In case you haven’t been keeping track, for the last two years I’ve predicted the Newbery honor books, but the actual medalist has not made my list.  I have a funny feeling I’m not getting it right at all this year.  It just didn’t seem like there was a lot of Newbery caliber, and some of the authors I’ve picked already have a medal of some color.

Wishtree by Katherine Applegate.  Published by Feiwel and Friends.

Feels like a bit of a long shot to me, but it’s a beautiful story with a timely message, and it has a lot of younger kid appeal, which, as an elementary librarian, I appreciate.  Link to Amazon

 

The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.  Published by Dial Books.

One of my two favorite middle grade novels of the year.  But will the committee give an award to a sequel of an honor book?  Link to Amazon.

 

Patina by Jason Reynolds.  Published by Atheneum.

Last year, I was hoping Ghost would win.  This year, I am hoping Patina will win.  Next year, I may be hoping Sunny will win (due out in April, 2018).  Link to Amazon.

 

Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder.  Published by Walden Pond Press.

A beautifully written, mysterious story of orphan children living on an mist-shrouded island.  I am still hoping there is a sequel that answers some of my questions. Link to Amazon.

 

Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk.

My other favorite middle grade novel of 2017.  Lauren Wolk was just honored last year for the equally good Wolf Hollow.  Will she do it again?  All will be revealed on the morning of February 12.  Link to Amazon.

 

 

 

This is how I feel at this time of year: after reviewing six books a week for the last year, I keep seeing lists of “the best of 2017” and realizing how many books I DIDN’T get to read this year.  I’m resisting the urge to hole up all week and try to fit in as many of those books as I can!  This week I’ll be posting my own “best of” lists; then I’m going to take a few weeks off in January to catch up on some non-blog reading and let the 2018 books start to pile up.

As always, I’d love to hear from any followers about how Kids Book a Day has helped you this year, what you’d like to see here in 2018, or just a general hello.  I look forward to another year of reading and sharing books, and I wish each one of you the best in the year ahead!

I just learned that Feedspot named this blog one of their top 100 Children’s Book blogs for the year (I’m #64).  They gave me a shiny gold badge to put on the sidebar of the blog– check it out!  You can click on it to see the full list of all 100 blogs.  I have no idea what Feedspot is…please leave a comment or email me if you know!

I was fortunate enough to get a Baker and Taylor grant to attend the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Conference in Phoenix, Arizona this year.  I’m leaving tomorrow morning and will be back Saturday night, so I’m taking a short vacation from the blog.  Don’t worry, I have a stack of books to read on the plane, and will be up and running again no later than next Monday.  Is anyone else going to AASL?  Let me know, and maybe we can meet up!

I’ve recently signed up with the Amazon Affiliate program, and will be including a link to Amazon at the bottom of each review.  I’ve added links to my last four reviews, and hope to (eventually) add them to other previous reviews.  If you click on the link, then buy the book from Amazon, I get 4% of the sale.  Blog design is not my specialty (I’m sure you’ve noticed), and I’m sure there’s some more aesthetically pleasing way to incorporate this link, but this is my best attempt for now.  I’m still learning about this process, so if anyone has any helpful hints, I’d appreciate them.  Please feel no obligation to shop through my blog, but if you are planning to buy a book, thanks for clicking on the link!

I am excited to be attending the AASL conference in Phoenix this November.  If anyone else is going to be there, I’d love to meet up!  Also, I am staying in an AirBnB about a mile and a half from the conference.  It’s a two room guest house, so plenty of room for someone else if you’re in need of an inexpensive place to stay.  Email me at jkdawson115@gmail.com if you want to talk more.

After a full weekend of commencement exercises last weekend (my daughter), and another graduation coming up next weekend (my nephew), I am taking a break for the next three days.  Enjoy the long weekend, and I’ll be back on Tuesday!

Happy new year!  I’ve enjoyed having the month of January off, but am ready to get back to work!  I’ve started reading 2017 books, and will start reviewing them tomorrow morning.

Thank you for all your messages!  I got many emails and comments, and it was gratifying to hear how many people out there are using the reviews on this blog to choose books for kids, whether it’s for a library, classroom, or family.

As many suggested, I may slow down the pace, possibly taking a day or two off each week, and going on an occasional vacation.

What did I read in January?  I finished up some 2016 books, like Slacker by Gordon Korman, I Am Jazz by Jazz Jennings, and Life in Motion by Misty Copeland.  I was planning on posting reviews of these, but I spilled water on my laptop, and am pretty sure the reviews I wrote are gone.  I recommend all three, although read I Am Jazz first if you’re planning to put it in a school library.

While I was gone, ALA announced all its award winners.  What did you think?  I was pretty happy overall, although I was disappointed The Wild Robot and Some Writer! didn’t get any recognition.

Well, onto 2017!  I do enjoy hearing from you, so feel free to comment or email me (jkdhamilton@gmail.com) any time.

 

 

I’ve been posting daily book reviews since February 20, 2015, and I’m ready for a break.  I love doing this blog, but as you can imagine, it’s time-consuming to read and review a book every day.  For the last few weeks, I’ve been thinking about shutting down, but I’m not ready to call it quits for good.

I’ve decided to take the month of January off.  It’s a good time, since I’ve read and reviewed most of the 2016 books I want to, and it will be a few weeks until I can start getting my hands on 2017 books.  I’ll use the time off to decide whether or not I’ll continue reviewing in 2017, and get back to you no later than February 1.

In the meantime, I’d love to hear feedback about the blog, so please feel free to leave a comment or email me at jkdhamilton@gmail.com.  Thank you so much for reading my reviews, and I will be back in a few weeks!

In case a book review a day isn’t enough for you, I’m now reviewing books for Boston Parents Paper blog.  To see this month’s column, go to http://www.bostonparentspaper.com, scroll down to “Halloween Spooktacular!”, then click on “Best Kids Books for Halloween”.  (It’s under my other name, Janet Dawson).