SCROLL DOWN TO READ THE POST
Omissions and Alternatives Jonathan Hunt Style
I thought there would be more discussion about books that missed our shortlist so let me list several obvious omissions.
ALMOST ASTRONAUTS won the Sibert Medal, was a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor book, and a finalist for the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction. It received three starred reviews and made one best of the year list.
GOING BOVINE won the Printz Award. It received two starred reviews and made two best of the year lists.
THE GREAT AND ONLY BARNUM was a YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction finalist. It received two starred reviews and made two best of the year lists.
JUMPED was a National Book Award finalist. It received two starred reviews and made one best of the year list.
THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST was a Printz Honor book. It received one starred review and made one best of the year list.
THE MOSTLY TRUE ADVENTURES OF HOMER P. FIGG was a Newbery Honor book. It received one starred review.
PUNKZILLA was a Printz Honor book. It received one starred review and made one best of the year list.
TALES OF THE MADMAN UNDERGROUND was a Printz Honor book. It received two starred reviews.
WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON was a Newbery Honor book and won the Josette Frank Award. It received three starred reviews.
WRITTEN IN BONE was a YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction. It received three starred reviews and made three best of the year lists.
WINTERGIRLS received five starred reviews and made four best of the year lists.
So which of them, if any, do you think deserved a spot in the Sweet Sixteen—and which book(s) would you replace?
Also . . . It’s fun to play around with the bracketing possibilities. What if we had matched the top of the list with the bottom of the list? It might look like this . . .
CHARLES AND EMMA vs. WHEN YOU REACH ME
CLAUDETTE COLVIN vs. TALES FROM OUTER SUBURBIA
THE EVOLUTION OF CALPURNIA TATE vs. SWEETHEARTS OF RHYTHM
FIRE vs. THE STORM IN THE BARN
THE FROG SCIENTIST vs. A SEASON OF GIFTS
THE LAST OLYMPIAN vs. PEACE, LOCOMOTION
LIPS TOUCH vs. MARCHING FOR FREEDOM
THE LOST CONSPIRACY vs. MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD
It really changes everything, doesn’t it?
Filed under: Commentary
About Battle Commander
The Battle Commander is the nom de guerre for children’s literature enthusiasts Monica Edinger and Roxanne Hsu Feldman, fourth grade teacher and middle school librarian at the Dalton School in New York City and Jonathan Hunt, the County Schools Librarian at the San Diego County Office of Education. All three have served on the Newbery Committee as well as other book selection and award committees. They are also published authors of books, articles, and reviews in publications such as the New York Times, School Library Journal, and the Horn Book Magazine. You can find Monica at educating alice and on twitter as @medinger. Roxanne is at Fairrosa Cyber Library and on twitter as @fairrosa. Jonathan can be reached at hunt_yellow@yahoo.com.
ADVERTISEMENT
SLJ Blog Network
The Moral Dilemma of THE MONSTER AT THE END OF THIS BOOK
Cover Reveal and Q&A: The One and Only Googoosh with Azadeh Westergaard
K is in Trouble | Review
A Reading Community: A Love Letter to Local Independent Bookstores, a guest post by Heather Del Piano
The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT