Jacob Have I Loved, Newbery Winner 1981

We have a repeat author! Katherine Paterson also wrote Bridge to Terebithia which won in 1978. I'm kicking things into high gear, not only is the end nearer than ever before - but next year's winner will be the 100th Newbery book!

And we're off!

First off - this book is one that I had been putting off based solely on the title and cover art. So... melancholy. 

And those taglines??? So dramatic.

First, let's address that title. There is not a love interest named Jacob in this book that the sisters end up fighting over. It refers to a Biblical quote:

This one.

Jacob and Esau were twins - one of whom was clearly favored by God. The twins in this book are Sara Louise and Caroline Bradshaw- and I'm sorry but the rivalry was really one-sided, to the point that I couldn't even sympathize with the narrator, Sara Louise, most of the time. She goes on and on about how selfish and awful her sister is but really only once did Caroline do something even a little despicable. She also complains that her family doesn't love her as much - but I see a family that is trying their best to give their daughters what they deserve. Sara Louise is so jealous of her sister that SHE ends up hating and pushing others away from her. No one is pushing her away as this whole "Esau have I hated business would imply". I concede that her grandmother is kind of a jerk to her - but she is clearly beginning to suffer mentally and the rest of the family pays no mind to what she says. 

So yeah. I didn't care for the protagonist. But that is just the beginning. An old captain named Hiram returns to the island and becomes friends with Sara Louise and a boy named Call. During a hurricane Hiram stays with the Bradshaw family, later he and Sara Louise go to check his property only to discover it is completely gone. She gives him a hug and experiences a sexual awakening.

Sooooooooooo...... she spends a good chunk of the novel pining for Hiram - even while acknowledging that she is, at 14, too young for him. She refuses to visit him after he enters a marriage of convenience with a stroke patient. During this time Caroline and Call continue to visit the captain and his wife and become great friends. Later, the captain uses his inheritance to send Caroline to a conservatory to expand her amazing gifts as a singer. Call goes to war and Sara Louise remains on the island stubbornly refusing her parent's offer to attempt to enroll her in a mainland boarding school. She spends the next several years pining for the captain. Even as we learn that her grandmother also pined for him... but was too young and he left for college while she was still a young girl.

That's... massively uncomfortable.

But, in spite of not caring for the protagonist and being slightly skeeved out by the young girl desperate for the romantic affection of a 70+ year old man.... I liked the book. Why on earth do I still like it after all that? I guess that Katherine Paterson is just that good.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry; Newbery Winner 1977

This is another of those super popular books that I never read until doing this challenge. I read it right after returning home from my visit to Fairbanks (courtesy appendix) and right before the school burned down. I remember liking the book but I'll be perfectly honest in saying that a lot of that week got lost in the shuffle - really only one event is something I can recall with any sort of clarity.

Really, can this year just be over already?

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is about the Logan family - and what an amazing family they are. Books like this are always tough to read because of the explicit racism the characters deal with, especially children. Cassie Logan, the narrator, has a couple moments in particular that are really scary to sit through as you don't know how much her antagonist will overreact. Thankfully every member of the family comes through the story - despite some nail-biting moments.

So many events in this book make you angry - and every one of them seems like a big deal. The real horror lies in that, during this time period, the racist actions depicted are mostly micro-aggressions. Imagine a bus driver chasing children off the road every day (with the bus!) and those poor children just having to accept it! I was particularly pleased when the Logan kids gave him some comeuppance.

The climax of the book is really well-paced and suspenseful. In the end, you realize what has happened and are both shocked and relieved. This book delivered on the Newbery in a big way and I know I will have to read the other books in the series. This was the first book by Mildred D. Taylor that I ever read and I know it won't be the last! This challenge is helping me discover so many awesome authors!

2018 Newbery Line-Up

Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes is a fast read. Anyone looking to diversify their children's library would do well to pick it up. I thought it was lots of fun (as someone who does not really spend a lot of time on my hair). I think that once again the poetry is strong enough to hold up without the pictures but I they add so much! Such a fun tribute to a simple part of one's day - getting a haircut.

