Mock Newbery BOM

[Melody]

Are we going to have a monthly book to read like last year to get ready for the 2014 Newbery announcement? I enjoyed that! Thanks!

[LauraW]

Me, too, although I am not a librarian IRL and I don't know what is out there.

[Kristine]

Could we start earlier this year and have a read for may?

[Melody]

It looks like Jinx -Sage Blackwood, One Came Home - Amy Timberlake and Hokey Pokey - Jerry Spinelli all were published on 1/8/13. Shall we pick one of these 3 or do you want to pick something else?

[LauraW]

Each of those three sounds good to me. I know I can get Jinx. One Came Home has a publication date of 2012 on one of the library records I am looking at, but Amazon says 2013.

[Melody]

Maybe someone can clarify that for us. Anyone know the correct publication date of "One Came Home"?

[Kristen]

Wow! Well this is terrific. I was planning to start in May this year but we can quickly choose a book and start in April. I will post a poll right now.

[Melody]

Thank you! I needed an expert to take over this! My 11 year old son and I are listening to "Navigating Early" right now in the car and he loves it!

[Buettner]

I just started One Came Home last night. The copyright date is 2013.

[Josephine]

I'm excited to get started reading as a group too.

[Becky]

I am so glad we are starting early this year. I just bought One Came Home, so I hope that wins the poll.

[Lisa]

I have Jinx in my stack for a next read. I'll probably be ready to start it this week. I'm excited to read with this group! It will be such a great experience to keep up with the great new books coming out.

[Melody]

Make sure you all vote in the poll!

[Melody]

Can't believe that "One Came Home" is not available in Audio??? GRRR

[Jen]

I've read both Jinx and Navigating Early...enjoyed both. I'd love to know what the group thinks of those. Will read One came home whatever wins as well !

[Carol]

Melody wrote: "It looks like Jinx -Sage Blackwood, One Came Home - Amy Timberlake and Hokey Pokey - Jerry Spinelli all were published on 1/8/13. Shall we pick one of these 3 or do you want to pick something else?"

I've read Jinx and Hokey Pokey but not One Came Home. I had an ARC of Jinx, and enjoyed it very much. I've already gotten kids at school interested in it. Hokey Pokey has been a bit harder sell. Not sure why. As for Navigating Early - even better than Moon Over Manifest in my book. Such a great story of friendship. Just ordered One Came Home on Kindle, so I'm ready to go.

[Melody]

Navigating Early was phenomenal. I just loved that story. Wow. I used to be a special needs aide and there was a boy I worked with who would never look a person in the eye, but if you had the slightest change in your appearance, (for me it was that I wore a ring one day), he would notice. He just walked right in the room, sat down and said, "nice ring Mrs. S"!

[Cynthia]

Jo wrote: "I'm excited to get started reading as a group too."

Me too!

[Meghan]

I have One Came Home sitting in front of me and it is definitely 2013. Haven't picked up Jinx or Hokey Pokey yet, but just finished Navigating Early and I would love to discuss it. Starting One Came Home today!!

[Mary HD]

I have read Jinx and One Came Home so far.

Jinx is delightful. A fast read with appealing, fairly complex characters, a zippy (rather cinematic) plot. Only "problem": when the story starts, the main character is seven (?); as the story picks up momentum a few years later, he and his two buddies are tween/teens. I worry that kids who would enjoy this book will put it aside after they read the first ten pages...(I'm a librarian).

One Came Home: I had a mixed reaction to this. Vivid descriptions sometimes distracted the reader from the plot. In general, I thought the book and the main character were a little "wobbly": the author wasn't quite sure where she was going with the plot or who was her intended audience. I moved this from our J collection to our YA collection after reading it; I didn't think younger readers would quite understand/sympathize with the motivations of the main character and would end up confused rather than caught up in the rather thrilling action when the main character "hits the trail".

[Nancy]

I am ready to start up reading a book a month again. This is a good discipline for me to keep up with the good ones. I have avid teaders at my school. Just put One Came Home on hold at the library and so I guess I'll start with that. By the way, the kids to whom I read " Wonder" were disappointed that it didn't win any awards! I was too.

[Laurel]

"Wonder" had been HUGE at my school with Grade 5's and 6's.

[Sarah]

Navigating Early was beautifully written, my Kids Lit for Adults Book Club members LOVED it, but I am not convinced that it will sell to kids...a very sophisticated and multilayered read. Lots of extensions and talking points, it would be great in the classroom I think.

[Melody]

Sarah wrote: "Navigating Early was beautifully written, my Kids Lit for Adults Book Club members LOVED it, but I am not convinced that it will sell to kids...a very sophisticated and multilayered read. Lots of e..."

My 11 year old really loved this book. He also listened to "The Underneath" a few years ago and still talks about how good that book was.

[Dana]

I also liked Navigating Early, but don't think it will have wide appeal. I think the Pi story is too disrupting and slow. The writing is terrific, and the characters are well drawn, but I can't imagine a lot of kids picking this up and sticking with it. It's pretty slow up until they get on the "Maine" which does n't happen until almost the halfway point.

I ended up putting Hold Fast down before finishing it, as one reader pointed out, the author's voice is just too prevalent throughout.

So far this year, I have n't had anything really standout for me. Looking forward to One Came Home and The Center of Everything

[LauraW]

And the verdict is??? Poll result for April?

[Kristen]

LauraW wrote: "And the verdict is??? Poll result for April?"

One Came Home by Amy Timberlake
Lets get reading!

[LauraW]

I just finished Hokey Pokey and I think Spinelli did an AMAZING job with it. In a way, I am surprised I liked it - extended metaphor really isn't my thing. But it is SO WELL DONE.

[LauraW]

I just finished Maggot Moon. The story is somewhat like Lois Lowry's The Giver, but darker throughout, rather than just at the end. I am not a very good judge of good writing, so I will leave that judgment to others, but I am feeling a bit overwhelmed at the ending right now. I wonder how I will feel when I get a bit of distance.

[Mari Anne]

Recently finished One Came Home and Hold Fast. Definitely liked One Came Home much better than any others this year. Could NOT get into Hokey Pokey. Oddly One Came Home somehow reminded me of the adult book "The Missing" by Thomas Edison. Slightly different plot but same basic premise.

[Carol]

I finished One Came Home today. Here's my Good Reads review....http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/.... I'm not sorry I read it, but it just went on further than it needed to.

[Martha]

What age audience is One Came Home written for? I assumed it was for the older crowd - maybe above 14?

[Librariansteph]

"What age audience is One Came Home written for?"
It felt comfortable for middle school to me. SLJ and Booklist both reviewed it as a middle school book.

[Laurel]

I think One Came Home is probably best for 12 and up, though I can't think of any details that place it solidly in the YA category (content, themes, etc.) Meaning to say a precocious younger reader could probably enjoy it too.

[Lisa]

I finished One Came Home, and I agree with Laurel about "best for 12 and up." It is well-written historical fiction, but the subject matter might be of limited interest. I think it would take a mature reader to appreciate the tone and the beautiful word selection in this book. It might become a strong contender, but it will probably have limited popular appeal.

[Laurel]

What is our May book?

[Laurel]

Oh- Center of Everything.