutiny and which they need to re-read.” Members include “written justifications” with each nominated title, and this is typically the first chance they have to share specific the rest of the Committee, beyond a “practice discussion” that takes place in the summer. The nominated titles are the ones that will be on the table when the Committee meets to discuss and select the Newbery winner in January.
Here’s the Heavy Medal nomination process:
- Nominate two titles in the comments below. Like the real Committee, we’ll require two exactly.
- Listing the two titles is fine, but if you would like to share a bit about why any of them made your list, or any strategic rationale, that’s great.
- If you missed last month, you are allowed to nominate five this month.
- Nominations will stay open through the end of Saturday, November 4th. We’ll post the totals on the 6th.
- The nominations list helps Steven and I decide which books to feature in future posts and develop the Heavy Medal Book List. It also helps force me to actually finish books. (Yes I promised to read and finish every nominated title)
Add your titles to the list below. And feel free to strategize. Yes, you can nominate something that’s already nominated, some argue that it adds weight to the title, others would rather not waste a precious nomination.
This is also a time to think about what books are being overlooked and what unique titles should be considered for the Newbery. Happy nominating!
Filed under: Nominations
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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Beawolf by Zach Weinersmith
A Work in Progress by Jarett Lerner
I am actually not sure either of these dog-books-that-made-me-cry are truly Newbery-worthy.
DOGTOWN by Applegate and Choldenko
In addition to making me cry, I would say that in a year full of neurodivergent characters, I particularly liked that even if Metal Head may or may not be neurodivergent (at least not as clearly as Quinn is), the arc of Chance’s relationship to him felt very true and relatable as if he were, and I think it helps reader’s empathy to get that from Chance’s perspective. That said, I think the book hits its emotional peak too soon. Chance is the reader’s stand-in, but Metal Head is the emotional center, and once his story is wrapped up, there may have been too much time then finishing Chance’s story.
THE DREAMATICS
Also made me cry (and through a good chunk of the end – this book does do its catharsis effectively). But I am mostly nominating this as a counterbalance to SIMON SORT OF SAYS. There are similarities in the juxtaposition of silliness and trauma. And I think this book shows one can do trauma and its after-effects (sleeplessness, nightmares, anxieties, repressed memories) simply and credibly and empathetically without having it be from such a singular event as a mass school shooting. The premise is basically Pixar’s Inside Out, but that is actually a nice excuse for authorial silliness and eccentric characters compared to SIMON’s supposed real world (and if the manic pixie dream girl is literally a dream girl, I’ll allow that she can be the instrument of healing.) The reason I am Newbery unsure is that, like DOGTOWN, the book does sometimes forget who its emotional center is (in this case Luna) and spends too much time on the Dreamatics’ escapades.
4. Mona Lisa Vanishes by Nicholas Day
5. Ginny Off the Map by Caroline Hickey
4. WHEN SEA BECOMES SKY by Gillian McDunn
It’s one that is memorable to me. It’s memorable because the twist threw me completely – I had no idea it was coming. The characters grew throughout the book. The theme of family continues throughout the book.
5. EVERGREEN by Matthew Cordell
I think the theme of fear/trust is prevalent throughout the book.
HOPE IN THE VALLEY by Mitali Perkins – a multifaceted novel, just the kind of elegant coming-of-age story that should be considered by the committee
NOTHING ELSE BUT MIRACLES by Kate Albus – a feel-good story punctuated by real-life history with a unique narrative voice that stands out
Me and the Boss: A Story of Mending and Love by Michelle Edwards and Illustrated by April Harrison
I’m afraid that ME AND THE BOSS won’t be eligible for this year’s Newbery…It was actually published in 2022.
picks so far
WHEN CLOUDS TOUCH US, Lai, interesting format that will challenge readers in the best way. Not sure if a sequel to a Newbery honor has won back-to-back before.
THE DREAMATICS, Cuevas, and I couldn’t say it better than user Leonard above. I’d add I found it solidly Newbery honorable and a joy to read.
A BIT OF EARTH, Riazi, perhaps I just nostalgic for the secret garden, this is lovely.
[hits buzzer]
A Year Down Yonder won the Medal in 2001 and is the sequel to A Long Way from Chicago which won an Honor in 1999.
A Solitary Blue won an Honor in 1984 after Dicey’s Song won the Medal in 1983.
Others? Those were the two that came immediately to mind.
Not exactly direct sequels, but THE HIGH KING (1969, #5 of 5) by Lloyd Alexander and THE GREY KING (1976, #4 of 5) by Susan Cooper both won Medals after earlier books in their series had won Honors (THE BLACK CAULDRON (1966, #2 of 5) and THE DARK IS RISING (1974, #2 of 5).
