2014 Newbery Contenders Continued

Well I'm back to some Newbery predictions - that shiny books sticker that defines the most distinguished book for young people during a given year.  It's always so hard to know what this years group of select librarians will reward, but today I am profiling a few titles that have some potential.  I try to pick the ones that I think kids will respond to, although being popular is definitely not part of the criteria for the award.  Here's hoping the winner this year will be both compelling to judges and children.

I thought I would start off with Counting by 7s, a book that I think that is akin to Wonder.  By that I mean that it will resonate with kids and parents, but I don't know if it will win despite the love surrounding it.   Doll Bones is fitting for the Halloween season as it deals with a ghost in our midst.  We learned from The Graveyard Book that scarier fiction can take home the big prize.  Zebra Forest was perhaps my favorite of the group, but it is also the story that left me the least comfortable at times.  That is probably why it has stuck with me the longest but it also may be why it will give the judges some pause.

Don't forget to like One Great Book on Facebook or Twitter for all the best Newbery contenders.  Even if they don't turn out to be winners, there is no disputing their quality, although I always like to get few right!

To see my other contenders this year, click on the following link: 2014 Newbery Contenders

Title:       Counting by 7s

Author:   Holly Goldberg Sloan

Target:    Grades 5-8

Series:     No

What this book is about:
Willow is a genius, there is no doubting that.  Her hobbies lean towards the scientific realm such as plant grafting and medical analysis, however this has meant that she never quite fits in with her peers.  Her parents love and support her unconditionally.  However, it is after their untimely death in a car accident that Willow’s world is turned upside down.  With no close relatives, it is small connection with an acquatance that leads her to a temporary home behind a nail salon and eventually a series of misfits that help Willow overcome her grief and start to feel apart of a community again.

Why I love this book:
First off the character of Willow just blew me away.  She is scientific, matter of fact, and absolutely caring to those who touch her life.  Her frankness, intelligence and yes, humor, make this book a wonderful read.  I frankly couldn’t put it down because I was so invested in what would happen to Willow.

She is also surrounded by a cast of characters that is absolutely intriguing.  Dell Sloan, her incompetent and uninspired guidance counselor, Patty Huguyen who owns the nail salon and takes charge where others wouldn’t, Patty’s children who find comfort with Willow in very different ways, all add to the richness of the story.  But they are never cliche nor do they ever get too sappy and predictable.

The last area I want to touch on is the variety of ethnicities in the book.  I loved that Willow identified herself as a person of color while Willow’s parents were white.  Patty is black and Asian and her children are also Mexican.  It is nice to see a book which mixes everything up.

Who this book is for:
This is a tough one for me.  Darn if that Willow doesn’t just suck you in, so I would say encourage all kids to give this one a try.  While the idea of the book may not be a quick sell, the first few chapters will have them hooked.

Final thoughts:
I laughed, I cried, I got something out of this story.  Cliche but oh so true.

To purchase this book from Amazon, click on the following link: Counting by 7s  A portion of each purchase goes back to this blog at no cost to you.

Title:       Doll Bones

Author:   Holly Black

Target:    Grades 4-7

Series:     No

What this book is about:
Zach and his two friends Poppy and Alice have been playing a game of pretend with pirates and villains for years.  Despite getting older, this game remains something they privately enjoy.  When Zach’s father throws away all his action figures he used for the game, Zach feels betrayed and hurt.  He tells the others that he can no longer play and in an attempt to get him back, Poppy takes out one of the dolls locked in her mother’s cupboard that they had anointed the queen of their pretend realm.  However, the doll starts appearing to Poppy in dreams and wants to be taken home.  This begins a quest with three kids and a doll across state borders, sailing down river and hiking along highways.   Will the quest be worth it and do they really believe that the doll is the ghost of a dead girl?

Why I love this book:

This book is a combination of sentimental and creepy.  Black strings us along so that we don’t know if the doll is possessed or if she is simply a ploy being used by Poppy to keep her friends together.  At the heart of the book is the idea that as we grow up we move on to new activities and new friends.  Can we really keep ahold of some of the magic from childhood?

The idea of playing with action figures or dolls which is presented in this book could go one of two ways with kids.  Either they will find it too juvenile and turn away from the book, or they will appreciate that the characters still like to get caught up in fantasy scenarios and recognize themselves in some way.  I hope it is the later because this book was very well done.

Who this book is for:

There is a creepy element, so kids have to be fans of that.  Kids have to enjoy more of a psychological thriller. 

Final thoughts:

I still have a hard time, after looking at the cover and the title, wrapping myself around the fact that the story is told from a boy’s perspective.  I don’t think a lot of twelve year old boys will want to carry around a book with “doll” in the title.  I actually wish they had made the cover creepier so that boys would be more drawn to the story.

To purchase this book from Amazon, click on the following link: Doll Bones  A portion of each purchase goes to support this blog at no cost to you.

Title:       Zebra Forest

Author:   Adina Rishe Gewirtz

Target:    Grades 5-8

Series:     No

What this book is about:

Annie and her brother Rew live with their grandmother.  Their grandmother is plagued with periods of depression and Annie learns to take care of herself at a very young age.  However, one summer day their family is taken hostage by a man who has escaped from the local prison.  In an unusual twist of fate, it turns out to be the father she and Rew thought was dead.  Can this family ever get over the lies and can they handle the truth of their situation?

Why I love this book:

I have to admit that I was a little hesitant about this book.  It can be dark and a little scary at times, especially at the beginning.  But the writing is so good, that I was completely caught up in the book.  Gewirtz weaves the story of Treasure Island in seamlessly with the narrative as this story of pirates has become a lifeline and an inspiration for the children, but it also strangely mirrors their own lives.  It really made me want to pick up Treasure Island again.

While the beginning is dark, it does end in a positive way and I felt a whole lot better about recommending the book after I was done.  I am afraid I have already scared quite a few of you away, but the story is powerful and the writing is crafted but never feels contrived.

Who this book is for:

This book will probably not appeal to kids who only gravitate to action or humorous books, but for kids who are willing to invest more in a story, this is a wonderful book.

Final thoughts:

This is a debut novel and I was impressed.

To purchase this book from Amazon, click on the following link: Zebra Forest  A portion of each purchase goes to support this blog at no cost to you.