Mock Newbery 2026 discussion

2016 is well underway with some excellent titles. It's time to start reading the best of the best in current children's literature. If you come across a 2016 Newbery contender let us know. So...

What are you reading?

I *just* finished "All the Answers" by Kate Messner. A great book with fantasy situations that spur moral questions. (Sort of like "The Fourteenth Goldfish" did.) Loved it!

I am almost done with A Fish in a Tree and I love it!

Actually, I just finished The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate to get ready for the new installment of Calpurnia Tate this summmer. However, on Twitter, everyone seems excited about the two books mentioned above. I just got both of them in the mail, so All the Answers and A Fish in a Tree are my next reads. My library just ordered The War that Saved My Life so that will be my fourth 2016 read.

I read A Way to Stay in Destiny by Augusta Scattergood. It was a good read, but not as good as her book, Glory Be.

I just read Stella By Starlight last week. While I enjoyed the book and the time period it is set in, it's only a certain reader that will pick it up. Right now I'm catching up on some titles I haven't read from last year...one being Greenglass House, which I'm having trouble with wanting to continue.

If anyone has any great new appeals to boys titles, I think we all always love to hear about those.

Jone wrote: "How do you all know what's being released?"

We listed a few resources at the bottom of this thread.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

But any and new resources are always appreciated.

I have also started putting 2016 books in the bookshelf.

https://www.goodreads.com/group/books...

Jone, I have a twitter account. It is not for personal social reasons. It is for educational purposes. I am a fifth grade teacher who only teaches reluctant, unsuccessful, nonreaders. I only follow middle grade authors, other teachers, authors of reading educational books, educational gurus, librarians and educational organizations. My following list grows all the time because the people or organizations I follow will retweet messages and then I find another person/organization to follow. Authors support each other, so you might want to start following your favorite middle grade authors from this past year.

I also loved FISH IN A TREE by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. While I know kids will read and enjoy it, teachers will find a hero in Mr. Daniels-the teacher we all strive to be!

THE LOST TRACK OF TIME by debut writer Paige Britt is a book which should receive a lot of attention (already has starred reviews). For the significantly over-programmed children and parents out there, this is a title to resonate. Readers will cheer on Penelope as cheer explores the Realm of Possibility when a hole develops in her schedule. This publishes in late March.

Just wondering...am I the only one still trying to cross off all the great reads from 2014? I'm still fighting my way to the bottom of my TBR stack and I'm a little trepidatious about all the great books already listed, lol.

Trish, I know exactly what you mean! I keep looking at my 2014 TBR stack to see if there is anything I can cross off, and keep getting reminded of titles! Yikes! The problem is that they keep publishing good books!

I have found Twitter to be a great source for finding new titles! I follow lots of teachers, librarians, authors, and publishers. It's fun sharing, too! There are also some great teaching resources. (I teach 4th grade.) You can find me there: @_nerdypanda

I was having a hard time getting into "The Greenglass House" too, so I abandoned it after about 100 pages. I felt bad at first, but there are so many other books out there, that I didn't feel bad for long.

Some books that my boys are reading are: "Five, Six, Seven, Nate", "Under the Egg", "Zoo at the Edge of the World", and "The One and Only Ivan". And of course, they all loved "The Crossover"!

I've got so many books in my TBR pile it's silly ;) I even get advance copies of books that I have a hard time getting to. Definitely need to set aside a set amount of time every day to read :)

I've got quite a stack going too! I'm currently reading "Stella by Starlight" and I just picked up "Fish in a Tree." I also have "Greenglass House" that I started, but then stopped. I may just have to try that one again later. With little ones at home, it's hard to keep up with all my reading! I'm currently reading "The Terrible Two" with my older son and we are enjoying that one.

Niki (Daydream Reader) wrote: "I am almost done with A Fish in a Tree and I love it!"

Jenny wrote: "I *just* finished "All the Answers" by Kate Messner. A great book with fantasy situations that spur moral questions. (Sort of like "The Fourteenth Goldfish" did.) Loved it!"

Almost finished with Fish in a Tree. I can't wait to suggest it to teachers are a read aloud. I also have several students that loved One for the Murphy's that will love this book also. A great start for my Mock Newbery 2016. All the Answers is in my TBR pile. Hopefully over Spring Break.

Just finished an advance copy of Serafina and the Black Cloak. Set in the Biltmore Manor in the mountains of NC, this book transcends a single genre, as a mixture of historical fiction, fantasy, and mystery. The themes of self-identity, family, and friendship are totally appropriate for a 2016 Mock Newbery Book Club for 9- to 10-year-olds. Really enjoyed reading this title!

All the Answers is next ...

Echo is one of the most amazing children's books I have ever read. It deals with some tough issues of racism in world history around WW11 but with great care. Kids should be given the chance to understand what makes people do such horrific things to others and also those times when the ultimate good in people comes out.


Kristen wrote: "2016 is well underway with some excellent titles. It's time to start reading the best of the best in current children's literature. If you come across a 2016 Newbery contender let us know. So......"

I finished Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead, it was an ARC. Oh...it was fantastic! Definitely a contender on my Newbery 2016 list!

My favorite book of 2016 (so far) is "The Imaginary". It doesn't deal with heavy issues like racism, but it has some great themes around friendship, loss, perseverance, and the beauty of childhood friendship. The story is great and the illustrations are fantastic, very complementary to the writing. It was described as a mix of Roald Dahl and Neil Gaiman, which I think is pretty accurate. Five stars from me!

Who is the author?

