At this time of year, many libraries let their staff or patrons or both vote for the books they believe should win the next Newbery and Caldecott medals. You can find the results of these contests by searching for “mock Newbery” and “mock Caldecott” awards, though most posts may not appear until closer to the Jan. 26 announcement of the winners. Another a great source of leads is the Fuse #8 blog written for School Library Journal by Elizabeth Bird, a former Newbery judge and longtime children’s librarian at the Donnell Central Children’s Room of the New York Public Library system. Bird seems to see almost all of Newbery candidates — far more than most critics do — so her posts are unusually comprehensive and authoritative. She also writes in an engaging style that makes her blog fun to read.
Update on Jan. 23: Bird makes more Newbery and Caldecott predictions at www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1790000379/post/1640034164.html.
© 2009 Janice Harayda. All rights reserved.
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