Newbery Buzz
2024 Newbery Buzz #5: Hope in the Valley by Mitali Perkins
By Betsy Farquhar |
It’s no secret to long-time RR readers that we love Mitali Perkins (*and* her books). We’ve reviewed nearly all of them to date, from picture ...
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2024 Newbery Buzz #4: Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow
By Hayley Morell |
Simon Sort of Says was longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. Could it win the Newbery? We're continuing our long-running Newbery ...
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2024 Newbery Buzz #3: The Puppets of Spelhorst
By Megan Saben |
Kate DiCamillo's very first book won a Newbery honor, and she has won two Newbery medals on top of that. Is The Puppets of Spelhorst ...
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2024 Newbery Buzz #2: Nothing Else But Miracles by Kate Albus
By Betsy Farquhar |
Traditionally, the Newbery Medal has been awarded to many historical fiction novels. That trend has shifted a bit in recent years. Today, we're looking at ...
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2024 Newbery Buzz #1: A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat
By Betsy Farquhar |
A First Time For Everything has already won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. Could it also win the Newbery? We're kicking off ...
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2023 Newbery Buzz #5: I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
By Betsy Farquhar |
I Must Betray You is one of those novels that straddles the line between Newbery age ranges and Printz age ranges. Will it get some ...
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2023 Newbery Buzz Roundup #2: Frizzy, How to Build a Human, and Attack of the Black Rectangles
By Janie Cheaney |
The American Library Association will announce the winners of its very influential Youth Media Awards, headed by the Newbery and Caldecott. Since we can't help ...
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2023 Newbery Buzz #4: Jack Zulu
By Betsy Farquhar |
Does an independently published novel like Jack Zulu have what it takes to win the Newbery? We're back with Newbery Buzz Discussion #4 for 2023. ...
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2023 Newbery Buzz #3: Northwind
By Janie Cheaney |
Might Gary Paulsen's last novel be a sentimental favorite for Newbery recognition? The State of Nature Betsy: Janie, this is only the second Paulsen book ...
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Newbery Roundup #1: Freestyle, Swim Team, and Maizy Chen’s Last Chance
By Janie Cheaney |
Three novels for middle-grades that may be under consideration for this year's top prize Freestyle by Gale Galligan. Graphix; (Scholastic), 2022, 322 pages. (Ages 10-14) ...
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2023 Newbery Buzz #2: The Door of No Return
By Janie Cheaney |
Back for our second buzz, Janie and Betsy talk over a troubling but moving verse novel. Out of Africa Janie: Kwame Alexander scored a gold ...
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2022 Newbery Buzz #5: Cuba in My Pocket
By Janie Cheaney |
Cuba in My Pocket (see our review) appears on many Newbery favorites lists right alongside Fallout, the book Megan and Betsy mulled over yesterday. In ...
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2022 Newbery Buzz #4: Fallout
By Betsy Farquhar |
Our annual Newbery Buzz Series is a series we run each January in which we discuss books with "Newbery Buzz." That is, books we've heard ...
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2022 Newbery Buzz #3: Gone to the Woods
By Janie Cheaney |
Today Betsy and Janie will take a closer look at Gone to the Woods, a memoir by prolific author Gary Paulsen. Paulsen has been a ...
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2022 Newbery Buzz #2: The One Thing You’d Save
By Betsy Farquhar |
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 ...
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2022 Newbery Buzz #1: The Beatryce Prophecy
By Betsy Farquhar |
It's time for our annual Newbery Buzz Series: a series we run each January in which we discuss books with "Newbery Buzz." That is, books ...
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2021 Newbery Buzz #6: Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk
By Janie Cheaney |
We wrap up our Newbery Buzz series for this year with a discussion of Echo Mountain a historical novel set during the Great Depression. Joining ...
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2021 Newbery Buzz #5: Stamped by Jason Reynolds.
By Janie Cheaney |
Continuing our discussion of possible Newbery winners, we pick up a book that has everybody talking: Janie: Betsy, there are two books that I think ...
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2021 Newbery Buzz #4: Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri
By Janie Cheaney |
We've been scanning the starred review lists and listening in on the chatter to tell you about the likely Newbery contenders for this year. So ...
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2021 Newbery Buzz #3: Skunk and Badger
By Megan Saben |
We’re continuing our annual “Newbery Buzz” series today with round #3 for 2021. (We have already discussed Chirp and King and the Dragonflies earlier this ...
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2021 Newbery Buzz #2: Chirp and The List of Things That Will Not Change
By Betsy Farquhar |
We're continuing our annual "Newbery Buzz" series today with round #2 for 2021. (We discussed King and the Dragonflies earlier this month.) As a reminder, ...
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2021 Newbery Buzz #1: King and the Dragonflies
By Janie Cheaney |
Betsy: Readers, we’re kicking off our annual Newbery Buzz discussion series with a book that has already garnered a major award: King and the Dragonflies, ...
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2020 Newbery Buzz #5: Look Both Ways
By Janie Cheaney |
Since his first novel was published in 2014, Jason Reynolds has been on an upward trajectory—deservedly so, for the most part. He was just named ...
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2020 Newbery Buzz #4: My Jasper June and Pay Attention, Carter Jones
By Janie Cheaney |
The American Library Association Youth Media awards will be announced in two weeks, and you can be sure the conversation is hot and heavy among ...
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2020 Newbery Buzz #2: New Kid and Guts
By Betsy Farquhar |
Every January, we love to discuss the merits (or demerits) of books we’ve seen getting “Newbery buzz” in the broader children’s literature world. The actual ...
Read More 2020 Newbery Buzz #1: Beverly, Right Here and Coyote Sunrise
By Janie Cheaney |
Every year at this time, children's book websites brim with speculation about what books will win or place in the American Library Association's Youth Media ...
