YA Round-Up: Are These Books Too Old For the Newbery?
For today’s Wednesday Round-Up, we’ll look at those books that push up against the upper age range of the Newbery Medal. According to the Newbery Terms and Criteria, the Medal goes to “A book for which children, up to and including age fourteen, are an intended and potential audience.” The Newbery Manual provides a little more guidance, including “Questions for committees to consider”:
- Is there any 14-year-old for whom this book is suitable?
- If so, is it distinguished enough to be considered?
- If so, exactly what 14-year-olds would respond to it, and why?
To me, that first bullet point opens up the award to almost anything. There are certainly 14-year-olds reading the more mature YA books (and YA books can be really mature these days) as well as adult fiction. So when I’m reading with Newbery in mind, I do better when I focus on the phrase “intended audience.” I try to look at what the author does, or doesn’t do, to make the book work for readers who are 14 and under.
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I would also think about the other people in a committee of 15. Maybe I can convince myself and 1 or 2 more people that this book clearly written for ages 16 and up could be appreciated by some 14-year-olds…but in a group of readers with varied backgrounds and opinions, will most of them agree?
Two of my favorite books of the year could be seen as too old for Newbery by some (including myself), so we’ll look at those first, then survey some other titles that kind of skirt that line:
BUFFALO FLATS by Martine Leavitt

This is a beautifully written pioneer story set in Canada during the 1890s. The writing style is excellent, with evocative descriptions of land, well-timed plot developments, and just the right amount of humor. Rebecca is a distinct and memorable character. She’s also 17, which is not that common in Newbery world, though we’ve seen a handful of books with 16-year old protagonists in the past couple decades, including HATTIE BIG SKY, HOPE WAS HERE, and PIECING ME TOGETHER. But a historical 17-year-old somehow seems like less of a jump for a middle-school reader to me. And although Rebecca is moving towards marriage, the treatment of romance works for younger readers; so do the complex, but not too complex relationships between characters.
GATHER by Kenneth M. Cadow

I really tried to convince myself that this book fits the Newbery age range, because it shines in every other area of the Newbery criteria. Ian is a unique and memorable character and the other people in his story, as seen through his eyes, are also well-drawn. The beautifully depicted setting of the land and nature that Ian loves is woven into every other element. It has a riveting plot; I love the way Ian as narrator foreshadows by addressing the reader: “the worst hadn’t happened yet. If you need a break, now’s the time to take it.” The writing style is Ian’s voice that sounds so true. Multiple themes stand out, but I especially admire how this book makes readers think about the ways that people are judged and valued.
There are 14-year-olds who would appreciate this book, but I still think its best audience, and the one it was aimed at, is slightly older. The roundabout way Ian tells his story, jumping around in time and following seemingly random trains of thought works best with more experienced readers. The language goes beyond any Newbery winner we’ve seen to this point in terms of swear words, though it’s an essential part of Ian’s telling, and as Ian notes: “I went in and took out a shit ton of swears.” Ian’s a tenth-grader, and though he does share lots of stories about his childhood, there’s clear distance between his younger days and the present, where he has to deal with truly grown-up things. I’d love to delve deeper into this book, and would for sure, if only this was a Mock Printz blog. I am curious if anyone who has read GATHER thinks it belongs in our Mock Newbery discussion (and can talk me into it).
Now that I’ve got a bit of my GATHER rave in, here’s a quick look at a handful of other titles that might be on the upper-age borderline for Newbery:
DOOMED: SACCO, VANZETTI AND THE END OF THE AMERICAN DREAM by John Florio & Ouisie Shapiro
A nonfiction account of Sacco and Vanzetti. I didn’t see anything that rules this one out for Newbery consideration, though I didn’t think it was as engaging as some of the other nonfiction for older readers from this year.
FOR LAMB by Lesa Cline-Ransom
Another excellent historical fiction novel by Cline-Ransom. The main characters are teens and it deals with some mature themes. It feels like more of a stretch than BUFFALO FLATS to me…maybe a Printz this year (if it’s not GATHER).
IMPOSSIBLE ESCAPE by Steve Sheinkin
We looked at this excellent historical nonfiction book in our Nonfiction Round-Up. The true accounts of Auschwitz violence are hard to take, but done in a way that does not put this out of Newbery range, in my opinion at least.
IT HAPPENED ON SATURDAY by Sydney Dunlap
The topic of human trafficking is a harrowing one, but I think the author clearly writes for an audience that includes readers slightly younger than the 13-year-old protagonist. It’s an engaging and useful cautionary tale.
NEARER MY FREEDOM by Monica Edinger & Lesley Younge
Emily noted that this book might be ineligible in terms of “original work” in an earlier post. Could it also be aimed mainly at that over-14 audience? I think it fits pretty solidly in the middle school reader range, though the form can make it challenging for some.
