Newbery Lament

So, if there are any readers out there, checking in, you'll have noticed that I struck out blindly with my Newbery predictions. Ah well. The one year I feel as if I've read a wider range than usual, and I'm smacked back to earth and proven totally out of my league! As I said, ah well. At least I'd heard of DEAD END IN NORVELT. I actually own a copy of it. It just hasn't risen to the top of my pile yet.

The two gems that I would have personally loved to see some admiration for were PIE by Sarah Weeks and ICEFALL by Matthew Kirby. ICEFALL did manage to receive a Cybill nomination this year, as well as an Edgar Award nomination, so at least it has that going for it.

Why did I like these two books so much? I don't know. PIE isn't necessarily the type of book I'd normally enjoy. Over at Heavy Medal one commenter summarized it as "light entertainment fluff". I suppose it fits that description, but it doesn't really pretend to be anything else either. It's "light entertainment fluff" done extremely well, and Weeks doesn't hide it.

I liked the mystery. I like the friendship between Alice and Charlie. I like getting to know Aunt Polly through seamless flashback scenes. I like the humor. I like that it doesn't take itself too seriously, as evidenced by the numerous jabs at the Newbery Medal (some characters in the book make it a point to go after a "Blueberry Award", which coincidentally enough has criteria eerily similar to that of the prestigious children's literature award). I like that it is kid friendly and gender neutral. My 5th grade class loved it as a read aloud.

Sure there were things that didn't make sense, like why would anyone care about a Mayoral election in a town as small as Ipswitch? And why would anyone hate their sister as much as Alice's mother hated Polly? And how could a woman as talented as Polly afford to live by giving away her labor for free? And why in the world would a woman leave a much sought after piecrust recipe to . . . well, that I better not get into.

Unlike the light, whipped mystery in PIE, Matthew Kirby's ICEFALL weaves a tale that Megan Whalen Turner herself would be proud of. The plot is fairly simple: To keep his family safe during a time of war, a Viking king sends them to hide in a glacier of sorts, and wait out the winter to return until all is safe. While in hiding however, his family and their protectors, begin to fear that someone amongst them is up to no good.

This is really a coming of age tale, set against the back drop of the Vikings' time. Solveig is the book's star, the king's ignored daughter, who has to not only get to the bottom of the treachery unfolding before her, but also learn how to question the blinding trust she's placed for so many years in those she's loved.

It's a slow start, glacier paced at best, but it adds to the claustrophobic atmosphere Kirby is after. By the time things begin to fall apart, we actually care because we feel as if we too, are trapped with this group of characters. Everyone seems to be a suspect, yet no one seems to be a suspect. It's a brilliant series of events that end in a thrilling, emotional climax. And . . . Kirby has succeeded in creating something more accessible than Megan Whalen Turner's heavier work, yet keep it in the same vein as her tales without sacrificing anything. I can't say enough about the book. Give it a read.

(Somewhat obvious by now) Final Grades:

PIE: A

ICEFALL: A+

Heavy Medal Shortlist

Last week, Jonathan and Nina at Heavy Medal finalized their shortlist. Of their ten titles, I have currently read six, with my hands on the other four. My initial thoughts and reactions are listed below, as well as a few "snubs" I would've loved to see people discuss and argue over. I've ranked them as well . . .

1. OKAY FOR NOW: Read it and loved it. Hands down favorite. Nothing even compares.

2. THE TROUBLE WITH MAY AMELIA: Read it and loved it. I am a little biased because for some reason or other, I love Jenni Holm. Any other year, I'd champion hard for this book to win the gold. But my heart just can't rank it above OKAY FOR NOW. I just can't.

3. AMELIA LOST: Read it and liked it. I don't read a ton of nonfiction but Flemming did such an incredible job crafting this story, that it doesn't read like your traditional nonfiction book. I like how she balances the factual information she uncovered about Amelia with exciting stories of the rescue attempt when her plane went missing. It creates for an exciting read, even though we all know the outcome.

4. A MONSTER CALLS: Read it and liked it. Patrick Ness's book is brilliant, without a doubt. My only question is whether or not it's style is appropriate for children. My gut reaction is, it isn't. I definitely could not recommend this book to all children. Plus, there's an interesting debate about whether or not, due to publishing dates, this book is even eligible.

5. I BROKE MY TRUNK: Read it and loved it. However . . . I'm not sure I can be convinced that the text of this title alone is "distinguished" enough for Newbery consideration. If the Newbery Medal criteria would eliminate the gray area surrounding a book's illustration, and let entire packages of work be considered and discussed, then I'd be sold on this one. But as the criteria is laid out, I'm not seeing it.

6. SIR GAWAIN THE TRUE: Read it and liked it. Not sure if I can be sold that this particular brand of slapstick humor is Newbery worthy though. If the goal was to get an early chapter book on the table to see what kind of discussion it generates, I personally feel that THE TROUBLE WITH CHICKENS or TOYS COME HOME would've made better choices.

*7. WONDERSTRUCK: Not read yet, but I own it! I'm a little nervous because I feel as if I was the only person in the world who didn't love HUGO CABRET. The medium Selznick has invented is remarkable, I just didn't really care for the Hugo "story". The illustrations, the format, sure. The story, not so much. However, I've heard that WONDERSTRUCK is even better than HUGO CABRET, so my hopes are up.

*8. THE MONEY WE'LL SAVE: A picture book. Not read. Currently have it in my possession though.

*9. PENDERWICKS AT POINT MOUETTE: Not read. School library has it. Have not read any of the other Penderwick books. Actually started the first one a few years ago, and abandoned it.

*10. HEART AND SOUL: Another nonfiction book. Not read. Currently have it in my possession though.

There are only three books I would've liked to see on the shortlist that didn't make it. PIE by Sarah Weeks, HIDDEN by Helen Frost, and ICEFALL by Matthew Kirby. HIDDEN was a much more meaningful, and powerful verse novel than INSIDE OUT AND BACK AGAIN. PIE was great, and I'll post my feelings on it soon. ICEFALL, I admit, I haven't quite finished yet, but I love it enough already to wish it it's day on the Newbery table.

It's exciting for once, to know that I will have read all the books on their shortlist. I look forward to the discussion each will generate.