Politics in Practice
November 29, 2017 by Steven Engelfried
I’ve thought about doing separate posts for some of these titles, and still may, but my list of nonfiction-books-I’d-really-like-to-discuss keeps getting longer. So here’s sort of a catch-up post of a half-dozen titles (in Dewey Decimal order) that could be worthy of Newbery consideration: FAULT LINES IN THE CONSTITUTION: THE FRAMERS, THEIR FIGHTS, AND THE FLAWS […]
November 27, 2017 by Roxanne Hsu Feldman
In the comment section of Sharon’s YA? Why Not? (October 18th) post, some readers discussed the timeliness of titles and whether a book’s thematic relevance increases its winning chances. Many considered the manual and emphasized that the committee members are not to make their decisions based on the chosen theme but how successful such theme is literarily presented. […]
November 22, 2017 by Sharon McKellar
We haven’t talked too much about picture books yet this year, and I wanted to check in and see where everyone was in terms of picture books with potential. After LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET took the gold, I think we are all thinking even more about the text in picture books and how it […]
November 19, 2017 by Roxanne Hsu Feldman
Being on the Newbery Committee means devoting almost all your reading time (and time to do other things in the past) to the year’s output of American Children’s Books. I know that my husband definitely felt the impact of being a Newbery Committee Spouse. Evenings that were family times — watching TV together or playing […]
November 16, 2017 by Steven Engelfried
In THE GLASS TOWN GAME, four Bronte siblings (yes, those Brontes) travel to a magical world filled with characters and settings from the their own imaginative games. I went back and forth on this book several times while I read it, and it shows in my thoughts below: The language is eloquent, imaginative, clever, often […]
November 14, 2017 by Roxanne Hsu Feldman
Grief and complicated family relationships are treated with impeccable prose construction, musical sentences, and deep compassion by Rita Williams-Garcia. It is a love song to the Blues and a tribute to life’s “blues” as experienced by a young child so’s to become a wiser, deeper soul. Williams-Garcia also offers a forensic examination of the failed relationship between a child and her father and its lingering effects. Yes, this story […]
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November 10, 2017 by Sharon McKellar
What do you call these books in your library? Here, in Oakland, we call them “Moving Up” books. More advanced than easy readers, but not as sophisticated as chapter books. Featuring lots of pictures, but integrating more complex language. In any case – they don’t tend to get a lot of Newbery love. There are […]
November 8, 2017 by Roxanne Hsu Feldman
At the end of the Newbery Criteria document, there is a Note: “The committee should keep in mind that the award is for literary quality and quality presentation for children. The award is not for didactic content or popularity.” (I have always wondered what propelled the addition of this particular statement to the Manual.) We […]
November 6, 2017 by Steven Engelfried
The real Newbery Committee members will submit two more Nominations in November. They each select three books in October, then two each in November and December for a total of seven. We collected nominations from 22 people in October, and the results are here. Now it’s time to think about two for November. We’re also working […]
November 3, 2017 by Steven Engelfried
This week Roxanne and Sharon both introduced books for older readers with thoughtful arguments for why they should be considered possible Newbery contenders. I’ll start this post on novels in verse with a title that falls clearly on the other side of the line for me. David Elliott’s BULL is one of my favorite books […]
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Teen Librarian Toolbox
by Karen Jensen, MLS
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