tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post7362211533318403696..comments2024-03-10T16:42:34.106-04:00Comments on Collecting Children's Books: A Day Before Newbery BrunchPeter D. Sierutahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09301507180150710089noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post-20129897662406879652012-01-23T21:07:08.349-05:002012-01-23T21:07:08.349-05:00P.J.,
I love GINGER PYE too! But I've read ...P.J., <br /><br />I love GINGER PYE too! But I've read in recent years that many people do not think it's nearly as good as her previous work. I'll try to find some of the criticisms and post them in a later blog. Thanks for your thoughts.Peter D. Sierutahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09301507180150710089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post-694716706745517652012-01-23T21:05:17.941-05:002012-01-23T21:05:17.941-05:00Kate,
Well, one of your wishes came true. I'...Kate,<br /><br />Well, one of your wishes came true. I'm truly stunned that OKAY FOR NOW and CHIME didn't wiggle in there...especially the latter, which many pegged for the Printz ever since it was published!Peter D. Sierutahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09301507180150710089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post-37857608117665070992012-01-23T21:04:15.174-05:002012-01-23T21:04:15.174-05:00Kristen,
I'm writing this after the announcem...Kristen,<br /><br />I'm writing this after the announcements, but I have to agree: MAY AMELIA would have been a nice Honor Book this year!Peter D. Sierutahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09301507180150710089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post-76997402737398685622012-01-23T21:03:33.506-05:002012-01-23T21:03:33.506-05:00Wow, thanks for the kind words, Nina! I didn'...Wow, thanks for the kind words, Nina! I didn't know that Newbery chairs and winners belonged to a special club like that, exchanging e-mails, etc. I'd love to be part of that club...as a Newbery winner! : )Peter D. Sierutahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09301507180150710089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post-46839060258072934202012-01-23T20:49:46.823-05:002012-01-23T20:49:46.823-05:00GINGER PYE--INFERIOR--in ANY WAY? I'm splutter...GINGER PYE--INFERIOR--in ANY WAY? I'm spluttering. Got to that point and couldn't finish readng the post. Will come back and finish later. I know YOU were not attacking GINGER PYE, Peter (and you'd better not!), but I can't stand to have that book criticized! And I love all the MOFFAT books, too, esp. THE MIDDLE MOFFAT. But why say G.P. is "inferior"? My feathers are ruffled!P. J. Grathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12693462910472164289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post-27261554772039308792012-01-23T08:31:17.114-05:002012-01-23T08:31:17.114-05:00Fifteen minutes to go! I'm very fond of Chime ...Fifteen minutes to go! I'm very fond of Chime and Me...Jane, but I don't really have a pick for the Newbery. I expect Okay for Now to win, though. Thanks for this overview/analysis of the sets of winners!KateCoombshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05584944601221466789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post-69037498038706065322012-01-23T07:31:41.339-05:002012-01-23T07:31:41.339-05:00May Amelia for me!May Amelia for me!my only problemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01229191058436023176noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post-43163985282188614922012-01-23T07:27:43.705-05:002012-01-23T07:27:43.705-05:00Peter, for me this post tops of yours tops them al...Peter, for me this post tops of yours tops them all... I was chair of a year with surprises, and have just woken up early for the press conference, sipping coffee in my hotel room while my roommate showers, and reading an email from my year's winningauthor (i think all chairs and winners must exchange annual messages around now) and she mentioned your post. I also served on the "boring" and " breaking barriers" committee, and must say re secrecy that if it generates this much thought and analysis and questions about what went down, then it certainly seems worth something, for that. I think everyone's attention to patterns and trends generates quite a lot of "truth" about how we approach writing for children,evenif we never get to what went down in that heated room.<br /><br />I have no guesses for this morning, but I can report that zi saw many happy looking Newbery members last night.Nina Lindsayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03363775984160309811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post-30527825953366812592012-01-22T18:08:34.491-05:002012-01-22T18:08:34.491-05:00Wendy,
