Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
I love following along as a group of librarians, teachers, and kid lit enthusiasts start debating the merits of one book or another for awards. Typically, the ALA awards are announced in late January and most are closed-door discussions, so we, on the outside, have no idea what is being talked about.
The Heavy Medal blog hosted by School Library Journal is a mock Newbery committee. A group of 14 people discuss dozens and dozens of books over the course of a few months. They then narrow the list down to a handful of titles. And then even further down to a few finalists. This year, the committee will be hosting a live Zoom discussion to select the winner. You can share your questions and comments and listen into the Zoom meeting by registering. You can also participate by posting your own thoughts on the blog.
The following titles are on the short list:
- Chance: Escape from the Holocaust by Uri Shulevitz
- Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk
- Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri
- Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
- A Game of Fox and Squirrels by Jenn Reese
- King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender
- The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead
- Overground Railroad: The Green Book & Roots of Black Travel in America by Candacy A. Taylor
- Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park
- The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh by Candace Fleming
- Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte
- Skunk and Badger by Amy Timberlake
- Snapdragon by Kat Leyh
- When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed
- When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
Discussions begin tomorrow, so check out the schedule of titles and dates and cheer on your favorite books of 2020!
