MotherReader

I know that no one is breathlessly awaiting my post on the winners when the news is all over the Kidlitosphere, but for my own sake of fulfillment I'll cover the Newbery and Caldecott Awards - the "biggies" of the ALA Youth Media Awards.

The John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature went to The One and Only Ivan, written by Katherine Applegate. I loved the book and thought it had a good chance at a medal. Unfortunately, I haven't read any of the three honor books Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz, Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage, or Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin. Of them, the last is first on my list to read as it was also named in other nonfiction awards. I was surprised that Wonder was not on the list, but am thinking that it may have peaked too early in the Newbery season.

The winner of the Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished picture book was This Is Not My Hat, illustrated and written by Jon Klassen. I thought it was too similar to the first book to win, but what do I know. Two of the Caldecott Honor books were also Cybils finalists, Creepy Carrots! illustrated by Peter Brown, written by Aaron Reynolds and Extra Yarn, illustrated by Jon Klassen, written by Mac Barnett. Among my personal favorites of last year was One Cool Friend, illustrated by David Small and written by Toni Buzzeo. I have never understood the buzz about Green, illustrated and written by Laura Vaccaro Seeger, but figured it would be honored. I actually don't know Sleep Like a Tiger by Mary Logue, but since I love the illustrator Pamela Zagarenski, I'm looking forward to the book. I was disappointed that Chloe and the Lion didn't appear on the list, especially with so many selections named this year. When it was announced that there would be five honor books, there was an obvious murmur from the ALA audience, and I'm glad to see a bigger list than last year.

What are your thoughts on the Newbery and Caldecott awards this year? Did they get it right?

For the last day of Newbery Discussion Week, it seemed appropriate to use Poetry Friday to talk about the one book of poetry — or rather, the one non-historical fiction title — honored with an award. Oh, and today’s Poetry Friday round-up is hosted by Rasco from RIF.

The night’s a sea of dappled dark
the night’s a feast of sound and spark
the night’s a wild enchanted park.
Welcome to the night!

Dark Emperor and other Poems of the Night is a picture book of poetry featuring the natural elements of the nighttime. Prior to the awards, I had looked at this title in terms of the Caldecott, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the book had a description of the illustration process. (Publishers, can we start doing this more with picture books? Thanks!) The artwork is made by relief printing, printed from different blocks in several colors, and then hand-colored. As noted by the illustrator, “There are definitely faster methods of making a picture, but few more enjoyable in a backwards sort of way.” The illustrations are amazing and detailed — especially in an early print, which shows many of the creatures the reader will discover in the coming poems. Personally, I found myself more drawn to the simpler, smaller pictures that accented each poem, but all of the prints were quite special.

I wish I could say the same for the poetry, but I did not find the poems in this book to be anything out of the ordinary for a children’s book. It wasn’t bad poetry, but nothing gripped me in this book. I was disappointed, because I love two of Sidman’s other books. In last year’s Caldecott honors winner Red Sings from Treetops, I melted over the perfect phrasing and rhythms, and This Is Just to Say moved me with the expressions of apology and forgiveness. But the poems in Dark Emperor seemed flat. They were descriptive and even educational, but I didn’t connect to them. I also felt a little cheated by a book of poetry with only twelve poems. The rest of the required thirty-two pages were taken up with a full spread print to start and end the book, and informational description of each natural element in the poem, a table of contents, and glossary.

But look, I’ll admit that I’m no poetry buff or even particularly a poetry lover, so I’d welcome other opinions of this title. What did you think of it?

Sent far from home to a family member, an independent, self-assured eleven-year-old girl spends the summer exploring the area, all the while learning more about her mother and bonding with her family. In discovering a world that was completely foreign to her, the girl also learns a little more about herself and her own intrinsic strength. Written at an accessible level and length for elementary kids, the book packs a punch with realistic characters, clever dialogue, colloquial expressions, historically accurate details, and evocative settings.

So my only issue with today’s Newbery books is that the above description could be used for either one. Yeah, I’ll give you a moment to process that. Like I talked about at the beginning, it still seems problematic to me to use the only children’s literature award that everyone knows to showcase two books with the same basic themes. However, the other problem becomes which one wouldn’t be honored, because they are both perfect books for young readers. I intended to skim both books so that I could discuss them today, but I was unable to do that... because I ended up actually reading both of them again. I was so sucked in by the writing that they were too good to skim.

