Countdown to ALA Newbery Winners!

Many schools and libraries put together Mock Newbery Award book clubs, rallying their students to read the books that are getting “winner buzz” each year and then putting together discussion groups to talk about the books they’ve read.

In December or January, ballots are assembled and the students can vote on their favorites and see which book “won” that year’s Mock Newbery Award. Sound like fun? It is!

Here are a few links for more information to get started at your school:

Newbery Book Club

Eva Perry Mock Newbery

ACPL Mock Newbery and General Children’s Book Site

If you’re on Goodreads, there is a forum filled with librarians, teachers and readers, who discuss books all year long as books are published. They discuss the pros and cons about each title’s potential as a Newbery Medal contender.

I’ve often learned about new books that I’ve missed, and I enjoy the conversation about good books in these forums.

Newbery 2014 Discussion Groups on Goodreads (all the boards are at this link and it’s super easy to join – just one click at the top left!)

In case you’ve been a bit swamped with lesson plans or life (who isn’t?!), here are a few of the books (down below!) folks have been buzzing about all year long as potential Newbery winners. (We’re focusing on the Newbery since this is a Middle-Grade Savvy Site. Of course, all the awards from Picture Books through the Young Adult Printz Award are at the links below.)

Let us know which are your favorites for the 2014 Newbery Medal, and don’t forget to watch the ALA Newbery Broadcast next Monday, January 27th. (This link takes you to a full page from ALA with all the info and details!)

Information about how to log in and watch it LIVE is right here: Live ALA Youth Media Awards Broadcast (This is a direct link to the *live* broadcast Monday morning at 8:00 a.m. ET).

Just a *few* titles – and there is NO predicting what will happen!

Kimberley Griffiths Little’s next Middle Grade novel, THE TIME OF THE FIREFLIES, will publish July, 2014 by Scholastic. (Her Young Adult debut, FORBIDDEN, launches November 2014 with Harpercollins). You can find her hanging out a lot on Facebook. Enjoy Teacher’s Guides, Mother/Daughter Book Club Guides, and “filmed on location” book trailers at her website.

Kimberley Little