And Now My Newbery 2 Cents Worth

Thought I'd chime in with my Newbery 2 cents.  All in all, I was very pleased with the awards announced today.  I watched in the library with my super aide Yvonne and an occasional knock on the window from our enrichment teacher Joyce upstairs.

Number one exciting moment, our Bailey Newbery Club PICKED THE WINNER!  Let me repeat that, a fantastic group of 5th grade readers who worked really hard and read a lot of books over the last 3 months, PICKED THE WINNER!  WOO HOO FOR THEM!

I was thrilled that the committee actually picked a book that many kids have read and loved.  Such a beautiful book that is accessible to so many students, thank you Newbery folks.

I have read 2 and a little less than half of the 4 winners.  My list is Ivan, which I loved and reviewed about a year ago when it showed up in the book fair and Three Times Lucky which I reviewed as well.  I started Splendors and Glooms but it just wasn't my thing and I didn't finish it.

It may not count, but the call from the library that Bomb is waiting for me to pick up came today.  I can't wait to pick it up tomorrow and get started.

Our library has 5 out of the 6 Caldecott titles, only missing Sleep Like a Tiger.  Two out of the six have been shared in THE PIT.

Finally, I really enjoyed the way Karen and I "looked for Newbery" this year.  Seemed a little less stressful and gave me the chance to really enjoy the books.  I wish I had posted more reviews, but I certainly won't leave any sleep over it.

ALA Awards = Academy Awards for Books

I was sharing with my students before we started watching the live stream of #ALAYMA today how, for me, this hour-long awards program is equivalent to the Academy Awards, only this time we are honoring books, authors, and illustrators.

I actually let out several girly screams while awards were being announced.  So many wonderful books under each category.  But after the excitement, I reflected a bit and I thought I'd share some of that thinking with you.

• I am soooooo excited that I actually read all 4 of the Newbery winners -- the 3 honor books and the winner.  This is a first for me, and I'm basking in the success.  But I couldn't have done it without recommendations from friends, GoodReads, blogs like Heavy Medal, and our wonderful independent bookseller, Sally Oddi.  Thanks to everyone who encouraged me to read these books.  I am so grateful for the network of readers to which I belong!

• I thought all the winners were deserving.  Each book was an important piece of literature that I'll be delighted to share with my students (if I haven't already -- hello Ivan!!) for years to come.

• On the other hand, there were some books I absolutely loved this year that weren't recognized with an award.  Those books will also continue to be shared with my students - I love each of them for a different reason, and I know they are books with which my students really connect.

•  I really appreciated the article Monica Edinger posted this weekend at the Nerdy Book Club blog clarifying the daunting task of being part of the committees deciding each honor.  I couldn't help but wonder how difficult that must be to read voraciously the year you're on the committee, but not to be able to share your thinking/bias about books outside your committee.  I am grateful to all those who willingly take on this task.  I noticed the Caldecott and Newbery committees had about 15 people each; building consensus with that size of group would take some serious teamwork.  Well done!

• Now that the awards have been announced, I am dying to dive into all the 2013 books and ARCs from NCTE I have been waiting to read.  Another year of reading and joy!!

• In the meantime, congratulations to all the winners!!  Bravo!

Twelve Kinds of Ice - Looking for Newbery (2013 Style)

Exactly one day from today, we will learn which books get to wear brand new shiny medals.  I am very excited for the announcements, but still have several books I want to read in the next week in an effort to have at least read the winner and honor books.  One of those books was the book for today: Twelve Kinds of Ice by Ellen Bryan Obed.

Twelve Kinds of Ice is both simple and beautiful at the same time. This is a small book that focuses on the different types of ice that develop with the colder temperatures through the duration of the winter. It made me so happy because of the gorgeous language and the way it harkens back to a simpler time where the formation of ice brings so many joys and activities. These aren't children who come home, only to then be engaged in many extracurricular activities or children who spend hours in front of a television or a computer. Rather, the children in this book can't wait to get home from school and engage in outdoor pursuits, all revolving around the twelve different types of ice. The simple text, beautiful language, and amazing illustrations by Barbara McClintock make for a delightful read!

Looking for Newbery (2013 style) The One and Only Ivan

Unlike Karen, I would not be in good shape.  I've read one and half of the books on the list.  I do have Bomb on reserve but haven't read it yet.  I read Liar and Spy, liked it OK, and couldn't get through Splendors and Gloom, just not my thing I guess.