PAPER PLANES by Jennie Wood
A well-conceived graphic novel set in a camp for troubled youth. It has strong storytelling and interesting characters/relationships. The protagonists are just entering high school, so I think it fits pretty clearly.
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RACE AGAINST DEATH by Deborah Hopkinson
Like IMPOSSIBLE ESCAPE, this is a true World War II story with plenty of suffering and death. I think Hopkinson clearly adjusts her telling to reach under-14-year-olds, employing a conversational style (“here’s the map of Luzon again, so you can see the route…”) and generally foregoing graphic descriptions (“All three were killed in extremely brutal ways”…but no details).
STATELESS by Elizabeth Wein
This historical mystery built around a pre-World War II air race could work for Newbery in the same way that BUFFALO FLATS does in terms of age range. Both protagonists are 17-years-old, but the writing and storytelling style make them work for younger readers.
SUNSHINE by Jarrett Krosoczka
In this graphic novel memoir, Jarrett is 16 and working at a camp for kids with serious medical conditions. Readers get a strong sense of the challenges and rewards of the work Jarrett loves, and also the heartbreak of loss that comes with it. I don’t really see anything in this book that puts it out of range for 13 or 14 year old readers, though it certainly has a more serious tone than most of the graphic novels we’ve discussed so far this year.
I’m sure there are books I’ve missed in this category, possibly because I dismissed them as “too old” without giving them a chance, so feel free to add to the list and discuss. And let us know which (if any) of the “almost ya” titles should be given strong Newbery consideration…or none at all.
Filed under: Book Discussion, Uncategorized

About Steven Engelfried
Steven Engelfried retired from full-time library work a couple years ago and now works as a part-time Youth Librarian at the West Linn Public Library in Oregon. 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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I have read a LOT of YA this year and Gather is one of my favorites. I am conflicted too, but I think I land on the side of it being worth considering for the Newbery… I think many seventh and eighth grade readers would understand the time jumps, and while the language is absolutely on the mature side, like you said, it’s an essential piece of Ian’s voice and it’s not there just for shock value. That said, the tone does feel distinctly older than most middle grade books, but it does not feel as mature as a lot of other YA published this year. It is such a captivating and wonderfully written book, and Ian is such a memorable character that maybe it is worth considering?
Impossible Escape is another one I have read and loved, and I think that one is definitely a worthy contender for the Newbery. While it’s technically YA, it reads younger and I think it’s definitely approachable for a middle grade audience. The story is compelling and relevant to today’s audiences too.
(But as much as I love Gather, I have my money on The Blood Years by Elana K. Arnold for the Printz!)
I really think you’re right about the time jumps, Emily. I was wondered if they would lose young readers, but maybe not. It’s not straightforward, but really his mind works a lot like a younger kid’s might. We don’t always know where he’s going, but when he gets there, the earlier part makes sense. Like in chapter 15, where he starts off by talking about his thrift store shirts, then describes the Sugar Hill Road, then remembers hunting there with Gramps and Dad. Finally he gets to the “keep out” signs and shares the poem he wrote after seeing them. It’s especially meaningful because of the hunting memory he shared. And even the thrift store bit ties in, with his small purchase dwarfed by comparison to someone who’s “rich enough to buy hundreds of acres of hardwood forest, just so they can tell the rest of the world they’re not allowed on land they’ve been walking forever.” And he puts in a little bit of his foreshadowing too: “Well, some good stuff came of that poem, and other stuff that was awkward as hell.” The plain-spoken, heartfelt narration is not beyond the reach of middle schoolers, and maybe even just right for them.
Yes! You gave a perfect example. I think 13-14 year old readers would definitely be able to follow Ian’s train of thought, even when it goes in unexpected directions.
I haven’t even touched GATHER this year and I’m not quite sure if I should read it or not based on the above comments..
FOR LAMB is the title that has stuck out the most to me this year… I think the delineation of character, plot development and presentation of theme is done so well… however the content is REALLY mature… and yes too mature for the Newbery….
STAR SPLITTER by Matthew Kirby is on our nominations list and has some very unique plot and character development (I mean you are devleoping two characters who are the same person with the majority of shared experiences but a few differences (that is CHALLENGING)… this is another with a 17-year-old protagonist.. I think hits too much YA but could work?
I loved Star Splitter! I thought it read fairly young—she could easily be 15 without changing anything. And there’s no “content.” The dual plot strands are mind bendy, but in a pretty accessible way. I don’t *think* it’s any harder to follow than When You Reach Me, for example.
I’m Team STATELESS but don’t have too much to add to what Steven said.