For instance, Turtle in Paradise has such a perfect opening: “Everyone thinks children are sweet as Necco Wafers, but I’ve lived long enough to know the truth: kids are rotten. The only difference between grown-ups and kids is that grown-ups go to jail for murder. Kids get away with it.” BAM! Right from the start we get a sense that this is a past time (Necco wafers), the that speaker is young (using the word “grown-ups” instead of “adults”), and is hardened by life (kids are rotten). Good writing. I love this book. The setting is described very naturally within the context of the story. I could picture every moment very clearly. (You know, this would be a good movie. Just sayin’.) Turtle is a great character. Strong and self-reliant, she says what she thinks. She’s tough, but she’s also caring and curious. The book didn’t rely on the standard of small-town books — quirky characters — instead giving us a realistic and interesting picture of life in Key West during the depression era. My only complaint about the book is that it ended rather abruptly, not allowing enough time to play through the emotions of the conclusion. But that’s a small shortcoming for an otherwise splendid book.

One Crazy Summer also started strong, but I was really sold a page later with this part: “That’s mainly what I do. Keep Vonetta and Fern in line. The last thing Pa and Big Ma wanted to hear was how we made a grand Negro spectacle of ourselves thirty thousand feet up in the air around all these white people.” Again, good writing lets the reader know we’re dealing with an older sister who keeps her siblings in line, but she’s still young enough to call her father “Pa.” “Negro spectacle” sets not only the basic time period, but a sense of the family relationship. Reading that, I sense that grandma uses that phrase a lot. At the same time, it makes me a little uncomfortable, unsettled. I feel like I’m hearing something that I wasn’t supposed to know, but yet by knowing it I understand so much more. The book packed in many of these uncomfortable moments regarding race and family relations. The mom says that she should have gotten rid of these kids when she had the chance. Damn! When an older lady gives the girls nickels basically for being tidy, well-mannered colored girls, the reader squirms with and for Delphine. All through the book we feel for these girls, but Delphine’s strength and independence don’t allow us to pity them. If pressed to list a flaw, I’d say that at times it was obvious that the education center scenes were meant to educate us, the reader. But I think that they were necessary for both the story and the reader, so I wouldn’t want to change them either.

Now, at the beginning of this post I said that I couldn’t imagine cutting one of these titles, even if they were so similar because I really like them both. And it’s also worth mentioning that, with minor changes, that same description fits Moon Over Manifest. Considering that, what should have been awarded? What do you think about today’s titles?

Yesterday, in discussing the Newbery winner Moon over Manifest, I talked about how hard it was to get into the book, but that the ending really pulled together. I had the complete opposite problem with today’s book.

Heart of a Samurai starts strong. Seriously, by the second page, the fishermen are adrift in the Pacific Ocean with little hope of survival. By page twenty, rescue from their rocky island is imminent and comes in the form of an American whaling ship. From there, they are on a sea journey as viewed through the eyes of a fourteen-year-old Japanese boy. His isolation and views of the foreigners as “barbarians” add to the feeling of discovery for him and for the reader. It’s all going swimmingly, one might say, until the story takes some time off in America.

At this point the novel slows down to a crawl. What was a sea adventure becomes a tale of acclimation. We’ve gone from The Perfect Storm to Little House on the Prairie. There’s some good stuff in this section that shows the difference between the acceptance that John Mung found on the ship with the prejudice of the farming community. As the real Mung’s history, it’s important to understand his intelligence, his loyalty, and his isolation. But as a novel, this section dashes the growing momentum of the story. By the time he gets back on a whaling boat, we have a better sense of both his reasoning and his sacrifice in making the decision, but we’ve lost the excitement.

Unfortunately, this turn on the whaling ship is short and goes into a series of various real-life activities that eventually get Mung back to Japan and set him on his adult course as an ambassador between countries and an actual samurai. Interesting stuff from a historical perspective, but a complete switch in style. Also, by this point in the book Mung is an adult, not a child or teen, so the story loses much of its appeal as children’s literature. There are great nonfiction resources — historical notes, a glossary, a bibliography, and actual drawings of John Mung throughout the book — but again, weren’t we signing on for a sea adventure?

Overall, I liked the book but think it would have benefited as a novel from less exacting reliance on the historical events. Get that kid back on the boat much faster and end with his last whaling journey. Perhaps he could be staring out over the ocean towards him homeland knowing in his heart that he’ll make it home someday, leaving the rest of the story for the epilogue.

So what do you think about it?

Let me start by making it clear that the week’s post are intended to be discussions, not reviews, and as such may include spoilers from the books. You’ve been warned.

