The news got out tonight — Goblin Secrets by William Alexander has cinched the National Book Award title for Young People’s literature.
Here’s a link to a host of printable (and really really well designed) Masks, inspired by this book:
http://www.goblinsecrets.com/masks.html
Enjoy — and if you have not read the book — perhaps you will now and you will also enjoy the experience discovering the significance of masks in Goblin Secrets.
Filed under Book Notes
The second round of official nominations is due today… I finalized the write-ups and emailed the file to our chair at 6:00 p.m. Two titles are due from each of us. This time around, I had something that I didn’t have in October: a fairly strong sense of the leanings of the Committee as a whole. I re-read the nomination paragraphs from my fellow committee members, especially those titles that I am in favor of. Some books already received multiple supports and I feel quite comfortable to not worry about re-nominating those. But one of them, I have grown to like so much more because of the experiences I’ve had with the readers’ reactions in my community, because of re-reading passages, because of my fellow committee members’ reasonings, and because of some online thoughtful conversations. I see more clearly now the merits of this book and understand some of my original reservations as being not on solid ground. So, I nominated this to add my support and justifications.
Then, there is the second title. I can imagine someone’s mouth drops, another one’s eyes widen, and someone else’s head shakes: If they ever find out what this second title is. (Ah, indeed, fourteen other people in the world will find out tomorrow when we all receive the compilation of nominations!!!) Is this a good move? Is this a waste of my nomination? I don’t think so because I do so so love this book, and I do so so want at least to have a chance to talk about it with my fellow committee members. It deserves a place on the table — even though it might not fit the conventional Newbery Winner Profile. Who knows… there could always be a surprise!
This has been fun. One more set to go in December and we will go into re-reading, re-thinking, and strategizing mode!
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At Heavy Medal and at Born Librarian, Jonathan Hunt and Elizabeth Moreau both offer their views on whether a Graphic Novel can be considered for the Newbery (pretty much, yes, it can be considered but the winning chance is slim) and if so, how does one consider and weigh its merits against its intrinsic weaknesses: namely, lack of expository paragraphs, textual settings, other descriptive languages, since most of the text in a graphic novel is in dialog form.
Jonathan’s opinions are closer to mine — that we must judge and examine the text of a graphic novel as what it is and what it does and not ask it to be something else. Elizabeth’s method of covering up illustrations in graphic novels or typing up just the text to read serves some purposes, but I would say that does not respect the fact that the text is MEANT to be viewed with the illustrations as a whole. The authors of graphic novels (usually) are the originators of the stories, whether the books are illustrated by the authors themselves or by other artists. (Traditionally, few graphic novel writers are illustrators. But Children’s book world seems to be upsetting that tradition quite a bit!) I have studied the “behind the scenes” process of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series (included in the Absolute Sandman volumes.) Neil Gaiman gives out copious notes of scene directions, settings, “camera angles,” etc. to the illustrators. I don’t think that’s how all authors work. But, to think that the graphic novelists only write dialogs and a few text boxes of descriptions of settings is to discount the rich creative palette of the authors. They have to make the same choices as any prose novelists do: the details of the world the story is set in, the characters that play off of each other: their personalities and voices, the events that unfold to propel the plot and to unveil thematic matters, etc. In fact, there is so much self-editing and paring down that a graphic novelist must do that some prose novelists can never successfully achieve.
So, I say, do not judge the apple and demand that it should be bursting with citrusy juice and do not demand a lemon to be sweet and crunchy.
When I examine graphic novel texts: I read the whole book as IS. No covering of any panel illustrations. No thinking that the text MUST STAND ALONE. And No demanding that the theme must help the readers to “gain a greater understanding of what it means to be human” (Jonathan’s words). Let’s just look at how well the text does its job: do the dialogs capture the personalities and voices of different characters? Does the PLOT engage, move along at the right pace, help the readers grasp the theme and offer clear causal-effect relationships, etc.? Are the settings clearly defined and serving the story well (yes, we see the pictures, but we also understand that there are “directions” from the creators to direct the artists of the settings): for example, are things always taking place inside a room or events happen all around the story universe: whichever is appropriate to the “story at hand”?
