2015 ALA Youth Media Awards

On February 2, the American Library Association announced the winners of their Youth Media Awards.  The oldest, most prestigious, and most well-known of these awards are the Caldecott Medal (given to, "the most distinguished American picture book for children") and the Newbery Medal (given to, "the most outstanding contribution to children's literature").  For a complete list of the medal and honor books for all 22 awards, please visit this website.

This year was a fairly landmark year when it comes to these awards.  Here are this year's winners:

Caldecott Medal

The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat
Beekle is an imaginary friend.  All imaginary friends live together in a magical land until they are imagined by a child and join this child in the real world.  Unfortunately, Beekle's turn never seems to come.  So he takes mattes into his own hands and journeys all alone to the real world to look for a friend.  Eventually he finds a child, Alice, who is the perfect companion.  Dan Santat's signature style really shines in this story.

Honor Books:
Nana in the City by Lauren Castillo
The Noisy Paint Box:  The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky's Abstract Art by Barb Rosenstock, illisturated by Mary GrandPré
Sam & Dave Dig a Hole by Mark Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen
Viva Frida by Yuyi Morales
The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus by Jen Bryant, Illustrated by Melissa Sweet
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki

Newbery Medal

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
Josh and his twin brother Jordan are the best there is on their middle-school basketball court.  After all, they learned the game from their father, who once won a European championship and would have played pro for the Lakers had an injury not ended his playing career.  Josh narrates this story of his own potential championship season with fantastic poetry that really captures the movement and intensity both on and off the court.

Honor Books:
El Deafo by Cece Bell
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Wilson

Thoughts
What a year!  There's so much to say that I don't even think that I can do it properly with prose.  Bullet points it is.

• NONE of the Newbery award winners are written in traditional prose.  Two are written in verse and one is a graphic novel.  Wow.  Speaking of:
• A graphic novel (El Deafo) winning a Newbery Honor!  That's a big deal.  It's never happened before.  This is history in the making, folks.  I'd seen this book in the talks but wasn't sure if or how the committee could consider it because graphic novels rely so heavily on illustration (a factor that I think that the committee is not supposed to consider when awarding this honor).  But now we have our answer, and I think it's fantastic.  Nice to see graphic novels get a little credence.  Speaking of:
• Another graphic novel (This One Summer) winning a Caldecott Honor!  This is somehow less shocking since graphic novels rely on illustration and this award is given specifically for illustration.  But somehow it's never happened before until this year.  In retrospect, this is shocking.  More literary history!  What surprises me a bit more about this particular honor is that the Caldecott is specifically for books for children up to age 14, and I really think that this particular book really pushes that limit.  Fourteen is about the youngest I'd give this graphic novel too, and I kind of feel like that's pushing it a bit.  It's worth noting that this book also was graced with another silver medal, a Printz Honor, given to outstanding books for young adults.  Still, there's no denying that these illustrations are gorgeous.
• So many Caldecotts!  Six honor books, plus the medal.  And I did not see most of these books coming - only Sam & Dave Dig a Hole and Viva Frida were really on my radar.  Not sure if that speaks to my lack of reading this year, or to this year's field of published material.  

Mock Awards

Once again the children's librarians in my system gathered together to discuss the best books of 2014 and try and predict which books would win the prestigious Caldecott, Newbery, and Printz awards. Here are the books that we loved:

Mock Caldecott:

Medal:  
Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassan
Sam and Dave are sure they will discover something exciting if they just keep digging their hole.  Little do they realize that as they dig, they are constantly just missing the treasures that they search for.  As with so many book illustrated by Jon Klassan, the pictures in this book tell a whole other side of the story that is never mentioned in the book's text.

Honors:   
Where's Mommy by Beverly Donofrio, illustrated by Barbara McKlintock
Draw! by Raúl Colón

Mock Newbery:

Medal:   
The Night Gardener by John Auxilier
Irish orphans Molly, fourteen, and Kip, ten, travel to England to work as servants in a crumbling manor house where nothing is quite what it seems to be, and soon the siblings are confronted by a mysterious stranger and secrets of the cursed house.  This book is not only creepy, but is also characterized by superb storytelling.  All subplots are woven together seamlessly, and it's fascinating how the horror elements Besides, don't you think that a shiny Newbery Medal would just look lovely on this cover?

Honors:   
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd

Mock Printz:


Medal:   
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton
Born with bird wings, Ava Lavender is well aware that love has long made fools of her family. When pious Nathaniel Sorrows mistakes her bird wings for angel wings, 16-year-old Ava faces the man's growing obsession, which comes to a head with the rain and feathers that fly through the air during a nighttime summer solstice celebration.  Lyrical prose makes this work of magical realism come to life.

Honors:   
I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart 

2014 Youth Media Awards

On Monday the American Library Association announced the winners of the 2014 Youth Media Awards.  These awards are given to the best of the best in children's literature in a variety of categories.  Today I'm going to focus on the two oldest and, arguably, most prestigious awards:  The Caldecott and Newbery Medals.  To see a full list of the awards and this year's winners, click here.