It’s no secret that the winner of the Newbery Award, Moon Over Manifest, came as a surprise to much of the children’s literature community. But why? First, the book was released in October of 2010, meaning that it missed the opportunity for buzz to build over the year. It also wouldn’t have had time to make it to many libraries, who would then be unable to include it in their mock Newbery discussions. Second, the book was an author debut and as such, wasn’t big on the radar or probably on purchase orders. But the third reason interests me the most, and that is that some people who were actively looking to guess the Newbery winners had this book, read a few chapters, and put it down. I’m thinking specifically of the Heavy Medal blog, but I doubt they were the only ones. I had the book myself, skimmed the beginning, and didn’t pursue it.

It’s not that the book is bad, but it is a real slow starter. I’m not even talking the fifty-page rule that dedicated readers give a book. For me, it wasn’t until I was halfway through the three-hundred-fifty-page book before I was invested in it. The little pieces planted in along the way started to come together with explanation and meaning. The story started to build momentum and tension until a point at which a twist, and then another twist really brought it home.

When I put it down at that moment, after the roller-coaster ride of the ending, I totally understood why this book won the Newbery Medal. Because I left it feeling like I’d watched an exciting movie, for which the lengthy setup had left me completely unprepared. It was like going in watching The Remains of the Day and coming out watching Ocean’s Eleven. That was unexpected — and as such, kind of cool — and I closed the book thinking that this was indeed the best of the year. For about a day.

But the more it sat with me, the more I resented the long buildup in a children’s book. I persevered because I knew it had won the award. Also because adult books often have a more meandering style, so it was still within my comfort zone for reading. But I see it as a notable flaw that it was so hard to get into the book, especially considering the target age — which is not actually adults.

Also, the more I thought about it, the less satisfied I was with some of the resolutions. A big part of the buildup is the allusion to something the town is trying to forget or even to hide. At the same time there’s a recurring suggestion that Abilene’s dad left the town because of his own hurt or shame. I wondered if we were coming up on some wild version of “The Lottery.” Now that would be some dark writing. But it turns out that while the secret is fun to discover, it’s not something that a town would consider its dark past. And the catalyst event for the mourning that hangs over the town and Abilene’s dad is that a young man died in a war and her dad helped him sign up. That’s it? I waded through all of that setup and that’s all you’ve got for me? It felt cautious. Like the author couldn’t bear to put a more realistic amount of accountability on the father or the town.

Overall, Moon Over Manifest is a good book. It’s slow, for sure. It’s more observation then action. There are some problems with the resolutions, though others are brilliantly done. There are passages that lean too heavily on the meaningful metaphor, especially in the first few pages. But there is definite skill in linking the two stories of past and present. There is a tremendous amount of attention given to characters with depth and purpose. The book sets a scene, a time, a place with great flavor and detail.

As I said as I started this discussion, I don’t think it’s a bad book. But I do think that there are flaws that don’t make it the ideal gold medal winner. I especially have concern with the highest-award-winning book for children being a book that has the pacing of an adult book, leading me to wonder how accessible it is to kids.

So what do you think about it?

Yes, I know it is late, like two thousand and eight, but I do have a few reasons for bringing up the Newbery Awards now. First, I just got all the books. Second, it’s the topic of the DC KidLit Book Club meeting this Sunday. And third, it’s been burning within me to discuss since I read the winner.

I was disappointed with the Newbery Awards this year. Less because of the specific winning titles — though I have issues with each — than for the lameness of the list in general. Four out of five titles were historical fiction. Two of those were the same time period. Three of the books have a stunning similarity. Don’t see it? Three books about girls sent on their own in the summer to a new place where they will learn more about their parents, but at the same time discover a little something about themselves, all the while observing more than participating.

Now people will say that the Newbery is about finding the best books, not a comprehensive list. I agree to an extent, but would also in that case like to request my copy of the Children’s Literature Excellence Checklist (CLEC), because there appears to be a sort of consensus as to quality in children’s literature of which I am unaware. Also, the fact that the winners are bought in libraries everywhere does to me to imply a certain thoughtfulness needed in presenting a better variety of books.

While all of the winning titles are good, solid books, the fact that they are mostly of one genre and three are kind of the same book says more to me about the particular taste of this committee than the excellence of literature this year. Seriously, no contemporary fiction or fantasy or nonfiction reached the same level? Is it possible that we are subscribing to a view of literary quality that doesn’t reflect children’s literature today?

I’ll be talking about the specific titles this week, and encourage your participation in the discussion. Tomorrow, the gold medal winner.

