Mock Newbery 2026 discussion

The Shape of Thunder by Jasmine Warga was chosen by our poll for the book of the month.

What are your thoughts about this publication?

Yay! I read this several months ago and is my current #1 pick for the mock Newbery. Powerful book from very different views.

Should this thread be in What We Are Reading This Month?

http://richiespicks.pbworks.com/THE-S...

Kate wrote: "Should this thread be in What We Are Reading This Month?"

lol, it's been a rough month Kate. :)

SHAPE OF THUNDER by Jasmine Warga describes the aftermath of a shooting in a middle school. Although we often think about how the families of shooting victims cope, this book also explores the family of the shooter. Alternating chapters are told from points of view of two friends, one a sister of the shooter and the other a sister of the victim.
The book contains many layers and different themes will resonate for each reader. This makes it difficult to have a single response to the story.
I liked the time travel elements in the book.
I like the exploration of Lebanese and Muslim heritage.
I liked the details of the scientific method.
Well-written and powerful addition to Newbery contenders for this year.

I do wish we didn’t need this book. It is an amazing story of grief and guilt and how we process those emotions. I love the real expressions grief in that was shared from each of the characters. That longing for seeing their loved one again was spot on. The search for the portal allowed for the feelings to be explored as the plot moved along which I think will interest middle grade readers.

I absolutely loved Shape of Thunder, it's my #1 pick as well for the year. The topic of gun violence, I think, is dealt with very well for the age group - the book does not explore the details of the violent act, which I appreciated. As someone who knows individuals deep into online hate communities, I felt overwhelmingly connected with Quinn's feelings of hurt, helplessness, anger, and love towards her brother. I also really loved the transition Cora makes towards understanding that her friendship with Quinn does not mean she is turning her back on her sister. So many complex emotions and themes tied up in this book in a fantastic, age-appropriate way.

Rachel said it so well. Not yet sure it is my # 1 pick but would love to see it as honor book.

Kate, Brenda, and Rachel are eloquent in their assessment of this book. It should find a place on school library shelves.

Because the subject matter in Shape of Thunder deals with children and gun violence, this is a tough book to read. Yet it's a subject that needs to be covered. While comprehending the pain and growth of Cora and Quinn's friendship, kids will understand and cherish the value of their own strong friendships, as they unravel this exceedingly uncomfortable, yet excruciatingly realistic and beautifully told tale about actions that unfortunately occurrs too often in our country.

I opened the cover of this book with high expectations. I love Warga's previous work and we so need books about gun violence. I found it a very disappointing read. The characters lacked depth and nuance. The parents' characters were trope-ish. The time travel idea was interesting but never really developed. The school shooting is not really explained - I think these elements might confuse some readers.

Candice wrote: "I opened the cover of this book with high expectations. I love Warga's previous work and we so need books about gun violence. I found it a very disappointing read. The characters lacked depth and n..."

I am on page 60. I keep putting the book to the side because it is so dull. If I can't stay with this title for any length of time, I doubt a young reader will want to. Many people say it does improve in later chapters. I shall hang in there and see... :)

It didn’t hold
My interest either.

I have not read this- but the plot concerns me- using time travel to change realistic tragedy- is that healthy for young readers? Those of you who liked the book how does this plot point translate to a young reader’s mind? Maybe it is fine but reading the summary it put the question in my mind.

Shella, I think you should read it. No one can really answer your question without spoiling details from the book, but I do think that it's reasonable to imagine a child who might think that time travel is the answer to fixing what has gone wrong in their life. Sarah is a talented writer-- trust her and give the book a try.

Darn autocorrect -- Warga is the author.

Thanks Jennifer- I needed that nudge!

Candace wrote: “The characters lacked depth and nuance. The parents’ characters were trope-ish.”

I disagree about the parents being tropes. Cora’s father shares experiences from his childhood in Lebanon, provides a non-religious Muslim upbringing and highlights Islamic scientists and mathematicians. Quinn’s father has a large collection of guns, which is not typical of parents in children’s literature.

This book had a great plot and great character development of the two main characters. The victims family had much better character development then that of the shooter's family. I liked the relationships between Cora and her father and grandmother. They seemed very authentic

Good, but too long and too wordy. Maybe a silver, but I doubt it. Kids will like it more than adults, I think.

Character voices took a long time to feel distinct, though they did by the last third. I liked seeing the two different ways the adults in their lives dealt with grief. I definitely did not love this as much as I loved Other Words for Home.

Honestly, I didn't expect to enjoy this book. Neither school shootings nor time travel are topics I would normally want to read about.

Having said that, I really liked this book and currently have it in my top three Newbery contenders for the year!

Reading the alternating perspectives and seeing how the main characters and their families handled grief and guilt in different ways was really interesting.

I’ve been reading this on a car trip, and I turned to my husband and said, “I’ve just read the next Newbery!”

Agreed!

Also, one thing that sticks out to me is the shooting was on November 11-isn’t that normally Veterans’ Day- I know this isn’t a real town, but it seems to be in the US., which would make it a school holiday.

Becky wrote: "Also, one thing that sticks out to me is the shooting was on November 11-isn’t that normally Veterans’ Day- I know this isn’t a real town, but it seems to be in the US., which would make it a schoo..."

I thought the same thing.

Don't believe my kids have ever had Veteran's Day off from school... it's a federal holiday -- like MLK Day -- but not a state holiday in all 50. They don't get MLK Day off either!

Although there were many things I liked about the book, I didn't love it. The subject matter, sadly, is needed, but I think it was the time travel element that didn't click with me.