Anticipation

And what am I anticipating? Monday morning 7:45 AM Central time. This is when the ALA Youth Media Awards will be announced. I will be one of the people vying for those limited (10,000) virtual seats. Since I'm nice I will tell you that here is where you go to try for that. (Although anyone who really wants to watch it probably already knows that.) There is also a Twitter you can follow.

The awards are largely unpredictable because the committees change every year. Even if you have been following Calling Caldecott, Heavy Medal, and Someday My Printz Will Come you can still be taken by surprise on award day. So these are not predictions, just my thoughts, beginning with the award I'm most familiar with the criteria for (having actually participated at HM this year rather than just lurking) and the books that are contenders for it.

The Newbery
I will be a happy happy girl if any of the following books win or are given honors:

My top spot vote in the HM mock went to Amelia Lost and I'm hoping it does win the day on Monday. If The Cheshire Cheese Cat had been on the shortlist one of my votes would have gone to it.

Some other books I can see being candidates that I enjoyed (but not as much): the other books on the Heavy Medal shortlist, Inside Out and Back Again, Breadcrumbs, The Great Wall of Lucy Wu, and One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street.

The Printz
I haven't read nearly as many of the contenders for this one so this is all about me and the books I like basically. I really want to see one of these two win:

The Caldecott
I am completely unqualified to comment on this one at all really. It is given for the illustrations and art is not something I feel comfortable commenting on. Looking at the books discussed on Calling Caldecott this year though my personal favorite is:

I really like Grandpa Green and Heart and Soul as well though.

We shall know all on Monday. I will, as I did last year, post the results along with any short thoughts I may have. The problem is I teach on Mondays, and while the early central start time will allow me to know all the winners before I leave I probably won't have time to do the post until later. So go to Heavy Medal. I'm sure they will have the results up faster.

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