Comments on: Starry River of the Sky and Will Sparrow’s Road

By: Starry River of the Sky « Reads for Keeps

Starry River of the Sky « Reads for Keeps — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 04:38:10 +0000

[...] translation of the Chinese phrase for the Milky Way—and not the candy bar). Some readers have complained about the ending, which they say fit together too well. It didn’t bother me. I could see the direction that [...]

By: Alys

Alys — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 17:27:46 +0000

I agree with you Nina that it’s hard to argue about the final results being distinguished. Of course there are years where I’m disappointed that a favorite wasn’t given the nod, or I think an honor book should have gotten the gold. But (with the caveat that I haven’t read them all) I so far have not read a book from the Newbery canon, winner or honor, where I could not see what the committee saw and understand why they chose that book, even if I would have chosen a different one. I think it’s entirely possible to cultivate both personal opinion and trust in the process.

By: Nina

Nina — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 16:22:59 +0000

ms, point taken in return. I think we all have Newbery winners or honorees where we just think: huh?

One truth is that a different, equally competent committee of 15 might have come up with slightly different winners/honors. But i’ve learned over the years, and by experiencing the process, that it is difficult to argue in the end with whatever selections are made…to argue with the fact that the books selected do represented “the most distinguished contributions to American Literature for children” that year. There may be some that we feel are passed over. There may be some represented that exhibit true identifiable flaws along with what distinguishes them. But each honored book IS distinguished in some way that adds to our understanding of what makes great literature for a young audience.

I think the personal disagreement is healthy and ABSOLUTELY necessary; at the same time, it’s the trust in the decision and the process that I most hope to teach through this blog. They may seem at odds, but I believe there’s a way to hold both.

By: mslibrarian

mslibrarian — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 13:15:16 +0000

Nina, point well taken. I should not have expressed skepticism of the committee’s process — of course they examined the book closely and weighed the strengths and weaknesses and made a thoughtful decision. However, I will not take away my disagreement with the final decision/choice — I believe every reader has the right to do that, even against a group of 15 diligent and capable readers.

By: Nina

Nina — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 18:50:26 +0000

ms, I think that the Honor for Where the Mountain–despite its many literary flaws that DID come up here and in our discussions (it was one of our picks, nevertheless)–shows how outstanding it is. I’m sure the flaws did not escape the committee. Those 15 always pick over *everything* about a book, and none is flawless. A book’s distinguished elements have to carry it above its flaws, however, to stand out.

By: mslibrarian

mslibrarian — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 22:40:07 +0000

Starry River… is hands down a better book than Where the Mountain… in structure, in prose fluidity, in metaphorical language, in character and character relationship building, and in reshaping traditional Chinese tales. I was very surprised by the Newbery Honor of Where the Mountain…. since I found many literary flaws with that book that should not have withstood the scrutiny of 15 sharp literary eyes. This one is improved and unlike Nina, I don’t find the bringing everything together at the end weird or forced. The only question I had was, if you’re not a reader familiar with Chinese, and that you don’t know that Mr. Shan’s name means “Mountain,” was the identity a jarring surprise? Does it work?

By: Eric

Eric — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 18:53:07 +0000

I liked Starry River of the Sky, but I loved Lin’s DUMPLING DAYS. Is the January publication date to blame for the lack of buzz? I read it last November but it has stuck with me way more than most fiction titles I’ve read this year. I haven’t read Year of the Dog/Year of the Rat and had no problem with this one standing on its own.

By: Wendy

Wendy — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 17:43:39 +0000

We’ve also got great books this year from Jerry Spinelli and Patricia MacLachlan, and one I haven’t read yet from Sharon Creech–are they going to fall into some kind of “old hat” zone and miss the buzz?

By: Evelyn

Evelyn — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 17:42:12 +0000

I’m not surprised that more people aren’t jumping in: when this post went up the book had not been published yet. It’s difficult for those of us who do not have access to ARCs to participate in the discussion if the book is brought up before most of us have a chance to read it.

By: Jonathan Hunt

Jonathan Hunt — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 17:25:35 +0000

STARRY RIVER OF THE SKY pubbed on Oct 2; WILL SPARROW’S ROAD on Nov 6. We’ll probably have to wait for the discussion on these titles to catch up to their availibility, but we can weigh in on the halo effect that Newbery recognition has on an author’s subsequent work. I think we also see some of that this year with Stead, Hoose, and Schlitz. I’m not saying they aren’t worthy of their praise, but the buzz accrues around them in a way it probably doesn’t for less heralded, but equally excellent titles. It also seems like there’s a saturation point. Nina cited Karen Cushman, but for me the most egregious example of this is Katherine Paterson who won the Medal in 1978 and 1981 along with an Honor in 1979, but nothing since, despite a consistently excellent body of work.