Caldecott Medal

The Caldecott Medal is awarded each year to, "the most distinguished American picture book for children."  This year the award goes to a lovely piece of picture book nonfiction:  Locomotive, written and illustrated by Brian Flocca.  This book will transport readers back to the sepia-toned days of the old West, when travel by train was new and exciting.  Plenty of details about trains and train travel are provided.  For example, did you know that back in 1869 toilets on the train were nothing but a hole in the floor?  Even the text of this book is rendered beautifully, with certain words printed in a special typeface with a scale and color that really makes the text move along with the train.  This book was graced with another awards, the Sibert honor, for its roles as a great work of nonfiction for children.  Nonfiction does not often win other awards, so Locomotive's receipt of the Caldecott Medal is especially notable.

Three Caldecott Honor books were also named:

• Journey, written and illustrated by Aaron Becker
• Flora and the Flamingo, written and illustrated by Molly Idle
• Mr. Wuffles! written and illustrated by David Weisner

Newbery Medal

The Newbery Medal is awarded each year to, "the most outstanding contribution to children's literature."  This year the award goes to the book Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures, written by past Newbery winner Kate DiCamillo and illustrated by K.G. Campbell.  This this unique novel, Flora is a cynical young girl who also happens to be a fan of the comic series Terrible Things Can Happen to You.  When her neighbor accidentally vacuums up an unsuspecting squirrel, Flora discovers that Ulysses has been born anew with powers worthy of the comics, including flight, super strength, and the ability to write poetry.  Flora takes Ulysses under her wing and with the help of her squirrel friend, her unusual yet kind-hearted neighbors, and her father, she learns to overcome her cynicism and once again feel hope and love.  This novel is written mostly in lovely prose, though periodic comic-style illustrations show readers the action from Ulysses' viewpoint.  This is a fantastic book for readers of all types.

Four Newbery Honor books were also named:

• Doll Bones, by Holly Black
• The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes
• One Came Home by Amy Timberlake
• Paperboy by Vince Vawter

My Thoughts

This was a good year for picture books, and I know that I had an especially hard time predicting who the winner of the Caldecott Medal would be.  Despite this deep pool of talent I am not at all surprised to see most of the books that were granted Caldecott Medals or Honors on this list!  I'd expected Aaron Becker's Journey (which is a wordless story reminiscent of the classic Harold and the Purple Crayon but with tons of lush detail) to take the shiny gold medal, but Locomotive's charm makes it easy to accept the committee's final listing.  David Weisner's Mr. Wuffles! is also a delight, and it's definitely my favorite book from this outstanding author in quite some time.  The only real surprise for me on this list comes in the form of Flora and the Flamingo, which though certainly charming took me by surprise when it was named an honor book.  Still, it's sure to be a hit with young girls everywhere.

There were actually very few truly stand-out children's novels this year in my mind, so I was thrilled to see that my favorites from the year were all graced with awards of some kind.  I'd really expected the Medal to go to either Doll Bones or The Year of Billy Miller, both of which I found to be outstanding books.  Looking back on it, I can definitely see how Flora and Ulysses's style and charm won over the committee.  Its elegant prose, whimsical characters, and even the comic illustrations all work well together and make this novel stand out from the pack.  Time and energy permitting, reviews for these three great books may be forthcoming on this blog.  Authors Amy Timberlake and Kevin Henkes are both Wisconsin-born authors, and it's nice to see my home state represented so well at this year's awards.  Paperboy, however, was not even on my radar.  I'll need to explore this one on my own to discover what exactly it was that made this book a winner during what I felt was a off year for children's novels.  

2013 Youth Media Awards

Yesterday the American Library Association (ALA) announced the winners of the 2013 Youth Media Awards.  Nineteen different awards were given to the best of the best in children's literature.  As I have done for the past several years I will document the biggest, oldest, and most prestigious of these awards:  The Caldecott and Newbery Medals.  A full list of today's awards and their recipients can be found here. 

Caldecott Medal

The Caldecott Medal is awarded each year to, "the most distinguished American picture book for children."  This year the award goes to This Is Not My Hat, written and illustrated by John Klassen.  In this follow-up to last year's I Want My Hat Back, which was the recipient of a 2012 Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor, Klassen has crafted a similar story involving an animal's stolen hat.  This latest offering had a new cast of characters, a new color scheme, and plenty of clever humor to keep audiences happy.  One of the coolest things about this picture book is the way that the illustrations really do tell the story, adding plenty of detail that the text alone cannot provide.

A whopping five books were given Caldecott Honors:

• Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Peter Brown
• Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett, illustrated by John Klassen
• Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
• One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo, illustrated by David Small
• Sleep Like a Tiger by Mary Logue, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski

Newbery Medal

The Newbery Medal is given every year to, "the most outstanding contribution to children's literature."  This year the award goes to The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate.  This poetic, lyrical novel tells the story of Ivan, a silverback gorilla who lives in an exhibit at a mall.  Ivan has never really questioned his existence there and is happy enough drawing pictures with the crayons provided by his caretaker.  When a baby elephant is added to the mall's menagerie, Ivan suddenly realizes that he needs to find a better home for his new friend.  The language in this book really makes it stand out from the crowd as it brings Ivan's story to life.  The emotional story - based on real-life events - will warm your heart and bring a tear to your eye.

Three books were awarded Newbery Honors:

• Splendors and Gloom by Laura Amy Schlitz
• Bomb:  The Race to Build - and Steal - the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin
• Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage

My Thoughts

This year the Youth Media Awards has yielded a varied crop of winners, some of which I expected and some of which were complete surprises.   The Caldecott, with its unusually large pool of recipients, was especially filled with surprises.  I didn't expect either This Is Not My Hat or Creepy Carrots to make the cut, though both books are full of humor and real appeal for all sorts of audiences.  I had expected that John Klassen would win the Caldecott Medal this year, but not for the book that got the big prize.  Still, it pleases me to see Extra Yarn on the list of honor books.  And how cool is it that Klassen came away with two Caldecott awards for two different books this year?  This has only happened once before in the history of the award, when Leonard Weisgard won both a Caldecott Medal and Honor in 1947.