I am reminded of the recent Newbery winner, Good Masters, Sweet Ladies. The “setting” is done with separate historical nonfiction passages, accompanied by detailed illustrations, while the main body of the text is presented as monologs (or dialogs) that do not even progress with a linear plot line. The book must have been examined by that year’s Newbery Committee on its own merits: how effective are the monologs, how accurate and interesting to the intended audience are the nonfiction passages, and how clearly and movingly as a whole the various “voices” bring a medieval manor town to life by the author’s choices of “characters” and their interior struggles and exterior interplays. I imagine that the members of that Committee found great success in each aspect pertaining to that specific book and not a general notion of “what a good kids’ book should look like.”
I feel that I’ve clarified for myself how I should consider Graphic Novels as a Newbery committee member — but, will the other members (including Elizabeth) consider them the same way? And will we agree on whether a text is successful even if we do agree on these principles? Reading is such a subjective experience. I am more excited than ever to hear other opinions and to convince or to be convinced or to accept that we civilly disagree with each other perpetually!
Filed under Book Notes
Sometimes, to understand what something IS, one has to think of what something ISN’T. So, I’m going to write a few posts about what I think the Newbery Award Isn’t — starting with Thematic Choice.
Over at SLJ’s Blogland, Karyn Silverman discusses her reaction to Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick, a highly praised book and a National Book Award finalist based on the true story of a young person’s life under the rule of Khmer Rouge. In her post, Karyn concludes how she will recommend this title for its historical significance but not for its literary merits. As to the book’s Printz award winning chances? She wrote, “the Printz doesn’t care about importance, or message, or history.” Her final words on the post are, “The Printz is an award for literary excellence, and on that front, this does fall down.”
What Karyn illustrates of the Printz Award is equally true of The Newbery.
In the Newbery Manual, it is stated that:
“Committee members need to consider the following: a. Interpretation of the theme or concept, b…..”
It also contains an additional note: “The committee should keep in mind that the award…is not for didactic content…”
These are the only directions regarding themes that Newbery committee members have from the official document.
What this informs me, then, is that my focus of examination should not be on whether a book is about sibling rivalry, death, historical events, lunch money, girl power, or anything else that the author chose as the central theme(s) of the book at hand. What I should care most, then, is how well, literarily, the author interpreted such theme(s). For example, if I am to choose from the following three (made up) books based on the authors’ skills in theme interpretation, I will probably ask these questions to start (but of course many more aspects will have to be explored):
A. An easy reader about the fun of playing with blocks
Has the author managed to make the fun and joy palpable to its readers?
Has the author successfully employed an appropriate narrative device (such as rhyming) for the audience?
B. A middle grade fiction about the importance of environmental protection
Has the author created a riveting plot line that pulls the readers in and keeps them engaged all the way through?
Has the author created true-to-life characters that the readers care about greatly?
C. A nonfiction about the history of fireworks
Has the author presented the most significant moments clearly for the intended audience?
Has the author expertly captioned all the illustrations to further illuminate the topic?
My duty is not to choose a winner based on which theme I believe as most significant (to me or a young reader) but based on which of the books is most literarily successful after thinking hard about each book, and after deliberating with input from my whole committee.
So, I say,
The Newbery Award is not for the book with the most significant theme.
The Newbery Award is not for the most teachable book.
The Newbery Award is not for the book most likely to change a young reader’s life.
