Mock Newbery 2026 discussion

Nightingale's Nest by Nikki Loftin has been receiving a lot of attention. Many think it's a strong contender for the 2015 Newbery award. What did you think of it?

I think Nightingale's Nest is a a very strong contender. I didn't like it better than Tupelo Landing or N.D. Wilson's Boys of Blur, but it wouldn't surprise or disappoint me if it won. It's a really good book.

I loved this book. There are a lot of dark issues in this story, but there's always a shimmer of hope. The magical realism was beautifully done. I would love to see this as an award winner.

While I appreciate the quality of writing and a modern interpretation of Anderson's tale, I can't imagine ever recommending this book to an actual kid. Books can be a great vehicle to talk about tough topics, but I felt this one was crammed full - death of a young child, mental illness in a parent, drunkenness/alcoholism in another parent, financial insecurity, physical and possibly sexual abuse in the foster care system. It was really overwhelming and there wasn't any relief with positive characters or events. Also, to me the ending might be disturbing to kids, rather than magical.

If this book had a different audience I would have appreciated it more. I do not see it as a Newbery, but they have chosen books like this before (What Jamie Saw from 1996 still bothers me as an Honor choice).

I agree and think that this is one of those"kids" books that will be more appreciated and more appropriate for adults. It's too bad that there is such a push in the publishing world to market anything with a child narrator or main character, to kids without much thought it seems given to other issues covered.

I disagree. I think some 5th-7th graders would really appreciate the realistic portrayal of issues such as poverty and grief. The inherent goodness of our main character is enough to keep this book from being too dark, I think.

Hi Kristen! Long time no see! I just wanted to say I love your book group selections, so thanks for always putting so much thought into them. Also, Nightingale's Nest was written by my Zumba teacher at the townlake Y! Small world, eh?

Jenna I agree that some older ones might appreciate it but the publishers recommended age is eight and up and I feel that low age group is too young to really"get"this beautiful story.

Katie wrote: "Hi Kristen! Long time no see! I just wanted to say I love your book group selections, so thanks for always putting so much thought into them. Also, Nightingale's Nest was written by my Zumba tea..."

Ha ha! Thanks, and good to know.

I just finished Nightingale's Nest, and like many in this group, I don't really know what to think of it. The story, to me, does not flow, which would go into plot. I think magical realism is a really tough sell for children, although we have seen it done well with the Underneath by Appelt. I felt like the comparisons with Gayle and birds just did not work. It was almost too much. The singing as a healing was not bad, but there were just too many factors. With the writing, some of the word choices were not magical enough. "Shame that tore at my insides like razor blades and broken glass." Just trying a little too hard. It was almost like a teen book trapped in a writing style appropriate for children. I did like the character of Little John. But why would she call him Tree? That just didn't work. I get that they wanted to show how he became her strength at the end, but there are other ways this could have been done. Some of the character development did not go into detail. Although, if you get caught up in the writing enough, the character development needs less. So again, I just think the writing did not work for this book. The setting of a household of poverty was well done. I also wasn't sure what was supposed to have happened to Gayle at the Emperor's. Overall, just fell short.

This question is not about this month's book, but I was wondering if we had a book poll in Jan and Feb? I'm keeping a chart of the books and didn't have any for those two months. Thanks.

Interesting book. I felt the writing was well done. I believe that magical realism works better with an older audience, but the sweet characters could overcome a lot.

Melody, we did not have a 2014 book to read in January and February. What we did was read the 2013 books that were Newbery winners/honors that we didn't read during the 2013 year.

Oh, Ok. Thanks Czechgirl!

May is coming soon. What will be the book for the month? I haven't read Nightengale yet. Still slogging my way through the Marissa Meyer books (cinder, Scarlet & Cress). Would any of you put them in an Elementary Library? Kids are asking and I am still undecided.

Diana wrote: "May is coming soon. What will be the book for the month? I haven't read Nightengale yet. Still slogging my way through the Marissa Meyer books (cinder, Scarlet & Cress). Would any of you put t..."

Is it K-5 or K-6? Can you restrict it to just 6th? It seemed okay for Middle School to me.

I would definitely consider them young adult titles.

It is a k-5 school. I think I agree. I will keep them in Middle School

I keep them on my "parent permission" shelf in my classroom library. I teach sixth grade.

I've bee reading the Sunshine State Young Readers Award books for 2014-15 and this book feels just like some of the nominees: twist on a fairy tale, children struggling to separate from parents, children trying to find where they fit into society.

Nightingale's Nest is just average for me. I know some readers I can suggest it to but in a "I know you like this sort of book" way and not in a "I just read this awesome book and you have to read it" way.

I really liked Nightingale's Nest. I was moved by the story, and especially by the characters of Gayle and Little John. I think there's a place for this kind of story in upper elementary classrooms, particularly because it deals with some difficult issues, but in ways that are appropriate for the age group. Again, not a book for "every kid", but I can see it appealing to many. It helps that there is a strong male AND a strong female character. Regarding the Newbery..., I can see them going for something like this because of the weight of the themes and issues, the strong writing, the allusion to Andersen's tale, and the diversity of the characters. I'm not saying I'm ready to name it my Newbery favorite yet, but I think it has Newbery potential.