I'd read so many good, worthy children's novels this year that it was very difficult to predict which ones would come away with the Newbery.  There are a couple of titles that I was sad to see neglected - The Unfortunate Son and The Lions of Little Rock come to mind - but generally the recipients seem to be worthy.  I was somewhat surprised to see Three Times Lucky come away with a Newbery Honor.  Personally, I just wasn't terribly enchanted by this book and might have preferred to see another "plucky girl" story (Summer of the Gypsy Moths) come away with an award instead.  But that's just me.

Mock Awards 2013

Every year my new library system does a Mock Awards day, where children's librarians from throughout the system gather to discuss the best books of the year.  Using a weighted scale, we then vote for our favorite three books in each category in an attempt to predict the upcoming winners of the Caldecott, Newbery, and Printz Medals.

Here's how our Mock Awards program worked:

Any children's librarian in the system could nominate any books she/he felt was worthy in any category.  In November a small committee of librarians, myself included, looked at the nominations and selected the 37 books that we would consider on the day of the Mock Awards program.  The 37 books broke down as follows:

20 Picture Books
11 Chapter Books
6 Young Adult Books

The books and participating librarians were then divided into five groups, with each group assigned four picture books, two chapter books, and one YA novel.  A third chapter book and a second YA novel were each assigned, one each to two different groups, due to their brevity.  It was most important that each librarian be sure to read the books assigned to his/her group, but we were encouraged to take a look at all books if we could. 

On the day of the Mock Awards program our groups met and, one category at a time, spent 15-20 minutes discussing the books assigned to our group.  We started with the picture books nominated for the Mock Caldecott category.  After discussion we then went around the room.  Each group, generally assigning a spokesperson to do so, would then share what they loved about the books they were assigned.  After hearing about each book, everyone then voted via written ballot for their first, second, and third place picks for the Caldecott award.  We then all moved on to the next award and repeated the process.

When the votes were counted, each first place vote was weighted with four points.  Second place votes received three points, and third place votes received two points.  At the end of the day the votes were tallied and the winners announced.  We named the first place vote-getter the "Mock Medal" winner, and the second and third place finishers as "Mock Honor" winners.  Since the third and fourth place finishers in this year's Caldecott group were separated by only a single point we named a third "Mock Honor" in this category.

All in all, we finished this program in a little under four hours, which included a short break period for lunch.

Here are the winners we selected in each category:

Mock Caldecott:

More by I.C. Springman, illustrated by Brian Lies
A magpie hordes away more and more little objects in his nest.  But when does it become too much?  This book has very little in the way of text - only 44 words in total - and the story is really carried by Brian Lies' lovely illustrations.  There are so many little details to look at that readers can spend a long time getting lost in the pictures.  How could I possibly forget to include this book in my list of Picture Book Picks from 2012?  It's a real winner.

Honor Books:
Oh, No! by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohman
Sleep Like a Tiger by Mary Logue, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski
Extra Yarn by Marc Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen


Mock Newbery:

Wonder by R. A. Palacio
This book tells the story of a boy born with a facial deformity.  When he decides to go to school for the first time when he begins the fifth grade, Augie finds that the transition is full of ups and downs.  Despite Augie's struggles, he does make friends and touches the lives of those around him.  Not only is this a great story about a boy with a serious medical condition, but it is also wonderful school story dealing with some of the pitfalls of middle school - bullying, friendship, and fitting in.  This book seems to be everybody's favorite this year, and it easily took the first place spot in our Mock Newbery voting as well.  But will it come home with the big prize in a few weeks?  Only time will tell.

Honor Books:
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
The Lions of Little Rock by Kristen Levine



Mock Printz:

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
When her plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France, Julie is captured by the Gestapo.  Desperate to end her torture, she tells the enemy what they want to know so that she will survive.  But also contained in Julie's tale is the story of Maddie, the pilot who got her into France and who became her friend under these extraordinary circumstances.  This book is a powerful tale of friendship and courage that will appeal to both adults and teens.  Personally, I will be sorely disappointed if Code Name Verity doesn't walk away with the Printz Award this year as we predicted.  Awesome writing, fascinating historical setting, and strong female characters make this an easy book to love. 

Honor Books:

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

2012 ALA Youth Media Awards

It's that time of year again! Earlier today the winners of the ALA Youth Media Awards were announced. These awards are given annually to the best of the best in children's literature in a variety of categories. On this blog I'll focus my efforts on the oldest and arguably most prestigious of these awards: The Caldecott and Newbery Medals. A full list of winners and honor books for all awards, however, can be found here.

