Choose Two: Top Newbery Contenders So Far
It’s time for a Friday Feedback exercise! On random Friday’s (or Monday’s for that matter) we will feature a prompt where we invite you to weigh in on a particular question related to the 2025 Newbery Medal. Today it’s YOUR top two:
It’s too early to have a clear Newbery front runner. It’s not even time to start nominating books. But it’s fun to surmise!
Picking two takes the pressure off a bit: we’re not making a grand prediction or going all in on a single title. But limiting it to two is still challenging; there’s a good chance that we’ll have to leave out a book (or books) that really could be great enough to win a Medal.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Looking at our September 2023 and 2022 posts we didn’t do so good on our predictions actually winning. Only one person shouted out EYES AND THE IMPOSSIBLE last year, and that’s book guru Betsy Bird.
I had a really hard time picking these and as mentioned multiple times I have not fallen in love with many books yet. Maybe the only one I’m in love with is FORCE OF NATURE but sadly I don’t think it meets enough criteria to take it all home.
I did settle on two at least:
LOUDER THAN HUNGER: A well-done look at a tough topic from a male perspective. I am very impressed with Schu’s characterization and plot development. You really build a relationship with Jake and can get a (small) picture of what he’s going through.
OLIVETTI: This is my dark horse book that I’m giving it too. The idea of a personifcated object having such a strong and important character is very unique and well-done. All of the characterizations in this book are truly fabulous and what makes it stand out.
Please share your own Top Two in the comments below. You can just list titles if you want, but we’d also love to know a bit about what makes them your current front-runners:
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
SLJ Blog Network
Surprise! Announcing 1000 HORSES FOR THE KING
Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Wee Winnie Witch’s Skinny by Virginia Hamilton, ill. Barry Moser
Review | Chickenpox
Talking with the Class of ’99 about Censorship at their School
In School Library Journal: Good Grief: Middle Grade Authors Normalize Loss
ADVERTISEMENT
Jupiter Rising by Schmidt
Orris and Timble: The Beginning by DiCamillo
ALL ABOUT U.S. by Lamothe and Volvovski
MAGNOLIA WU UNFOLDS IT ALL by Miller
I honestly did not think of picking Magnolia until sitting down to type.
MAX IN THE HOUSE OF SPIES by Adam Gidwitz
MID-AIR by Alicia D. Williams
(but there are another half-dozen books at about that level for me so far…)
The Secret Library(Magoon) and Sona and the Golden Beasts(LaRocca)
My Two:
Louder Than Hunger (Schu)
The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman
The Bletchley Riddle
Jupiter Rising
FIRST STATE OF BEING by Erin Entrada Kelly
A STRANGE THING HAPPENED IN CHERRY HALL by Jasmine Warga
Louder Than Hunger – just an incredible story in verse that every single student I’ve given it has loved.
Ferris- as always with Kate it’s all about the characters. She just creates characters it’s impossible not to adore.
I read the first part of Louder than Hunger and I am wondering if it is too much for my 4th graders. Thoughts?
I agree it might be a lot for fourth graders some really tough topics. I think it depends on the specific readers though.
Going with my Gut based on Newbery Rubrics for currently published:
LOUDER THAN HUNGER by John Schu
MAX IN THE HOUSE OF SPIES by Adam Gidwitz
The one I keep going back to:
AND THEN BOOM! by Lisa Fipps
Other favorites that I hope are ALA Media Award Contenders:
Printz: JUPITER RISING by Gary D. Schmidt
Sibert: ENIGMA GIRLS by Candace Fleming
Coretta Scott King: MID-AIR by Alicia D. Williams
Schneider: THE COLOR OF SOUND by Emily Barth Isler
Morris: OLIVETTI by Allie Millington
1. FERRIS , by Kate DiCamillo,
because of the grandmother
2. OLIVETTI, by Allie Millington
because of the typewriter
Both books charmed me in the opening pages and never let go.
Two! Oh boy.
I’ve got one I don’t think was suggested but I read because of the National Book Award longlist, and I now think one of those is a contender.
So my two are
1. THE FIRST STATE OF BEING by Erin Entrada Kelly
2. KAREEM BETWEEN by Shifa Saltagi Safadi.
My favorite book this year is Olivetti, but I have only read it once, so I’m not sure how it does with all the criteria.