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Have been reading, finishing, or half-finishing several books since the last blog update. The best of them, for me as a reader, is book 104, which, for a little while, I thought it perhaps too “sophisticated” in its tone and style to be appreciated by most children so I put it aside to sample others. But it kept staring at me from my desk in that enticing way: the great title, the beautiful book design, and the intriguing premises and characters I already encountered from reading just the first few chapters. I went back to the book and was rewarded with one of the best reading experiences this year: the tension of the main “mystery thread” kept me interested throughout, the just right amount of details in the setting kept me immersed in this world, and the effective presentation with both dialogs and events of a theme that is relevant to every young person growing up regardless of time or place definitely delighted me. Toward the last few chapters, I kept quietly “begging” the author, “C’mon, make sure you don’t mess up the ending. Make sure it is hopeful, satisfying, and not cloying or unbelievable.” It did not fail my plea! Now, I have to think hard again about the few plot points that perhaps push the book toward the 14-as-youngest-reader direction…
There is a very deliberate “presentation of the theme” here — a bit too deliberate for my taste: you can see the pieces of the pattern that come together really really well. I feel like I’m looking at a mosaic path, but the grout lines are too wide and too obvious to be truly beautiful. Definitely not a seamless delineation here! Not that the theme is not a worthy one, or that the characters not endearing, or that the setting or the telling not convincing. It’s just that the book never rises above the “one revelation” level and that kind of brought down the distinguishing quality for me.
Mesmerizing, fascinating, dark and beautiful — filled with allusions, illusions, and the skillful distillation of language, book 102 is definitely one customized for me! Alas, I don’t feel that it is written with any normal children in mind — the allusions to the historical setting and the characters’ life experiences will be puzzling and quite frustrating for most child readers. I had to put it down and move on to some other titles! But, it will probably be the first book I get back to finish at the beginning of February!
Finished a wonderful book tonight. It’s a perfect kind of book for me, as a reader: mysterious, somewhat magical, slightly melancholy, and the prose sings — and the narrative voices (yup, there are two different narrative forms) flow so naturally, with very distinct “accents.” This would have been one of those perfect fit for me as a young reader of 11 or 12, pondering life’s many mysteries: fate, romance, friendship, family ties, etc. I am unsure which of my students might fall in love with this book but I hope to find some readers that will really appreciate the special quirkiness and slightly ethereal tone. This is probably my favorite book out of many by this author. So pleased to have picked it up and finished reading it.
I have nine books piling next to my work desk that I MUST read — either they’re nominated and I haven’t had a chance to read them, or they are fall/winter book, or they are just highly recommended by trusted friends. I know what I’m doing for the rest of the week/weekend! Oh, the glory of catching up!
100 and beyond. Finished book 100 yesterday. It is as fun and enjoyable as the previous volumes in the series and I am looking forward to the continuation!!! I feel like clarifying the number count of these readings: Over the past months, I definitely read more than 100 books — or at least, attempted to read many many more. But, some of them were apparently not at a level to win the Newbery, so after the first few chapters, I simply had to put them down and move on to the next title — just so enough books were sampled. So far, I am feeling all right with “catching” the books worthy of note but still apprehensive — have we, collectively, missed something superb? There are still fall/winter books arriving in boxes. Do we have enough time to get through them all before nominations deadlines in November and December?
I got the Pro 4-Day Pass (for $10.00!!!) and went to the Con three times this weekend. Excellent experiences and lots of fun: panels, industry inside stories, cos-players, artists, authors, creative merchandises! Pictures of my days can be found here:
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| ComicCon 2012 |
Filed under Uncategorized
I was checking my emails every half an hour yesterday — wishing for the results of the first round of nominations. But, of course, that was an unreasonable desire: the Chair had to collate fifteen people’s nominations and format them in a way that makes sense into a word document with write-ups and spread sheets with #’s and other basic information. Steven sent it out before midnight west coast time — and I woke up with the information loaded in my gmail and thus my phone. Before even putting on my glasses at 6:00 a.m., I was reading the nominations…. You guessed it — it’s not THREE titles. (If everyone had nominated the same three books, that would have been the case.) And it’s not FORTY-FIVE titles (everyone nominating completely different three books.) It is somewhere in between. But I can’t tell anyone the exact number. I CAN, though, share my various reactions: I am DELIGHTED and EXCITED by the strong support of certain titles. I am PUZZLED by some of the choices. I am RELIEVED to see that I’ve read and thought hard on almost all the titles except for a couple and that can easily be remedied. I am MOTIVATED by some nominations to read the nominating paragraphs carefully and also to re-read really really carefully and figure out why my own initial reactions are so at odds with some of my committee members. I am EAGER to continue reading and finding fall/winter titles that might have not been on anyone’s radar yet. I am IMPRESSED by the professionalism and thoughtfulness of all my fellow committee members. And I am definitely HUMBLED by the intelligence and elegance shown in my colleagues’ nominating paragraphs. Now, continue reading!
