Every year, real committees of librarians work extremely hard to read piles and piles of children's books published in the United States to pick winners of the most prestigious children's book awards: the Newbery Medal and the Caldecott Medal. Books in these categories are judged by a number of criteria to see which books distinguishes themselves above all the rest. Books that win these awards are read by kids, teachers, librarians and parents for many years to come!
Lots of librarians love to predict which books will win these prestigious awards. On December 18, a group of librarians at CPL got together to decide which books from the past year might be the big winners at the American Library Association announcements of the Youth Media Awards in January. We read and discussed a fantastic set of books before voting on our winners.
Mock Caldecott
This category honors illustrators.
Our winner is: Fireworks illustrated by Catia Chen: It's a hot summer night in the city. With illustrations in blue, white and hot pink, you can feel how hot the summer day is and the excitement when it turns to night. Turn the pages to experience a bright fireworks show for all, without the loud noises that can
Honor Books:
Every Monday Mabel written and illustrated by Jashar Ashwan: Most adults hate Mondays but for Mabel, it's the best day of the week. She grabs a chair and breakfast and heads out to wait for every kid's favorite truck, the garbage truck! The truck is the star here, thanks to Ashwan's bold illustrations.
Popo the Xolo illustrated by Abraham Matias: Nana and her beloved dog set out for an unconventional adventure. The bright colors and dimensionality of the paper-cut artwork are so enticing, leading readers through the levels of Mictlān with the faithful Popo by her side, encouraging both Nana and the reader to take this important journey together.
Mock Newbery
And our winner is: The Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli by Karina Yan Glaser: Immerse yourself in two worlds in this book about two tweens venturing on exciting, unknown adventures to help their families! Han Yu lives in 731 C.E. China, selling steamed buns with his father. Luli lives in Chinatown, NY in 1931, dreaming of her future at her parent's restaurant. See how their stories connect in this epic novel, written in easy-to-read short chapters.
Honor Books:
Blood in the Water by Tiffany D Jackson: YA author Jackson wrote a phenomenal murder mystery for tweens this year! Head to Martha's Vineyard with Kaylani to see how sharks, crushes, incarcerated parents and institutional racism weave together seamlessly to give readers of all ages a very intriguing mystery to solve.
The Trouble With Heroes by Kate Messner: Finn Connelly's summer is about to get much much worse. He's mad about his dad dying, and somehow kicking the wrong headstone in the cemetery has got him hiking 46 Adirondack Peaks with a bunch of old people and a dog that's not his. Fortunately for Finn, it solves a few problems even if he isn't that into it at first. Hike along with Finn through poetry and text messages in this incredible novel that addresses grief, growth and small towns.
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