Skip to main content

The National Book Award Nominees

For Young People's Literature. Because who cares about the grown up books? Well, some people. I just don't happen to be one of them. Here is a where you can find the complete list (grown up books and all). For purposes of the National Book Award "Young People's Literature" has a broad range, as you can see from the list of nominees.

And the nominees are:
Chime by Franny Billingsley (my review)
Flesh and Blood So Cheap by Albert Marrin
Inside Out and Back Again by Thannha Lai (my review)
My Name Is Not Easy by Debby Dahl Edwardson
Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt (my review)
Shine by Lauren Myracle

Let's break this down:
AGE: 3 2 YA, 3 MG
GENRE: 1 Fantasy; 1 Non Fiction, 1 Contemporary, 3 Historical Fiction

ETA: At the request of the NBF Lauren Myracle has withdrawn Shine. You can read more about that here.
 
The mock Newbery blog Heavy Medal has discussed 4 of these books as possible Newbery contenders.

I'm interested to see how this will play out. I have read 3 of the books and have Flesh and Blood So Cheap in my TBR pile right now. I'm working up the enthusiasm to read it. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire is not something I really want to read more about but I shall. My Name is Not Easy isn't released until October 18 which might explain why I hadn't even heard of it prior to the nominees being released today. Now that it is on my radar I'm intrigued. I haven't read Shine because my library doesn't have copies of it yet. (I'm not holding my breath that will happen anytime soon. They are not so up to date on ordering things for the YA collection.)

Basically my main thought is: Wow, I am so glad not to be part of the panel that has to decide this. Two of my favorite reads of the year are on this list. I have great hopes that one (Chime) will win the Printz and that the other (Okay for Now) will win the Newbery. To have to choose between them?

I don't think I can.

Comments

Betsy said…
I'm going to champion Inside Out and Back Again ... again... :-). Not sure it will stand up to those other two you're so torn between, but gosh darn it... I like it. Shouldn't that be enough for any ol' committee? :-)
Brandy said…
I liked Inside Out and Back Again. I really really did. I don't think it is as strong as a contender as Chime and Okay for Now though.

Popular posts from this blog

Favorite Kissing Scenes

When thinking of a favorite things post I could do for February I decided it would have to be kissing. I've already done couples and I was feeling in the mood to do something fluffy and Valentine's related. So kisses it is. I read more MG than YA, and the YA I read tends to not focus on romance so this was actually harder than I expected it to be though a few jumped into my head right away. (And one of my choices does actually come from a MG book. One is adult. Gasp!) The actual scene from the book is quoted followed by my thoughts. The king lifted a hand to her cheek and kissed her. It was not a kiss between strangers, not even a kiss between a bride and a groom. It was a kiss between a man and his wife, and when it was over, the king closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the hollow of the queen's shoulder, like a man seeking respite, like a man reaching home at the end of the day . - The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner Turner doesn't write the

TTT: Most Recent Additions to My TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly themed blog hop created by  The Broke and the Bookish  and now hosted at  That Artsy Reader Girl . This Week's Topic: Most Recent Additions to My TBR List From Most Recent to Least: What books have recently caught your eye?

This Side of Home

What attracted me to This Side of Home by Renee Watson was the cover. The story hooked my interest. The characters made me fall in love. Maya has lived her entire life in the same neighborhood in Portland hanging out with the same group of friends: her twin sister Nikki, their best friend Essence, and Ronnie, Malachi, and Devin-three boys her father mentors. They have plans for the future that involve each other: prom, college, life. But things in their neighborhood are changing. People are moving in and starting new businesses. Property values are going up as a result. In addition to change, this is also causing trouble. Essence has to move out of her  house when the owner decides he can make more money selling it than renting it. The racial demographics of the school, which has been mostly African American, is shifting. This presents new challenges and choices for Maya and her friends. It brings new people into their lives at the same time. Maya has to figure out how-and if-she wa

Serafina and the Black Cloak

Serafina and the Black Cloak  by Robert Beatty is a thrilling tale of mystery and adventure set at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC in 1899. Having lived in Asheville and visited the house several times, there was no way I was going to pass up a chance to read this. (Also it's MG fantasy, always a bonus for me.) Serafina lives in secret in the basement of the Vanderbilt's spacious vacation home. She has lived there most of her life. Her father worked on the house as it was being built and is the mechanic who runs the massive generator and keeps the electricity going. Serafina is the chief rat catcher, slipping through the halls of her massive home secretly and quietly. She is light on her feet, sees well in the dark, and is quick enough to catch the vermin and keep them out. Serafina knows she if different and strange. Her father insists she stay hidden. But all that changes when one night Serafina witnesses a horrible crime. A little girl, a guest in the house, is fleein

Shorter Musings MG Fantasy

Here are some shorter musings on recent MG fantasy reads. Anya and the Dragon   by Sofiya Pasternack This book is fun. It is a book full of adventure, an obvious bad guy, some more complicated morally gray area characters, and a strong, brave heroine. It is also a book about friendships, community, and fighting for what is right. All things that usually work for me really well. While I enjoyed this, I did feel it was a little overlong and there were certain plot points at the end I didn't love. However, there were things I thought were done really well, such as Anya's Jewish faith and the idea that power needs to be challenged. In the end it was a middle of the road read for me, but it is one I will certainly be recommending to dragon and fantasy adventure lovers I know! R is for Rebel   by J. Anderson Coats This is tough because I usually really like Coats's books. I had such a hard time with this one though on so many levels. It's difficult to get into because t