Looking ahead to Newbery 2025
EMILY: I’m still processing yesterday’s announcements and it’s already time to think about next year!
It’s hard to believe that the reading process has already begun for the 2025 Newbery.
I have received a few arcs already for 2024 titles, but was still focusing on reading and re-reading last year’s contenders. And now I want to catch up on books I missed from the awards. Where are you at in your reading Steven?
STEVEN: I just finished a great book: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. Now I’m onto Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead. The only problem: These are adult books. Once HM ends, I always take a break from children’s books. But will get back to those in a month or two.
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EMILY: At least we have a little time before Heavy Medal suggestions start. In March we will make monthly suggestion posts and readers can suggest up to five titles for people to consider for the 2025 Newbery.
STEVEN: Those suggestion lists are really useful early in the year, when it’s hard to know what to read beyond new books by authors we know.
EMILY: After yesterday’s announcements I know I need to up my reading in books by American Indian authors, latinx characters, and Stonewall possibilities, and actually read some more nonfiction.
STEVEN: I also have to branch out more…subject areas, genres, ages… One of the best things about being on the Newbery committee is you have to read books you might not otherwise pick up. With a Mock Newbery it’s what I should do, but I tend to fall back too much into my usual reading areas.
EMILY: I’m looking around for possible 2025 Newbery contenders and am not even seeing a Goodreads list yet. I did find a few lists of books coming out in 2024 and here’s what I’m excited about: NOT QUITE A GHOST BY Anne Ursu (spooky and fun?!) and THE NIGHT WAR by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (she already has won two honors)
Do you know any good ones Steven?
STEVEN: Erin Entrada Kelly is always worth trying…she seems so comfortable in any genre. So I’m looking forward to FIRST STATE OF BEING, which has a bit of time travel I guess. And Candace Fleming’s ENIGMA GIRLS is at the top of my nonfiction list so far.
EMILY: I’m excited to hear what other Heavy Medal readers are looking forward to so I can build my TBR list!
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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Can vouch for the new Anne Ursu book! It’s kind of perfect and terrible the way that chronic illness dovetails into the ghost story/horror genre.
I’m looking forward to Max in the House of Spies by Adam Gidwitz, The Partition Project by Saadia Faruqi, Finally Heard by Kelly Yang, Cut Loose by Ali Stroker (sequel to The Chance to Fly), as well as those you mentioned (Kate DiCamillo, Erin Entrada Kelly, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley). Andrea Wang has a middle grade novel coming out in March, too.
So many good books to look forward to! Meanwhile, I’m catching up on ALAYMA winners/honors I hadn’t already read.
I really liked Max in the House of Spies but I think the two immortal characters living on his shoulders may not be liked by everyone. I liked them as kind of a Greek chorus for the story (and they made me laugh) but I get than not everyone may enjoy them.
I recently learned that The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise (one of my favorites of the last few years!) has a sequel/companion coming out in March, called Coyote Lost and Found. And Lynne Kelly, author of Song for a Whale has The Secret Language of Birds coming in April. There’s a new graphic novel series by Lisa Yee and illustrated by Dan Santat for middle grade, the first one already out, called The Misfits. I’m also SO excited for The Night War, as you mentioned in the post,
Can’t wait for Coyote!
I have to correct myself, now that I have it from the library. The Misfits series by Lisa Yee is not a graphic novel!
1. The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
2. Across So Many Seas by Ruth Behar
3. Ferris by Kate DiCamillo
4. Louder Than Hunger by John Schu
5. The Girl Who Sang by Estelle Nadel
I have heard amazing things about Louder Than Hunger. It is definitely on my list.
AND HOW DID I NOT KNOW RUTA HAD A MIDDLE GRADE COMING?!?!?!