MORE 'BOOK-DISCUSSION' POSTS
I read THE TRUTH AS TOLD BY MASON BUTTLE and CHECKED a while ago and what really stuck with me weeks later was the distinctive voices of the two first person narrators. The Newbery Terms and Criteria mention “appropriateness of style” as a key consideration, and that’s where I think these two books shine. Style isn’t enough […]
Remember that year when the Caldecott winner was a significantly longer book than the Newbery winner? It was 2008 and Brian Selznick got the Caldecott Medal for The Invention of Hugo Cabret while Laura Amy Schlitz got the Newbery for Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village. That felt like a big deal […]
When Roxanne, Sharon, and I looked ahead to this year’s Heavy Medal season we discussed how deeply we should dig into each book in the early days. When you read a book you’re really enthusiastic about, it’s tempting to explore every possible example of qualities that might make it “the most distinguished contribution to American […]
This year, unlike years past, we didn’t *really* go anywhere, since we’ve been checking in every month to see what everyone has been reading. Here we are, though, in September, ready to get the Heavy Medal year officially underway. We are so excited to be here! We’ve been reading and reading and know you have […]
The Heavy Medal 15 have cast their first ballots, and the results are below. There is no winner at this point because a Medal winner needs to receive 8 first place votes (VINCENT AND THEO has 3) and the margin between 1st and 2nd place must be at least 8 (I’M JUST NO GOOD AT RHYMING leads […]
Long List Title: TUMBLE & BLUE (Titles on our long list will be included in our online conversation and balloting, alongside the short list titles.) This is the last book we’ll be looking closely at before getting to our short list and long list balloting. More about those processes is coming soon. TUMBLE & BLUE received […]
Short List Title: WISHTREE (Titles on our short list will be included in the live Mock Newbery in Oakland.) In Sharon’s earlier post on WISHTREE she writes: “WISHTREE whispers its message of tolerance and hope.” That sentence really captures the essence of this book. The “whispering” is quite an accomplishment. We have a lot of books […]
Long List Title: THE WAR I FINALLY WON (Titles on our long list will be included in our online conversation and balloting, alongside the short list titles.) As sequels go, The War I Finally Won stands alone quite nicely. There are brand new characters, intensified situations, and different concerns that make this not just a rehash of the first book […]
Short List Title: VINCENT AND THEO (Titles on our short list will be included in the live Mock Newbery in Oakland.) Vincent and Theo is not a book that I would casually pick up or leisurely read as entertainment. It would have been the book that makes me slightly groan, “Oh, really? Now I MUST read it all the way […]
Long List Title: BEYOND THE BRIGHT SEA (Titles on our long list will be included in our online conversation and balloting, alongside the short list titles.) Lauren Wolk’s BEYOND THE BRIGHT SEA seems to be one title that pops up almost every time I see or hear a list of likely Newbery contenders. Not necessarily on […]
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