2011 Newbery Hopefuls

My Newbery Hopefuls tend to have more hope than my Caldecotts, but this year, who knows?  I'm very deliberately leaving off a few books which may be strong contenders but were most definitely Not For Me.  These, I loved.

• A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner (I might love this one best).
• Alchemy and Meggy Swann (Ye toads and vipers! I'm still in London, after all).
• The Dreamer by Pam Munoz  Ryan (Maybe it will win the Belpre, too).
• One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia (See my story here).
• Only One Year by Andrea Cheng (For younger readers).
• Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes (Reviewed here).
• The Shadows (Probably not a Newbery, but it's my list! Reviewed here).
• Something I'm forgetting, I'm sure (See: London).

I'm wishing everyone involved, from authors to committee members to readers (and bloggers!) a good night's sleep and a happy ALA awards day.  See you on the other side--of the ocean and the announcements!

Maybe a Newbery story

Here's my story: I met Rita Williams-Garcia at ALA last summer.  She was signing One Crazy Summer (Amistad).  I hadn't come prepared to buy any books (I know; silly me!) and was counting out my loose change in hopes of having enough for one copy when someone at the booth took pity on me and let me have it for the cash I had on hand.  I was debating whether to ask Ms. Williams-Garcia to sign it to Leo or Milly and decided to ask her to sign it to both, remarking that they could fight over who got to keep it after it won the Newbery.  At that point,  the same someone (thank you!) handed over another copy and Rita came out from behind the signing table, gave me a hug and whispered, "From your lips to God's ear."  I hope so!

2011 Caldecott Hopefuls

I'm posting my list of Caldecott Hopefuls (I don't even try to pick the winners; these are just some of last year's personal favorites) from a borrowed computer on our last night in London.  Sadly, I scheduled our plane trip home such that we will be IN THE AIR when the ALA awards are announced tomorrow morning.  It's going to be a long flight!

• Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan and Sophie Blackall (Viking Juvenile; reviewed here).
• Bunny Days by Tao Nyeu (Dial).
• Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein (Candlewick). 
• Nini Lost and Found by Anita Lobel (Knopf).
• Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes by Salley Mavor (Houghton Mifflin).
• Young Zeus by G. Brian Karas (Scholastic).
• Dotty by Erica S. Perl and Julia Denos (Abrams).

Nonfiction edition (links are to my reviews of these titles):

• Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring by Jan Greenberg, Sandra Jordan, and Brian Floca (Flash Point).
• Summer Birds: The Butterflies of Maria Merian by Margarita Engle and Julie Paschkis (Henry Holt).

International edition (I know, not eligible, but these are MY Caldecott Hopefuls after all):

• The Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood and Renata Liwska (Houghton Mifflin).

And that's it, except for the ones on my desk at home that I'm forgetting.  Maybe the Caldecott Committee will remind me, or maybe they'll choose Art and Max by David Weisner (Clarion):  a worthy choice!  What are your personal favorites and/or Caldecott picks?  Remind me.

Cybils picks

In 2008 and 2009, I had an ambitious Cybils Reading Plan.  The goal was to read one new-to-me book from the list of finalists in each category, and I came pretty close both years.  This year I was a panelist for the Middle Grade Science Fiction and Fantasy category, which involved an even more ambitious reading plan.  By the time the finalists were announced on January 1, I was ready for a break from Cybils reading.  I do have some favorites from among the shortlists, though.  Here they are:

• Easy Readers/Short Chapter Books.  In Easy Readers, I have a soft spot for Mr. Putter and Tabby (and Zeke).  In Short Chapter Books, How Oliver Olson Changed the World.
• Middle Grade Fiction.  I loved, loved Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Parry (it was on my personal Newbery shortlist).
• Fiction Picture Books.  My two favorites on this list are probably the Caldecott winner (Lion and the Mouse) and the Caldecott honoree (All the World), even though I don't tend to like wordless and (what would you call All the World?) picture books.  I did manage to read all seven shortlisted books, but the others just weren't for me.
• Nonfiction Picture Books.  Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11.  My son was so disappointed that this didn't get a Caldecott honor (although it did get a Sibert honor).  I love Brian Floca's work, too.
• Poetry.  The Tree That Time Built: A Celebration of Nature, Science, and Imagination.
• YA and Graphic Novels.  You'll have to look elsewhere for those, although I have been reading and loving some YA lately.

This year's winners will be announced on Sunday, February 14.  I'm so curious about what will win in our category!  Here's our shortlist:

11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass
Dreamdark: Silksinger by Laini Taylor
The Farwalker’s Quest by Joni Sensel
Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
The Prince of Fenway Park by Julianna Baggott
The Serial Garden: The Complete Armitage Family Stories by Joan Aiken
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (also on my personal Newbery list)

Have you ready any of them (or do you plan to)?  Which is your favorite?  I would love to know.  And if you think When You Reach Me should have been on the list, you can let me know that, too.