I really liked this book; however, I really liked this book for me as an adult. It was a good story and beautifully written. A matter of fact, I gave it a good review. However, because of certain themes in the book--physical abuse and one of the characters being a potential pedophile--those are themes that are a little too strong for 4th or 5th graders IMO. However, I do think it is okay for the mature readers of older years. It does have Newbery potential, but I bet the committee will really have a big discussion on this one winning due to the strong themes.

Nightengale's Nest was for me a really good read. I love magical realism. The themes, though difficult, are addressed in a way older kids could manage, depending on their level of maturity and experience. I found my heart pounding many times through the situations in the story as Little John struggled with events beyond his control that he felt were his fault. There are kids who could relate to Gale's use of fantasy as a form of escapism from an abusive and neglectful situation. The story was beautifully written. It was one I had trouble putting down. I think it's emotionally difficult, so it depends on the reader, and I would talk to them about the themes before suggesting it. Middle Grades.

A lovely lyrical slip of a book. I fell in love with Gayle and the simple story about how she is rescued and rescues another. She is a bit bird and a bit girl, but somehow her singing brings everyone around her into a different world. Can she actually heal the body or just the heart? Where did she come from and where did her parents go? I felt some of the characters were magical and amazing, but I wish the adults were a little more fully formed. The dad, Mr. King, the foster mom, and the mom all left me wishing that I understood where they were coming from, but maybe their portrayal is the realistically small window that children have into the strange world of adults. Definitely left me wanting more, but I couldn't decide if this ultimately a bad or a good thing.

I just finished this delightful book and look forward to recommending it to the right readers this fall. While I agree that there are portions that will startle readers, I believe the author handled with grace such that readers will see the connections and take them in stride.
I thought the motion and dialogue was strong, as well as the main characters. There is a lot for a middle grader to identify with in this book: new friendship, loss, fibbing, protecting loved ones and finding one's own way. The ending gave a poetic flourish to the story without too much sweetness. I also appreciated the strong references to the fairy tale the EMPEROR AND THE NIGHTINGALE.
Two thumbs up!

I see that I was only one of many readers who saw this as an example of magical realism, and that luminous literary quality was the strongest part of the book to me. But otherwise I found the book to be quite unbalanced. Not only were Little John's parents dysfunctional in almost every conceivable way, Little John felt responsible for his sister's death. The poor kid! He spent most of the book flailing in a frantic attempt to achieve some sort of stability in his life. (Was there an adult in the book who was anything but selfish?) The (literally) flighty Gayle, charming and sweet as she was, just couldn't balance the scales. And, of course, she just disappears by the end of the book, a literary construct to the last.

I know this book interests young readers, since it has circulated fairly well in my library. Little John and Gayle are appealing characters. But I found it too rickety a narrative to have strong Newbery potential. (I will, however, be on the lookout for future books by this author!)

I'm a bit late to the party discussing this one, but I reviewed it not long after its release and was very, very taken with it. Looking back, I'm not sure it's got Newbery potential anymore, though I do still love it. It's simply too polarizing, and a book that polarizes audiences usually can't get very far in awards talk, unfortunately.

As for the difficult emotional content, kids' books always have and always will tackle that sort of thing, and I thought the book handled it very well. Also, this year is an extremely dark one for children's literature, at least the stuff that gets acclaim.

What may sink it is the magical realism, which is not something everybody responds well to, and the ending, which I still loved, probably does it in for too many people. So yeah, I think it could sneak by with an Honor, and I'd love that, but sadly I don't think it has the major appeal to get the Medal.

But I have a feeling we'll be hearing a lot from Nikki Loftin in the future.

I just finished this book and agree with many of the above comments -- both positive and negative.

The magical realism was handled well, in my opinion, because readers are alerted to the possibility of magic from the very beginning of the story.

I can see it as a Newbery honor book.

I just finished Nightingale's Nest and while I think it is a good piece of writing, it could have been so much more. I agree some of the language came across as stilted and the issue of audience is still a big problem for me. Foremost in my mind is the issue of John the Elder and the hush money. Has Little John's father ever heard Gayle sing? Does he have any reason to believe a recording of her voice is worth $500? He's obviously distrustful of Mr. King and as I understood it, he believed Gayle had been molested. In which case, his response is completely inappropriate, even dangerous to the minds of young readers. In which case, the happy ending wasn't justified.

In my mind John Sr. fell more into the role of the Emperor from the original tale than the Emperor. And the original Nightingale is a typological Christ who sings for the Emperor in spite of his flaws. In Loftin's tale there's no real moment like that, in which Gayle exhibits that sort of grace. So for me that kind of defeated the purpose of adapting the story to begin with.

I enjoyed reading your thoughts on this book. Insightful

Loved this one: http://revingsblog.blogspot.com/2014/...