Several years ago when Roxanne co-hosted with Steven, she really changed my mind about the age question. I had been approaching it from a “protect the children from content” standpoint, making analogies to MPAA and TV ratings (i.e., PG-13 and TV-14). I am not saying that’s wrong, but Roxanne was much more about the Newbery Criteria’s statement, “The book displays respect for children’s understandings, abilities, and appreciations.” She was basically saying, people will just disagree about appropriate content, so forget that and instead ask, can children understand the book? And I think that’s the better approach. I think Steven once made a similar point about Joyce’s Ulysses – it’s not a kid’s book because it got censored, but primarily for reasons of the “understandings, abilities, and appreciations” required.
I hadn’t read GATHER, but I went online and read the first three chapters in preview. I don’t know about time jumps, but I thought the writing (separate from content) was completely age-appropriate in terms of understanding and appreciation. My youngest is 14 now (yep, in a few months, I will have no Newbery children). Is she part of the intended audience of GATHER? Do I think she has the ability to understand and appreciate the chapters of GATHER that I read? 100%. In contrast, I had some reservations about the Honor selection of Fighting Words, and yes some of that was content, but it was also that the content forced things to be implied (e.g., through descriptions of smells and sounds) that adults would get, but I thought would be completely lost on even 14 year olds like my daughter. This gets at the “but kids read older books” argument — yes they do, but they are not understanding/appreciating those books the way an adult would.
My resistance to the HMAC’s championing of Everything Sad is Untrue was on account of a writing style I found difficult and adult. This year, I would argue against EYES AND THE IMPOSSIBLE on similar grounds of child-unfriendly writing. In contrast, Wein, as evidenced by STATELESS, has become far more considerate of child readers compared to Code Name Verity, and that’s why I agree with Steven that despite the protagonist’s age, “the writing and storytelling style make them work for younger readers.”
When I am reading with a Newbery lens, I have to remember that when I was 14, so much that seems so obvious to me now (e.g., symbolism, subtext) was just lost on me then, even though I read a lot and was a good student — these were things taught to me by high school English. And thinking about the Newbery, I find it useful to ask myself, would I have appreciated this before high school English, and it helps clarify my thinking.
That’s really interesting, Leonard!
I think STATELESS is definitely Newbery-able. It doesn’t read too old, and I just recommended it to 7th graders, and they wanted it right away. I don’t think I’ve read an Elizabeth Wein since CODE NAME VERITY, but I was very impressed with the writing style and side plots.
I don’t know if I could hand IMPOSSIBLE ESCAPE to a 14 year old. Or rather, I think that is the minimum age I’d hand it to, which I understand does make it Newbery-able (there I go using that again), but it goes into quite the detail. Maybe not graphic, but it definitely is imaginably gruesome. BOMB was a great one to make into a graphic novel, but I’m really hoping they don’t make this one into a graphic novel. Anyway, I thought this is certainly worthy of something, Sibert, or even Printz. I think Rudi Vrba should be a household name. The writing is just so engaging, the characters are shown in immense detail from their thoughts to their actions, and I think it’s distinguished.
I’ve got a hold on GATHER, and I’m working my way through a few of the others.
I think BUFFALO FLATS is good middle-grade stuff, though young adults and adults will also enjoy it. I worry that YA award committees will consider its romance too old-fashioned and innocent–not edgy or sexy enough.
In the past, awards have gone to THE PERILOUS GARD, THESE HAPPY GOLDEN YEARS, and THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND, all of which tend
towards marriage–as well as SHABANU, JULIE OF THE WOLVES, and FIGHTING WORDS–which deal with forced marriage, rape, and sexual abuse. If these were not considered “too old” I don’t think BUFFALO FLATS should be, either.
(I’m also a huge fan.)
Good point, Laura, about BUFFALO FLATS maybe seeming too innocent for teen awards, which does move it more firmly into Newbery territory. And thanks for reminding us of those earlier Newbery titles. Also for making me think I really should re-read THE PERILOUS GARD one of these days…I loved that book, but barely remember it.
It’s fantastic–the PERILOUS GARD, that is. Next time you have a cold, settle down with a hot toddy and the PERILOUS GARD, and you’ll be set to rights in no time.
I’ll add ACOUNTABLE by Dashka Slater to my list of YA titles to consider for Newbery. The subtitle explains what it’s about: “The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives It Changed.” The key figures are all teens and the setting is Albany High School (just north of Berkeley), but the issues involved are highly relevant to readers just a bit younger: racism, bullying, school environment, friends. The journalistic style, based on hundreds of interviews, makes a long book (450+ pp) move pretty quickly. I thought it was riveting and read it in two sittings I think.
And the author does a great job of letting the kids and the adults involved speak for themselves, while also providing just enough context and questions. It’s that last bit that helps it work especially well for middle school aged readers, I think. While it’s intense at times, I don’t see anything in the content that pushes it beyond 13-14 year olds. In fact, it’s content that’s especially relevant and meaningful to that age range, as well as high schoolers.