2022 Newbery Buzz #2: The One Thing You’d Save

We’ve begun our annual Newbery Buzz Series: a series we run each January in which we discuss books with “Newbery Buzz.” No one knows which books have real “Newbery Buzz,” which books the actual Newbery committee is seriously considering, but we think it’s valuable to take a closer look at the books our broader American culture is discussing. This year is the 100th anniversary of the Newbery Medal, so whoever wins this year will have a unique place in the canon!

Janie and Betsy Discuss: The One Thing You’d Save by Linda Sue Park

(If you’re unfamiliar with this book, check out Janie’s review for more information on The One Thing You’d Save.)

Betsy:  Janie, this book was fresh in my mind when I drove by a house that had just burned down. In fact, the firefighters were still out spraying, but the house was a mere shell at that point. I found myself thinking, “What would I have saved?”

That’s the question that a teacher poses in this book, and the story unfurls as different students ponder that question. What struck you the most as you read this book?

Janie: This might be the question every grownup has thought about. I recall asking it years ago to my sisters-in-law (I had four of them) as we were having lunch together. At that time I would have saved my one fiction manuscript—which, incidentally, was never published but that was before the days of personal computers and flash drives, so I only had one priceless copy!

The consensus among the rest was that they’d save their family pictures. Both those answers would be very different in these days of digital storage; most of us, I suspect, would grab our phones or laptops. And some of these kids in the story would, too. But most of their answers were unexpected and immediately made me wonder, “Why that?” I also wondered if Linda Sue Park had asked the question on one of her school visits, because many answers seem too quirky to be made up. Besides making us think about what we would save, what further value for middle-grade readers do you see in this book, Betsy? 

The One Thing You’d Save: Does It Work?

Betsy: One of the distinctive parts of this book is the structure: there are no speech attributions (i.e. no “and then Janie said,…” ). The reader can pick out the different voices, but the lack of speech tags lends more immediacy to the narrative. I imagine many middle-grade readers will find themselves musing over the connections they have with the various sentiments: who are the people in their lives that are worth commemorating and remembering? Several of the speakers reference grandparents and other family members that are special to them.

Other readers might start looking around their own rooms and musing over the objects they treasure: what do those really say about their priorities and interests? It’s a perfect book to trigger self-reflection.

But the different voices do something else, too: we get to “hear” so many different perspectives. Through that, we see some of the speakers re-evaluating their opinions, considering other people’s ideas and thoughts, and reacting to one another. That’s a huge part of middle school students’ growth and maturity, and this book effortlessly nudges readers towards that end.

The Newbery committee will be looking at whether this book is “distinctive” and that can include structure, plot, theme, and more. This book doesn’t have much of a plot. Do you think it’s truly distinctive?

Janie: On first reading, I found it rather lightweight. I’m glad I read it a second time—not just because it only takes about half an hour!

I appreciated what you noted, Betsy: that there are no speech tags or attributions, and the only way we know the teacher is talking is by a change in the font. In this novel, characters take a back seat to objects. That makes it truly distinctive. Of course, the objects matter because of what they mean to the characters, but focusing on things leads the readers to turn the question on themselves. Rather than speculating on this boy or that girl (and yes, a few of them do acquire names), the reader might find herself thinking, “Did my grandmother make something like that sweater for me?” “If I ever treasured an autograph from somebody famous, who would it be?” “Is there anything I might risk my life to save?” 

Would a real, actual middle-grader want to read this book? I think so—he might pick it up first because it’s an easy check mark on a reading list! The first few pages might be puzzling, but after three or four of the kids in Ms. Chang’s class ponder the question, it would be almost impossible for a reader not to find himself thinking and wondering about it too. You and I did the same! So have you come to a conclusion about what you would save? ?

The One Thing Janie and Betsy Would Save

Betsy: Ooh, that is such a hard question! Part of me wants to say, “My phone!” because there are SO many pictures on it. But you know what? In this day and age, the vast majority of those pictures (along with my contacts’ phone numbers) are in the cloud, and I can access them without my phone.

My great-grandmother’s wedding ring is pretty special to me. I wore it as my own wedding ring until about 3 years ago when I injured that finger. The scar tissue meant that my rings no longer fit. I got my engagement ring re-sized, but we wanted to keep my great-grandmother’s ring (and its engraving) intact, so I now wear a more generic wedding ring. The inside of her ring said, “Joe to Edith, January 18, 1911.” It’s more than 100 years old, and I’m thankful for the legacy of faithful, long-standing marriages in my family; my husband and I will celebrate 20 years this year, and my parents will celebrate 50 (and my in-laws just celebrated 50 years in 2021!).

What about you, Janie? What would you save?

Janie: What a beautiful memento, Betsy.

I guess I would have to be boring and practical and say my laptop. Most of my pictures are in the cloud but my documents aren’t. I’ve been a bit squirrelly about throwing everything into cyber space so I still have some unpublished stories, letters, and novels that I just might be able to do something with someday. You’d save a relic of the past; I would grab a hope of the future.

I’d like to see The One Thing You’d Save on the Newbery honor roll, but I think the chances are fairly slim. Linda Sue Park has won the gold medal once for A Silver Shard, and this book is probably not striking enough to capture a second win. What do you think? 

Betsy: Oh, I’d love to see it get some attention, too. I don’t think it has enough oomph to garner a win, but an honor would be lovely. Park has a gift for communicating such profound stories and truth in few words.

Readers, what do you think? Have you read The One Thing You’d Save? Are you hoping it wins a Newbery medal later this month? And… tell us in the comments what one thing YOU’D save!

Stay tuned for the rest of our series. We’ll be looking at several more “Newbery Buzz” books this month.