Newberry and Caldecott Award Winners

Well, my computer has been down for three days, so I spent most of that reading and watching movies. I am always interested in books that receive all the big awards, kinda like the oscars. I enjoy seeing who wins and then I scream, "Oh my god, that won.. It's awful. I just don't see that at all." I do the same thing with books. I am always surprised about who wins the Caldecott and the Newberry Awards and this year is no exception.

The Newberry Award is given to the best children's book for the previous year. This year's winner is Criss Cross by Lynn Rae Perkins. I read this book and for the most part was disappointed. The main characters are 14 years olds who are at crossroads in their lives. Children's books, IMHO, don't have 14 year ol characters. The book is told from the point of view of each character. The interesting thing about the book is that the author uses many different forms of writing; poems, letters, newpaper articles. It would be a great books to use to teach genre writing for a seventh grader and above. But a children's book, I think not.

The Caldecott Award is given to the best illustration in a children's book for the previous year. This years winner is The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norman Justus. I read this book and loved the story, but the pictures.... Ick. It looked like the illustrator has drawn the people and then thrown pastels at the drawings. The story is about a window at a little girl's grandparents house and how the window connect sher grandparents to the world. Great story.. Pictures disappointing.

It amazes me how some people love a particular book and some one else hates it. We always need to remember that what the reader brings to the reading of the book is so important.. Good lesson for all readers.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Great authors are great authors regardless of their intended audience. Kate DiCamillo is a great author. I just finished The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Fantastic book. there are so many teaching points to this book that a teacher could probably spent all semester teaching with this book. Literary elements glore can be found in this book; Author studies, comparisions between Edward Tulane and the Velveteen Rabbit, voice, and first person narration are just a few..There is even a great journal topic taken from a quote form this book"How can a story end happily if there is no love?" Great topic.

Edward Tulane is a china rabbit who is owned by a girl named Abilene, who loved him dearly and treated him with the utmost respect and care. One day, Edward is lost and goes on a remarkable journey and recieves a miracle; the miracle of love.

Cut

I don't do pain.. I am a wimp... I can't understand people who enjoy self inflicted pain. Cut by Patricia McCormick is the story of Callie who is a cutter. Callie also doesn't talk to anyone either, especially her therapist at Sea Pines, where her parents sent her after discovering she cuts herself. Callie becomes involved with the other guests at Sea Pines,finds her voice, and confronts the demons that are haunting her.

This was a good book to read, but I sure would not have wanted to live this life. Callie is a teenager with no hope and blames herself for everything. The sad thing about this book is that I am sure that there are many teens out there who feel exactly the same way.

Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia

I read kid books. I read young adult books. Not just because it is my job to know what is out there, but there is a lot of great kid and ya books being published. They tell a great story, have wonderful characters, and weave magic in hearts and souls. I read one yesterday that captured me.
I read a newspaper review about this book and decided I definitely had to read this one. Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia by Barbara O'Connor was such an enjoyable read. Bird is an outcast, she has no friends in Freedom, Georgia. She has two goals in life: one is to get noticed in Freedom and the second is to go to Disney World. Bird might get her chance to reach both goals in one shot. Her school decided to participate in a statewide spelling bee. The only drawback is that each participant must have a partner and no one will ever ask Bird, so she must find a partner. She asks Harlem, another social outcast in Freedom, to be her partner. Harlem finally agrees to be her partner and if they study hard enough, Bird might get everything she has ever wanted.

Size 12 in not Fat

Size 12 is Not Fat is the newest book by author Meg Cabot. I like Meg Cabot. Whether she is telling a story of Princess Meg or her newest recurring character, Heather Wells, I know I will be getting a funny and enjoyable read. Heather Wells, former rock star, now wears a size 12. Since her recent weight gain, she has lost her boyfriend, her pop idol life , her recording contact and her money( her mother took her money and went to Argentina). However, things are looking up because she has a new job as the assistant dorm director at one of New York's finest colleges. Everything is going great until a dead body is found at the bottom of the elevator shaft.
The cops and college president are willing to write it off as an accident, but not Heather. She knows college girls and ... girls do not elevator surf. No one wants to listen, so Heather becomes girl detective.

Great book and I am looking forward to the next one in the series.. Slated for publication in January 2007. :-0