Poll

Lots of good choices here. I've already read Booked and Raymie Nightingale and am in the middle of The Wild Robot.

I've read Raymie; slight in concept and execution, in my opinion. The Wild Robot has significant child appeal (read half of it to my kindergarten grandson, who was enthralled), and parents will appreciate the detailed descriptions of flora and fauna, but I am not sure that it is award caliber. I'm looking forward to Booked!

Just finished Hour of the Bees. At 360 pgs, it is way too long for MG and the first half did drag. But the writing is beautiful. I love the innovative use of fairy tale. And the magical realism was especially well woven throughout.

Moving on to Booked and then Raymie Nightingale.

Nancy wrote: "Just finished Hour of the Bees. At 360 pgs, it is way too long for MG and the first half did drag. But the writing is beautiful. I love the innovative use of fairy tale. And the magical realism was..."

I loved Hour of the Bees, and gave this to a fifth grader; she LOVED it.

Holly,
Good to know a fifth grader can handle the length. I think Hour of the Bees is a strong 2017 Newbery contender, though I have a lot more reading to do.

Nancy wrote: "Just finished Hour of the Bees. At 360 pgs, it is way too long for MG and the first half did drag. But the writing is beautiful. I love the innovative use of fairy tale. And the magical realism was..."

I think Hour of the Bees is a serious contender this year.

I will keep an eye out for the June titles. I have read almost every book on this list except for The Wild Robot which I am currently reading. I believe Hour of the Bees will be the book to beat this year. I'm looking forward to The Bitter Side of Sweet as that one comes highly recommended from some trusted readers.

I really enjoyed Raymie and I think a lot of kids will love it. It's a new DiCamillo classic that kids will be able to connect with and they will love the hilarious antics of Louisiana's Granny.

Booked was great! I may have enjoyed it more than The Crossover. The characters in Booked are still sticking with me, especially The Mac.

I'm interested in hearing what everyone thinks! I love it when people keep in mind that these books are written for kids and that the award serves with that in mind.

Stacey wrote: "I'm interested in hearing what everyone thinks! I love it when people keep in mind that these books are written for kids and that the award serves with that in mind."

Just finished Wolf Hollow. Despite the 11-yr-old protagonist, that book is not middle grade. The amount of pre-meditated violence, the deaths of more than one central character, the complete lack of hope in the ending, the overall bleakness throughout, and the mature themes make this an adult novel. Furthermore, the protagonist had knowledge and insight way beyond what any 11-yr-old could possibly possess. By the way, the book was written by an adult novelist. Not sure who decided to market it as middle grade, but I seriously question their judgment.