Mock Newbery 2026 discussion

Dan Santat has had numerous accolades before. Could A First Time for Everything be a Newbery contender?

What do you think?

I'm a big thumbs-up.
http://richiespicks.pbworks.com/A-FIR...

Richie wrote: "I'm a big thumbs-up.
http://richiespicks.pbworks.com/A-FIR..."

I loved your review and I agree with all that you said. Well done. This book is the best of 2023 that I have read so far. And the use of "Spring Morning" by A.A. Milne was brilliant.

This discussion seems to be in two places. I will post what I wrote here, as well.

This is my review for A First Time for Everything: I wanted to love this book. The cover art is amazing and Santat is a Caldecott award winner. But this graphic memoir is incredibly choppy and doesn't have the heart, humor or excitement I thought it would. Santat goes back and forth between pivotal experiences in school and his international class trip. The memoir touches on his insecurities but aside from an embarrassing experience in an auditorium, it's hard to understand why he and his schoolmates kind of think of him as a shy disaster. There is a lot of untranslated French (and some German), that also hindered the flow of the story. Being a huge Fanta soda enthusiast myself, I did find the brand references hilarious. Santat should have stuck with that comedy throughout more of the book. I liked the Milne quote and actual photos at the end of this title. That is about it. Maybe children will like A First Time for Everything. At least more than I did. I do not find this title award worthy.

Personally I really liked this book. So far it's my favorite 2023 book. I finished reading and emidiatly wanted read it again. I didn't find the French and Germin to hinder the flow as you could figure out the gist from context. I think it brought you into his shoes as he as a character wouldn't understand the language eather. I think the characters and setting are done quite well. You feel like you've just gon on a fun trip with them. At the end I wanted to relieve that trip. Made me reminisce about some of the trips I'd taken though not as epic as Europe.

I really enjoyed Santat's memoir. As an insecure and shy tween and teen myself, I could really relate to his feelings of embarrassment, especially when his teacher put him on the spot at the beginning of the book, when he recites the poem and the horribly rude kids in the audience laugh at him. I have been to some of the same places the students toured, so that was of great interest to me. I liked the way that each of the interpolated reminiscences were triggered by something that happened on the tour. Finally, I thought it was well-written, and I personally felt the heart of Santat throughout the book.

Hmmm. I really enjoyed his memoir, and I really think it kids will like it too. One thing I really liked was that the flashbacks were all told in dull colors. For teachers, this would be a good example to have students look at that are having difficulty understanding flashbacks. My favorite quote from the book was: How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.

I love Dan Santat's illustrations in this exquisitly drawn graphic novel autobiography. Even though his middle school years are introduced as a time full of awkwardness, and discomfort, one sees changes slowly begin to emerge. The author's focus on his school trip to Europe, proves to be life changing. Sometimes disappointments in life can turn into empowering gifts, such as Dan's camera experience. Readers of all ages will enjoy reminiscing over visions of TWA airplanes, discotheques, and mix tapes appearing during Dan's surprising adventures. This is a must read for middle school students, especially artistic ones. I thoroughly enjoyed reading a middle school story with such a positive and entertaining spin, something junior high readers will find empowering. It should be considered for a Newbery award.

Everyone I know is taking their kids to Europe this year. So it is no surprise that two graphic novels about European trips have recently been published. A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING by Dan Santat is a fictionalized memoir about a 1989 student trip to 5 countries. It includes his artistic representations of the attractions they visited plus stories about student interactions. Set in a time when John McEnroe was an active tennis player and francs were still used as money in France. Particularly strong character development as narrator gains self confidence.
SCHOOL TRIP by Jerry Craft continues the story of NEW KID character Jordan Banks as he visits Paris with teachers and students from his school. A more contemporary setting with cell phones and Euros incorporated into the storytelling. Vocabulary highlights French phrases that are used in American speech. Developing student friendships are important aspects of the narrative.
Both books expand the horizons of middle school students and are excellent additions to graphic novels collections.
Because illustrations are important to understanding the experiences, probably not strong Newbery contenders.

Definitely a Newbery contender! As someone who grew up in the same time period, it was funny to read his memories of Wimbledon, inadequate cameras, and smoking on planes. Of course I had to scan the mix-tape qr code. I didn't know all of them but it really added to the story. What a different time for kids growing up. I hope middle schoolers read and enjoy it too.

It’s an interesting story for tweens. I don’t think it’s award winning or distinguished though.

I just read this one and really enjoyed it! I think kids will gravitate towards the crazy adventures (getting lost in a foreign country in the middle of the night for example) and some of my readers will gravitate towards the mild romance angle. There were a LOT of dimensions to this. I personally connected with the sense of nostalgia and reflection it had.

I agree that it may not be "award winning", though. I wouldn't be disappointed if it received some type of honor.

I always enjoy Dan Santat’s work. I enjoyed this one more than The Aquanaut, even. It was entertaining for me, as an adult, because I remember those things. I think today’s kids would enjoy it because they don’t. I think it’s a sign of a good book when it manages to do both!

As a near-contemporary of Santat, I enjoyed the book for its historical references and think older teachers and their students might have fun comparing these to life today. I enjoyed his art as I almost always do, with this one being different from his picture books and not as frenetic as The Aquanaut. Even thought the individual scenes are memorable there's something that doesn't quite jell . maybe after a second read

Absolutely loved this memoir. What an amazing trip Santat experienced and takes his readers on too.