Published by Katherine Tegen Books

Summary:  MJ is in a pretty dark place at the beginning of the story: she still can’t admit that her father passed away suddenly a few months ago, and the sixth-grade mean girls have convinced her not to pursue her passion for gymnastics.  So when she discovers that her elderly neighbor is a former luchador who runs a wrestling school, MJ is determined to learn the lucha libre wrestling that she and her father loved watching together on TV.  At Victory Academy, MJ finds friends, a surrogate grandfather, and a talent for lucha libre that surprises her.  But something isn’t right at the academy, and both the school and its loveable director Papi may be in danger.  It falls to MJ, the youngest student in the school, to discover what’s going on and set things right in a heart-stopping wrestling match.  288 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  Readers will connect with MJ’s sense of isolation and longing to belong somewhere as she begins middle school.  Those not familiar with lucha libre will learn plenty, and the final showdown between good and evil is fast-paced and unforgettable.

Cons:  Just like in a good wrestling match, you’ll have to suspend your disbelief a bit for the final showdown between good (MJ) and evil (the villain who is trying to close Victory Academy).

Published by Greenwillow

Summary:  Georgia is still recovering from the death of her artist father and sometimes feels like she needs a break from her best friend Theo, who was also close to her dad.  Theo is excited that sixth grade is the year that both of them can enter the student art competition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but Georgia isn’t sure how she feels about art anymore.  When her art historian mom starts working on an exhibit of her dad’s work at the Met, Georgia feels even more confused.  As she goes through the work her mom has left around their apartment, she finds a portfolio of sketches that her dad made of her, including one that may be the answer to a mystery surrounding a painting her father planned but never completed.  As she begins to reach out to friends and family and to share her grief, she recognizes that there are many different parts to her, and those who love her are okay with all of them.  352 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  Georgia is a protagonist with a lot of heart, and many readers will relate to her family and friendship issues, as will those who have some interest in the art world.  While I wouldn’t classify this as a mystery, Georgia did have an interesting puzzle to solve about her father’s work.

Cons:  I was hoping for more of an art-related mystery, a la Under the Egg or Chasing Vermeer.

Published by Clarion Books

Summary:  Meryl Lee is dealing with a huge loss in her life that has left her fighting against what she calls the Blank, the overwhelming grief she faces wherever she goes.  Her parents decide a change will be best for her, and send her to St. Elene’s Preparatory Academy for Girls on the coast of Maine for her eighth grade year.  Around the same time, a boy named Matthew Coffin finds his way to town, trying to escape his past.  In the course of a very eventful year, the two of them become friends and make important discoveries about themselves and the people around them.  Set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War era, many of the characters are affected by the events overseas.  Almost everyone is dealing with some sort of loss, but each of them finds a unique resilience to go on with life and to find the courage to love once again.  387 pages; grades 5-8.

Pros:  Gary D. Schmidt may be in line for another Newbery, Printz, and/or National Book Award recognition for this beautiful novel that references both The Wednesday Wars and Lizzie and the Buckminister Boy.  

Cons:  If you’re a fan of The Wednesday Wars, prepare yourself for some devastating news in the first chapter.

My five-year record is slightly better for Newbery than Caldecott: five out of 25 predictions. I love the title of my post in 2018: “Five books I’d like to get a Newbery–and why I am probably wrong about just about all of them” (I should have left out the “just about”). With all these lists, I always enjoy hearing your ideas in the comments!

King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender

Published by Scholastic

Having already won a Boston Globe/Horn Book Award and the National Book Award, King and the Dragonflies is likely to pick up a few more awards in January, including possibly the Newbery. It wasn’t a top favorite of mine, but I understand the book’s importance (middle grade novel with a gay black male protagonist), and I’d be remiss not to put it on my predictions list.

Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros

Published by Quill Tree Books

Ernesto Cisneros really hit one out of the park with his debut novel. Efrén is such a likeable, believable character, and his situation (undocumented parents, mom deported) is one all American kids should be aware of. I know this won’t influence the Newbery committee, but I love that cover! Also a likely contender for the Pura Belpré award.

When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

Published by Dial Books

The graphic memoir of two Somali brothers who spent much of their childhood in a Kenyan refugee camp…okay, I’ll admit it’s a long shot (especially when a graphic novel won the Newbery last year), but if I had to pick a favorite book from 2020, this would probably be it. And it was a National Book Award finalist, so one never knows.

We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly

Published by Greenwillow Books

Erin Entrada Kelly masterfully weaves together the three third-person voices of siblings Bird, Fitch, and Cash during the weeks leading up to the 1986 Challenger explosion. Kelly won the 2018 Newbery for Hello, Universe; personally I enjoyed We Dream of Space even more.

A Game of Fox & Squirrels by Jenn Reese

Published by Henry Holt and Co.

There were quite a few books dealing with child abuse this year, and if I’m being completely honest, probably Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley is a more likely winner. But there was something about Jenn Reese’s book that really won me over. Her approach to the subject was so unique, and the way she let the horror unfold, so subtle, that I’m choosing her for a place on my list.

Published by Random House Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Jake is your typical video-game-playing middle school slacker until he accidentally eats a jar of jelly beans…at least he thinks they’re jelly beans, but in reality they’re ingestible knowledge pills.  Suddenly, Jake knows all kinds of things that help him in every area of his life: school, basketball, and impressing his crush Grace Garcia.  Grace, Jake, and Jake’s best friend Kojo discover a plot to destroy their school as well as some buried treasure that may or may not be underneath the school building.  When they realize that evil vice principal Ms. Malvolio is after the same treasure, Jake has to use every bit of his brain power to try to beat her to the riches and save his school.  Includes several pages of brainteasers.  304 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  The author, the premise, the short chapters, the fast pace, the humor, and the eye-catching cover are all sure to appeal to reluctant and avid readers alike.  Book 2, Genius Camp, is due out in 2021.

Cons:  Nothing particularly original here, including the slacker white dude protagonist and his black sidekick (who even identifies himself as “the sidekick”).