MORE 'BOOK-DISCUSSION' POSTS
Being on the Newbery Committee means devoting almost all your reading time (and time to do other things in the past) to the year’s output of American Children’s Books. I know that my husband definitely felt the impact of being a Newbery Committee Spouse. Evenings that were family times — watching TV together or playing […]
In THE GLASS TOWN GAME, four Bronte siblings (yes, those Brontes) travel to a magical world filled with characters and settings from the their own imaginative games. I went back and forth on this book several times while I read it, and it shows in my thoughts below: The language is eloquent, imaginative, clever, often […]
Grief and complicated family relationships are treated with impeccable prose construction, musical sentences, and deep compassion by Rita Williams-Garcia. It is a love song to the Blues and a tribute to life’s “blues” as experienced by a young child so’s to become a wiser, deeper soul. Williams-Garcia also offers a forensic examination of the failed relationship between a child and her father and its lingering effects. Yes, this story […]
What do you call these books in your library? Here, in Oakland, we call them “Moving Up” books. More advanced than easy readers, but not as sophisticated as chapter books. Featuring lots of pictures, but integrating more complex language. In any case – they don’t tend to get a lot of Newbery love. There are […]
At the end of the Newbery Criteria document, there is a Note: “The committee should keep in mind that the award is for literary quality and quality presentation for children. The award is not for didactic content or popularity.” (I have always wondered what propelled the addition of this particular statement to the Manual.) We […]
This week Roxanne and Sharon both introduced books for older readers with thoughtful arguments for why they should be considered possible Newbery contenders. I’ll start this post on novels in verse with a title that falls clearly on the other side of the line for me. David Elliott’s BULL is one of my favorite books […]
Indulge me a little bit with this one, friends, and follow me into this thought experiment. Let’s pretend that the quick arguement I’m about to give in terms of age range of Newbery and this book fully convinces you that the book is eligible. I’m open to arguements that it’s not, but I’d love to […]
This week, all three of us will be posting about titles that are probably considered “too old” to even dream about being nominated for, let alone winning, the Newbery. And yet, when a book features a godly dreamer, a citadel floating in the sky, and characters accomplishing the impossible, its contribution to the young reader’s […]
My county library system catalog lists 34 nonfiction books about the Statue of Liberty. I think I’ve actually only read one (Lynn Curlee’s, which was excellent), but I’m pretty confident that none of them resembles HER RIGHT FOOT in terms of style, presentation of information, or interpretation of theme. It starts out light and conversational: […]
Katherine Applegate is the master of a certain kind of quiet novel. I’ll resist comparisons to her previous Newbery winning title, though, and stick to just this book and this year. WISHTREE whispers its message of tolerance and hope With such slight text, Applegate manages to make characters that are real, believable, flawed, and honest. […]
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