We made it to the end ... I read all of the 14 finalists (ok, I DNF'd 1 of them). I need to point out that MY favorite of them all WON THE ACTUAL NEWBERY. Yay, Erin Entrada Kelly!
Sadly, it didn't take a Rhode Island Mock Newbery prize. Our winner was The Wrong Way Home by Kate O’Shaughnessy; Honor titles were Not Nothing by Gayle Forman and And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipp.
My thoughts on the finalists below:
The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
So good. The story just flowed, even if the time travel mechanics didn't QUITE make sense. But will they ever? I did appreciate that they did extensive research in the future on locations, to make sure nobody apparated inside a tree or under water. And Ridge's studied "slang" was hilarious. There was a good balance of adventure and FEEL-ings.
Most of all, I LOVED THE UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE, my alma mater, and the mention of the Christiana Mall ... I literally JUST took a photo of it from the highway a couple of weeks ago to send to my family as R. and I drove home to RI from DC.
And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Fipps describes Joe's hunger and fear effectively ... reading this book was was very stressful! And underscores why I don't think teachers should have their kids do stuff for Mother's Day and Father's Day. Because some parents SUCK. But this book doesn't.
p. 11: The longer I wait for her, / the more nervous I get / that she won't ever return, / and yet / the more I fear her coming home.
p. 24: Nobody even looked at us. / We were invisible. / People didn't want to see us, / because if they did, / they'd get scared that one day / they could be us.
p. 142: For some reason the game Rock, Paper, Scissors / pops into my head. / Hakeem's strong / like a rock. / I'm a lightweight / like paper. / Paper beats rock. / But Hakeem's words cut like scissors. / 'Cause they're true.
Quibble: Would 6th graders really be sitting crisscross applesauce on carpet squares for a readaloud?
Not Nothing by Gayle FormanMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
So many feels. May everyone rise to the occasion of their lives.
p. 13 - "... the boy stood there, feeling that awful heat rising up in him. He was supposed to take breaths when he felt like this. But if breathing could make people happy, shouldn't everyone be happy, because everyone breathed?"
p. 89 - "The good stuff seemed to cancel out the hating part, but he wasn't sure because feelings were not math."
p. 146 - "It's ok to be a know-it-all if you don't think everyone else is a know-it-nothing."
p. 166 - "Sometimes it's easier to believe a pretty lie over a hideous truth."
p. 172 - "But stitch one small thing to another small thing and another, and eventually you have a tapestry as big as the world."
Weirdo by Tony Weaver Jr.My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Rare is the graphic novel with Newbery-worthy writing. This one packed a few gut-punches, not the least of which Weaver tried to end his life as a kid. Jesus.
p. 33: What if instead of one plant, we're actually gardens. What if we're a combination of many things? Some parts are massive centerpieces, and others are accents, but every detail is important. If the possibilities are endless ... what could I be? What seeds have I been planting? What will bloom in me?
p. 231: They both had feelings. Just because those feelings weren't the same doesn't make either of them wrong for having them.
p. 261: They say everyone is the hero of their own story. But if you're the hero, somebody has to be the villain.
The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer CholdenkoMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
So so many kids have parents who just can't take care of them ... it makes me sad, and it makes me wonder just how many of my students are in situations they shouldn't be. I am thankful that Choldenko chose to make Hank's new classmates kind v. including any bullying. I could only handle so much angst.
Tree. Table. Book. by Lois LowryMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
A return to old form for Lowry ... this read like a book from my childhood. LOVED young Sophie's narration. Not sure if my students would understand Sophie Gershowitz' stories.
p. 7 - "Begin on the day that is different."
The Wrong Way Home by Kate O'ShaughnessyMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
We never found out what the rites were!
Agree with another reviewer that the Spirit storyline could have been edited out.
Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi SafadiMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Maybe I would have liked it better if I knew football better? I get what Safadi was trying to do with the definitions and poem titles ... as well as left-, right- and center justification.
Liked the shoutout to The Crossover.
As I'm typing this, Syria has had yet more cataclysmic change. Why are humans so ... ugh?
Telephone of the Tree by Alison McGheeMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Good writing, but some plot points gave me pause. Like the pizza guy using the telephone in front of Ayla as soon as he notices it. Or Dad calling her "daughter."
p. 119: Negative space is invisible, the things you don't see. But invisible is what makes everything around it full of color and shape and life.
Olivetti by Allie MillingtonMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
Have I really never read a book with a sentient typewriter before? Great idea. But the book, sadly, disappointed me. Really did not like that the Everything That Happened was some giant secret nobody talked about. And the climax after the road trip? Really?
p. 35 - "But humans will believe anything. Especially if it means they can get what they want."
Ferris by Kate DiCamilloMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
I cannot picture handing this to any of my students.
Ghosts that only Charisse can see. Charisse only reading the Bible and Leaves of Grass. "Every good story is a love story." Uncle Ted's painting of the history of the world. "Mysterious Barricades." Astral projection.
Pinky, on the other hand, would be a hit with my kids. She needs her own early reader.
Buffalo Dreamer by Violet DuncanMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
I think it is very important for kids to know about the residential schools, but I don't think this book should have been a National Book Award finalist.