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Finally… I emailed the three October nominations in to the Chair. My method for this round? As I read, I’ve been keeping a “top secret” file on my computer and each book, as I finished it, received a 1-10 rating. So I am reminded of my fresh impressions and reactions to the books. For this nomination round, I sorted the books by rating — and any book above an 8.5 got a serious consideration — and then those above 9 and the 9.5 titles, of course. I re-read my notes and re-scanned some of the top titles and recalled my thoughts and reactions on each one. Then, I considered how strongly some titles have been supported (evident by the accumulative monthly suggestion numbers) by my fellow committee members. I also threw into the mix my own “agenda” — I definitely want to diversify: older readers/younger readers, nonfiction/realistic/historical fiction/fantasy/scifi, varied tones/styles, thematically different… etc. So, the first three were finally decided on. Then it took me almost three days to agonize how to present the books (150 – 300 words for each) to the rest of the Committee. I have to highlight each book’s strengths without laying out every single merit or textual example — those will surface during the actual closed-door discussion in late January. After writing and re-writing and re-writing — I had to send them in. And now, waiting for the compiled first round of nominations from everyone. Hooray and much much gratitude to a hard-working and on-top-of-it-all 2013 Newbery Committee Chair: Steven Engelfried!!! I cannot be more excited!
Ok.. The October three are finalized. Agonizing. I am aiming for diversity: age-range, genre, style. But of course, it also comes down to how much I truly enjoyed and want to support these books and their creators.
The first 3 nominations (of 7 total) are due next Tuesday (10/9/2012) — and I’ve narrowed down my top choices to SIXTEEN titles! Haha! Among these, fantasy, realistic fiction, historical fiction, nonfiction, picture book — for ages 3 to 14. The fiction titles are split almost down to the middle of male and female protagonists and the nonfiction are mostly biographical or historical with some science elements as well. Some are humorous, some are incredibly innovative, and others are just solid with polished proses. Now… which three do I push to the top of my chart? Also to consider: which titles have already received a lot of support from the Committee? Since we have suggested monthly and also cast our support to previously suggested titles, in theory, we can guess which titles others might nominate. Should I use my precious 1/7 for a title that I just KNOW others will nominate anyway? If we all think this way, will some of our true favorites be left un-nominated? That will be disastrous! But wouldn’t it be wasteful if I put on the ballot a book that has not garnered much support and simply won’t be getting any more? How confident am I in my ability to to convince others of a particular title’s worthiness and to elevate its status to become the front runner?
A friend suggested: This first round, vote with my heart. Which three are truly MY personal favorites of the year? The fact is: I don’t know.. I simply don’t know… I love so many of them. Darn it, authors, you gave us such an amazing 2012 and now I suffer from this riches!!!
Filed under Uncategorized
Opinions will be very split and strong over book 99! I am in love with this one! There is the beauty of language, the play of language, and the effective use of the language — in telling the story, in portraying the characters, and in creating the worlds and moods within the pages. What a wonderful addition to this year’s already stellar line up of outstanding books for children! I do understand, however, this is not going to be a book embraced across the board by most children. It will take special readers to appreciate its genius but I suspect that there will also be plenty of readers who “get” some parts of the story and still love it for the adventures, and special powers, and the emotional journey of the protagonist(s.)
