Our first round of nominations on Heavy Medal is now closed. The results are below. 36 readers submitted nominations for a total of 36 unique titles (I can’t make this up). RED WHITE AND WHOLE leads the way with 12 nominations, followed by AMBER AND CLAY with 10 nods, and then JUST LIKE THAT and STARFISH with nine each. THE BEATRYCE PROPHECY rounds out the top five- and I feel the need to say it was JUST PUBLISHED last month!
On the actual Newbery committee, if a book is nominated it is officially on the table for consideration. This isn’t quite feasible on Heavy Medal because we have an infinite number of “committee members,” and things could get a little crazy. however I make a formal commitment to FINISH every nominated title (please don’t make me regret this). So, on the Newbery committee, if a book is already nominated you might choose to nominate something else in future months (or nominate it again to show significant support). Feel free to ask questions about this if it doesn’t make sense- I love talking strategy!
Thank you to those who put their justification for books nominated. Some highlights for me were:
Meredith on HARRY AND THE FIRST 100 DAYS OF SCHOOL
The tight plotting and engaging character dynamic made this one stand out to me.
David on RED WHITE AND WHOLE,
It checks all the Newbery boxes, including what I call the “Newbery voice.” It is timely… but I do think it surpasses this and has the capacity to be timeless and univeral.
and KALEIDOSCOPE
I know we think of Selznick as an illustrator, but his writing truly outshines his art in this book. His style is rich, haunting, and deep, and even when I was in the midst of confusion, trying figure what was going on, I kept reading for the sheer pleasure of enjoying the writing itself.
Feel free to continue justifying in the comments, (or asking legitimate questions) it can help your books cause!
Without further ado (ok DUN DUN DUNNNNN) Here’s the list so far:
| RED, WHITE, AND WHOLE | Rajani LaRocca | 12 |
| AMBER AND CLAY | Laura Amy Schlitz | 10 |
| JUST LIKE THAT | Gary Schmidt | 9 |
| STARFISH | Lisa Fipps | 9 |
| THE BEATRYCE PROPHECY | Kate DiCamillo | 7 |
| TOO BRIGHT TOO SEE | Kyle Lukoff | 6 |
| A PLACE TO HANG THE MOON | Kate Albus | 5 |
| LION OF MARS | Jennifer L. Holm | 5 |
| THE SHAPE OF THUNDER | Jasmine Warga | 5 |
| FALLOUT | Steve Sheinkin | 4 |
| FINDING JUNIE KIM | Ellen Oh | 3 |
| HARRY VS. THE FIRST 100 DAYS OF SCHOOL | Emily Jenkins | 3 |
| AMARI AND THE NIGHT BROTHERS | B.B. Alston | 2 |
| BEING CLEM | Lesa-Cline Ransome | 2 |
| BILLY MILLER MAKES A WISH | Kevin Henkes | 2 |
| DAVINCI’S CAT | Catherine Gilbert Murdock | 2 |
| ONE JAR OF MAGIC | Corey Ann Haydu | 2 |
| ROOT MAGIC | Eden Royce | 2 |
| UNSPEAKABLE: THE TULSA RACE MASSACRE | Carole Boston Weatherford | 2 |
| WHILE I WAS AWAY | Waka T. Brown | 2 |
| 365 DAYS TO ALASKA | Cathy Carr | 1 |
| FLIGHT OF THE PUFFIN | Ann Braden | 1 |
| FRANKIE & BUG | Gayle Forman | 1 |
| HEALER OF THE WATER MONSTER | Brian Young | 1 |
| KALEIDOSCOPE | Brian Selznick | 1 |
| OPHIE’S GHOSTS | Justina Ireland | 1 |
| PITY PARTY | Kathleen Lane | 1 |
| PONY | R.J. Palacio | 1 |
| RACONTEUR’S COMMONPLACE BOOK | Kate Milford | 1 |
| RUNAWAY: THE DARING ESCAPE OF ONA JUDGE | Anthony Shepard | 1 |
| SISTERS OF THE NEVERSEA | Cynthia Leitich Smith | 1 |
| STAMPED (FOR KIDS) | Sonja Cherry Paul | 1 |
| THE LEGEND OF AUNTIE PO | Shing Yin Kor | 1 |
| THE TROUBLED GIRLS OF DRAGOMIR ACADEMY | Anne Ursu | 1 |
| WATERCRESS | Andrea Wang | 1 |
Books we featured that WEREN’T nominated include most of the picture books, MAYBE MAYBE MARISOL RAINEY, GROUND ZERO, and ALMOST THERE AND ALMOST NOT.
Along with hearing additional justifications and questions, I’d love to hear what book you ALMOST nominated but didn’t and why! And if you didn’t get to nominating, have no fear November nominations for two titles open up on the first of the month!
Own Monday Own the Week, Own early nominations, Own Mock Newberying!
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