A.F. Harrold. I read it as an ARC through NetGalley but it comes out tomorrow! :)

Ok I found it but goidreads has the publish dat 2015. That's wrong?

It comes out March 3, 2015

Jenny wrote: "My favorite book of 2016 (so far) is "The Imaginary". It doesn't deal with heavy issues like racism, but it has some great themes around friendship, loss, perseverance, and the beauty of childhood ..."

Both the author and illustrator are English, so this title will not qualify for the Newbery ... I'm still going to read it, however!

I just read Avi's Catch You Later Traitor, historical fiction, with Sam Spade detective throughout this boy's thoughts. Glad to have another Avi this year.

Niki (Daydream Reader) wrote: "I am almost done with A Fish in a Tree and I love it!"
I really liked this, too!

Just finished Moonpenny Island ... I have mixed feelings about this for 9- to 10-year-olds. Thinking more appropriate for slightly older readers. Would love to hear others' thoughts!

I must be one of few who didn't especially care for A Fish in a Tree. Perhaps it was because I listened to the audiobook. It seemed like most of the characters were stereotypes.

Got an ARC for Fuzzy Mud from netgalley.com. Totally appropriate for my 4th grade 2016 Mock Newbery Club AND it will appeal to boy readers.

I found Fish in a Tree to be interesting but it did not capture my full attention - too jumpy. Stella by Starlight was in keeping with the author's other books- well done but geared for an older audience who enjoy historical coming of age stories. I am reading Nightbird by Alice Hoffman and love it but not sure if it is Newbery material.

I've read several books under discussion here- A Fish in a Tree- could be a great read aloud; similar to Out of My Mind, but probably for a slightly younger audience. Put it in the hands of one of my reluctant sixth grade readers and she is living it! She said those magical words, "You always know exactly what book that I will love!"

Echo- my favorite sofar for the Newbery. Pam Munoz Ryan has great character development, and the historical timeframe in the book is perfect for her diverse characters. Kids will love this, and it will open their eyes to a less than positive time in the United States' past.

The Imaginary blew me away! So wish that this book would be in consideration- I'll just have to recommend it to everyone I can think of!!

I really like 5 to 1 by Holly Bodger. Still letting it settle. Futuristic, but not really.

Loved Goodbye Stranger, but the content is not appropriate for 9- to 10- year old (4th grade) readers. Therefore this will not be a title offered during our 2016 Mock Newbery Book Club. This being said, IMHO this is a Newbery contender! (Thanks to Random House and netgalley.com for the ARC!)

I just finished Stella By Starlight. It is one of my favorites, so far.

Help choose next months book by voting on our latest poll.

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...

I just finished "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead and it's my new favorite book. It has some of the best characters I've read in a long time and these characters are in the most interesting and topical middle school situations. I don't care if this one wins awards, this one is going to win hearts and minds.

Debbie wrote: "I just finished "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead and it's my new favorite book. It has some of the best characters I've read in a long time and these characters are in the most interesting and ..."

I like that!

Denise wrote: "Loved Goodbye Stranger, but the content is not appropriate for 9- to 10- year old (4th grade) readers. Therefore this will not be a title offered during our 2016 Mock Newbery Book C..."

Would you be able to send me the ARC? RandomHouse didn't sent it to our book club.

I couldn't put down All The Answers by Kate Messner. My favorite book by her so far.

Martha wrote: "Denise wrote: "Loved Goodbye Stranger, but the content is not appropriate for 9- to 10- year old (4th grade) readers. Therefore this will not be a title offered during our 2016 Mock..."

I got it from netgalley.com - it was sent directly to my kindle. Sorry, no way to pass it along ...

I agree, Niki! It was my favorite Kate Messner book, too, although I've had great success "selling" her books to all of my students! Just finished Wake Up Missing with some 6th grade students, and now they want more. I wanted to recommend this one, but it was already checked out.

There were several things I loved about The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate ... each chapter began with an excerpt from Darwin's Voyage of the Beagle, and there were scientific references woven throughout. A bit slow moving until about 2/3 of the way through the book and I wonder whether a 4th grader would be able to persevere? The contrast between "then and now" would make for valuable discussion, as would the struggle of equality between males versus females in turn-of-the-century Texas.

I tried listening to the first Calpurnia book on audiobook and, I'm sorry to say, I abandoned it after about 100 pages. I found it to be somewhat boring and lacking in much of a story line. I did like the neat scientific information the author included in the story, though. I can't imagine a young reader sticking with this book. I'll still try to give the new one a shot!

I loved the first Calpurnia book, and I liked the 2nd, but really it just seems like more of the same to me, so I really don't think it's a contender.

The two books that are really battling it out in my head right now are Goodbye Stranger and Echo. I may have liked Goodbye Stranger a little more, but I feel like Echo is more distinguished. It's masterfully written and it's very ambitious in scope. I really can't pick between the two.

I loved the first Calpurnia book and really enjoyed The Curious World, although the ending felt really abrupt.

Jenny wrote: "I tried listening to the first Calpurnia book on audiobook and, I'm sorry to say, I abandoned it after about 100 pages. I found it to be somewhat boring and lacking in much of a story line. I did l..."

This is one of my favourite books BUT as a Book seller, the first thing I tell people is to stick with it. Starts off very slow but about 5 or so chapters in(which I know can be hard) it comes into itself and by the end you are picturing the movie in your head!

I'm looking for suggestions to put on 3-5 Summer reading lists. I'd love to add some fresh, new, relevant material so I thought I'd ask for suggestions here!