LibGuides: BC Mock Newbery Club 2015: The Reading List

Meeting Schedule Grades 5th/6th & 7th/8th

October 7th (5th/6th) & October 9th (7th/8th) - Intro

October 17th (Fri.) - Discussion of criteria

October 24th (Fri.) - Discussion

November 7th (Fri.) - Narrowing it down

November 18th (Tues.) - Nominating

December 5th (Fri.) - Discussion of finalists

December 12th (Fri.) - Discussion of finalists

January 9th (Fri.) - Discussion of finalists

January 23rd (Fri. Day 4) - Discussion of the finalists

January 30th (Fri., Day 1) - Final Vote

February 2 (Mon.) - Real Newbery Announcement

February 6th (Fri., Day 6) - Last meeting - party to celebrate!

BCS Mock Newbery Site 2015

Share your thoughts on the books you read here:

Mock Newbery 2015

Book review tips:

Name your post the title of the book you are reviewing
Avoid "easy" opinions like "good" or "bad"
Describe what you did or did not enjoy about the book
Include details to interest others
No spoilers please!

What's the buzz?

The Newbery Medal Home Page

Mock Newbery Sites:

Allen County Public Library

Anderson's Bookshops

Eva Perry Mock Newbery

Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog

For Those About To Mock

And the winner is....

After an unprecedented runoff vote, the 2015 Berkeley Carroll School Mock Newbery Medal goes to....

Honors:

2015 BCS Mock Newbery FInalists

The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond by Brenda Woods "A biracial girl finally gets the chance to meet the African American side of her family"--Provided by publisher.
Publication Date: 2014
The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm Ellie's scientist grandfather has discovered a way to reverse aging, and consequently has turned into a teenager--which makes for complicated relationships when he moves in with Ellie and her mother, his daughter.
Publication Date: 2014
Greenglass House by Kate Milford; Jaime Zollars (Illustrator) At Greenglass House, a smuggler's inn, twelve-year-old Milo, the innkeepers' adopted son, plans to spend his winter holidays relaxing, but soon guests are arriving with strange stories about the house that send Milo and Meddy, the cook's daughter, on an adventure.
Publication Date: 2014
Nuts to You by Lynne Rae Perkins (Illustrator) How far would you go for a friend? After surviving being carried off by a hawk, Jed, a young squirrel, resolves to find his way home, as his best friends, TsTs and Chai begin their search for him.
Publication Date: 2014
A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd The Pickles are new to Midnight Gulch, Tennessee, a town which legend says was once magic--but Felicity is convinced the magic is still there, and with the help of her new friend Jonah the Beedle she hopes to bring the magic back.
Publication Date: 2014

2015 Contenders - The Reading List

Here are the contenders for the 2015 BCS Mock Newbery award:

(COMING SOON: The Riverman by Aaron Starmer, Bird by Crystal Chan, & The Greenglass House by Kate Milford.

Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff
Publication Date: 2014
Ten-year-old Albie has never been the smartest, tallest, best at gym, greatest artist, or most musical in his class, as his parents keep reminding him, but new nanny Calista helps him uncover his strengths and take pride in himself.
Angel Island by Russell Freedman
Publication Date: 2014
Explores the lives and treatment of Asian immigrants detained at Angel Island Immigration Station in San Francisco, California, during the early twentieth century. Includes translations of poems carved by detainees into the walls in Chinese script.
Babe Conquers the World by Rich Wallace; Sandra Neil Wallace
Publication Date: 2014
Looks at the life and career of American athlete Babe Didrikson who had one driving goal: to become the greatest athlete who ever lived. Includes personal and professional photographs, quotes, a bibliography, and an index.
Bird by Crystal Chan
Publication Date: 2014
Twelve-year-old Jewel was born on the day her brother Bird died and lives in a house of silence and secrets, but a new boy in her Iowa town may help find the answers Jewel wants despite her Jamaican grandfather's warning that he is a "duppy," a malevolent spirit but Jewel knows that he is something more.
The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond by Brenda Woods
Publication Date: 2014
"A biracial girl finally gets the chance to meet the African American side of her family"--Provided by publisher.
Boys of Blur by N. D. Wilson
Publication Date: 2014
When his stepfather moves them to Taper, Florida, in the Everglades, twelve-year-old Charlie discovers a secret world hidden within the sugar cane fields, as well as new family connections and friendships.
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Publication Date: 2014
"The author shares her childhood memories and reveals the first sparks that ignited her writing career in free-verse poems about growing up in the North and South"--Provided by publisher.
Caminar by Skila Brown
Publication Date: 2014
In 1981 with the arrival of soldiers in his Guatemalan village, Carlos must flee and join a band of guerillas who head to the mountains where his grandmother lives to warn her about the soldiers.
The Castle Behind Thorns by Merrie Haskell
Publication Date: 2014
When Sand, a blacksmith's apprentice, wakes up in a broken castle, he must find a way to put it back together if he ever wants to leave.
Circa Now by Amber McRee Turner
Publication Date: 2014
"Eleven-year-old Circa Monroe has a knack for restoring old photographs. It's a skill she learned from her dad. After her dad dies tragically in a storm she begins to notice something strange about the photos she and her father retouched--the digital flourishes added to the old photos seem to exist in real life"--Provided by publisher.
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
Publication Date: 2014
Fourteen-year-old twin basketball stars Josh and Jordan wrestle with highs and lows on and off the court as their father ignores his declining health.
Curiosity by Gary Blackwood
Publication Date: 2014
In 1835, when his father is put in a Philadelphia debtor's prison, twelve-year-old chess prodigy Rufus Goodspeed is relieved to be recruited to secretly operate a chess-playing automaton named The Turk, but soon questions the fate of his predecessors and his own safety.
The Family Romanov by Candace Fleming
Publication Date: 2014
A gripping account of the history of Russia's last royal family, the Romanovs, and it's undoing. Using captivating photos and compelling first person accounts, award-winning author Candace Fleming (Amelia Lost; The Lincolns) deftly maneuvers between the imperial family's extravagant lives and the plight of Russia's poor masses.
Five, Six, Seven, Nate! by Tim Federle
Publication Date: 2014
In the sequel to Better Nate Than Ever, Nate Foster's Broadway dreams are finally coming true. Now on Broadway as second understudy for E.T., Nate Foster keeps in close contact with his best friend, Libby, as he faces his nemesis, Jordan Rylance, and his own insecurities as the cast member with the least training and experience.
The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm
Publication Date: 2014
Ellie's scientist grandfather has discovered a way to reverse aging, and consequently has turned into a teenager--which makes for complicated relationships when he moves in with Ellie and her mother, his daughter.
The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing by Sheila Turnage
Publication Date: 2014
"When Miss Lana accidentally buys a haunted inn at the Tupelo Landing town auction, Desperado Detectives--aka Mo LoBeau and her best friend Dale--opens up a paranormal division to solve the ghost's identity before the town's big 250th anniversary bash"--Provided by publisher.
Greenglass House by Kate Milford; Jaime Zollars (Illustrator)
Publication Date: 2014
At Greenglass House, a smuggler's inn, twelve-year-old Milo, the innkeepers' adopted son, plans to spend his winter holidays relaxing, but soon guests are arriving with strange stories about the house that send Milo and Meddy, the cook's daughter, on an adventure.
Half a Chance by Cynthia Lord
Publication Date: 2014
Lucy, with her mother and her photographer father, has just moved to a small rural community in New Hampshire, and with her new friend Nate she plans to spend the summer taking photos for a contest, but pictures sometimes reveal more than people are willing to see.
How I Discovered Poetry by Marilyn Nelson; Hadley Hooper (Illustrator)
Publication Date: 2014
