The Stars of 2009

With the end of the year rolling up on us, I thought it was about high time I updated the highest reviewed books of 2009. As of this year there are six sources of reviews for Children's books: School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, The Horn Book, The Bulliton of the Center for Children's Books and Kirkus Reviews. My dirty little secret is that with my meager district budget, I can only justify paying for a subscription to one of the above. Most of the reviews can be found on-line. My other secret is that I mooch off the generosity of Kathy Baxter, who is willing to share her research with me. With Kirkus hitting the skids at the end of the year, the chances of a book garnering five stars is significantly decreased.

I have never done a comprehensive research project as to whether, come the ALSC January awards, any books have walked away with a shiny medal without at least garnering one starred review. I would sincerely doubt it. If you tend to have the ALSC awards on your brain as much as I do, it is worth taking note of those books that have made a reviewer (or at least three) sit up and take notice.

Beginning with the highest reviewed (5 stars), I have divided them into the sections they would occupy in my library. As I service a K-6 clientele, I have not included YA titles. Elizabeth Bluemle over at Shelftalker has done a lovely and comprehensive job of all YA and Children's titles. I'm cutting off at 3 stars as I do have other things on my schedule today. Some of my favorite books of the year did not get up to 3 stars, or any as a matter of fact. I will be sharing those with you soon (as infrequently as I get around to doing a post this may indeed be a hollow promise).

Also in a pointless burst of self-compitition I am giving myself a point for each book I have purchased for the library and 2 points for each one I have read.

Middle-Grade Fiction

WHEN YOU REACH ME. Rebecca Stead. (3 pts)

THE LOST CONSPIRACY. Frances Hardinge (1 pt)

SEASON OF GIFTS, A. Richard Peck (3 pts)

THE STORM IN THE BARN. Matt Phelan (3 pts)

Picture Books

THE LION & THE MOUSE. Jerry Pinkney (3pts, although do I really deserve points for a wordless book?)

Non-Fiction

MOONSHOT: THE FLIGHT OF APOLLO 11. Brian Floca. (3 pts)

MARCHING FOR FREEDOM: WALK TOGETHER, CHILDREN, AND DON'T YOU GROW WEARY. Elizabeth Partridge (1 pt)

CLAUDETTE COLVIN: TWICE TOWARD JUSTICE. Phillip Hoose (3 pts)

CHARLES AND EMMA: THE DARWINS' LEAP OF FAITH. Deborah Heiligman (1 pt)

Middle-Grade Fiction

THE EVOLUTION OF CALPURNIA TATE. Jacqueline Kelly (3 pts)

HEROES OF THE VALLEY. Jonathan Stroud (1 Pt)

Picture Books

THE MITTEN. Retold by Jim Aylesworth (1 pt, it is still en route)

HOOK. Ed Young (3 pts)

THE SNOW DAY. Komako Sakai (3 pts)

ALL THE WORLD. Liz Garton Scanlon. Illustrated by Marla Frazee. (2 pts, as much as I enjoy Frazee, I can't quite bring myself to purchase this greeting card sentiment wrapped up with stupendous illustrations)

THUNDER-BOOMER! Shutta Crum. Illustrated by Carol Thompson (3 pts)

YUMMY: EIGHT FAVORITE FAIRY TALES. Lucy Cousins. (3 pts)

Non-Fiction

SWEETHEARTS OF RHYTHM: THE STORY OF THE GREATEST ALL-GIRL SWING BAND IN THE WORLD. Marilyn Nelson. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney (0 pts, regardless of the stellar reviews I can't convince myself that my shelves or my students are in need of yet another book on the jazz age)

JOHN BROWN: HIS FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. John Hendrix. (1 pt)

BAD NEWS FOR OUTLAWS: THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF BASS REEVES, DEPUTY U.S. MARSHAL, by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson; illus. by R. Gregory Christie (1 pt)

THE FROG SCIENTIST. Pamela S. Turner. Illustrated with photos by Andy Comins (1 pt)

POETRY

BUTTON UP! WRINKLED RHYMES. Alice Schertle. Illustrated by Petra Mathers. (0 pts)

RED SINGS FROM TREETOPS: A YEAR IN COLORS. Joyce Sidman. Illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski. (3 pts)

Middle-Grade Fiction

WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON. Grace Lin. (2 1/2 pts, I have to confess that I'm dragging my way through this book. I don't question its brilliance, it is just a matter of not being my kind of book)

THE MAGICIAN'S ELEPHANT. Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Yoko Tanaka. (3 pts)

THE SMALL ADVENTURE OF POPEYE AND ELVIS. Barbara O’Connor. (3 pts)

BINKY THE SPACE CAT. Ashley Spires. (0 pts, it will be in my next order. It showed up late in the year)

ALL THE BROKEN PIECES. Ann E. Burg. (3 pts)

Picture Books

TSUNAMI! Kimiko Kajikawa. Illus. by Ed Young (3 pts)

PRINCESS HYACINTH: THE SURPRISING TALE OF A GIRL WHO FLOATED, by Florence Parry Heide. Illustrated by Lane Smith. (0 pts)

A BOOK OF SLEEP, by Ll Sung Na (0 pts, seemed a bit young for my gang)

