Politics in Practice
October 31, 2016 by Jonathan Hunt
We’ve already said it’s been an exceptionally strong year for poetry, and if you include novels in verse (not to mention FREE VERSE, a novel that celebrates and incorporates poetry, but is not a verse novel), then it is a phenomenally strong year. We’ve already discussed BOOKED, a fairly strong contender on its own merits, but […]
October 28, 2016 by Sharon McKellar
As the end of the year approaches, Best Of lists appear! Publisher Weekly’s list came out today and it shares a lot of titles in common with this blog. Their list is divided into Picture Books, Middle Grade, and Young Adult and books from any of these lists could potentially be Newbery contenders. So, what’s not […]
October 26, 2016 by Sharon McKellar
***SPOILER WARNING*** This review and subsequent comments are sure to spoil the ending of this book as well as various plot points throughout. If you don’t like spoilers and haven’t read it yet, read it and then come back and join the discussion. “The year I turned twelve, I learned how to lie.” This […]
October 24, 2016 by Jonathan Hunt
Tim Wadham has served on numerous award committees, including The Boston Globe Horn Book award, the Pura Belpré award committee twice, and the 1998 Newbery committee. He is a contributor to School Library Journal and the Horn Book Guide. His picture book, The Queen of France was published by Candlewick Press. He lives in Puyallup, […]
October 20, 2016 by Jonathan Hunt
ANNA AND THE SWALLOW MAN by Gavriel Savit . . . When I first read descriptions of this book with comparisons to THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS and LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL, I didn’t think I would like it very much. THE BOOK THIEF is another apt, if imperfect, comparison. The language here is beautiful, […]
October 17, 2016 by Sharon McKellar
Jason Reynolds has two books this year that I think are worth discussing. Usually we talk about not comparing a book to an author’s previous work. Well, in this case we absolutely can compare as they are both eligible titles and both quite wonderful. Of course, we still have to compare them to all of the […]
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October 14, 2016 by Jonathan Hunt
BEFORE MORNING by Joyce Sidman . . . This picture book contains a single poem, but what a lovely, haunting poem it is! The form of this poem is an invocation, and as such it seems like it could have been an outtake from her previous collection, WHAT THE HEART KNOWS. Can a single poem […]
October 11, 2016 by Jonathan Hunt
“Biographies are but the clothes and buttons of the man. The biography of the man himself cannot be written.” Mark Twain “When you write biographies, whether it’s about Ben Franklin or Einstein, you discover something amazing: They are human.” Walter Isaacson “I seldom read anything that is not of a factual nature because I want […]
October 8, 2016 by Jonathan Hunt
As our discussion of GHOSTS slowly unfolds, I’m reminded of how very unNewberylike it is. Part of that is because it’s virtually impossible to simulate a face-to-face discussion in an online setting, but I also think that another part has to do with process. The committee trades suggestions anonymously through the chair throughout the year. […]
October 5, 2016 by Sharon McKellar
Let’s dig into GHOSTS a bit, as promised in my last post. There is a lot to discuss here. First, let’s start with the easy stuff. Did I like the book? Yes. I really liked the book. Raina Telgemeier writes relatable, lovable characters. The relationship between sisters Catrina and Maya feels so genuine that it is almost […]
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Teen Librarian Toolbox
by Amanda MacGregor
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