I watched the ALA podcast yesterday with pounding heart and much enthusiasm. I rejoice for the winners. . .but mourn those books I loved that didn't get any blue ribbons.
Since I have been buried in my writing this past 18 months or so, I am, regrettably, behind on my reading. But there are a few books that I have kept thinking about long after closing the back cover and I believe books that make me think are blue ribbon books. I'm thinking particularly of Karen Cushman's Alchemy and Meggy Swann, Barbara O'Connor's The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis, Mary Nethery's The Famous Nini: The Mostly True Story of a Plain White Cat that Became a Star (wonderful meshing of text and art!), and David Patneaude's Epitaph Road.
Where oh where to begin? First of all, there was at least one more glaring omission to the Newbery line up, which I shall announce to my one blog follower tomorrow (I'm creating a special award for it).
ReplyDeleteFor picture books, there needs to be an award for A Bedtime for Bear and The Quiet Book (both of which were ineligible for a Caldecott because the illustrators are not Yanks).
For MG's, I'd like to tip my hat to The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester, Guinea Dog, The Kneebone Boy, The Boneshaker, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, The Curse of the Wendigo (well, maybe it's more YA), and something called The Fences Between Us.
Where was the SHARK VS. TRAIN (by Chris Barton, illustrated by Tom Litchenheld) love? I give it a shiny gold sticker here.
ReplyDeleteThis one I thought deserved a shiny gold sticker: Suzanne Collins' MOCKINGJAY. What super end to to a fab series.
Conrad Wesselhoeft for ADIOS NIRVANA, Holly Cupala for TELL ME A SECRET, I'm picking the THE DRAGONS OF NOOR by Janet Lee Carey (someone really needs to give her a shiny sticker!), David Patneaude. EPITATH ROAD is another pick. (I really want to give out a lot of awards.)
I'm with you on Meggy Swann--I thought that was a shoo-in for sure! I can't comment on those that did win awards because I am terrible at reading brand-new books due to major reading back-log issues I hope to fix sometime this decade, but anything by Jenni Holm probably deserved its shiny seal.
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