Many, maaaany years ago I toyed with the idea of reading all the Newbery winners AND honors. Since 2014 I've read the honors alongside the winners so it only seems right that I continue with more of the honors. One important note is that some of the older ones are proving difficult to find and as big a collector as I am... I have to know when to say no!
Working backwards the first stop was 2013 - with three honor winners.
Bomb: The Race to Build - and Steal - the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin
I didn't really find this one my cup of tea. WWII weaponry isn't generally my cup of tea and this book focuses hardcore on that area. I'd also read a MUCH more interesting account of the history of the creation of the atomic bomb from one of my favorite authors, Sam Kean. If you are an adult or young adult looking for a great read on this subject I'd pick up
The Bastard Brigade by Sam Kean - he writes by stringing a series of anecdotes into a cohesive and enjoyable narrative. I learned so much from that book that the dryer delivery of pretty much the same facts in this book negatively impacted my opinion. Perhaps good for students newly interested in the topic who don't mind the textbook delivery - but for me it is a definite pass.
Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage
Another mystery - these don't seem to pop up too often and this one was a fair addition, even if flawed. We have all the ingredients - small quirky town (a Southern one to boot!), a spunky protagonist, a murder/ robbery plot, and cops that can't solve a case faster than a couple kids on bicycles; for extra flavoring we have the small-town diner, amnesia, missing parents, and an approaching storm. You need to bring a heavy dose of suspension of disbelief with you to this book. I've always been sort of forgiving when it comes to kid investigators - but Mo and Dale are up against a genuine detective on the search for a murderer, to me it seems like all the adults in town should find this more concerning. However, the writing pulls the book along nicely - for all the kookiness of the characters we never get any absolute hijinks to endure. There are only a couple instances that could be cut from the story without issue. Even the twists seem well-earned and fresh - sure, I saw them coming but they were well set-up and paid-off.
Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz
So many people really love this book. I didn't. I felt that about half the text was fluff - and not even enjoyable fluff. This story is dreary and never really jumps the gap to creepy-town I feel required by the kiddie horror genre. Things that SHOULD be creepy are not quite written that way. I think if the author had trimmed 100 - 150 pages and pushed the creepy factor this would have been up there with Doll Bones and Coraline in the genre. I'm particularly saddened by my disappointment with this book since I loved her winning novel Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! so much. Oh well.
Soooooo.....
I felt that The One and Only Ivan beats any of these books to be the winner. I almost never hear these honor books mentioned around the internet, but Ivan is still going strong - showing up on many best of lists. In fairness Three Times Lucky spawned a series now four books strong.
Did any other books come out that year that hindsight tells us should have been honored? Glancing over the Wikipedia page of children's books published in 2012 two immediately jump out at me. The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis and Wonder by R.J. Palacio. Wonder especially has proven its staying power over the past nine years. Still, I feel that Ivan is a fine choice for the win.