The Newbery Award — this year subtitled “Did Not See That Coming” — brought us some interesting books that had no pre-award buzz whatsoever. I’m looking forward to reading most of these for the first time and I suspect that I’m not alone in this.

Moon over Manifest, written by Clare Vanderpool, is the 2011 Newbery Medal winner. I have this book on my TBR shelf and imagine that I’ll be reading it this afternoon now. Total surprise in that I’ve heard nothing about this book around the kidlitosphere.

There were four Newbery Honor Books named. Turtle in Paradise, by Jennifer L. Holm, I have read and enjoyed. I’ve seen some talk about it for Newbery, and am very happy to see it in the list. One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams-Garcia, was altogether expected to make the Newbery list, and many people thought it would pull in the gold. Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night, written by Joyce Sidman, was a book I’d been hearing in conjunction with the Caldecott Award. I’d never thought of it for Newbery and haven’t read it yet. I do like Sidman’s poetry, so I expect to enjoy this title. Heart of a Samurai, written by Margi Preus, is another book that appeared out of thin air as an award-winner. I’ve seen the book, but had not heard any buzz about it in terms of awards. Shut out of the Newbery winners were Keeper, Countdown, and Forge — all books that were talked about as near-certainities.

The Caldecott was a little more in line with expectations, though the committee seriously needs to choose more titles for honor awards. This year it was really a travesty as there were some wonderful possibilities that were passed by.

I’m happy to say that two of the books are Cybils Fiction Picture Book finalists. A Sick Day for Amos McGee, illustrated by Erin E. Stead (and written by Philip Stead), is the 2011 Caldecott Medal winner. A lot of folks were looking at this title for gold or silver. Interrupting Chicken, written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein, was a surprise for Caldecott. I like the book, but had not heard it mentioned in Caldecott predictions. Out of left field was honor book Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave, illustrated by Bryan Collier (and written by Laban Carrick Hill). I vaguely remember hearing about this book earlier in the fall, and then it dropped off the radar.

What is more notable are the many titles that were not represented in the Caldecotts. I was personally pulling for Chalk, by Bill Thompson, because I think that the illustrations are amazing in their details, expressions, and perspectives. I thought Flora’s Very Windy Day was a long shot, but I couldn’t help but hope for its enchanting illustrations to be noticed. I’d heard Ballet for Martha and Dark Emperor suggested from more than one source. Personally, I was never convinced of the predicted win of City Dog, Country Frog.

So, what turns out to be correct is the most widespread prediction of this years awards — that they were wide open. Back later with some more awards.

I put my awards predictions on Booklights this year, and boy did I nail it! Not that it was a particularly hard year to predict, but you never know when a surprise is going to slip through. Well, actually it did in the Printz award, but I’ll get to that later. There will be helpful lists of winners all over the place, but here are my personal reactions.

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Newbery Medal
Winner:

When You Reach Me
by Rebecca Stead
One of my most horrifying blogger moments was realizing that I had this book as an ARC, but didn’t get around to reviewing it until it seemed like everybody had talked about it already. Still kicking myself. I did profile it on Booklights as a very strong contender to win, and was right there. It also was a book that got some of the most engaged and passionate discussion at the DC Kidlit Book Club, which was telling right there. Awesome choice for the win. (Edited to add Booklights text: Miranda is comfortable with her friends, family, and generally her New York City life. But it feels as if things start to shift when her best friend Sal pulls away from her. Left adrift in sixth grade, she meets new people and tries new things - but is most intrigued by the strange notes appearing for her eyes only. The story is clever, layered, interesting, and intelligent. The buzz is big, the hype is high, and the love is loyal for this title. I won't be surprised to see it somewhere on the list, and maybe even as the winner.)

Honors:

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
by Grace Lin
On the other hand, I’ve been talking about this book a lot. Like crazy a lot. I fell in love from the moment Grace posted the cover art, was delighted to get the ARC, was happy to be part of the blog tour, gave it to my daughter for Christmas, and will be talking about it on Wednesday at my Mother/Daughter book club. I didn’t think that it would win, because it doesn’t have that dark edge that the Newbery goes for, but am so happy to see it take a medal. (Edited to add Booklights text: Seeped in her father's fairy tales and pushed by her mother's sighs, Minli leaves home to search for the Old Man of the Moon to change her family's fortune. Along the way her kindness makes her many friends, who turn out to provide the help she needs. Incorporating Asian fairy tales with her own adventure, this is a beautiful book of love, friendship, and gratitude. The full color panel illustrations throughout add to the astonishing beauty of the book. And just look at the cover! Lots of people are hoping for a Newbery for the delightful book and author too, but it may be too light and happy for another award that tends towards death and calamity.)

