A New Beginning

[Kristen]

Thank you everyone for a great year of reading. 2010 is over, the Newbery’s given, announcements made. As my grandmother would say "The bubble has burst." Yet the Newbery, like Christmas, comes once a year. We get to start all over again.

It's a little slow at the beginning, so if you find a contender for 2011 please let us know. After all The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg, one of the honors this year, was published on Jan. 1st, 2009. So next years Newbery may already be out there.

We will start doing a book of the month beginning in June, until then let us know what you are reading.

[Kathy]

I'm looking at the new Sharon Draper called Out of My Mind. It's getting some good publicity. Plus, Fransisco Stork has a new book. Incarceron by Fisher looks good too!

[Kathy]

Oops! Looks like Incarceron was pubbed in UK first so it's not eligible!

[Sonja]

The new Stork book, The Last Summer of the Death Warriors, is recommended for ages 14 and up. Not in the Newbery category.

[Kathy]

Looks like Cornelia Funke and Louis Sachar have new books out this year!

[Jeanette]

I am already hearing Newbery buzz about One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia. My library does not have it in their system so I am going to request they order it. Anyone seen, read or heard anything about this one?

[Kathy]

Jeanette wrote: "I am already hearing Newbery buzz about One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia. Anyone seen, read or heard an..."

I've got it on my list for two starred reviews! Other big contenders are:
Cosmic
The Death-Defying Pepper Roux
Here Comes the Garbage Barge!

Haven't checked specifics on the authors yet!

[Barbara]

Kathy wrote: "Jeanette wrote: "I am already hearing Newbery buzz about One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia. Anyone seen, read or heard an..."

I've got it on my list for two starred reviews! Other big con..."

I haven't heard about these but will check into them. I'll check my latest order sheet, too, but in the meantime, do you think it would be worth having a list of those items we're mentioning? That way we wouldn't have to go back into the body of these comments to find the titles. I know we're going to start reading in June but it might be good to start a separate list.

I looked at our "bookshelf" and it's still the 2009 list. It would be nice to keep the old list up and create a new one. I'm not sure how to do that. There's also a list of "books mentioned in this topic" but it's not really complete. Just a thought.

And on another topic, does anyone know whether the "Add to my Update Feed" goes to all our friends on Goodreads or to just this group? I'd like my comments to just go to this group. Is there any way to adjust that? I unchecked the box for this but am not sure if that means that the group doesn't get the comment. Aargh. Maybe some of you are far better versed in this than I so it would be helpful to have your knowledge.

[Barbara]

Mea culpa. Just saw the separate list for 2011. Thanks Kristen.

[Kristen]

Barbara wrote: "Kathy wrote: "Jeanette wrote: "I am already hearing Newbery buzz about One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia. Anyone seen, read or heard an..."

I've got it on my list for two starred reviews! ..."

I am the same way, I usually don't like all of my comments in the group to go to my friends and family. If you uncheck the "Add to my Update Feed" box then your comments will stay here in the group and not go out to all your friends.

I have kept the books from 2009 on the bookshelf. They are under Mock Newbery 2010 shelf. The new books are under the Mock Newbery 2011 bookshelf.

I am currently reading One Crazy Summer and am really enjoying it.

[Kristen]

Barbara wrote: "Mea culpa. Just saw the separate list for 2011. Thanks Kristen."

Ah! I see you posted while I was writing my comment. (got distracted by son in the middle of typing) Glad you found it, I love that we are already have some great books to talk about.

[Jeanette]

I would point out that I don't think Cosmic (from Kathy's list)will qualify for the Newbery. It was published in Britain in 2008. Great author, probably a great book but wouldn't qualify for this award.

[Pam]

Booklist had a feature on Dog in the Wood last month. I picked it up and it is excellent. Covering a time period not trodden by authors yet, first-time author Monika Schröder sets her book in East Germany as WWII ends and the Russians begin their occupation. The Dog in the Wood is written about a boy, Fritz, who lives with his mother, sister, and father's parents (his father died in the war) on a farm as he copes with the tremendous amount of uncertainty, upheaval, and loss that being occupied brings. Hope for a better future proves harder and harder for Fritz and his family to find with each upheaval. Dealing with refugees, suicide, Russian troops, quartering Russian soldiers, and everyday realities of occupation, this story is well paced with wonderful material for thoughtful discussion. I found it well written and harrowing but not terrifying. It makes an excellent introduction to life in the early Eastern bloc though I'd recommend it for teenagers not elementary students. The reading isn't difficult, but the material is too mature for elementary students.

[Jessica]

A Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home
Looks different and has gotten some good reviews...

[Kathy]

Jeanette wrote: "I would point out that I don't think Cosmic (from Kathy's list)will qualify for the Newbery. It was published in Britain in 2008. Great author, probably a great book but wouldn't qualify for this a..."

You are right!! I'm so sad!

[Kathy]

Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible VerseMarilyn Singer

This one just picked up it's fourth starred review!

[Janet]

Kathy wrote: "Oops! Looks like Incarceron was pubbed in UK first so it's not eligible!"

Incarceron is also listed as Gr 9-12 in its Booklist review.

[Kristen]

Jessica wrote: "A Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home
Looks different and has gotten some good reviews..."

I'm reading this one today. I will let you know what I think.