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds was excellent. I had just discovered his work the previous year with the amazing book Ghost. I was so sad that Ghost didn't get a Newbery but luckily his next bit of work did! I really love the Track Series (and I generally hate sports books!) but this book takes things to a whole other level! Pun intended. Will is on an elevator fully intending to go shoot someone in revenge but the elevator keeps stopping and someone gets on at every floor. Each new passenger has a story and advice. Probably one of my top ten favorite author's of the decade I strongly recommend his work.

Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson was a great story about what it means to be an artist. Jade struggles with her self-image in many ways and wants very badly to fit in. She is hurt and angry at being included in a program for at-risk girls in her school and only consents in order to appease adults telling her about all the opportunities it will grant her. She feels that she was selected based solely on race but has trouble conveying this. In the end she connects with her mentor and, even though she loses out on some of the opportunities she dreamed of, is able to make her mark on the world in a deeply meaningful way.

Which brings us to....

Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly- Winner of the 2018 Newbery Award

A story of friendship and coming of age. But like the best of the genre (not Criss Cross) it brings us really interesting, fleshed-out characters overcoming interesting obstacles. A couple of the characters are too quirky (and I've had problems with that before) but better to be too quirky than utterly boring. The classic bully character seems really well-written and has enough humanity in him to be real. The diverse cast of characters comes together in a natural way without ever being defined solely by their diversity but definitely having it be a part of who they are. This book of the four probably fits the Newbery age range the best. 

Overall a really great year my favorite, Long Way Down, was probably aimed at slightly older readers, as was my next favorite, Piecing Me Together. These books really deserved their honors and I'd have been thrilled if they won but I can see why the committee went with the slightly safer option of Hello, Universe.

Moon Over Manifest, Newbery Winner 2011

I've tried and tried... but there is still a mystery surrounding this book that I cannot solve. One of the requirements for earning the Newbery is publication within the previous year. Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool won in 2011, ergo it's publication date is 2010 - and several sources seem to agree on this point siting the date October 2010. However, other sources assert that it was published in May 1995. I'm having trouble figuring out where this earlier date came from. Was it an error that has been sited multiple times? a self-publishing run? a simple creation of copyright? If anyone knows please let me in on the secret! To be honest I fully believe that 1995 date because it reads more like a 90s children's book. It has that feel to it, so much so that when I began writing the post title I typed in 199 before heading off to check the year.

It reminds me so much both Holes and a movie called Split Infinity, both of which are favorable comparisons. Of course most of you will be familiar with Holes , but just in case here is my review of it from eons ago. If you are unfamiliar with Split Infinity it is a time-travel movie, check out the trailer...

It is really closer to Holes in that there isn't actual time travel - just super detailed segments of the story are set in the past. I found myself really enjoying this part of the story and longing to hear more. The actual main character, Abilene, isn't nearly so exciting to me as the story of Jinx - however I suspect that may have been intentional. I loved that there was an element of mystery tying both threads together, I felt like I always had to come back and unravel just a little bit more. In the end the mystery was satisfying and it kept me wondering long enough to be interesting. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys Holes or historical fiction.

Criss Cross, Newbery Winner 2006

Bluh. I didn't care for this book at all. A coming of age tale following 4 middle schoolers. I don't think that the content was my issue but rather the lack-thereof I read this a year ago and dash it all if the only thing I can remember is thinking it was too realistic. Things happen - that's the long and short of it.

Rifles for Watie, Newbery Winner 1958

Full disclosure - I started Rifles for Watie in college - it probably took me 5 years to actually pick it up and finish. I'm not really into the history surrounding the Civil War so I didn't have too much of a base of reference for some of this book but it was easy enough to keep up with.
The book is interesting in that it shows both the North and South in positive and negative shades. Our protagonist is all both sides at points (a spy and I believe injury?) and he has friends on both sides. Overall, a fine read if you are really interested in the Civil War, but not one I'd recommend otherwise.

The Complete 2020 Newbery Read-Through

2020 has been a year. I know that is technically true every year, but boy howdy is it especially true this year. I was able, for the first time ever, to buy (some of) the Newbery books the day they were announced thanks to my appendix.