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
by Jacqueline Kelly
So I didn’t write about this book either until recently, but I was late to the party on discovering it. I did read it, loved it, and thought that it had a good chance of making the Newbery list for its strong writing and story. And hey, a historical fiction winner without death or dismemberment! It’s a new day for Newbery. (Edited to add Booklights text: The hardest thing about this book is making the one sentence description sound gripping. It's the story of a girl in 1899 who discovers the world of science under the tutorage of her grandfather. Calpurnia Tate is the youngest of a bunch of brothers, and can sometimes get lost in the shuffle to spend time at the creek looking at plant specimens or holed up in Grandfather's lab, testing the fermentation of pecans to wine. But for all this exposure to science, she's still growing into a woman at the turn of century and wonders when she'll have to put away her magnifying glass for a mop. Wonderful historical fiction that doesn't focus on death, dismemberment, or abject poverty - which is why it may not be taken seriously enough to win the Newbery.)

Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice
by Phillip Hoose
Didn’t read it, but have it on hold because I was pretty sure it would make the list. Some list, at least.

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg
by Rodman Philbrick
Never heard of this title, so here’s our Newbery surprise.

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Caldecott Medal
Winner:

The Lion & the Mouse
by Jerry Pinkney
Seriously, no one is surprised here. The book is gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. By taking the old tale and making it wordless, Pinkney gave the story new life and interpretation. I’m only concerned where the gold medal will go on this breathtaking cover. I’m glad I have a copy without the medal, frankly.

Honors:

All the World
written by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Marla Frazee
Another beautiful book that could have won had it not been published the same year as Pinkney’s book. Guess those are the breaks. Like The Lion & the Mouse, it’s on the Cybils Fiction Picture Book shortlist.

Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors
written by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski
I haven’t seen this book yet, but it did make the shortlist for Cybils Poetry.

A complete list of the ALSC winners in a variety of categories is available at the ALSC site.

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Printz Award (Known this year as “Where’s Marcelo?”)
Winner:

Going Bovine
by Libba Bray
Read it, liked it, recommended it as a must-read of 2009. Did not think it would win because it seemed to get a love it/hate it reaction from people, and I figured that the reactions would cancel each other out and knock this off the list.

Honors:

Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith, by Deborah Heiligman, The Monstrumologist, by Richard Yancey, Punkzilla, by Adam Raff, and Tales of the Madman Underground: An Historical Romance 1973, by John Barnes
I’m running these together, because I haven’t read any of them and have only even heard of Charles and Emma. It seems like an odd batch of mostly quirky or unusual books, and with a glaring omission of Marcelo in the Real World.

A complete list of the YALSA winners in a variety of categories is available at the YALSA site.

The last few days the media has been buzzing with the news that American Idol got it wrong in picking Kris Allen over Adam Lambert. Many have gone so far to say that the voters deliberately ditched a contestant who is probably gay. Other sites have lamented that the singing competition didn’t award the best singer and that America must be off its rocker to pass up the flamboyant, super-talented vocalist Adam for the subdued, guitar/piano-playing singer Kris.

But I have a perspective from an unlikely source: The Newbery Medal.

What I’ve learned from the Newbery is that edgy is a long shot. It might make the honors list, but won’t take home the gold. The Newbery is so dry as a contest that sometimes we have to make up controversy to relieve the boredom. Thus we get Scrotum-gate of 2007.

There are basically two reasons that the Newbery and American Idol will not go for edgy. The first is in the structure of the organizations. The Newbery Medal “honors the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.” It’s that distinguished that throws it all off. Because while the mission statement may be using the definition “made conspicuous by excellence,” it’s hard to separate the word from the other definition, “having an air of distinction, dignity, or eminence.” Excellence. Dignity. Tough to fit edgy in there.

American Idol is murkier in that its goal is to find the next American Idol. So to see what that means we have to look to the show and how it defines itself. AI doesn’t say it’s against rock or hip-hop or bluegrass. But through the series of competitions they make the choices pop songs. They bring out Tony Bennett to mentor the contestants. They write the cheesiest ballad for the last two standing. It becomes clear that they are looking for a pop star, preferredly one that addresses the key teen demographic. When the judges remind listeners — often — that “this is a singing competition,” we start to forget that it is an American Idol-branded singing competition. If we are talking vocal powers, then why did we rule out all those opera singers in those early, brutal rounds?

