Seeking Mock-Newbery Contenders: Heavy Medal’s July Suggestions Period is Now Open
2024 is only half over and we’ve already seen so many excellent children’s books published. We have 43 suggestions for our Mock-Newbery list so far, and we’ll likely jump past 50 during this round of July suggestions, which starts…now. From today through Saturday, July 6th, please share the titles and authors of any Newbery-eligible books you’ve read in the past month, following our usual guidelines:
– Up to five titles per month
– Only books that have been published in print form already
– It’s fine to add titles that are already on the list
For more detailed background about our suggestions process, check this post from earlier this year. Please add your titles and authors below and we’ll share an updated cumulative list next week…
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Filed under: Suggestions
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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The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko is the best MG book I’ve read in a long time.
Great choice!
The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko
Telephone of the Tree by Alison McGhee
Deep Water by Jamie Sumner
Newbery worthy or not . . . The Wrong Way Home has a plot not to be missed.
Ruby Lost and Found by Christina Li
Set in Northern California, great story of compassion, and finding self.
So good! Unfortunately, it was published in 2023.
My top three so far are:
The Enigma Girls by Candace Fleming. (I could not put it down!)
Stronger than Hunger, by John Schu.
The Secret Language of Birds by Lynne Kelly
I’ve read a number of graphic novels so far (including some on the 2025 contenders list) and none really stand out yet for me. Is it just me or are there not as many good ones out yet this year? I’d love to hear more recommendations for graphic novels.
My top graphic novel so far is PLAIN JANE AND THE MERMAID by Vera Brosgol. Excellent art work, but I also thought the plot, character development, and themes were really strong… Haven’t found any others so far at that level, but I do have a bunch I need to read still…
I agree Ms. Robinson. I am always digging for great new GN’s. Last year they were so strong, especially in the Memoir category.
LOUDER THAN HUNGER by John Schu
LIGHT AND AIR by Mindy Nichols Wendell
FERRIS by Kate DiCamillo
A FLICKER OF HOPE by Cynthia Harmony. I initially was interested in this book for my mock Caldecott, but I decided to give it a Newbery shout. Super short, super simple, but a lyrically written picture book.
THE LAST APPLE TREE by Claudia Mills
If Tree. Table. Book. is in the discussion, this one, which is quite similar, should be too.
The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman was fantastic.
And, late to the party, but adding my vote to Kyra, Just for Today, And Then, Boom!, and Tree. Table. Book.
(Didn’t mean for all of my other picks to include punctuation, but here we are.)
Isabel in Bloom by Mae Respicio – beautiful, diverse, deeply layered and moving verse novel that also manages to have joyful and funny (ie kid-friendly) moments. It’s something that can be handed to a wide variety of students and the range of poetry formats the author uses is fantastic; feels like “real” poetry to me vs feeling like prose with line breaks (like I see in many kid lit verse novels these days).
BLACK GIRL YOU ARE ATLAS – Renee Watson
THE GIRL WHO SANG: A HOLOCAUST MEMOIR OF HOPE AND SURVIVAL – Estelle Nadel, Sammy Savos, Bethany Strout
FIRST STATE OF BEING – Erin Entrada Kelly
THE SECRET LIBRARY by Kekla Magoon
It’s rare that a book surprises me, but the end of this one packed a serious punch!
I loved Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol!
Other books I loved:
The First State of Being – by Erin Entrada Kelly
The Color of Sound – by Emily Barth Isler
Mid-Air – by Alicia D. Williams
We always love the same books. 😉
Enigma Girls by Candace Fleming
Light and Air by Mindy Wendell
ISABEL IN BLOOM by Mae Respicio… beautiful novel-in-verse that made me cry on the plane ride home from ALA!
MEDUSA by Katherine Marsh
THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF BIRDS
ACROSS SO MANY SEAS
DEEP WATER
AND THEN BOOM!
How to Stay Invisible by Maggie Rudd and
The Fire, the Water and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla
Unfortunately, HOW TO STAY INVISIBLE and THE FIRE, THE WATER AND MAUDIEN MCGINN were both published in 2023. So they’re ineligible for the 2025 Newbery. Good books though!
Breaking Into Sunlight by John Cochran.
My five for July:
MAGNOLIA WU UNFOLDS IT ALL by Chanel Miller
TELEPHONE OF THE TREE by Alison McGhee
THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK NOOPERMAN by Gennifer Choldenko
WITCH HUNT by Andrea Balis & Elizabeth Levy
THE WRONG WAY HOME by Kate O’Shaughnessy
KYRA, JUST FOR TODAY
THE WRONG WAY HOME
AMIL AND THE AFTER
Again, I only have one.
THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN by Gennifer Choldenko.
AND THEN, BOOM! by Lisa Fipps
THE FIRST STATE OF BEING by Erin Entrada Kelly
THE GIRL WHO SANG by Estelle Nadel and Sammy Savos
ONE BIG OPEN SKY by Lesa Cline-Ransome
TREE. TABLE. BOOK by Lois Lowry
My Youth Reviewer JULY 2024 Nominations:
*And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps
*The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko
*Deep Water by Jamie Sumner
*Mid-Air by Alicia D. Williams
*The Night War by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Summer is my favorite time for reading- 42 books since June and I am pumped to tell you there are some AMAZING books on the horizon (Fall is busy… BET! I am stoked to read them before school starts.)
Fun book year in San Diego! The ALAAC24 was so great and a highlight was the 2024 Newbery Awards Ceremony. It’s super interesting that all of the Newbery awards winners had male protagonists. I am also excited to watch the Eisner Awards at San Diego Comic Con. My predictions are
Best Publication for Kids in ’23: Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir by Pedro Martín
Best Graphic Memoir in ’23: A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat
but Sunshine (Krosoczka, ) The Talk (Bell) and Family Style (Pham) should be in every school library too.
My HMAC recommendations for 2024 (I hope you all read these too)
March:
*Max in the House of Spies: A Tale of World War II, Adam Gidwitz
*The Color of Sound, Emily Barth Isler
*The First State of Being, Erin Entrada Kelly
*The Enigma Girls by Candace Fleming (Non Fiction)
April:
* Louder Than Hunger by John Schu
* Olivetti by Allie Millington
* Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renée Watson
May:
* Tree. Table. Book. By Lois Lowry.
* The Secret Language of Birds by Lynne Kelley.
* Force of Nature: A Novel of Rachel Carson. by Ann E. Burg
* The Girl Who Sang : A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival by Estelle Nadel Savos (GN)
* Leafy Landmarks: Travels With Trees by Michelle Schaub (Picture book)
June:
Ferris by Kate DiCamillo
Have a great summer!
Our July suggestion period ends today! I just realized I mistyped the deadline as “Saturday, July 8th” and just corrected that to Saturday July 6th. (Thanks for catching that, Quade). So today really is the deadline, but if you went by my mistake and get yours in tomorrow, we’ll still count it. And share the totals first thing Monday morning (the real 8th)….
Just one from me this month, but an enthusiastic recommendation for Tree. Table. Book.
July suggestions are now closed. Thanks to all for the excellent recommendations. We’ll invite more suggestions in early August…
Louder Than Hunger by John Schu
Deserves to be honored.