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2019 Newbery Buzz #7: The Girl Who Drew Butterflies by Joyce Sidman
By Betsy Farquhar |
The Girl Who Drew Butterflies is a truly beautiful work of art, isn’t it, Megan? For readers who haven’t seen this gem yet, the book chronicles ...
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2019 Newbery Buzz #6: Cardboard Kingdom
By Janie Cheaney |
Cardboard Kingdom (Knopf, 2018) bounced to the top of the book-review radar the moment it was released, and soon after tallied an impressive 5 starred ...
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2019 Newbery Buzz #5: The Parker Inheritance
By Janie Cheaney |
The Parker Inheritance, the latest by Varian Johnson, is a different sort of book from his light-hearted, fun middle grades heist novels (see The Great ...
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2019 Newbery Buzz #4: The Faithful Spy
By Janie Cheaney |
Janie and Megan talk over one of the most impressive books we read this year: The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoffer and the Plot to Kill ...
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2019 Newbery Buzz #3: Sweep by Jonathan Auxier
By Betsy Farquhar |
Janie, Hayley, and Betsy team up to (virtually) discuss Sweep by Jonathan Auxier: does it have what it takes to win a Newbery? We discuss themes, ...
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2019 Newbery Buzz #2: The Book of Boy
By Janie Cheaney |
Janie: The Book of Boy is one of the more unusual middle-grade novels to appear this year. The main character is (not surprisingly) Boy, a ...
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Newbery Roundup – The Books We Didn’t Love (Part Two)
By Janie Cheaney |
Continuing our series from last Friday about children's books seen as contenders for the ALA's coveted Newbery medal. The Truth As Told by Mason Buttle ...
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Newbery Roundup – The Books We Didn’t Love (Part One)
By Janie Cheaney |
Then end of the year is the beginning of buildup to the annual American Library Association (ALA) “Youth Media Awards,” culminating in the announcement of ...
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2019 Newbery Buzz #1: The Season of Styx Malone
By Janie Cheaney |
It’s that time again! Children’s book titles are pouring into every librarians’ website as the kidlit community speculates on who will win Newbery gold this ...
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The 2018 ALAYMA Results: Redeemed Reader Reacts
By Betsy Farquhar |
Hot off the press! The Newbery, Caldecott, Coretta Scot King Awards and more were announced this morning. We've made our predictions, and now Betsy offers ...
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Prognosticating the 2018 Newberys
By Betsy Farquhar |
We're posting our best guesses for the 2018 ALA Youth Media Awards just a half hour before the awards ceremony begins. And then I (Betsy) ...
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2018 Newbery Buzz #5: Real Friends and All’s Faire in Middle School
By Betsy Farquhar |
It's our final Newbery Buzz of the 2018 season. Betsy and Alysha discuss two graphic novels for this last round. Graphic Novels as Newbery Winners? ...
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2018 Newbery Buzz #4: One Last Word and I’m Just No Good at Rhyming
By Betsy Farquhar |
Betsy, Megan, and Janie continue our Newbery Buzz discussions with One Last Word and I'm Just No Good At Rhyming, poetry books that are quite different from ...
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2018 Newbery Buzz #3: Refugee
By Janie Cheaney |
Janie and Pamela continue our Newbery discussions with Refugee, a novel that carries political significance as well as literary value. Ages 12-15. Janie: Alan Gratz ...
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2018 Newbery Buzz #2: Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder
By Betsy Farquhar |
We're back for our second Newbery Buzz discussion of 2019. Last week, Hayley and Janie discussed Tumble and Blue. This week, Hayley and I (Betsy) discuss Orphan ...
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2018 Newbery Buzz #1: Tumble & Blue by Cassie Beasley
By Janie Cheaney |
It’s that time of year again! The American Library Association Youth Media Awards will be announced on Monday, Feb. 12, including the coveted Newbery Medal. ...
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2017 Newbery Buzz: Some Writer! and Snow White
By Betsy Farquhar |
Historically—and overwhelmingly—the Newbery Award has graced the covers of fictional prose novels. And yet, even “back in the day,” there were some outliers. Nancy Willard’s A ...
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2017 Newbery Buzz: Ghost and Booked
By Janie Cheaney |
Janie: Last Friday, we discussed two middle grade novels that were filled with sadness. Today we turn to a couple of sports-related novels by authors ...
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2017 Newbery Buzz: Pax and Wolf Hollow
By Betsy Farquhar |
January is Newbery month—that is, when the American Library Association holds their annual winter conference, the highlight of which is the ALA Youth Media Awards. ...
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Newbery Buzz Discussion Series
By Betsy Farquhar |
We love discussing books here at Redeemed Reader! We also love "prognosticating the awards": discussing potential Newbery Medal candidates (these are potentials to us; the ...
Read More 2016 Newbery Buzz: Drowned City by Don Brown
By Betsy Farquhar |
Continuing our series of discussions about "buzz" books, this time Janie and Betsy look at a nonfiction work in graphic novel format. Betsy: Drowned City: Hurricane ...
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Newbery Buzz: True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp
By Betsy Farquhar |
We're coming down to the wire with our Newbery discussions. The ALA Youth Media Awards (which include the Newbery and Caldecott) will be announced Monday ...
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Newbery Buzz: Counting by 7’s
By Janie Cheaney |
(Janie and Betsy are continuing their chat about some of the outstanding children's literature being touted for the coveted Newbery award--yes, there are people who ...
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Newbery Buzz: Flora & Ulysses
By Betsy Farquhar |
Newbery Award Janie and I are back to discuss another potential Newbery contender (see our discussion of The Real Boy). The prestigious Newbery and Caldecott ...
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