The second reason the Newbery and American Idol can’t go edgy is that both decisions are left up to a group. In American Idol’s case, a very large group offering almost 100,000,000 votes in the finale. In groups, the unique often get love-it-or-hate-it attention, leaving more subdued offerings to make it through as being acceptable to everyone.

Now, the good thing that both the Newbery Medal and American Idol have in common is that the winner doesn’t really matter. I mean, it does — but it doesn’t. The Newbery Honor books get silver medals and the authors get that extra boost for their careers. The American Idol finalists get record contracts from producers who have been waiting to pick them off, and the show has given them a starting fan base. Once you get down to the last four or five, no one really loses. In fact, one might say that the trickiest place to be is as the American Idol winner, now stuck in the American Idol contract and obligations for a long time.

This year both the Newbery Medal and American Idol got it right. The gold sticker went to The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman, allowing us to stick out our collective librarian tongues at the media impression that the Newbery couldn’t pick a popular book. So there. American Idol got mild-mannered and multi-talented Kris, who will fit nicely into the American Idol mold and perhaps even benefit from its control. Adam Lambert can leave his American Idol shackles behind and be the artist and person he wants to be, while bringing along a huge fan base from the show. In both cases, we moved further along the path to acceptance of different, unexpected, edgy.

In any case, we can all get along and find our common ground... in bashing the Miss America Pageant.

Yes, I missed the Youth Media Awards announcements. I took my Girl Scouts snow tubing on the teacher work day. Of course, I wish I had known that it was a teacher work day for all the surrounding counties. Perhaps then we wouldn’t have had a three-hour wait for our tubing time and wouldn’t have had to fight with crowds the entire time and I wouldn’t have come home so late and wouldn’t have run out of steam to the point where I don’t even care any more about the awards.

I’m sorry, I’m obviously not myself to have even said such a thing. I admit to feeling a little disconnected from the Newbery Awards because out of all the winners, I only read The Underneath. But I did think it would get an honor award, so I was right there. I did know all the Caldecott winners, and while I may not have chosen them myself, I didn’t find them a surprise. I had also thought that How I Learned Geography was going to win an honor award. Apparently, I am not even trying to predict the winners anymore. Just the honors.

Popping around through my blog reader I noticed others’ reactions, more interesting than mine:

• Fuse #8 made plenty of predictions as the year went on, and shares her thoughts while listening to the results. Updated to add: And adds her opinions on the Newbery and Caldecott results.
  


• Abby (the) Librarian was all hopped up on the awards, and offers her thoughts on the picks. Kids Lit reports the award high points.
  


• A Year of Reading offers a different way to win the prediction game — by predicting that the winner will be a book that one has not yet read. In contrast, over at Becky’s Book Reviews, we have links to her many reviews of award-winners.
  


• At Mitali’s Fire Escape, she’s wondering about the need for all the ethnic book awards. The Brown Bookshelf, on the other hand, is celebrating them.
  


• Jama Rattigan offers congrats to her fellow writers. And the Newbery winner takes us into his reponse (insert amazed and delighted swearing). Updated to add: Holy cow! An interview with Gaiman one day after his win at Just One More Book.
  


• Charlotte couldn’t be happier about the Gaiman win, as Jen highlights her favorites from the day.
  


• At Wizards Wireless, Susan can’t help but offer one last-minute prediction, and follows up with the the complete list of winners, which I’m lifting directly from her site (as it seems to involve the least formatting) and pasting below. (But not before I acknowledge the Geisel win of a very special person. He’s happy about it, too.)

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Newbery Medal: The Graveyard Book
Newbery Honors: The Underneath; The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba; Savvy; After Tupac & D Foster

Caldecott Medal: House in the Night
Caldecott Honors: A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever; How I Learned Geography; River of Words: the Story of William Carlos Williams

Printz Award: Jellicoe Road
Printz Honors: Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation Volume 2; The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks; Tender Morsels

Geisel Award: Are You Ready to Play Outside? [by Mo Willems]
Geisel Honors: Chicken Said Cluck; One Boy; Stinky; Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator

Coretta Scott King Author Award: We Are the Ship
Coretta Scott King Author Honors: The Blacker the Berry; Keeping the Night Watch; Becoming Billie Holiday

Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award: The Blacker the Berry
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honors: We Are the Ship; Before John Was a Jazz Giant; The Moon Over Star

Coretta Scott King / John Steptoe New Talent Award: Bird

Schneider Family Book Award for Young Children: Piano Starts Here: the Young Art Tatum

Schneider Family Book Award for Middle Grades: Waiting for Normal

Schneider Family Book Award for Teens: Jerk, California

Sibert Medal: We Are the Ship
Sibert Honors: Bodies From Ice; What to Do About Alice?

