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This book is a series of beautiful Chinese fables, strung together to create a whole new fable. By fable, I mean little short stories involving dragons and other magic, which always end with a little lesson about how we should live our lives. Think Aesop, only set in China, with uniquely Chinese characters. In the main story, Minli leaves her family at the base of Fruitless Mountain to try to find the Old Man of the Moon, and ask him to change the fortune of those who live in the mountain's shadow. She hears many stories throughout her adventure, and encounters many of the characters from those stories, so reality and fable are mixed throughout. I liked the book, including the gorgeous illustrations. But it does not have my Newbery vote. |
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Zoe, age 11, has pretty much raised herself, as over the years her mentally ill mother dragged her through a series of trailer parks and boyfriends. Now that her mother is dead, Zoe is not expecting much from her newest legal guardian, an uncle on her father's side who she has never met. She spends her first few months at Uncle Henry's pretty tentatively, waiting for him to leave or kick her out, making plans for how she will survive alone. He is a moody, grouchy old artist, but his soft heart is evident right away. You can see even before Zoe realizes it that he does want her there. I didn't like this author's writing style at first; Zoe has not had much education, and the first person narrative from her point of view reflects that her English ain't much good. But as I got used to it, I came to appreciate her no-nonsense attitude. This girl is wired for survival, as wild things are, and fluff like "family" and "love" has hardly entered her world. Though this book is tougher reading than some others, I can see how it made this list. |
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Wow, Katherine Paterson, with a new book! Jacob Have I Loved, The Great Gillie Hopkins, The Same Stuff as Stars... this amazing author is no stranger to the Newbery! But although I liked Pelican, I'm voting "no" on this one. This is the story of an Albanian girl living in Serbian-controlled Kosovo in the late 1990s. How many readers can locate that on a map? Her family is persecuted because of their ethnicity (kind of like the Jews during the Holocaust), and eventually they leave the country to start a new life in the US. Parts of this book were really riveting, like when they were channeled to a refugee camp by way of a cattle car and armed guards. I mean, Meli had learned about the Holocaust too. Imagine how terrified she was to find herself in such a similar situation! But parts of the story were kind of documentary-like. It almost read like non-fiction. I thought at the end that we just breezed through two years in America in about two chapters, when I would have liked more about the difficulties of adjusting and finding her way in this country. Maybe she hasn't yet found her way at all. This is based on a real immigrant family, which did make it more compelling for me. I liked it, I just don't think it will be worth another gold label for Ms. Paterson. |
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Lidie was six years old when she was left behind with an Aunt and Uncle in Brazil after her mother died, when her father and brother went to America to start a new life. They planned to send for her when they had jobs and a place to live. She's almost 13 now, and they barely recognize this beautiful "wild girl" when she steps off the plane. Though she loves her brother and father, Lidie hardly knows them, and they treat her like the baby she was all those years ago. Speaking very little English, she struggles through her first days at school, and finds herself terribly lonely. Only her love of riding, and her time with the horses at the racetrack where her father is a trainer, help her feel like herself. This slim little book is just wonderful. I could have cried for poor Lidie when she tried so hard at school, just to fail and fail. It reminded me of a book that came out last year, Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate, which is about a 12-year old immigrant from Sudan. He also struggles with the language, and feels like he's practically on another planet, just like Lidie. Great book. |
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Amanda and Leo "met" one June 5th, when their cribs were side by side in the hospital on the day they were born. They grew up close friends, sharing their lives and especially every birthday party together, until the day they turned ten. Amanda heard something awful at their party that year. She walked out that day, and hasn't spoken to Leo since. On their eleventh birthday, she dreads her first party alone. The whole day goes horribly, and she is relieved to just drop in bed that night and have it over with... except that when she wakes up the next morning, it's June fifth all over again! And then again, and again. This is almost a mystery, as Amanda tries to figure out why this is happening. But it's also hilariously funny. It's so well written, you just can't wait until the next day to see what Amanda will do to try to fix things. This is my favorite of the Newbery contenders so far. I don't know if it stands a chance, but I totally loved it. |
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This is an intriguing and odd book, but I couldn't put it down. There's some sort of mystery going on, and the author doesn't tell us straight out what has happened, but forces us to keep reading and slowly put the picture together. Ultimately, it's a story of Miranda, a sixth grade girl, and how her her relationships with her friends change and develop. The mystery involves a boy who is not a friend, and a series of odd and slightly scary notes that appear in Miranda's home. Who is sending them, and why? I might have liked this book too much because Miranda is in 6th grade in 1979, as was I that year, or because it takes place in New York City and I was just there last weekend. I need another reader to let me know if I'm too biased on this one. |
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This is a moving story about how kids get dragged through the messes made by the grown-ups in their lives. 11-year old Harper Lee Morgan (named after author Harper Lee, of To Kill a Mockingbird) is a budding poet, who looks forward to reading her work aloud at the upcoming school assembly. Her dad moved out a year ago, and Mom is having trouble making ends meet. Just a few days before the assembly, Harper comes home from school to find all her family's belongings on the lawn: they have been evicted for not paying their rent. They check in to a nearby hotel, where Harper has to skip school to tend her younger brother. Yet all she can think about is getting back to school. She is torn between responsiblity toward her family, and her desire to share her poems. The idea of being homeless is so frightening. I was totally engrossed by the view of homeless life that this story created. I also appreciated the lack of happy ending. Life doesn't always have happy endings, and that's ok, which I think was one major point made by this story. |