LITTLE CHICK. Amy Hest. Illustrated by Anita Jeram. (0 pts)

BUBBLE TROUBLE. Margaret Mahy. Illustrated by Polly Dunbar. (3 pts)

CROW CALL. Lois Lowry. Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline (3 pts)

DINOTRUX. Chris Gall (3 pts)

ROBOT ZOT! Jon Scieszka. Illustrated by David Shannon. (3 pts)

BIRDS. Kevin Henkes. Illustrated by Laura Dronzek. (3 pts)

SOPHIE PETERMAN TELLS THE TRUTH! by Sarah Weeks. Illustrated by Robert Neubecker (0 pts, on order)

THE DUNDERHEADS. Paul Fleischman. Illustrated by David Roberts. (3 pts, I actually have this in my fiction section, it's one of those hard to place books)

HIGHER! HIGHER! Leslie Patricelli (3 pts)

CHICKEN LITTLE. Rebecca Emberley and Ed Emberley. (3 pts)

Non-Fiction

SCIENCE

WRITTEN IN BONE: BURIED LIVES OF JAMESTOWN AND COLONIAL MARYLAND. Sally M. Walker. (1 pts)

THE DAY-GLO BROTHERS: THE TRUE STORY OF BOB AND JOE SWITZER'S BRIGHT IDEAS AND BRAND-NEW COLORS. Chris Barton. Illustrated by Tony Persiani. (0 pts)

REDWOODS. Jason Chin. (3 pts)

HISTORY

WE TROUBLED THE WATERS. Ntozake Shange. Illustrated by Rod Brown. (0 pts)

A SAVAGE THUNDER: ANTIETAM AND THE BLOODY ROAD TO FREEDOM. Jim Murphy. (0 pts)

PHARAOH’S BOAT. David Weitzman. (1 pt)

YEARS OF DUST: THE STORY OF THE DUST BOWL. Albert Marrin. (0 pts)

TRUCE: THE DAY THE SOLDIERS STOPPED FIGHTING. Jim Murphy. (3 pts)

ALMOST ASTRONAUTS: 13 WOMEN WHO DARED TO DREAM. Tanya Lee Stone (0 pts)

MISSION CONTROL, THIS IS APOLLO: THE STORY OF THE FIRST VOYAGES TO THE MOON. Andrew Chaikin and Victoria Kohl. Illustrated by Alan Bean. (0 pts)

BIOGRAPHY

DARWIN. Alice B. McGinty. Illustrated by Mary Azarian. (0 pts)

GERTRUDE IS GERTRUDE IS GERTRUDE IS GERTRUDE. Jonah Winter. Illustrated by Calef Brown. (0 pts, will there ever be a need for children't biography of Gertrude Stien?)

CORETTA SCOTT. Ntozake Shange. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. (1 pt)

SOJOURNER TRUTH'S STEP-STOMPING STRIDE. Andrea Davis Pinkney. Illustrated by Brian Pinkney (1 pt)

ANNE FRANK: HER LIFE IN WORDS AND PICTURES. Menno Metselaar & Ruud Van der Rol. Translated by Arnold J Pomerans. (0 pts, I'm seriously considering this, as unlike jazz books, there seems to be no end to the Anne Frank books some kids crave to read)

YOU NEVER HEARD OF SANDY KOUFAX?! Jonah Winter. Illustrated by André Carrilho (0 pts)

POETRY

DINOTHESAURUS: PREHISTORIC POEMS AND PAINTINGS; written and illus. by Douglas Florian. (0 pts)

A FOOT IN THE MOUTH: POEMS TO SPEAK, SING, AND SHOUT. ed. by Paul B. Janeczko, illus. by Chris Raschka. (0 pts)

WHIFF OF PINE, A HINT OF SKUNK, A: A FOREST OF POEMS. Deborah Ruddell. Illustrated by Joan Rankin. (0 pts)

ORANGUTAN TONGS: POEMS TO TANGLE YOUR TONGUE. Jon Agee. (0 pts)

POINT TOTAL: 94 1/2 (I know - I made a shameful showing in the non-fiction events)

Mock Newbery Anyone?

Come January 18, 2010 the actual Newbery will be announced to the world at large, along with a passel of other awards. If you have ever dreamed of wielding a ghost of the power of the actual committee and live in Northern Utah join us for the first unofficial Mock Newbery of an as yet unnamed organization of Kid Lit enthusiasts.

We will be meeting at my School Library in Kaysville, 1095 Smith Lane, on January 16th, at 10:00 A.M.

At our first Kid Lit Pie Night Brooke and I hammered out a list of 6 books we thought should be on any rational list.

• Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose
  
• When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
  
• The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate Jacqueline Kelly
  
• Wild Things by Clay Carmichael
  
• All the Broken Pieces by Ann Burg
  
• Season of Gifts by Richard Peck

I realize this posting is coming a bit late for some of you, but you have the long winter break to do nothing but read, right? If you have trouble locating some of the books, let me know and I will hook you up. At this point in time all the titles with the exception of Wild Things and Claudette Colvin are tied up in the student mock Newbery we are holding here at our school. Upon last perusal my library was the only one in our district to have the Hoose book and our county library has yet to get it. Come on people! It won the National Book Award!