Or should I say, Good Masters, Sweet Ladies?.
Yes, Laura Amy Schlitz, author of the wonderful "A Drowned Maiden's Hair," has snagged the Newbery Medal with her medieval dialogues, the first non-novel to win in almost twenty years.
.Three Newbery Honor books were named: “Elijah of Buxton,” by Christopher Paul Curtis, “The Wednesday Wars,” by Gary D. Schmidt, and “Feathers,” by Jacqueline Woodson.
.A fairly predictable lot--disappointing, because there's not much in the way of surprise, yet better than 2007's curveball, the obscure "Higher Power of Lucky."
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They sure covered their Issues this year ... War, check. Racial tensions, check, check. Nate Wilson's all-white cast, with its wise father-figure, didn't have a chance. Tack "Leepike Ridge" onto my list of Outrages: Books That Deserved the Medal.
.The Caldecott prize, however, makes up for the lack of astonishing revelations in the Newbery department. Hugo Cabret? A 500+ page novel? The book even Betsy Bird dismissed? Excuse me while I pop my head outside.
.Nope, no sign of Chicken Little. But still. Wow.
9 comments:
Dunno about "dismissed". I just thought it was a long shot. And look how gloriously wonderfully fantastically wrong I was!!! Give it up for a gutsy Caldecott committee. I obviously wasn't giving them enough credit.
The amusing thing is, Flotsam was textless. What a follow-up! :)
Oh Noel. Just make your own award. Call it, The Noel. (almost sounds like Nobel.) And I promise to read Leepike Ridge. Feel better?
Hmm... maybe I should write a YA about gay, female, Asian, Muslim, vegetarian war victims? Will that get me pubbed? :)
Hey, Noel, have you read the Cornelia Funke books? Like them?
I've read The Thief Lord, and a few chapters of Inkheart (had a lot on my plate, and never got back to it). Her stuff wasn't bad, just not quite as good as it was hyped to be. My brother (14) really liked Thief Lord, though ...
How do you like Uncle Tom's Cabin?
I finished 100 cuboards today. I don't understand the ending... do you?
I am starting A Countess Below Stairs today.
What didn't you understand about 100 Cupboards?
Uncle Tom's Cabin ... long. But she has vivid characters. Aunt Chloe is a character right out of my own book ... weird!
Go Countess!
Are you suggesting Political Correctness has gripped the Newbery's?
Was I too subtle, Mike?
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