Mock Newbery 2026 discussion

21 of us met Friday, June 10, and came up with our first list this year of titles that we don’t want anyone to miss. I congratulate these kids with all the reading they have done BEFORE school let out for the summer! And check these out ASAP!

The Atomic Weight of Secrets, by Eden Bowditch
The Aviary, by Kathleen O’Dell
Bigger than a Bread Box, by Laurel Snyder
A Dog’s Way Home, by Bobbie Pyron
The Emerald Atlas, by John Stephens
The Floating Islands, by Rachel Neumeier
The Genius Files Mission Unstoppable, by Dan Gutman
Inside Out and Back Again, by Thanhha Lai
Kick, by Walter Dean Myers and Ross Workman
No Passengers Beyond This Point, by Gennifer Choldenko
Okay for Now, by Gary Schmidt
Saving Zasha, by Randi Barrow
Small Acts of Amazing Courage, by Gloria Whelan
Storm Runners, by Roland Smith
The Wikkeling, by Steven Arntson

How do you get enough copies of all of these that the kids can read? Several haven't been released yet, according to Amazon.

We get one copy (possibly two if the library already has a copy) to pass around to the kids. We are fortunate when publishers send us advanced readers copies of the galleys, or it is a year that we can attend ALA and get them at the conference.

Wow- The kids you meet with are reading it up! I haven't read one book on that list =( But, I've added most of them, and I should soon get to read them! Which one is your personal favorite?

Ah - that is always hard to say. I like a few, but seem to still be "waiting" this year. And I haven't read all of these myself yet - the kids are still passing them around. I do like aspects of Bigger Than a Breadbox, Inside Out and Back Again, Okay for Now, Small Acts of Amazing Courage, and The Wikkeling (strange as it is).

I will defiantly bump those up on my TBR list, and I'll let you know what I think!

Great list! I just requested The Wikkeling from my public library. It wasn't on my radar until I saw your list.

Here's the 1st list for Falmouth's Mock Newbery program:
Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming
The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens
The Great Migration by Eloise Greenfield
Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
No Passengers Beyond This Point by Gennifer Choldenko
Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt
The Romeo and Juliet Code by Phoebe Stone
Small as an Elephant by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
The Trouble with May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm
True...Sort of by Katherine Hannigan

Martha wrote: "21 of us met Friday, June 10, and came up with our first list this year of titles that we don’t want anyone to miss. I congratulate these kids with all the reading they have done BEFORE school le..."

Hi!
I just joined. Are we able to make other suggestions for the list? I have a couple I'd like to add.
Thanks!

What a great list! I just started the audio book version of The Emerald Atlas. It's read by Jim Dale and so far is really good.

LOVED Emerald Atlas! It doesn't have that Newbery feeling to me, but it definitely has that Harry Potter/Percy Jackson feeling that kids are going to get really excited about.

Hello,

I am familiar with four of the authors on the list and have read one book so far, INSIDE OUT AND BACK AGAIN. Written in short, highly visual poems, this is the story of an intelligent young girl who flees Viet Nam with her mother and three older brothers. Although the writing is spare, it is strong and pulled me into this family's life. I can see it as a Newbery honor book.

Loved True... Sort of, as much as I did Okay for Now
The characters are beautifully drawn, and the message about redemption and friendship is powerful.