Anyway, one book I hope to see on some award list somewhere is The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate.  As you can see from my original post about Ivan, I loved it from the start.  In fact, after reading it from the book fair shelf, I told the kids it was THE BEST BOOK in the fair.  I'll stand by that statement. 

The book may be too simple for the Newbery people, too sweet.  For kids, however, it's perfect!  The members of this year's Newbery Club have chosen it along with One for the Murphy's as their preliminary winners.  They show good judgement and a keen eye for good writing in their selection.  I've learned through my 29 years of teaching that students are drawn to the free verse books, and Ivan is certainly no exception.  When asked why they like them so much?  They consistently say it's because they can read a lot in a short time and still have a good story.  They feel like they have accomplished something and that's a good thing when we are trying to get kids to love reading.

Beyond the free verse aspect of this memorable book, the kids love the characters.  Katherine Applegate does such a magnificent job of personifying Ivan and his mall friends that it's easy to forget that she is writing about animals. 

I have had students from grades 1 through 5 either read Ivan or have had it read to them and all of them love it, that makes it a winner in my book!

The Votes are in at Heavy Medal - Looking for Newbery (2013 style)

I was trying to catch up on my blog reading Monday, and I noticed that Heavy Medal blog had their Mock Newbery gathering and voting this past Sunday, and have decided on a winner and two honor books (click here to see the actual vote tallies and some of the thinking behind the voting - interesting conversations).

The winner:
Bomb

Honor Books:
Splendors and Glooms
Liar and Spy

Bill and I are not making any predictions this year about which book we think should win, but if these books are on the list of the official Newbery committee, I would be in very good shape to meet my goal of reading the Newbery winner before it is announced.  I have read all three of these books.

In the meantime, I continue to read as many books as I can from other lists.  Hope you're having fun reading as well.  Stop by and let us know of any books you think we absolutely need to read in the next two weeks!!

The Unfortunate Son -- Looking for Newbery (2013 style)

When Karen and I sat down to breakfast I had just started reading The Unfortunate Son by Constance Leeds and told her to add it to my list because just 10 pages in, I was hooked.  I liked it a lot.

It reads almost like a fairy tail but is set in very real French medieval times.  When counts would disown their imperfect sons at birth and force those less fortunate into sadness because their son was born perfect.  Times when children of privilege would suddenly become orphans because of their father's misdeeds.

The story of two children, Luc the imperfect son, whose luck goes from good to bad and back again over the span of a short life and Beatrice, the child of privilege who is raised by her nanny and her brother in a simple fishing cottage, filled with happiness.

The stories of these two could not be more different, but thanks to wonderful writing, they are brought together and form a strong bond that stands up to all of the bad luck in the world.

Constance Leeds uses wonderful characters, plot twists and turns to tell the story of these two and all who they come in contact with.  Her descriptions of the cities used as settings are amazing, transporting the reader back in time to experience the world with Luc and Beatrice.

While this book may not win any awards, I already have students in mind who love adventure and good writing.

Splendors and Glooms - Looking for Newbery (2013 style) / It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

In an effort to organize my time more efficiently, I decided to make this post both one for our Looking for Newbery series as well as for IMWAYR meme.

FIRST BOOK:

So many people were talking about Splendors and Glooms by the masterful Laura Amy Schlitz, I just had to read it. 

As an adult, I absolutely loved this book - the magic, the darkness, the plot, how different characters are highlighted, the cliffhangers, the story plots that are so intricately woven together. All amazing! That being said, I'm not sure how I would use this book with my 5th grade students, but I know that is not a criteria for why a book is awarded a Newbery medal. 

Schlitz is a master storyteller, and Splendors and Glooms is a masterful story.  I would not be at all surprised if this book wins some Newbery love on January 28.


NEXT:

After reading Bill's Looking for Newbery post about The Summer of the Gypsy Moths, I knew I needed to reread it this weekend because for some reason I hadn't purchased it the first time.  Here's what I thought in both my first read and my reread:

I loved it! The author is Sara Pennypacker, of Clementine fame. I really enjoyed this read, and since I sometimes judge a book's success by how many tissues I use while crying at happy or sad parts (even when they're predictable), I can tell you this book had a 5-tissue ending. :)

I will definitely be remedying that not-buying-this-book immediately!

FINALLY:

 I also read Twelve Kinds of Ice and Almost Home this weekend.  Both books will be getting their own posts soon, but for now let me just say about both... BEAUTIFUL!!!!

Head on over to Teach Mentor Texts to see what everyone else is reading right now as well.  So many books, so little time!  What a delicious problem to have!