Pura Belpré Illustrator Award: Just in Case
Pura Belpré Illustrator Honors: Papa and Me; The Storyteller’ s Candle; What Can You Do With a Rebozo?

Pura Belpré Author Award: The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom
Pura Belpré Author Honors: Just in Case; Reaching Out; The Storyteller’s Candle

Oh thank you, Washington Post, for voicing your so-very-educated opinion about the Newbery awards. And to do so only two months after Anita Silvey’s article, “Has the Newbery Lost Its Way?” was published in School Library Journal. Way to stay on top of things, Post.

(Again, I ask the Blogger gods: WHERE IS MY IRONY FONT?)

Today, The Washington Post takes on the topic of all topics in children’s literature with its article “Plot Twist: The Newbery May Dampen Kids’ Reading.” The article notes that, following the SLJ article, “the literary world is debating the Newbery’s value, asking whether the books that have won recently are so complicated and inaccessible to most children that they are effectively turning off kids to reading.”

The Post presents points from both sides of the issue, but any sense of objectivity is lost by the headline. For instance, the article doesn’t mention that in the blog of the same School Library Journal, Nina Lindsey wrote a rebuttal to the original article. Two Kid Lit Divas going head-to-head on opposite sides, and both of them know their sh... stuff. Truly, there is certainly some worthy debate in the Newbery arena, but I don’t think we need the Washington Post chiming in — unless they’re going to start a Series of Obvious Debates:

Teachers Think “No Child Left Behind” May Be Leaving Children Behind

Tax Attorneys Debate Whether Tax Law is Too Complicated

Pimps Say, “It’s Hard Out Here For a Pimp”

Every professional arena has its areas of debate and compromise, and the nuances of those topics are often lost in the mainsteam media. That’s why the New York Times annual article about Young Adult books or summer reading programs gets stuck in our collective craws. Because we realize that they don’t have all the information, that they’re throwing ideas out there almost randomly, and that they may actually reach people with these half-assed conclusions because they have the readership. It’s frustrating.

It’s even more annoying as these same papers cut their reviews of kids’ and teens’ books. I almost laughed when I saw The Washington Post’s Best Kids Books section in Book World. This edition had credibility when the paper was reviewing a decent number of kids’ books. Now, the books are listed with “excerpts from the most favorable reviews of the year,” and I just have to wonder. Specifically, I wonder how many books they were looking at in the first place, and — given that I’ve not seen many mentioned in the paper — if every book they reviewed had to be included. Oh, and how they chose those few books that they did review. Having read more than two hundred picture books in the last three months, I can say with some authority that the Preschool selection is surprising random.

Anyway, my feeling on the Newbery Awards is that they are what they are, and perhaps it is less that the Newberys should change than that teachers, librarians and parents should change the way they choose their books. There are lots of resources that select good books — with the ALSC Notable Children’s Books being a good place to start, as it includes all the ALA award winners plus other great titles. Personally, I couldn’t finish my yearly reading without the Best Books lists of School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and The Horn Book. (For more 2008 Best Books lists, visit Chicken Spaghetti’s amazing round-up.)

But perhaps most importantly for the kidlitosphere, this continuing debate emphasizes the need for the Cybils awards — where literary value is balanced with kid appeal. I’m proud to be a part of that process, now more than ever.

The Geisel? The what? You know, the Theodor Seuss Geisel award for beginning readers. Particularly important this year because it goes to There’s a Bird on Your Head, by Mo Willems. Didn’t I say that was my favorite of the Elephant and Piggie books? Oh, yes I did. Go Mo!

The Caldecott Honor Awards go to Henry’s Freedom Box, illustrated by Kadir Nelson; First the Egg, written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger; The Wall, written and illustrated by Peter Sis; and... OMG, Knuffle Bunny Too, written and illustrated by Mo Willems. Let’s pause for a moment to reflect on that listing. No gold or silver for Let It Shine, but it did win the Coretta Scott King illustrator award, so maybe that will do. (Not really, but whatcha gonna do?)

But the surprise winner of the Caldecott, the award selection that will have everyone talking is... The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick. The cheers and applause were truly notable during the announcement of a book that everyone assumed would be shut out by being neither here nor there in terms of award categories. I know someone who will be pretty happy. I’m ecstatic. It truly deserved to win.