Taking one for the team?

  

I had been experiencing pains that the clinic in Kaktovik thought, 'may be appendicitis, maybe not'. I flew in on Monday and went to the bookstore. I took myself Tuesday morning to a walk-in clinic in Fairbanks and proceeded to get bounced around town until I found myself checked in to the hospital because, yeah, it was appendicitis. I had the foresight to bring the books with me and finished three out of four honor books by Wednesday. I spent the next week preparing for our school's Battle of the Books and planned to read the last honor book plus the winner and be done by the 10th.... Except on the 7th the school burned down. What I'm trying to say is I hope 2020 gets better because I don't much like the options for getting worse.* Anyhow, you aren't here for a soap opera - you're here for the books, and honestly - they're some great ones!


*See, Katie, this is why you shouldn't put off finishing your blog posts.

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

A free verse book that was a very quick read. The story begins in Syria where Jude lives with her parents and older brother. When tensions begin to rise Jude's brother joins the underground revolution while she and her pregnant mother travel to the USA to seek asylum with her uncle. She begins attending the same school as her cousin and gradually adjusting to life in the US, but she struggles with feeling like she belongs, eventually meeting another Muslim girl close to her age that also chooses to wear a hijab. Just as Jude is beginning to feel comfortable the news of a terrorist attack upsets her new life. She witnesses and is subject to overt racism, making her feel scared and lonely. By the end she has found her voice and made several friends, though her future is still uncertain she manages to look forward with hope and excitement.

Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams
A tough read, this book touches on heavy topics such as racism, addiction, poverty, and self-loathing; this deeply touching story hits all the perfect notes. Genesis is an only child with an alcoholic gambling-addict father and a mother at the end of her rope. The story opens with Genesis finding all her possessions out by the curb and the house locked up with a large eviction notice. Her father has failed once again to pay the rent. Humiliated because some kids from school witnessed, Genesis adds to her list of things she hates about herself. She believes her father's addictions are because she has very dark skin, like him, instead of lighter brown like her mother. She tries many times to find ways to lighten her skin - even if it may prove dangerous. Her father convinces someone to let them rent a big house in the suburbs where Genesis attends a new school full of rich families. In another story about finding your voice Genesis is encouraged by the choir teacher to pour her feelings into her singing abilities.

The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
A picture book but so, so powerful. In the past I've mentioned that it can be hard to justify picture books because the Newbery is awarded for just the writing, but I'm happy to report that this book's writing easily stands on its own. However, The Undefeated also won the Caldecott so you know that this book is bringing the whole package! Honestly, it is short enough that everyone should read it if they are able, but I'm also going to link the author reading this as a stand-alone poem.

Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker
Children's horror is back. While not the scariest book I've ever read it certainly tried to live up to the title. This is a collection of short stories following the adventures of two young foxes trying to make their way in a world that seems stacked against them. The first story has kits getting attacked by a rabid fox and let's just say it doesn't really go uphill from there until you reach the very end. Just the right dose of scary and uplifting, you feel genuinely glad whenever the foxes overcome a hurdle and hold your breath when they are set back.

New Kid by Jerry Craft
This year's winner is *drumroll please* A GRAPHIC NOVEL!!! It is happening people, a graphic novel has won the highest award that a children's book (published in the US) can win, soon more and more people will have to admit that this genre is real literature. Jordan makes it into a prestigious academy on scholarship. Jordan feels out of place being one of the few African-American students in his new school. He works hard at fitting in, wondering how much the environment is changing him. He makes friends and even finds himself standing up for what is right despite feeling nervous. Overall a great read and well worth winning.



Final thoughts:
I think that my favorite book from the batch was 'Other Words for Home' but honestly they were all great reads. I think only 'Scary Stories for Young Foxes' is the book I wouldn't want to see as the winner. There is a definite thread of belonging and overcoming racism running through these stories which I feel is certainly a reflection on what is happening in the world recently, as I've said before the Newbery does not exist in a vacuum and quite often reflects what was happening at the time.