Caldecott Medal

The Caldecott Medal is awarded each year to, "the most distinguished American picture book for children." This year's winner is A Ball for Daisy, written and illustrated by Chris Raschka. In this wordless picture book, Daisy is a sweet little dog who just loves her ball. She loves to play with it and chase it and fetch it, and even loves to curl up for a nap with it. One day Daisy's owner takes her to the park to play and tragically her ball is popped by another dog. Poor Daisy! She is so saddened by the loss of her favorite toy. But the next day when Daisy and her owner return to the park, the strange dog and his owner are also there, this time with a gift: A new ball for Daisy. All is well in the world again. What impresses me most about Raschka's illustrations is the way he is able to blend simplicity and unevenness to tell Daisy's story. I especially love the images of Daisy sleeping on the couch. Raschka paints a striped couch, but leaves out the lines that specifically detail the arms, cushins, ect. Only Daisy's presence on the sofa indicates where these dimension lines should be. The result is a cozy feeling that seems to reflect Daisy's mood perfectly.

Three Caldecott Honor books were also named:
-Blackout written and illustrated by John Rocca
-Grandpa Green written and illustrated by Lane Smith
-Me, Jane written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell

Newbery Medal

The Newbery Medal is given every year to, "the most outstanding contribution to children's literature." This year's award was given to Jack Gantos for his novel Dead End in Norvelt. A description of the book, taken from Gantos' website, follows: "Melding the entirely true and the wildly fictional, Dead End in Norvelt is the story of an incredible two months for a boy named Jack Gantos, whose plans for vacation adventure are suddenly ruined when he is grounded by his feuding parents for what seems like forever. But escape comes where Jack least expects it, once he begins helping an elderly neighbor with a most unusual chore—a chore involving the newly dead, molten wax, twisted promises, Girl Scout cookies, underage driving, lessons from history, obituaries, Hells Angels, and countless bloody noses. Endlessly surprising, this sly, sharp-edged narrative is the author at his very best, making readers crack up at the most shocking things in a depiction of growing up in an off-kilter world where the characters are as unpredictable and over-the-top as they come."

Two Newbery Honor books were also named:
-Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
-Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin

My Thoughts

Predicting who will win the Caldecott Medal is, in my opinion, incredibly difficult given the number of beautiful picture books published every year. A Ball for Daisy is truly a worthy winner. I have a very soft place in my heart for wordless picture books so I was especially pleased to see this book take home the big prize. Quiet, sweet books that tug at your heartstrings, just as Daisy and the other Honor books do, have also been popular in recent years and it was interesting to see this trend continue.

Recent trends also continued to be seen in this year's Newbery award. Historical fiction remains popular, and every book granted a Newbery Medal or Honor this year was a work of this genre. Other Newbery surpises did make an appearance as well. Though I wasn't too incredibly shocked to see the big medal awarded to Gantos for Dead End in Norvelt (there had been plenty of buzz), I was rather surprised at the omission of Gary Schmidt's book Okay for Now from any kind of award. Breaking Stalin's Nose also blindsided this reader - this book wasn't even on my radar. Fortunately, the book sounds like an interesting read and I'm eager to get my hands on it.

Inside Out & Back Again

The year Hà turns ten turns out to be a tumultuous one. It is 1975 and the Vietnam War rages on. As the fighting draws closer to her home in Saigon, Hà's family must decide if they will stay in the home they have always known or attempt to flea to a safer location where Hà's missing father may never find them. In the end the family packs a few meager belongings and leaves everything they have ever known. The journey is long and difficult, but after several months of living on a cramped ship and in tent villages they finally are welcomed to the United States by an American sponsor from Alabama. Though no longer facing the violent dangers of war, Hà has a whole new set of challenges to tackle as she goes from being a very smart, happy girl to feeling stupid because she can't speak English. Her frustration builds as she endures relentless teasing from her American classmates. But with the help of her family and compassionate neighbor Mrs. Washington, Hà slowing begins to find joy in her new surroundings.

Inside Out and Back Again is a heartfelt story. Told in verse, the pages of this novel turn quickly while getting right to the heart of of Hà's experiences and giving them plenty of emotional power. Readers are invited to get inside Hà's head and experience all of her joy, sorrow and frustration with her. It is worth noting that author Thanhha Lai drew from many of her own childhood experiences to write this novel, and this authenticity certainly adds to the emotional impact of Hà's story. But this isn't your typical immigration story. Hà certainly goes through a number of trials, but she does so with plenty of spunk. This fiestiness adds depth to the story and keeps the concept fresh.

Overall Grade: A

Edit 1/23/12: Congratulations to Thanhha Lai for winning a 2012 Newbery Honor for Inside Out and Back Again. Lai also was awarded the 2011 National Book Award for Young People's Literature for this lovely book.

ALA Youth Media Awards

It's that time of year again! On January 10, the eyes of readers, teachers, librarians, and the publishing world were turned toward the American Library Association (ALA) as they announced the winners of their coveted awards. Nineteen awards were given including the Coretta Scott King Awards (given to African-American authors and illustrators), the Theodore Seuss Geisel Award (given to the most distinguished books for early readers), and the Robert F. Siebert Medal (given to the most distinguished informational books for children). Congratulations to this year's award winners! For a full listing of the awards given and their recipients, click here.

But of course everyone especially wants to hear about the two oldest and most prestigious awards, the Newbery and Caldecott Medals. Let's take a moment to recognize the winners of these awards:

Newbery Medal

The Newbery Medal is given every year to, "the most outstanding contribution to children's literature." This year's winner was Moon over Manifest written by Clare Vanderpool. Set in 1936, Abilene feels somewhat abandoned as her father puts her on a train to his boyhood home of Manifest, Kansas while he goes off to work a railroad job. She quickly makes friends and the trio uncovers a mystery surrounding a spy named Rattler. Through they are warned to leave well enough alone, Abilene and her friends keep digging, hoping to uncover exactly what Abilene's father's role in the historic mystery is. Moon over Manifest was a bit of surprise to many. Published somewhat late in the year, the book had yet to be recognized by many Newbery predictors. Still, the book has been touted by reviewers for its colorful characters, historic details, and believable dialogue.