Now the Newbery Honor Awards have some familiar titles, namely Elijiah of Buxton, by Christopher Paul Curtis; The Wednesday Wars, by Gary D. Schmidt; and Feathers, by Jacqueline Woodson. The winner has not been a very big book outside the kidlitosphere, but it’s still a surprise to me (though not to Fuse#8, who totally predicted the whole list), Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village, by Laura Amy Schlitz and Robert Byrd.

Shut out from the awards was the much-praised The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, but I can guess that it was too mature for the Newbery and too young for the Printz. In any case, it did win the National Book Award. There’s better balance in the Newbery shortlist than last year’s list, which was all Girls In Trouble.

A complete list of all of the ALA awards is available here. Reactions, anyone?

So, I’m not going to the ALA Midwinter Conference after all. Not that I had said I was, but I had thought about it. As it turns out, Philadelphia is three hours away, not two; the focus seems to be on adult literature, not kids’; and I’m really burnt out, not just a little burnt out. If you’re going, make sure that you drop by the kidlit bloggers’ lunch on Saturday — info at Readers Carousel.

I’m not making any Newbery predictions this year, or even listing what I’d like to see win the Newbery Awards. But Fuse#8 has a wonderfully detailed post on her predictions. She doesn’t think The Invention of Hugo Cabret can win. Why not? Well, Wizards Wireless has gone into the rules for both Newberys and Caldecotts to show why Hugo Cabret is going to get shut out. It’s a crime, but whoop, there it is.

I already made my Caldecott predictions, and they are Let It Shine and Angels Watching Over Me. I also agree with Fuse#8’s prediction for The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County as a possibility. The Wall has been mentioned so much, it’s hard to imagine that it won’t win, but you never know — I mean, it’s not like anyone saw My Friend Rabbit coming.

The Brown Bookshelf writers are making their predictions about the Coretta Scott King awards. My favorite, Let It Shine, makes one appearance, but Henry’s Freedom Box is getting more buzz in the illustrator category. Touching Snow and Elijah of Buxton come up for the author category, but since I didn’t like either book, I can’t begin to comment.

Totally off the subject, but Jen Robinson put together a fantastic article about helping kids enjoy reading. Really top notch. Also off subject, if you’re in the poetry mood today, which I was not, head over to The Book Mine Set for the Poetry Friday round-up.

Back to ALA. So what do you want to win this year, in any category? Does ALA need a new division, maybe the Kick-Ass Book Award?

The 2007 Newbery Award has been announced, and it is The Higher Power of Lucky, by Susan Patron.

That sound you hear is a number of children’s librarians and kid-lit-loving people all saying at the same time...

Huh???

I’ve never heard of it. Like, at all. I don’t recall seeing it on anyone’s predictions. I don’t even remember seeing a review of it. So I suppose reading it will be a nice surprise.

I do know of the Honor books. They are:

• Penny from Heaven, written by Jennifer L. Holm
  (haven’t read it, but heard great things about it)


• Hattie Big Sky, by Kirby Larson
  (read it, loved it, reviewed it, author commented in my discussion)


• Rules, by Cynthia Lord
  (read it, liked it, reviewed it, little surprised it won)

But most important, here is what didn’t win. And for that we can all be thankful.

Be back soon with more awards.

It’s almost Newbery time again, and A Year of Reading is starting off the predictions round-up. I’m feeling lazy, so I’ll let Franki say it:

[Listed are] our top 5 hopes/predictions along with other chapter books of the year that we’ve loved. Since we started our blog with this Newbery goal, we’d love to do a round-up of everyone’s Newbery predictions/hopes. If you post your Newbery predictions, let us know in the comments and we’ll do a round-up in about a week so we have it up and ready before the Newbery is announced on January 22.

I am not even going to hold it against the Year of Reading blog that both of the blogwriters put that Tulane book on their lists. But you won’t see it on mine. My predictions/hopes for the Newbery, with links to my reviews, are:

1. Yellow Star
2. Gossamer
3. Shug
4. Hattie Big Sky
5. Weedflower

And five other chapter books that I loved, but that don’t seem Newberyish, are:

1. Clementine
2. Toys Go Out
3. The Year of the Dog
4. Flashcards of My Life
5. Happy Kid!

I’m seriously rooting for Yellow Star. It blew me away. Really. Read my review. But the others were also solid, great books. I feel a little bad at the lack of “boy” books in my list. There may be some good contenders, but I didn’t read them.