So…yeah. No pressure. “Just choose your favorite of the two Newbery Honor books, Sophie.”
Sheesh.
Don’t get me wrong—I was thrilled to learn that I’d be judging El Deafo by Cece Bell and Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson….right up until they reminded me that I was going to have to choose a winner. *sob*
OKAY FOR NOW BY GARY D. SCHMIDT published by Clarion, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Thank you so much for many wonderful comments, whether you commented daily or just once or twice to let us know your thoughts on specific titles and matches. The winners of the 2012 BoB Giveaways are drawn from more than 100 names. We will contact each winner via email to arrange for prize delivery. Congratulations! […]
As many of BoB followers pointed out, SLJ’s Battle of the Kids’ Books site is not only thought provoking and fun to read, it is also a total joy to look at: all because we have the ingenious and whimsical Match graphics and other icons. Who has created all these images? You asked, and we answer here: Mark […]
Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt Clarion/HMH Life: An Exploded Diagram by Mal Peet Candlewick Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys Philomel/Penguin Judged by Jonathan Stroud When those fine people at School Library Journal asked me to judge the conclusion of this year’s Battle of the Kids’ Books, I knew at once […]
Posts of the Week The Book Nut’s Weekly Roundup #2, and Quarterfinal Roundup. Emily Brown weighs in and makes an interesting suggestion: So I’m enjoying the Battle of the Kids Books, but in comparing it to the Morning News Tournament of Books, I do find it lacking in the commentary department. The judges give you their experience of […]
Drawing from Memory by Allen Say Scholastic Life: An Exploded Diagram by Mal Peet Candlewick Judged by Ron Koertge Pen vs. Brush I drop two books on the table in the Turf Club. No big surprise. Bobby and I are always bringing things to read. We’re at the races four days a week, but we’re not […]
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys Philomel/Penguin Chime by Franny Billingsley Dial/Penguin Judged by Maggie Stiefvater When I first agreed to be a judge for this, I thought it would be straightforward, but just in case, I immediately read up on previous battles. Strangely, many of the judges said things like “this was […]
Life: An Exploded Diagram by Mal Peet Candlewick Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick Scholastic Judged by Chris Lynch School Library Journal, being the efficient operation that it is, had all four of the books from the previous round in this bracket sent to me before I got started. All four were still in play, and they […]
M1: 3/13 Judge Duncan Tonatiuh
Freedom in Congo Square vs. Freedom Over Me
M2: 3/14 Judge Lulu Delacre
Thunder Boy Jr. vs. When Green Becomes Tomatoes
M3: 3/15 Judge James Dashner
Ghost vs. The Girl Who Drank the Moon
M4: 3/16 Judge Varian Johnson
Makoons vs. March: Book Three
M5: 3/17 Judge Tanya Lee Stone
Samurai Rising vs. Some Writer!
M6: 3/20 Judge Jane Yolen
Wet Cement vs. When the Sea Turned to Silver
M7: 3/21 Judge Nova Ren Suma
Anna and the Swallow Man vs. The Lie Tree
M8: 3/22 Judge Brendan Kiely
The Passion of Dolssa vs. The Sun is Also a Star
M1: 3/23 Judge Javaka Steptoe
Freedom in Congo Square vs. When Green Becomes Tomatoes
M2: 3/24 Judge Eliot Schrefer
Ghost vs. March: Book Three
M3: 3/27 Judge Cynthia Kadohata
Some Writer! vs. When the Sea Turned to Silver
M4: 3/28 Judge Sara Farizan
The Lie Tree vs.The Sun is Also a Star
M1: 3/29 Judge Ellen Oh
Freedom in Congo Square vs. March: Book Three
M2: 3/30 Judge Sabaa Tahir
Some Writer! vs. The Sun is Also a Star
Revealed3/30
3/31 The Closer Judge Kwame Alexander
The Girl Who Drank the Moon vs. March: Book Three vs. The Sun is Also a Star
12/14 Guess-the-Contenders-Game
1/18 Contenders Revealed
1/31 Fantasy BOB Commences and Pairings Revealed
2/6-2/26 Judges:
James Dashner, Lulu Delacre, Sara Farizan,
Varian Johnson, Cynthia Kadohata, Brendan Kiely,
Ellen Oh, Eliot Schrefer, Javaka Steptoe,
Tanya Lee Stone, Nova Ren Suma, Sabba Tahir, Duncan Tonatiuh, Jane Yolen, and Closer Kwame Alexander.
2/10 Download SLJs Battle of the Kids’ Books Brackets.
3/1 Judge Pairings Announced
Winner of the 2012 Undead Poll and Kid Commentator Picks!
After two consecutive years of blowouts, this year was much more competitive. That’s not to say OKAY FOR NOW didn’t jump out to a healthy lead and maintain it throughout, but that healthy lead was often a single digit number. CHIME and DAUGHTER OF SMOKE & BONE trailed early, then CHIME pulled away for a […]