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I do love Gary Paulsen, but I'm not sure this one belongs on our reading list. It's nice and heart-warming, but Newbery? No way. That said, this story takes place the summer after 14-year old Finn finishes 8th grade. I got the impression he'd had a tough year, and he is looking forward to a quiet summer of reading and just being alone. He thinks of himself as a loner, but he does have some close friends, and develops a new one when a young woman battling breast cancer moves in next door. She talks him in to planting a garden for her, and as the garden takes shape, she draws him out of his shell and helps him develop the confidence to speak up for himself. It's a sweet story, but I thought Johanna seemed a little to perfect, and why was she so interested in spending so much time with Finn? Was it his charming dog? I liked the book, but I'll be surprised to see it win. Let me know what you think! |
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Calpurnia Tate is not your typical 11 year old girl from rural Texas, living on her father's sprawling farm back in 1899. Her family is wealthy, and she knows she should enjoy knitting and sewing and be looking forward to finding a husband. But much to her mother's dismay, she is much more excited about science and nature. She loves the outdoors, and whenever she has a chance, she sneaks off to the river to collect specimens and make notes about what she finds and sees. She connects with her odd granddaddy, who spends hours in the "laboratory" he has created in an old shed behind the house. Together they shun the family's expectations and develop an unexpected friendship. This is a lovely story, which could easily have been a hundred pages longer and I would have been thrilled. I loved Calpurnia's quirky family (6 brothers!). The author did a great job connecting to other events in the world that were looming at the turn of the last century, like the promotion of the automobile. The reading level was a little hard, but strong readers will succeed with this historical fiction. |
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This is the story of Matt, a 12-year old boy who was born in Vietnam near the end of the war, but who has been adopted by an American family and has lived with them for the past two years. They seem to love him and give him all they can, but he holds back from completely loving them, in part because he is haunted by the memory of the Vietnamese mother and brother he left behind. Matt's birth father was an American soldier, and his mother pushed him to leave Vietnam in the hope that he would have a better life in this country. The setting of this book might be difficult for kids to connect to, but Matt's voice, though troubled, should draw them in. I think this book will need a Newbery sticker to help it circulate, because I'm having trouble thinking of students I would recommend it to. As an adult, with some familiarity of the setting and character, I loved the book, but will kids? I don't know. |
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Jason Blake is 12 years old, and he is not a typical kid. He is autistic, and he struggles to get along in a world where all the "typical" people seem to have it so easy. Where he shines, though, is through writing. He writes stories and shares them at an online website, where his readers have no idea anything is not typical about him, and they just like his stories. One girl in particular becomes a friend of Jason's online. When he has a chance to meet her in person he panics; will she hate him like all the kids at school when she sees what he's like face to face? It was really amazing to be inside Jason's mind, to understand how someone with his condition thinks. Excellent book! |
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I don't think I'm ruining the story if I tell you the bad luck Dit encounters at the start of this book: the new post-master's "son" turns out to be a stupid girl. Dit was hoping for a boy he could fish and play baseball with, and instead he finds himself in the company of a slightly prissy, bookish 12-year old black girl, which in Alabama around 1916 means there's no way they can be friends. And yet, as the summer progresses, the two do turn into unlikely friends. This is a great story, and it shows how kids sometimes see the truth more easily than the grown-ups who make up all the rules. I loved Dit because he wasn't afraid to tell the truth even when it was embarrassing, and he stood up for right when he had the chance. He also has a great sense of humor. I enjoyed seeing the world through his eyes. |
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Mrs. Starch is a biology teacher who loves her subject matter, but seems to detest her students. She repeatedly humiliates and mocks students, who fear more than respect her. She escorts her students on a field trip to spot wild life in a Florida swamp, which is cut short when a fire in the brush suddenly flares up. Mrs. Starch stomps back into the smoke, and doesn't come back out. In fact she doesn't show up for days, which is not like this militantly prompt teacher. Nick and Marta, two good students who usually stay under her radar, become worried about her and decide to do some investigating at the same time the police are doing their own research. If you've read Hoot or Flush , it will be no surprise that there's an environmental theme under all this plot. Mr. Hiaasen is obviously a supporter of the environment, and this book has some pretty clear educational messages. But the story is told with a nice sense of humor, and even a hint of romance, so Hiaasen's lessons never seem heavy-handed. I didn't feel like I was learning, but boy do I know a lot more about Florida wild life than I did before. I enjoyed this book, but Newbery worthy? Not in my opinion. |
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This story is a long, adventurous fairy tale, and I loved every word of it! It's the story of Halli Sveinsson, third child in the great House of Svein, destined for absolutely nothing. Not only will he inherit none of the fame and power of his older siblings, but he is also physically short and unattractive, so he knows that his future is grim. He also has an incredible wit and a non-stop sense of humor, which frequently gets him in trouble, more than ever when he plays a trick that sets off a feud with a neighboring House. Halli must venture out on his own to make things right. The setting of this story is as important as the characters. The Valley where the kings settled long ago is ringed by sacred graves that are the only thing that hold back a horrible race of creatures that prey on humans in the night... or is that just a silly legend to keep youngsters in their beds? Halli will find out the truth, and he'll also find action and romance in this wonderful story. So there's my summary, and also my opinion. I couldn't hide it! I can't wait to see what you think of this first 2010 contender. |
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Welcome to the TRA Mock Newbery Blog for 2010! Our goal is to read as many good books published in 2009 as we possibly can, and then to predict the winner of the 2010 Newbery Award, to be announced in January. We will meet two times in the fall: in September to meet each other and practice blogging, and again in early January to make our prediction. Until then, we'll be reading, reading, reading! I will post a brief summary of each book in the running. After you read it, please post your comments. Remember to check the comments later on, in case anyone poses a question or makes a comment that you'd like to answer or add to. Any and all are welcome! Have fun reading!  |