Four other books were recognized as Newbery Honor books:
-Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm
-Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus
-Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman
-One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

Caldecott Medal

The Caldecott Medal is awarded each year to, "the most distinguished American picture book for children." This year's winner is A Sick Day for Amos McGee, written by Philip C. Stead and illustrated by Erin E. Stead. In this quiet tale, zookeeper Amos McGee always makes time for his five animal friends the elephant, tortoise, penguin, rhinoceros, and owl. But when he is sick and unable to come to work, the animals decide to visit their friend, taking the bus trip that distinctly mirrors Amos' daily ride. Amos is delighted when the animals arrive, and together the friends share a delightful day. This is a beautiful tale of kindness returned and the bond between Amos and his animal friends is simply lovely. Illustrations have been created using soft colors and woodblocking prints, which along with the story's themes give this book a timeless quality.

Two other books were recognized as Caldecott Honor books:
-Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave, written by Laban Carrick Hill and illustrated by Bryan Collier
-Interrupting Chicken, written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein

My Thoughts

This year's award winners include a number of lovely selections. Given the amount of hype that had surrounded One Crazy Summer I, like many other children's literature geeks, had expected this book to walk away with the top Newbery prize. I'm curious to see how the surprise Moon Over Manifest measures up. Dark Emperor's exciting Newbery Honor is also worth noting. The poetry in this book is lovely, and it isn't often that you see a picture book-style work given a Newbery award of any kind.

If you haven't checked out A Sick Day for Amos McGee, do yourself a favor and track it down. This is a picture book that is, I hope, destined to stay with us for quite some time. Some also complain about a lack of humor to be found in award-winning books, and it was very nice to see this rule overthrown with Interrupting Chicken's award.

I also think it's worth noting that one book from each of these two big awards was also recognized with a Coretta Scott King award. Such cross-overs have happened in the past, and it's nice to see so many high-quality multicultural books garnering the extra attention that comes from the Newbery and Caldecott Medals.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Minli lives in the village of Fruitless Mountain, named so because nothing grows there leaving the village's residents in poverty. Minli can tell that her mother would like nothing more than to overcome their misfortune, so she takes a page from one of her father's stories decides to venture forth to see the Old Man on the Moon and ask what she can do to improve her family's fortune. Along the way, Minli befriends a dragon, speaks to goldfish, and hears story after story which guide her through her journey.

I've been anxious to read Where the Mountain Meets the Moon for some time, especially after seeing that it had won a Newbery Honor. I was not disappointed. Author Grace Lin has created a lovely, captivating tale that weaves together the stories told in traditional Chinese fairy tales in an intricate and interesting fashion. The stories within the story are interesting, and Minli's own journey takes her to a number of interesting places and situations. Both the writing and the illustrations found in this book are beautifully crafted, and I imagine that this would be a great story to read aloud and share.

Overall Grade: A+

2010 ALA Youth Media Awards

It's that time of year again! Just a few days ago the ALSC, the children's division of the American Library Association, announced their choices for their prestigious awards. I'd like to take a moment to recognize the great titles that won the two big awards, the Newbery and the Caldecott Medals. To see a full list of winners for all of the awards, including the awards for easy readers, non-fiction, and audiobooks, check out this link.

Newbery Medal
The Newbery Medal is awarded every year to, "the most outstanding contribution to children's literature." A few weeks ago I tried to predict who the winners in this category would be. Exciting news - I called the big winner! The gold medal went to Rebecca Stead's wonderful novel When You Reach Me, a story of a girl in 1979 who goes through a strange series of events involving her former best friend, a mysterious letter, and perhaps even time travel. This was definitely a great choice for the award as it was captivating and beautifully written, giving a bit of a nod to well-loved favorite A Wrinkle in Time.

While I did not manage to predict ANY of the honor books (and in fact somehow managed to miss reading several of them) the books selected are, from what I've heard through the grapevine, worthy choices. The honor books are:

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick

Caldecott Medal
The Caldecott Medal is given every year to the, "most distinguished American picture book for children." This year's big winner is a stunning piece of work - The Lion and the Mouse by highly acclaimed author and illustrator Jerry Pinkney. This wordless retelling of Aesop's popular fable features gorgeous pencil and watercolor illustrations and invites readers to tell the story in their own words.

The honor books are:

All the World, illustrated by Marla Fraze and written by Liz Garton Scanlon.

Red Sings from the Treetops: A Year in Colors, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski and written by Joyce Sidman.

My Thoughts
This year's selection of winners are all excellent. The one big surprise that I saw was in awarding the Newbery Honor to The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg. While an excellent book in its own right, I really thought that certain other books were better written and more worth of the award. But oh well - surprises like this keep things interesting.

Congratulations to the winners!

Newbery Predictions

In just a few weeks, a committee for the American Library Association (ALA) will announce their selections for the 2010 Newbery Award. This award is granted every year to the most distinguished works of literature for children. In honor of the upcoming award as well as of the conclusion of a great 2009 in children's literature, I'm going to try something crazy this year and make my own predictions for the award. Based on what I've read this year (and I've read a lot!) here are my picks:

Newbery Medal

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead.