A prime example of great writing but not a great story or a great contribution to the field of children’s literature, book 98 has such potential, but falls short. So many sentences with wonderful cadences and just masterfully constructed: not complex sentence structures or advanced vocabulary, but you just know that the author took care to write and “listen” to the rhythm of each sentence — to convey humor, to excite, to elicit empathy, and to show character traits. But in the end, the book is just a series of character portraits and vignettes loosely threaded by one central (but not really) character’s “adventures.” There is a gentle and deep theme that I really appreciate and can see it being dissected and discussed and made more meaningful in a classroom setting if the book is required reading — but I don’t know how many young readers will pick it up, read it, and love it. As I write these words — I realized that actually I liked the book more than I had first thought… and that it might just be a book that WILL be loved by children. I’m going to test it out on my young students! (And yes, it is getting closer to that time … nominations…. and I’m second guessing myself every moment these days…. I don’t think I can judge books and their qualities any more… PANIC!!!!)
Oh my, oh my, oh my — book 99 is making my heart tingle. So original and so well written… I’m only starting it and hope for one of my favorite of the year to emerge — please be amazing all the way through the finish line! Book 98 will be written about soon.
Ok. These are the exact words from the official Newbery Terms and Criteria document:
The Medal shall be awarded annually to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children published by an American publisher in the United States in English during the preceding year. There are no limitations as to the character of the book considered except that it be original work. Honor books may be named. These shall be books that are also truly distinguished.
And, to further define the terms, we have:
A “contribution to American literature for children” shall be a book for which children are an intended potential audience. The book displays respect for children’s understandings, abilities, and appreciations. Children are defined as persons of ages up to and including fourteen, and books for this entire age range are to be considered.
Since children is defined as “up to and including 14-year-old” individuals and if you, like me, are familiar with many 14-year-olds, you would know that quite a number of them read general adult books, classics not intended for children, and most of them have encountered and loved Young Adult books. So, why can’t we then just judge ALL books published in America this year and pick the ones that are most stellar, literary-wise, since basically they can all be appreciated by some or many 14-year-old readers.
Because, the terms also dictate that we only consider books which “children are an intended potential audience.” I take this as charging the Newbery Committee to take the publishers’ designations (if not always the authors’) into consideration. So, we can safely get rid of all the books published by “grown up” houses. Still we are left with the sticky bunches marked 12 and up, 13 and up, 14 and up, and the generic “teens” — which, actually, basically are ALL YA titles published in the U.S. (Since I don’t recall seeing designated age range for 15 and up or 16 and up…. If I’m wrong, please comment and I will correct the post.)
So, how can we then decide WHICH YAs are TOO YA and which are OK YA?
This is quite subjective, indeed. And there are 15 subjective age-assigners in the Committee who might or might not agree with the member next to him or her. So, I can only offer how I might interpret the terms and how I currently consider to be the OK YAs:
It is actually super easy for me now:
If a YA book can be appreciated greatly by 14-year-olds and that they won’t feel “embarrassed to be caught reading a babyish book,” but I also have no problem recommending it to 11 or 12 year old readers because I believe that the themes, the presentations, the events, etc. in the book can be grasped without additional life or literary experiences by those younger readers, then, I will embrace whole-heartedly and believe such title falling quite squarely within the terms of the Newbery manual.
On the other hand, if a YA book can be appreciated greatly by 14-year-olds and they feel that they are stretching their experiences, literary abilities, or even a bit on the “risque” side while reading this book, and I find that I keep recommending it to my 16- or 17-year old high school readers because they really would GET the book much better, then, I would consider such title NOT eligible for consideration for the Newbery.
Summarize quickly: My eligible YA titles will be those that 14-year-olds are the “oldest readers” and my ineligible YA titles will be those that 14-year-olds are the “youngest readers.”
Does this make sense for anyone else? Or am I somehow delusional? I cannot tell others how to solve this puzzle (not even my fellow committee members.) We all have to find our own measurements and comfortable ways that help our minds wrap around this really tough question.
Filed under Uncategorized
Really happy to have found a book that I can easily recommend to my 4th grade girls who are into Lauren Myracles Winnie Years series. Book 97 is a new title by an old hand in creating books for MG girls with a plucky main character, often with funny situations and some wise-cracking observations, who learns some valuable life lessons through the ups and downs of a school year or a summer — mostly about friendship and family, and of course, self-discovery, too. Solid.