[June]

I am just finishing Katherine Paterson's newest - The Day of the Pelican. It is absolutely wonderful. It is about a family of Albanians during the Kosovo crisis. It reads so well.

[Karen]

I loved The Day of the Pelican! Here's my review: http://literatelives.blogspot.com/201...

[Kathy]

Bookwink wrote: "The new Stork book, The Last Summer of the Death Warriors, is recommended for ages 14 and up. Not in the Newbery category."

Don't forget that Newbery is intended for children and that includes age 14...

[Kathy]

We are working on our Mock Newbery blog. Comments and/or suggestions greatly appreciated!

SJCPL Mock Newbery 2011

[Betty]

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine is great, goes inside the mind of a girl with Asperger's Syndrome. She makes her counselor's neck do a turtle jerk when she voices her obseervations.

[Kim]

I agree wholeheartedly. Mockingbird is by far the most accurate depiction of Asperger Syndrome I've ever come across in fiction, and it deserves awards for that alone. The fact that just about everything else in the book is as good or better only sweetens the deal. It's definitely my pick for the Newbery this year, though I doubt it will get anything more than an Honor (which, honestly, is good enough for me).

[Kathy]

Betty wrote: "Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine is great, goes inside the mind of a girl with Asperger's Syndrome. She makes her counselor's neck do a turtle jerk when she voices her obseervations."

Haven't read this yet! Will move it up on list. Did you read Anything But Typical? I loved it and am told that it's pretty spot-on also.

[Kim]

Oh, Anything but Typical is definitely a great one, though I'd consider that more a "High-Functioning Autism Book" than an "Asperger's Book." (There are a few tiny differences between the diagnoses which are worth noting, but I think the book is a great companion to Mockingbird because of it and has just as much merit.) I was very happy with its Schneider Award win, though I'm beginning to fear that it means that books with any kind of disabled characters will just get handed one of those and left out of Newbery discussion altogether because of it. I certainly thought "Typical" was Newbery Honor-worthy, though the writing, though excellent, wasn't extremely "flavorful." (Which could have been its downfall, but honestly, a first-person book doesn't need to be written in dialect to be considered well-written, and "well-written" is the first thing that comes to mind when I think about that book...)

[Kathy]

I just brought Mockingbird home and hope to tackle it this weekend. Have you read Marcelo in the Real World, London Eye Mystery, and/or Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time? How about Rules? I would love to figure out a way to "market" all of these books to students. Many of them have siblings/relatives with autism and/or Asperger's Syndrome and we have a number of students who have one or the other. Maybe these books would allow teacher's to open a dialogue...

[Kim]

I've read all of them except the "The London Eye Mystery," and I liked "Rules" and "Marcelo." ("The Curious Incident..." did not sit well with me; it feels very poorly researched and inconsistent in ways that don't make sense. I know a lot of individuals with ASDs on all areas of the spectrum, and none of them are anything like the character in that book).

I think it would be a great idea to get those books into the hands of students ("Rules," in particular, would be excellent for classroom discussion), but I honestly don't know where to begin with that. I guess maybe some kind of social skills class would be the best way.

I hope you enjoy "Mockingbird." I think it's definitely in the same class as "Rules" and offers plenty of food for thought. I plan on picking up a new copy of it soon.

[Dana]

I have read all of the books above. My son has Asberger's and Rules is my favorite. It is very obvious she knows first hand what it's like to live with someone with this Syndrome. My least favorite was Anything but Typical. It seemed to draw on all of the ideas of what the syndrome is, but not any of the inconsistencies of personality that Curious Incident, or Rules or Marcello showed so well. I really think it's a case of "takes one to know one" Most people think of the disorder as "rainman" or a person who is a social recluse, and not as someone who desperately wants to make it in the world, but can't due to an inability to read people, or control their own emotions or impulses.

[Kim]

In my humble opinion, "Curious Incident" is far, far, FAR worse than "Anything But Typical" about it and relies almost entirely on stereotypes and worse, ones that are downright impossible to have in coexistence. (Also, there was literally nothing redeeming or interesting about the character, and he made absolutely no attempt to change, which is unacceptable.)

As far as "Typical" goes, it at least reminded somewhat me of my life and struggles (not as much as "Mockingbird," but still to a good degree), which I appreciated. I also like the fact that the writing doesn't have a gimmick to it that screams "THIS KID IS AUTISTIC" like "The Curious Incident" (and, to a far lesser extent, "Mockingbird") does. Still, I separate books like "Typical" and "Rules" (autism) from "Marcelo" and "Mockingbird" (Asperger Syndrome) due to different diagnoses and functioning levels in the characters, though. The latter group of books almost invariably remind me of my own life (except "The Curious Incident," which should by now be widely known to be grossly inaccurate), while books with generally autistic characters rarely do. This is part of why I found "Typical" to be so interesting. Jason wasn't so different from me at all. Definitely less verbal and more... affected, but that's the main differentiation between AS and HFA.

...You know, we've been talking about these books a lot on this thread. Perhaps we should dedicate a separate thread or discussion group to talk about books of this type. Not that I'm not completely enjoying these discussions, it's just that there are a lot of Newbery-worthy books this year that aren't related to this subject.

[Alyson]

One this about Curious--it was the first of its kind. Now look how many titles there are. Maybe writers have written better, but Curious was first and ground breaking. There is something in that.