Newbery Buzz 2011

Something most people don't know about me: I collect Newbery Award books. I have all 88 of them, from 1922-2010, and after Monday's announcement from the American Library Association I'll be short until I can get hold of the newest one. This year I thought it would be fun to do a little predicting about the winner, since I'm always listening to the announcement with bated breath.

Of course I'm not qualified to make any kind of judgement, since I'm not a librarian, nor do I have a degree in children's literature--I just love it a lot. This year I've stayed away from other Mock Newbery lists and predictions, because I wanted to see if I could make any kind of a close prediction myself. It turned out to be harder than I thought, because I didn't have the money to purchase 500 books, and my library is in straits regarding its collection budget. So I couldn't get my hands on nearly enough of the potential winners to make an educated guess. Who cares? I'm going to make a guess anyway. And here are my top five picks:

Countdown, by Deborah Wiles

I loved this book! From the artistic and creative layout to the gripping storyline and historical asides, it is a work of art. Not only that, but it's a work of art that's accessible and educational. Kids who read this book will learn about a period of history (beginnings of the Cold War) from a child's point of view, but will also be treated to interesting notes about what was really going on in the U.S. during the time just after the Bay of Pigs. I loved the viewpoint of a young girl who was terrified of disaster, but who was also trying to juggle the same issues we all struggled with at that age--friends, boys, weird relatives, self image, etc.

Honestly, it wasn't the number one book I read all year, but I think the Newbery committee will like it because it's fresh and different.

Northward to the Moon, by Polly Horvath

Fabulous!! Polly Horvath has a rare seamless way with simile. So many people use their simile like a sledgehammer--hey, look at me! I just made a simile! Isn't that clever? Not Horvath. Her writing is insightful, tender, and pure. The story is sweet and illuminating. The characters are believable and lovable. Favorite quote:

Most things we think other people do that are bad are merely inconvenient for us. Most people we think are bad have just not acted in a way that was convenient for us. We assume they must have evil reasons if they do things that don't turn out well for us, but most of the time we just don't get it.

If I could have learned that lesson earlier in life, I'd have had an easier time of it. I'm happy for our heroine that she seems to have learned it early on.

Horvath won a Newbery Honor in 2002. Let's hope she's on the short list again for this one.

Mockinjay, by Suzanne Collins

Amazing! Collins has done it again. The perfect ending to the trilogy. Basically, I love everything Collins has ever written. Mockingjay wasn't the absolute best of her work, but it was very, very good. And I have no problem at all with awarding an author based on her overall contribution to literature. In my opinion, she was robbed of her rightful award in 2009 for The Hunger Games (no offense meant to the talented Neil Gaiman).

Leaving Gee's Bend, by Irene Latham

Beautiful! I love the way the author integrates quilting into the story. The voice is sweet and genuine, and I love that it's based on true events. Very well done. Again, if the committee is looking for a fresh and different story, this fits the bill. On the other hand, we've already had a Newbery about sharecropping (Sounder), but it was long enough ago and this story is different enough that that might not matter. I think this one was my personal favorite.

One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams-Garcia

Lots of tales of life in the sixties cropping up lately. This one could definitely be a contender. It's a great story about three young girls caught up in the Black Panther movement in Oakland just after Dr. King was assassinated. They're looking for love and acceptance from their estranged mother, and end up becoming involved in a cause.

I love the author's final statement in her acknowledgements at the end of the book. "And yes, there were children."

We don't often think about how a cause like Civil Rights affects the children--the fear of having a parent taken away in the night by police; the fear of retribution from other members of the cause when you or a parent does something to jeopardize the overall work. It's pretty stressful. And yet kids are resilient and capable of finding their own way to participate and make their voices heard on behalf of a group.

Powerful story, well told, in a way that will captivate and educate young people without scaring them.

So there are my picks. A few more books that I think might show up on the list:

Falling In, by Frances O'Roark Dowell

Ashes, by Kathryn Lasky

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling, by Maryrose Wood

As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth, by Lynne Rae Perkins

I'm guessing Mockingbird, by Kathryn Erskine will be a strong contender based on its popular subject matter, but I never could get a copy, so I'll reserve judgement here. But if it wins, know that it was on my radar, and I'm awesome.

And now we wait. 7:45 a.m., PST. If you follow on Twitter you can be one of the first to know!