Josh’s Mock Newbery* 2011

Last year I successfully predicted the winner of the Newbery Medal. This year I tried again and I failed, but I read some interesting books along the way:

• When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (2010 Newbery Winner)

• The Dreamer by Pam Muñoz Ryan, Illustrated by Peter Sís (2011 Belpré Award Winner)

• Countdown by Deborah Wiles

• One Crazy Summer** by Rita Williams-Garcia (2011 Coretta Scott King Award Winner, Scott O’Dell Winner, National Book Award Finalist)

• The Kneebone Boy*** by Ellen Potter

• Moon over Manifest**** by Clare Vanderpool

*The real Newbery Medal is awarded annually by the American Library Association to “the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children” published in the past year. It is most often awarded for a work of fiction, but nonfiction titles are also eligible. According to the rules, these works may be of interest to young readers up to age 14. See the section below for the real winners.

**This was my prediction (not necessarily choice) for the 2011 winner. I was wrong, but close, because it did receive a Newbery Honor.

***If I were giving the 2011 Newbery, this is the book I would have chosen.

****This is the real winner of the real 2011 Newbery Medal. I did not read it until after it had won the award. (Actually, I hadn’t even heard of it.) It was a good choice.

And now for the actual winners…