MORE 'UNCATEGORIZED' POSTS
Russell Freedman–like Jason Reynolds–actually has two strong Newbery contenders: WE WILL NOT BE SILENT (five starred reviews plus Kirkus Prize shortlist) and VIETNAM (four starred reviews). Both of them are quintessential Freedman: crystal clear prose, elegant book design, carefully selected primary sources, and thoughtful, intelligent analysis. I first became familiar with the story of Hans […]
MAKOONS by Louise Erdrich is the fifth book in this cycle, but only the second one about this new generation in the family. I have to admit that I am not a natural reader for this series, that the slow episodic plots do not speak to my needs as a reader, and I believe I […]
Having reread SAMURAI RISING, I can say that it has unequivocally secured a place on my ballot, and depending on the will and disposition of my hypothetical committee, I could even spend my first place vote on it! First of all, I want to say that whatever you think of this book (and we were strongly divided on […]
We have settled on the shortlist for our mock Newberys (and we will release specific details and dates and times once we have arranged them). We typically chose 8 titles, but have occasionally stretched to 9 titles (as we have done this year). When we do 9 titles then length is always a consideration, and it makes it […]
We are heading towards picking our final list and I’m feeling the pressure. There are just so many amazing books, and so little time! So for today, THE BEST MAN. It came up in a couple of people’s lists, and I think it has a deserved place in our conversation. Richard Peck is pretty much the […]
“In the midst of the human ugliness of racism, there is the human beauty in the resistance to racism.” Ibram X. Kendi The National Book Awards had a bit of a 2015 ALA Midwinter moment with African Americans winning three of the four categories, and for decidedly political works, no less. Joining John Lewis and […]
We used to check in with our readership several times a year about their top choices, mimicking the nomination process that the real committee experiences wherein they nominate three books in October, two in November, and a final two in December. Since we don’t post quite as frequently now as we used to, we are […]
Now it’s time to discuss an underappreciated body of literature for children, what are often called chapter books. Since I think that term is still fairly vague, I’d call them transitional chapter books. That is, books that bridge the gap from the more challenging easy readers to the easiest novels. On the younger side, these […]
This blog may be as divided as our nation is when it comes to this book, but I gave MS. BIXBY’S LAST DAY a read and it just doesn’t rise to the top for me. Don’t get me wrong, I like this book very much, but it doesn’t scream Newbery to me. It is […]
I like this book very much, and I can easily see the committee discussing it very seriously. It’s strong in virtually every single element that pertains to it–plot, character, setting, style, theme, and accuracy–and yet I’m feeling slightly underwhelmed on a personal level when it comes to plot and theme. The characters in this book are […]
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