My understanding is that most critics thin...Wendy,<br /><br />My understanding is that most critics think ONION JOHN is very inferior to MIGUEL. I like ONION JOHN myself, though I recognize its flaws (the narrator is more an observer than a participant; the father is actually the figure that changes, etc.) <br /><br />Good point about UP A ROAD SLOWLY. Maybe I should have lumped it with 1966 as they both are geared toward older readers. <br /><br />And you may be right about NIMH being a little more cutting edge than I first gave it credit for!<br /><br />On the other hand, I'm hoping that some of your Newbery choices DON'T win. (Smile.) I thought NO PASSENGERS was awful! Some of the others I have no read...yet. <br /><br />I will take a look at your "decades" blog and "persons of color" blog right now.<br /><br />Thanks!Peter D. Sierutahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09301507180150710089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post-2274135860543253762012-01-22T18:02:34.312-05:002012-01-22T18:02:34.312-05:00Daughter Number Three,
I hope the Printz committe...Daughter Number Three,<br /><br />I hope the Printz committee feels the good vibes we're sending for THE BIG CRUNCH! Unfortunately, I haven't heard any buzz about this wonderful book!Peter D. Sierutahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09301507180150710089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post-35811381085732541082012-01-22T18:01:47.692-05:002012-01-22T18:01:47.692-05:00Anonymous, I enjoyed MRS. PEREGRINE too, but think...Anonymous, I enjoyed MRS. PEREGRINE too, but think it floats in that area between Newbery and Printz. Plus, I didn't think the narrator's voice was authentic at times. From a collecting perspective, it will be a nightmare should it win. The book is in the multiple, multiple printings by now and firsts are nearly impossible to get!Peter D. Sierutahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09301507180150710089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post-50235596068810335592012-01-22T17:43:39.069-05:002012-01-22T17:43:39.069-05:00Of course I have so many comments to make that I d...Of course I have so many comments to make that I don't even know where to start, and I won't end up making them all. <br /><br />--I think Onion John is really good and superior to ...And Now Miguel. It seems like many readers who actually get around to it do like it. But I thought everyone thought it was better than ...Miguel? No?<br /><br />--1967: I see Up a Road Slowly as being a bit more of a radical choice than you do; it has themes of alcoholism, as I recall, and it's definitely a YA book. We saw alcohol issues here and there before, such as in Strawberry Girl (which I nominate as the Harshest Newbery anytime people complain about the recent winners being too violent or sad or hard-hitting compared to the old-school ones), but is isn't common.<br /><br />--1972: I think Mrs. Frisby fits in with your "Year of Change" slate better than you think, with its ripped-from-the-headlines treatment of scientific experiments on animals.<br /><br />--I like three or four honor books. Any more than that and I think you get some books that aren't that great.<br /><br />--Nothing I loved this year is likely to win the Newbery (my primary focus), I think. Lack of stars (No Passengers Beyond This Point), or rarely-recognized genre (realistic fiction, The Great Wall of Lucy Wu) or has some saying "too much reliance on pictures" (Drawing From Memory) or probably isn't eligible (The Queen of Water, which has one American and one Ecuadorean author). Liesl & Po is maybe my most realistic hope. Or Jefferson's Sons. Between Shades of Gray is not as good as the best WWII novels I've read, but I'd be pleased to see it on the docket.<br /><br />But last year I thought calling out for Heart of a Samurai was hopeless, and I was very pleasantly surprised.<br /><br />--Every year I get sort of burned out by this point, with the endless discussions of the same old books. This year I find myself thinking "maybe next year I should focus on a smaller award, the Belpre maybe, and let the Newbery go". But I probably won't.<br /><br />--I did a similar "decades" post a while ago that might interest you: http://sixboxesofbooks.blogspot.com/2009/10/newbery-project-revisited.html<br /><br />--And if you'll forgive me for self-promoting just a little more, here's a list I made of every title I could think of with Newbery buzz this year that is written by a person of color or has a protagonist that's a person of color: http://sixboxesofbooks.blogspot.com/2011/11/reading-broadly.htmlWendyhttp://sixboxesofbooks.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post-87176789487935205502012-01-22T17:29:34.073-05:002012-01-22T17:29:34.073-05:00I'm with you on hoping The Big Crunch gets the...I'm with you on hoping The Big Crunch gets the Printz. I think it's a book with staying power.Daughter Number Threehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08171356533232458827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post-3864090112915938272012-01-22T16:36:35.170-05:002012-01-22T16:36:35.170-05:00Mrs. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.Mrs. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com