Wise Words from Kirkus Children's Books Editor Vicky Smith

I hasten to add that the Newbery Medal is a bit of a false god. It is extraordinarily difficult for one group of 15 people to anoint The One book that is "the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children," and everyone I know who's ever served on the committee (myself included), has wished it could pick, say, 15 or 20 distinguished contributions. Just because a book doesn't go home from ALA with a sticker on it does not mean it is unworthy of attention or love. This year in particular was a banner year for the traditional Newbery readership of 8- to 14–year-olds, and I urge people interested in exploring beyond the Newbery to take a look at our list of the Best Children's Books of 2010. I think I would've been very happy to see any number of other titles go home with the Newbery.

via And the Winner is… | Kirkus Book Reviews.