The writing in this book is so incredibly clean and efficient. Every single word packs a lot of punch, and nothing is wasted or fluffed up. The story is deceptively simple, yet plenty complex enough to get readers to really think. The nod to Madeline L'Engel's A Wrinkle In Time with probably appeal to committee members as well, since the books is a much-beloved classic which won the Newbery Medal itself in 1963. Historical works have also been popular with the committee in recent years, only increasing this book's chances. In short: When You Reach Me is a nearly flawless book with interesting characters, great setting, and amazing writing that (even more amazingly) should appeal to most children.

Newbery Honors

Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin

This is a stunning, thought-provoking story of a boy with autism. The narration was absolutely perfect and really reflects Jason's (the main character) unique mindset. I loved getting inside this great character's head and seeing what makes him tick. The subject matter is serious enough to grab the attention of the committee but can be broken down into matters that concern children of all backgrounds: Friendship and finding a place to fit in. Here's hoping that the Newbery committe enjoyed this read as much as I did.

The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had by Kristin Levine

This story is told much in the style of Richard Peck, an author who has been loved by the Newbery committee in the past. Another story of friendship (a popular theme this year among my Newbery picks), The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had is one that might not jump out immediately to kids, but will appeal with some pushing for its very tasteful yet honest look at racism and race relations in the deep south. I loved the story's short chapters which will make readers feel a great sense of accomplishment as they tear through them quickly, while at the same time giving proper treatment to the book's meaty themes.

Neil Armstrong Is My Uncle and Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty Told Me by Nan Marino

You may recall that several months ago I blogged about the wonders of this book and its similarities to Newbery Medal favorite When You Reach Me. In truth, the books are incredibly similar, with their historical settings and perfectly efficient writing. Neil Armstrong Is My Uncle was actually my personal favorite of the two. I loved its stunning look at the complex world of childhood friendships and petty hatreds, and the main character was perfectly drawn as an antagonistic protagonist. However, there's something about When You Reach Me that I can't quite put my finger on that make me think that it's the more likely candidate for the big medal and that Neil Armstrong Is My Uncle will get recognition with the silver Honors award.



Finally, here are a few other titles that didn't quite make my own cut, but have a decent shot at recognition. They help to round out my best-of-the-best list from 2009:

Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko
The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo
Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur
Positively by Courtney Sheinmel

Amazingly enough, I actually think that almost all of my Newbery picks for the year have a decent amount of kid appeal to them! Then again, that probably has a lot to do with the fact that I read an enjoyed them all. Does anyone else have other picks to add to the list?

Al Capone Does My Shirts

Author Gennifer Choldenko really struck gold with her 2005 Newbery Honor-winning book Al Capone Does My Shirts. Set in 1935, a boy named Moose Flanagan and his family move to Alcatraz island when his father takes a job as a prison guard there. Moose isn't thrilled about having to live isolated on an island with a bunch of convicts, but his parents have good reason for the move. Moose's older sister Natalie isn't exactly all there in the head, and their parents hope that they'll be able to send Natalie to a special school in San Francisco that works with kids like her and could maybe cure her. When they arrive on Alcatraz, Moose quickly learns that the Rock has many rules even for civilians like him. Things become more complicated when Moose makes friends with Piper, the warden's daughter, who comes up with elaborate schemes that break all of these rules and could land the two of them in big trouble.

Unfortunately, the Flanagans get some bad news: Natalie will not be accepted at the school they had hoped to send her to, even though they're sure that the school would be the best thing to help her. But what can they do about it? Not much...but maybe Prisoner 85, better known as Al Capone, could!

Overall Grade: A+

In the newly-released sequel Al Capone Shines My Shoes, things pick up right where they left off. Thanks to Al Capone, Natalie is leaving home to attend her special school. Moose is left with a string of his own problems though. Jimmy is jealous of one of Moose's baseball-playing friends from San Francisco. Annie wants Moose to spill his secret about Capone's help. Piper is constantly worrying about her mother and the new baby she is expecting, certain that she'll be ignored once the baby arrives, and takes all of her worry out on everyone else. One of the guards seems to have it out for him. Worst of all, Moose gets another message from Al Capone in his laundry: "Your turn." Capone clearly wants Moose to do something to return the favor for his services. Even though Moose knows that helping one of the convicts could mean major trouble for everyone, he doesn't exactly have a choice - after all, if Capone had enough power to get Natalie into her school, he could easily get her kicked out. How can he say no?

Overall Grade: A

These books are truly fascinating. The setting itself is very well drawn out, and Choldenko has clearly done her research about the time period and about life on Alcatraz. The characters themselves are brilliantly drawn and likable, and the dialogue is spot on. Natalie's character is especially intriguing. As you will see in Choldenko's excellent set of Author's Notes at the end of each book(which also include great historical information about Alcatraz), Natalie suffers from what we would today recognize as autism, but at the time when this book takes place they didn't have a word for her condition, so it is never used. Because of this, we get to really explore the ways that Natalie interacts with the world around her without being distracted by knowing what she suffers from.

The sequel is nearly as perfect as the original, and the author did a great job of creating a believable follow-up story that flows perfectly from the first. My only complaint is that while she hasn't lost any of her spunk, Piper was much less exciting to me as she was wallowed up in worry than when she's plotting to exploit her position as the warden's daughter and a citizen on Alcatraz for her own benefit. Despite this, the other characters are improved upon and given more depth and the style of writing remains as smooth and seamless as ever.

