September Suggestions: The Final Round
And here goes another summer and our final suggestion piece for Heavy Medal! It’s your last time to suggest books to consider for our 2024 Mock Newbery, but don’t worry we will still be able to nominate books later in the year, so those late publication books won’t be left out.
Our official Heavy Medal season starts after Labor Day and Steven and I are very excited to start started talking about books ALL FALL LONG!
For now, it’s time to build that suggestion list just a little bit more.
These suggestions serve as a guidepost for our future discussions, when Steven and I start posting three times a week. (After Labor Day)
By now, most people are aware of our suggestion process- but read this post from March for more information on the details. (Basically- suggest five or less already published titles and feel free to tell us why!) And check out our cumulated list of suggestions here.
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Suggestions are open until Saturday the 31st and we’ll post the updated list on Labor Day. We’re early this month, so we can launch right into book discussions come September.
I can’t wait, can you? Can Steven?
Filed under: Suggestions
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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Take Five: New Middle Grade Books in September
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This is my first time recommending this year, so if I understand the rules correctly, I can include more than five?
“I’m From Here, Too” by Kashmira Sheth. There aren’t a ton of books that talk so deeply about religious faith, and especially the Sikh faith, so I think this is a really welcome addition to middle school literature. Anoop is a sympathetic character, kind, sweet, loyal, questioning (his faith). He makes both good and bad decisions, which is really what being thirteen is about.
“Amil and the After” by Veera Hiranandani. The political, religious, and perceived other differences between people make the kids’ world uncomfortable and unsafe, even as they strive to make this new place their home. The story is well-structured, and the characters are distinct and interesting.
“Across So Many Seas” by Ruth Behar. The author does a great job of world building in each time, linking the stories by the music (in particular one song they all know, and the oud on which it’s played by Reina), and the food (which will make you hungry!). It’s a lovely story, illustrating the Sephardic diaspora following 1492.
“Mid-Air” by Alicia D. Williams. This was sad, but really good. The poems paint such a clear picture of the boys’ friendship, how Isaiah feels about everything, the world around them, and everything that happens. I liked that Isaiah’s parents weren’t perfect, but they tried. I liked that Isaiah was not only blindsided by the things that happened, but he also had blinders on about how his life differed from Drew’s more difficult situation.
“And Then, Boom!” by Lisa Fipps. Wow, this was a serious heartbreaker. A heart-ripper-out-of-your-chest, really. Joe tries so hard to do everything he can to keep his life together, but even with help, it’s too much for him.
“Kwame Crashes the Underworld” by Craig Kofi Farmer. I loved Kwame’s connection with his grandmother, and how he came to accept the necessity of his grief. I thought his friend Autumn was great, too–and so nice to see the representation of someone dealing with a disability and seeing how that affected her sense of self-worth in a world that already saw her as “less” because of her ethnicity. Lots of adventure, lots of action, and enough slower times for thought.
The Dictionary Story – Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston
Checking this out!
That’s an interesting one. There’s the story, then there’s all of those funny dictionary definitions…
Is it eligible?
Thanks for catching, Julie. I think you’re right. Oliver Jeffers lives in Northern Ireland. He did live in New York for a while, I guess, but no longer. Unless someone knows something about that would make him eligible (US citizen or resident), we’ll assume THE DICTIONARY STORY is not eligible for the Newbery.
I just finished Magnolia Wu Unfolds it all by Chanel Miller. I thought it was pretty good. I liked how magnolia and Iris were able to connect with everyone in there comunity through the socks
I also listened to the adio for Olivetti by Allie Millington. I’m not sure if I liked this enough to vote for it come nominations but it was a unique book. I’d suggest checking it out. Parts of it are from a typewriters perspective. It also discusses some tough topics.
Nothing new here, but these are my books:
Tree Table Book
The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman
The First State of Being
Ferris
Olivetti
ALL ABOUT U.S. by Lamothe and Volvovski — top of my list so far
The Secret Library by Kekla Magoon
One Big Open Sky by Lisa Cline Ransome
The Iguanadon’s Horn by Sean Rubin
The Wrong Way Home by O’Shaughnessy
Across So Many Seas by Behar
Not nothing by Gayle Forman
When Wishes Were Horses by Cynthia Voigt
The Frindle Files, Andrew Clements
The Wrong Way Home by Kate O’Shaughnessy
Telephone of the Tree, Alison McGhee
Jupiter Rising by Gary D. Schmidt (but its almost YA)
Be on the look out for Witching Wind by Natalie Lloyd. This comes out 9/3 and I recommend it for Fall.
This year so many books have moms that leave. They are all good books, it would be interesting to compare them:
* Olivetti (nominated April)
* The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman (Nominated June)
* And The … Boom! (Nominated June)
Kyra Just for Today
Shark Teeth
Quade
Of your first five is there one more than others I should be sure to read?
Ms Ally
HI ALLY! Ally is MY librarian. She got me hooked on books and she is AWESOME. I’ll stop by say hi soon!
Of the first 5: The Frindle Files, Andrew Clements. Technology theme and its really about the power of words adn how it is really important to choose them carefully.
My second would be Jupiter Rising by Gary D. Schmidt. Shelf it on the older kid wall. This may be more Printz than Newbery.
THE WRONG WAY HOME by Kate O’Shaughnessy
Anne Ursu’s Not Quite A Ghost
Olivetti
The World Divided by Piper (C Carter — it’s not perfect but it breaks interesting ground)
Louder than Hunger
And then, Boom!
The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko
Winnie Nash is Not Your Sunshine by Nicole Melleby
And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps
The School for Invisible Boys by Shaun David Hutcherson
Whoops! *Shaun David Hutchinson
OK I’m on my “other genres” surge– and suggesting extra after a rough reading/ suggesting spring!
OUTSPOKEN PAUL ROBESON, Ahead of His Time: A One-Man Show by Carole Boston Weatherford, ill. Eric Velasquez
CALL ME ROBERTO Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for Latinos BY by Nathalie Alonso and Rudy Gutierrez
ASH’S CABIN- jen wang
SPIRIT SLEUTHS- gail jarrow
WHAT IS COLOR- Stephen Weinberg
RISING FROM THE ASHES- Paula Yoo
YOUNG HAG AND THE WITCHES QUEST- Isabel Greenberg
THOMAS JEFFERSON’S BATTLE FOR SCIENCE- Beth Anderson
PLAIN JANE AND THE MERMAID- Vera Brosgol
The Night War by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Enigma Girls: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II by Candace Fleming
The Last Apple Tree by Claudia Mills
Across So Many Seas by Ruth Behar
Ferris by Kate DiCamillo
KYRA JUST FOR TODAY by Sara Zarr
MAX IN THE HOUSE OF SPIES by Adam Gidwitz
MID-AIR by Alicia D. Williams
AND THEN, BOOM! by Lisa Fipps
ALL ABOUT U.S. by Matt LaMothe
BLACK GIRL YOU ARE ATLAS by Renee Watson
KEEP IT LIKE A SECRET by John David Anderson
WHEN WISHES WERE HORSES by Cynthia Voigt
Just realized I forgot one, to get me up to 5 this month:
HOW IT ALL ENDS by Emma Hunsinger
And Then, Boom! By Lisa Fipps
The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman. By Gennifer Choldenko
Medusa. By Katherine Marsh
Jupiter Rising. By Gary D Schmidt