And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps
Louder than Hunger by John Schu
The First State of Being
The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman
There are so many great books this year, but those two stand out above the rest for me, particularly The First State of Being. I’ve read over 700 books in 2024, and that one has stuck with me the most.
Enigma Girls is somewhat of a dark horse because it’s nonfiction for an audience on the end of the age spectrum, but I loved it so much I can’t not call it out as one of my two.
Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman manages to pull ahead of several good books to take my second spot.
This topic thread isn’t the place for it, but boy I can’t wait to talk about Olivetti specifically. I did not like it at all, and one of the reasons was I thought the characterization of so many of the characters was so shallow, but seeing other people call it out specifically for character work makes me wonder what I was missing?
OLIVETTI definitely need more discussing. Looks like some love it as a Newbery contender and at least two (Alys and….myself) are not rating it as highly….
Wholeheartedly agree! I think the characterization of Olivetti is strong, but the rest of the characters fall flat.
Also, I’d be curious if other people have seen children gravitating toward this book, because I haven’t seen it.
Agree. I didn’t like Olivetti either.
The First State of Being
The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman
I also love Enigma Girls, but I won’t vote for it now because I haven’t quite finished it yet.
The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman
Louder Than Hunger
It pains me to not pick Ferris….
So hard to pick only two! But I’ll go with BLACK GIRL, YOU ARE ATLAS and I’M FROM HERE, TOO.
My top two so far are The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman and Ferris.
I emidiatly chose Hank Hooperman. This one is a clear favorite. My second choice was harder. I am almost finished with max in the house of spies and have really enjoyed it. I also really liked The First State of Being. These are my honerble mentiones that were close but I ended up not picking cause I had to choose just two.
I have three so far:
The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman
Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All
Tree.Table.Book
Magnolia Wu Unfolds them All: I absolutely love the craft of writing here and the character development.
The Color of Sound: a coming of age story with a bit of fantasy. I loved how stubborn Rosie was in deciding what was right for herself despite opposition from her family. The ties to her past told through her conversations with her grandma adds another level of interest to the story.
(Close third would be The Enigma Girls – I loved this one too!)
NOT QUITE A GHOST by Anne Ursu: I haven’t seen anything else like this, specifically the interplay between chronic illness and being haunted.
THE COLOR OF SOUND by Emily Barth Isler: So many elements combine well here, and there are a lot of appeal factors: music, neurodiversity (synesthesia), family history, friendship, a spot of time travel, relationships with religion.
But I cannot leave it at two, so here are the ones I wish I could include also:
AND THEN, BOOM! by Lisa Fipps: A novel in verse whose hero is a kid doing his best in a tough situation (much like Hank Hooperman).
MAGNOLIA WU UNFOLDS IT ALL by Chanel Miller: This is what every chapter book should aspire to be: it’s tender and funny and creative and has an unforgettable pair of sock detectives!
THE NIGHT WAR by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley: There are a lot of WWII novels out there (including THE GIRL WHO SANG and MAX IN THE HOUSE OF SPIES, also both excellent!), but this is the only one I’ve seen with the ghost of Catherine de Medici.
TELEPHONE OF THE TREE by Alison McGhee: This one *feels* like a Newbery, the way that the main character is burrowed into her grief, and the people around her are giving her the time she needs to come to terms with what happened, but also coming up with an almost-magical way of working through it that helps others with their own losses.
TREE. TABLE. BOOK. by Lois Lowry: Another WWII-tinged book, but the relationship between the two Sophies and the way the elder Sophie’s story unfolds is special, and there’s not a single wasted word.
I’m curious to know if kids are picking up FERRIS and how they’re responding to it. It has one line I cannot forget (page 44):
“But what’s the point of love if people die?” Ferris said, still staring down at Boomer.
“That’s what music is for,” said Billy Jackson.
Not Quite a Ghost (Ursu) – she’s due, and this book is appealing and literary.
Tie: Olivetti (Millington) and And Then, Boom (Fipps)
Re question above about Louder than Hunger: I do think it’s too much for most 4th graders. We have a reading challenge every year at my school for grades 4-6, and although I love the book and think it could definitely win, I did not add it to the list. (Plus let’s not forget Schu is a librarian-friendly and isn’t working for Scholastic anymore). Also on our list this year are: Olivetti, First State of Being, Force of Nature, Telephone of the Tree, and Not Quite a Ghost.