When You Reach Me

Miranda is a 12-year-old girl, growing up in New York City in 1979. She is a latchkey kid living with her single mother and she adores the newly published book A Wrinkle in Time. Her best friend is a boy named Sal, fellow latchkey kid who lives in her building. But everything changes when one day, as they are walking home from school, Sal is punched in a seemingly random act of violence. After that, Sal stops talking to Miranda. Then a series of strange events begins that will change Miranda's life forever. First, the hidden spare key to her apartment is stolen. They she recieves a mysterious letter. Whoever sent her this letter seems to know things that will happen in the future, and forbodingly promises to save her friend's life. Miranda is understandibly skeptical at first, but as these things slowly begin to happen, she begins to realize that the letter-writer's knowlege is too great to be a coincidence. The stakes are high - but Miranda isn't really sure just how high until it is almost too late.

This is a brilliantly executed book, proving that there is no sophomore slump for author Rebecca Stead. The writing is efficient - every single word accomplishes something, and there's no fluffy filler. This keeps the pages turning quickly. It's very hard to place this book into any sort of genre - it's part historical fiction, part mystery, part science fiction, so there's something in here for everyone. The book is very character-driven rather than plot-driven, which will force readers to be somewhat patient as the story unfolds. However, those readers who are patient will definitely be rewarded in the end. This book's finale is phenominal, bringing together all of the pieces of the story and making everything clear in a brilliant moment of clarity.

Lots of references are made in this book to Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time. You don't have to have read A Wrinkle in Time to enjoy this book, but I do imagine that those who read When You Reach Me might be interested in checking out this classic tale again or for the first time.

Overall Grade: A

Edit 1/20/2010: Congratulations to author Recebba Stead for winning the 2010 Newbery Medal for this wondeful book!

The House of the Scorpion

Nearly 200 years in the future, a strip of land between the United States and Mexico has become its own nation known as Opium, ruled over by the powerful drug lord Matteo Alacrán. Alacrán is nearly 150 years old, having taken advantage of a number of elaborate medical treatments to prolong his life. One this old man's most powerful allies can be found in his clone, the young Matt. As a clone, Matt is despised by almost everyone else, treated like a piece of livestock and completely avoided by all but a few members of the elder Matteo Alacrán's household. Matt is unsure why he is treated this way, but over time he slowly comes to realize that clones are simply tools from which body parts are harvested, and with the elder Alacrán's failing health Matt's turn to be harvested may be coming soon. With the help of his few friends, 14-year-old Matt must make his escape and try to make his own way in a dangerous world of corruption and hardship.

This engaging piece of science fiction, written by renowned author Nancy Farmer, looks at the issue of cloning and the ethics surrounding this practice. Matt's naivete allows the mystery surronding what he is to unfold slowly, and while the reader is likely to put the pieces together long before Matt does, his own journey and growth in understanding is brilliantly paced. This book is a well-conceived and perfectly executed dramatic adventure which has won numerous awards for its excellence, including the National Book Award, the Newbery Honor, and the Printz Honor.

Overall Grade: A

The Graveyard Book

Here it finally is: This year's Newbery Medal winner, Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book.

Set in an unnamed English city, the story opens with a man named Jack breaking into a family's home. He has killed the parents and their daughter, and now only needs to track down the family's baby. The toddler has ideas of his own, however, as he escapes his crib unaware of the danger and goes for a walk through the neighborhood toward the graveyard. The ghosts who inhabit this ancient burial ground take the boy under their protection by giving him Freedom of the Graveyard, which allows him to see all of the inhabitants of the afterlife who reside here and the ability to learn a few of their tricks in order to keep himself safe. Named "Nobody" by his new parents ("Bod" for short), the boy grows up receiving an education that only ghosts who have been dead for hundreds of years can give him. Things grow more interesting for Bod as he grows older and begins to have an interest in the outside world. Bod suddenly feels the need to leave the safety of his graveyard to see how the living live their lives, which puts him in danger again as he begins to draw attention to himself - even the attentions of the man Jack, who still seems desperate to kill him.

This book was definitely a worthy Newbery winner. Neil Gaiman is a bit of an expert in prose, combining serious narration with witty and often snarky snide comments that flow perfectly together. One of my personal favorite lines, showing Gaiman's witt and Bod's tenacious character, is: "He decided not to tell them what he was planning, on the not entirely unreasonable basis that they would have told him not to do it." (113) Brilliant, I'd say. The writing will appeal to readers of all ages, both young and old, and this might be an enjoyable family read-aloud.

The Graveyard Book draws a lot of material from Kipling's The Jungle Book, and I am eager to reread this classic to see if I can pick up on more references than those I remembered the first time. What this similarity means is that the reader gets to watch Bod grow up in an environment that he was never intended to have access to and slowly begin to return to normal human life as he comes of age. He even has companions who fill the roles of Kipling's Baloo and Baghera as they act as his teachers and protectors. Bod's growing interest in the rest of humanity is well done as he discovers both the beauties and flaws in the world, but still wishes to explore it.

Bod's life in the graveyard is generally peaceful and somewhat idyllic, but the pockets of danger that the reader sees are intense. The first thirty pages or so of the story, as the man Jack chases Bod with a knife intent on killing him, are especially horrifying. Even if his motives are a bit weak (my only complaint about this book), Jack is a terrible villain and the threat of his return is always a cause for anxiety.