And then there’s THE HERO AND THE CROWN by Robin McKinley (1986 Medal), which was written after THE BLUE SWORD (1983 Honor), but is more of a prequel…and those are so far apart in time they really stand alone, just take place in the same world.
The Firefly Summer by Morgan Matson
The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams
*THE EYES AND THE IMPOSSIBLE by Dave Eggers
A brave tale of friendship. Eggers uses anthropomorphism in a original and fun way- while they have human-like emotions and characteristics, they remain animal characters that observe the human world in a funny and unique way. The animals are a bit like kids, trying to make sense of the world around them. Original characters, creative setting, engaging plot and incredible prose make the book a “distinguished contribution to American Literature.”
*MY HEAD HAS A BELLYACHE by Chris Harris
This book has grown on me over the past few months and I have re-read it many times. Of all the books on my Top 10 in 2023, I think that this will appeal to the widest age range of readers. I think this is a book to be shared and I recommend it as an incredible read-aloud.
The author made modern and relevant choices. I thought that “I have a million friends (the longest poem ever written,) is a great example of advanced writing. The poem engages the reader by creating choices of endings so that each re-iteration is new.
I read “Wait, Who’s Reading to Whom!” with my parents and we laughed. Unexpected.
I particularly liked the authors commitment to multi-age development. Poems like:
“The most terrifying story ever (to read to your parents,)” and the series ending with “We’re not who we used to going to be! (What you will be [partIIV],)” was a reminder to try new things and to keep a growth mindset. I think that series is a lesson to the kid in everyone.
Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow
A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat
Mona Lisa Vanishes by Nicholas Day
Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary Schmidt
Alebrijes by Donna Barba Higuera. Just finished it today. What a thrilling book might be my most favorite book of the year. Starts a little slow but once the plot picked up I couldn’t put it down. I like how she weaves a bit of Hispanic culture into her stories. Another great sifi. If you liked Last Cuentista you’ll love this one.
Mexikid by Pedro Martín. Another great graphic memoir. I feel like there have been a lot of these this year. This was a good honest look into Pedro’s childhood with some moments that made me laugh and smile.
GATHER by Kenneth Cadow
I needed a little extra time to decide on the age-level question, but once I decided it can fit for the Newbery, it was a sure nomination for me.
ALEBRIJES by Donna Barba Higuera
I had other titles in mind, but like Ellen, I just finished this one and it stands out. Pretty imaginitve science fiction concepts, well told with good characters and strong themes. Plus a neat tie-in to THE LAST CUENTISTA at the end…
Nothing Else but Miracles Kate Albus
Farther Than the Moon Lindsay Lackey
Both books that gave me goosebumps bumps!!!
ONCE THERE WAS
by Kiyash Monsef
GONE WOLF
by Amber McBride
REMEMBER US – Woodson
THE PUPPETS OF SPELHORST – DiCamillo
On the real Committee, members typically find out what others have nominated when they get the full list. I remember anxiously running through the list hoping that at least one person might have nominated the book or two that I really wanted to, but ended up picking another. Here on Heavy Medal we see them as they come out, but I still love to see my near-misses show up for the first time. Which just happened with Matt’s two nominations above…I like both of those a lot!
SIMON SORT OF SAYS by Erin Bow: Addresses a serious and timely theme with incredible (in the original sense of the word) humor.
THE PROBABILITY OF EVERYTHING by Sarah Everett: Also addresses a serious and timely theme; structurally impressive with an absolutely stunning twist that makes the reader consider the effects of trauma (and want to reread the first half of the book immediately).
Unfortunately, THE PROBABILITY OF EVERYTHING is not Newbery-eligible. The author is from Canada. Too bad, because I think it has a lot of fans here (including me). Jenny, if you’d like to add an alternate title, you can (or do three in December).
The Lost Year by Katherine Marshall — a cleverly plotted mashup of realistic and historical fiction plus mystery. She portrays the tragic life under the rule of Stalin by characters you come to deeply care about and juxtaposes these times with the anxieties of life during Covid. The mystery behind grandmother’s picture keeps the pages turning.
Since I missed last month, I have 5:
*Simon Sort of Says / Bow
*The Labors of Hercules Beal / Schmidt
*An American Story / Alexander
*The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn / Pla
*My Head Has a Bellyache / Harris
THE LABORS OF HERCULES BEAL
THE SKULL
THE LOST YEAR by Katherine Marsh
EB & FLOW by Kelly J. Baptist
November Nominations are now closed. We’ll post results on November 6th. And open up December Nominations from November 27th – December 2nd.