Monday, July 7, 2008

Newbery Watch I

Anybody into Newbery predictions? I think I'm incurable. I have, I should say upfront, predicted the Newbery exactly ONE TIME ever, that being The Giver by Lois Lowry. So yeah, it's been a while since I got it right. But I did real well last year! And, had I read Good Masters, Sweet Ladies before the awards were given out, I'd like to think I'd have picked it for the gold. I love it! And that's the thing: the more books I read, the more books I realize I haven't read. When King Solomon lamented in the book of Ecclesiastes that "Of making many books there is no end," he wasn't kidding. Not that I'm complaining! So I know there are worthy contenders I won't read by next January, and that will skew my predictions.

Mostly, if we are considering MG books by US authors with a 2008 publication date, we will be considering eligible books, but if there's any doubt, the criteria for the major awards can be found here: http://www.ala.org/alsc.

If you want to talk about Printz awards too, fire away.

I will be naming books that have so far blown me away; I read voracious amounts, and the book has to be really memorable if I'm to list it.

My picks thus far:

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt. So far, this is my choice for the winner.
Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor
Trouble by Gary Schmidt, although this might be on the fence with the Printz.

Sentimental favorite: The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall. I'm not sure I'm confident in picking it as a contender, but I was overjoyed when the first book won the National Book Award. I adore the Penderwicks!

3 comments:

Tabitha said...

There is a great discussion over on Verla Kay about potential award winners. Many favor Waiting for Normal, Trouble, The Underneath, and the new Penderwicks, too.

There are also those who like Savvy by Ingrid Law, The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson, Sweethearts by Sara Zarr, and Little Brother by Corey Doctorow.

I've read Savvy and loved it, but I'm still trying to get my hands on these other titles through my library so I can't comment on whether they're award-worthy. :)

Marcia said...

Hi Tabitha, thanks for visiting! Yes, I've been following the BB Newbery discussion. Many of the titles you mentioned I'm still trying to get hold of, too. I enjoyed Jenna Fox and am trying to get my hands on Savvy but so far haven't.

Tabitha said...

I've been trying so hard to get hold of Jenna Fox, but I think the wait list is longer than Santa's list. And my library doesn't even HAVE The Underneath!!! :(

You'll like Savvy. It's fun, and leaves you with a warm and fuzzy feeling at the end. :)