Looking back on her childhood in the 1950s, Newbery Honor winner and National Book Award finalist Marilyn Nelson tells the story of her development as an artist and young woman through fifty eye-opening poems.
Josephine by Patricia Hruby Powell; Christian Robinson (Illustrator)
Publication Date: 2014
A portrait of the performer and civil rights advocate Josephine Baker.
The Nethergrim by Matthew Jobin
Publication Date: 2014
An evil force has been awakened from years of sleep and it is up to fourteen-year-old Edmund, an aspiring sorcerer, and his friends to stop it.
The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier
Publication Date: 2014
Irish orphans Molly, fourteen, and Kip, ten, travel to England to work as servants in a crumbling manor house where nothing is quite what it seems to be, and soon the siblings are confronted by a mysterious stranger and secrets of the cursed house.
Nightingale's Nest by Nikki Loftin
Publication Date: 2014
In this twist on "The Nightingale," Little John, despite his own poverty and grief, reaches out to Gayle, an unhappy foster child living next-door who sings beautifully and hides a great secret.
Nuts to You by Lynne Rae Perkins (Illustrator)
Publication Date: 2014
How far would you go for a friend? After surviving being carried off by a hawk, Jed, a young squirrel, resolves to find his way home, as his best friends, TsTs and Chai begin their search for him.
The Port Chicago 50 by Steve Sheinkin
Publication Date: 2014
An astonishing civil rights story from Newbery Honor winner and National Book Award finalist Steve Sheinkin. On July 17, 1944, a massive explosion rocked the segregated Navy base at Port Chicago, California, killing more than 300 sailors who were at the docks, critically injuring off-duty men in their bunks, and shattering windows up to a mile away. On August 9th, 244 men refused to go back to work until unsafe and unfair conditions at the docks were addressed. When the dust settled, fifty were charged with mutiny, facing decades in jail and even execution. This is a fascinating story of the prejudice that faced black men and women in America's armed forces during World War II, and a nuanced look at those who gave their lives in service of a country where they lacked the most basic rights.
Revolution by Deborah Wiles
Publication Date: 2014
"It's 1964 in Greenwood, Mississippi, and Sunny's town is being invaded by people from up north who are coming to help people register to vote. Her personal life isn't much better, as a new stepmother, brother, and sister are crowding into her life, giving her little room to breathe"--From publisher's description.
The Riverman by Aaron Starmer
Publication Date: 2014
Fiona Loomis claims she is visiting a parallel universe where a nefarious being called The Riverman is stealing the souls of children and the boy she asks to write her biography because she fears her soul may be next"--Provided by publisher.
Searching for Sarah Rector by Tonya Bolden
Publication Date: 2014
"Recounts the story of the 1914 disappearance of eleven-year-old Sarah Rector, an African American who was part of the Creek Indian people and whose land had made her wealthy, and what it reveals about race, money, and American society"--Provided by OCLC.
The Secret Hum of a Daisy by Tracy Holczer
Publication Date: 2014
"After 12-year-old Grace's mother's sudden death, Grace is forced to live with a grandmother she's never met. Then she discovers clues in a mysterious treasure hunt--one that will help her find her true home"--Provided by publisher.
Skies Like These by Tess Hilmo
Publication Date: 2014
While visiting her eccentric aunt who lives in Wyoming, twelve-year-old Jade befriends a boy who believes he is a descendant of Butch Cassidy.
A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd
Publication Date: 2014
The Pickles are new to Midnight Gulch, Tennessee, a town which legend says was once magic--but Felicity is convinced the magic is still there, and with the help of her new friend Jonah the Beedle she hopes to bring the magic back.
The Spy Catchers of Maple Hill by Megan Frazer Blakemore
Publication Date: 2014
Hazel Kaplansky and new student Samuel Butler investigate rumors that a Russian spy has infiltrated their small Vermont town, amidst the fervor of Cold War era McCarthyism, but more is revealed than they could ever have imagined.
Under the Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald
Publication Date: 2014
Her grandfather's dying words lead thirteen-year-old Theodora Tenpenny to a valuable, hidden painting she fears may be stolen, but it is her search for answers in her Greenwich Village neighborhood that brings a real treasure.
Upside down in the Middle of Nowhere by Julie T. Lamana
Publication Date: 2014
"At the end of August 2005, ten-year-old Armani is looking forward to her birthday party in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, where she and her extended family live, but Hurricane Katrina is on the way, bringing destruction and tragedy in its wake... Armani realizes that being ten means being brave, watching loved ones die, and mustering all her strength to help her family weather the storm." --Provided by publisher.
West of the Moon by Margi Preus
Publication Date: 2014
In nineteenth-century Norway, fourteen-year-old Astri, whose aunt has sold her to a mean goatherder, dreams of joining her father in America.
Zane and the Hurricane by Rodman Philbrick
Publication Date: 2014
Zane Dupree, a charismatic twelve-year-old boy of mixed race and his dog become trapped in New Orleans during the horrors of Hurricane Katrina.