Overall Grade: A

ALA Award Winners

It's that time of year again! This morning, the American Library Association (ALA) announced the books selected by is subcomittee ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children) for its prestigious annual awards. I'm only going to focus here on the Newbery and Caldecott awards, but the ALA gives a large number of other awards in areas such as easy readers, non-fiction, and audiobooks. You can find a (mostly) complete listing of today's award winners here.

Other famous awards are granted by other ALA committees. Information about the Coretta Scott King award, given for works by African-American authors and illustrators, can be found here. Information about the Printz Award, given to books for young adults, can be found here.

Newbery Medal
This award is given annually to, "the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children". This year's big winner is The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. This award was a touch surprising. I wasn't terribly shocked to see this book recognized by the ALA, but I was surprised that it managed to win the Medal given the number of other great books this year. This is not an unhappy surprise, however - the book is very well put-together and will definitely appeal to children who are looking for a suspenseful scare.

The honor books are:

• The Underneath by Kathi Appelet
• The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle
• Savvy by Ingrid Law
• After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson

Caldecott Medal
This award is given annually to, "the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children". This year's winner is The House in the Night, illustrated by Beth Krommes written by Susan Marie Swanson. This book is done is beautiful black and white woodcuts. On each page, sources of light are done in a golden orange color, making them stand out against the otherwise dark night. This book would make a soothing bedtime story, and its unique artwork makes it a fairly worthy winner.

The honor books are:

• A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever, written and illustrated by Marla Frazee
• How I Learned Geography, written and illustrated by Uri Schulevitz
• A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams, illustrated by Melissa Sweet and written by Jen Bryant

My Thoughts

Overall, I'm pleased with this year's award winners. I'm excited that at least two of this year's Newbery winners, The Graveyard Book and Savvy are books that I could comfortably recommend to children - heck, kids will probably actually pick these books off of the shelf on their own! While I'm not terribly enthralled with this year's Caldecott Medal, it is a fairly unique and beautiful book that is worthy of being recognized.

The biggest problem this year can be found in the books that got passed up! The Hunger Games, one of my favorite books of the year, was completely passed up by both the Newbery and the Printz committee. I'm just hoping that they're pulling a Lord of the Rings on us and saving an award in the expectation that the last book in the trilogy will be the best. I just hope that we're not disappointed in this.

Another book that really got passed up was We Are the Ship, a book about Negro League baseball that was on a lot of people's lists for both the Newbery and Caldecott. While it did get the nod from the Coretta Scott King committee, its quality was so great that the fact that is did not get recognized by the other awards was surprising. Perhaps the fact that this book qualified for an "ethnic" award boxed it in and made committee members reluctant to recognize it in other ways.

Anyone else have thoughts about this year's award winners? What did you like? What don't you like?

Princess Accademy

This Newbery Honor-winning novel by Shannon Hale certainly lives up to expectations. When it is prophisied that the prince's future bride will come from the remote Mount Eskel, a princess academy is set up to teach all of the eligible girls skills such as reading, diplomacy, and poise. Young Miri, who has never been allowed to work with the rest of her village in the quarries, quickly establishes herself as a strong candidate for the role of princess with her speedy mastery of her lessons. Miri seems to have finally found a way in which she can be useful to the village, but does she really want to be a princess? Tensions between the girls are sometimes strained as they are constantly reminded of the competition between them, but will they be able to band together when the academy is put in danger?

As one of the girls points out in the final chapter, "Maybe Mount Eskel didn't need a princess, just an academy." While some girls truly dream of being able to marry the prince, Miri and each of the other girls in turn begins to discover the value of family, friendship, community, and education as they become aware of the world beyond their mountain. Quality of life on Mount Eskel is vastly improved as the girls are able to use their lessons to help their sheltered village thrive. The princess academy is truly life-altering for each of the 20 girls who attend...though not necessarily for its intended purpose. Pragmatic and fanciful readers alike will appreciate the way in which Hale blends the two takes on the academy to create a compelling and engrossing tale.

Overall Grade: A+

Savvy

Savvy - written by new author Ingrid Law - tells the story of Mibbs Beaumont and her remarkable family. Whenever one of the Beaumonts turns thirteen, they become blessed with some sort of extraordinary gift known as a savvy. Mibbs' oldest brother Rocket creates electricity. Her grandfather moves mountains. And her brother Fish can control the weather - the entire family has recently relocated to the Kansas/Nebraska boarder so that he could not cause another destructive hurricane. As Mibbs' own thirteenth birthday approaches, she dreams of what her own savvy will be. When her father is in a terrible car accident just before the big day, however, Mibbs' world is turned upside down. Convinced that her new savvy will be enough to save him, Mibbs sneaks aboard a buss with a few stowaways in the hopes that it will take her to see her father in the hospital, only to have the bus turn the wrong way! The journey is made even more dangerous as she desperately tries to hide her savvy from her companions - a challenge since even she is not entirely sure how her savvy works.

This book reads quite a bit like Sharron Creech's Newbery Medal winner Walk Two Moons. Fans of this beloved book should take note! Mibbs' voice resonates throughout the book, and I am eager to hear an audio version of this book.

Overall Grade: A+



Edit 1/26/09: Today it was announced that Savvy won one of this year's Newbery Honor Awards. Congratulations to Ingrid Law on a job well done!