SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Fusenews
  • Reviews
  • Librarian Previews
  • Best Books
    • Top 100
    • Best Books of 2022
    • Best Books of 2021
    • Best Books of 2020
    • Best Books of 2019
    • Best Books of 2018
    • Best Books of 2017
    • Best Books of 2016
    • Best Books of 2015
    • Best Books of 2014
    • Best Books of 2013
  • Fuse 8 n’ Kate
  • Videos
  • Press Release Fun

January 1, 2011 by Betsy Bird

Golden Fuse Awards – 2010

January 1, 2011 by Betsy Bird   14 comments

It’s that time of year again!  Looking back, I see that I’ve consistently been doing Golden Fuse Awards for a good number of years now.  Past selections appeared in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009.  Now we turn to 2010, a strange little wildcard year.  For a great encapsulation on other blogs, be sure to check out the Seven Impossible Things round-up as well.

And now, on with the show:

Best Cover of 2010

Regardless of your opinion of the book itself, you have to admit that this is a truly smashing jacket.  It hints at all kinds of mysteries.  The cat’s multiple toes.  The person in the tree.  Plus it’s impossible to think of the kids in the book any other way after looking at this.  It’s really captured their personalities right off the bat.  Amazing.  Somebody please be so kind as to thank the artist for me.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Saddest ARC to Final Cover Switcheroo

From this:

To this:

It’s purely personal, but I was quite fond of the first cover and it broke my heart to see the second.  We’re dealing with a kid who’s prickly and smart all at once in a historical novel.  Cover #2 implies a girly loosey-goosey beach tale, probably involving a romance with a boy.  Cover #1 captured the book.  Cover #2 feels like an Olive’s Ocean redux.  Pass.

Best Readaloud Book to Preschoolers
Jump by Scott Fischer

Best Readaloud Book for Older Kids
I’m the Best by Lucy Cousins

Runner-Up
A Pig Parade is a Terrible Idea by Michael Ian Black, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes

Most Mysterious Blogger Disappearance
The complete and utter vanishing of Editorial Anonymous.  Where did she go?  Did somebody “out” her? It was a mystery until her sudden reappearance months and months later.  Whew!  That was close!

Best Villain
The devil in The Boneshaker by Kate Milford.  2010 wasn’t a great year for villains, but at least we had one that was definitely worth fighting against.  I say, if you have to have a bad guy, why not produce the ultimate one?

Strongest 2010 Illustrating Debut
Erin E. Stead for A Sick Day for Amos McGee

Strongest 2010 Middle Grade Novel Debut
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

Best Pairing
Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce (big kid!) with Short: Walking Tall When You’re Not Tall at All by John Schwartz (little kid)

Best Illustrated Publication Page
Shake, Rattle and Turn That Noise Down: How Elvis Shook of Music, Me, and Mom by Mark Alan Stamaty

Best Endpapers
The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz

Best Endpapers Runner-Up
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood

Endpapers I Would Most Like to See As Wallpaper for my Future Child’s Bedroom
Those found in the book Sneaky Sheep by Chris Monroe

Most Unexpected Blurb
“The Adventures of Nanny Piggins is the most exciting saga about a flying pig nanny ever told.  There is a laugh on every page.  I recommend it highly.”  – Madeleine K. Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State.

Best Catchphrase
“Shoot, dang!” from The Water Seeker by Kimbery Willis Holt.

Best Catchphrase Runner-Up
“Surely is”, from One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

Best Celebrity Appearance in a Children’s Book
Alan Bean in Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Mentions of Oprah That Never Directly Say Her Name
Archvillian by Barry Lyga
Nothing by Janne Teller.

Mentions of Oprah that Actually Say Her Name
Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes.

Best Wordless Picture Book
The Boys by Jeff Newman

Best Faux Video Game Name
“Space Gizmoid” – Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze by Alan Silberberg

Best Ultra-Modern Home
Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, illustrated by Tony Fucile

Best Ultra-Modern Home Runner-Up
House of Dolls by Francesca Lia Block, illustrated by Barbara McClintock

The Love Curse of the Rumbaughs Award of 2010
The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter (read both books and you’ll instantly understand why)

Tit for Tat
I may be wrong, but I believe that Mo Willem’s daughter Trixie is in Pecan Pie Baby by Jacqueline Woodson, just as Jacqueline’s daughter was in Knuffle Bunny 2.

Best First Line

“On the morning of his fourteenth birthday, Pepper had been awake for fully two minutes before realizing it was the day he must die.”  – The Death-Defying Pepper Roux by Geraldine McCaughrean

Best First Line Runner-Up

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

“Summer Goodman never knew what hit her.  That’s because it was me, and as soon as I collided with her in the hallway – scattering every one of her perfectly indexed index cards – I disappeared into the mob of kids who’d arrived to help realphabetize her life.” – Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze by Alan Silberberg

Best Line

“Keeper liked sugar, but if you listened to Signe, you’d think that sugar was the same as an oil spill or something and could ruin coastlines, along with her health.” – Keeper by Kathi Appelt

Favorite Trend of the Year

Digits (or lack thereof).

Cats with too many toes on covers: Bobby the Brave (Sometimes) by Lisa Yee and The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter.

Losing digits voluntarily: A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

Haunted digits that strangle you : The Boneshaker by Kate Milford

Runner-Up Favorite Trends

Reaching in people’s throats and pulling out birds
A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz and Brain Camp by Susan Kim and Laurence Klavan

Boys who command ships by faking that they are adults
Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce and The Death Defying Pepper Roux by Geraldine McCaughrean

Owning a bicycle repair shop
The Boneshaker by Kate Milford and Crunch by Leslie Connor

The untouched green park in the middle of the industrial town that harbors a secret of some sort
The Clockwork Three by Matthew Kirby
The Factotum by D.M. Cornish

The Power of Knitting To Save the Day
Hereville by Barry Deutsch
The Popularity Papers by Amy Ignatow

Evil Villains With Devices That Cause Pants to Fall to the Floor
Archvillian by Barry Lyga
Wiff and Dirty George by Stephen Swinburne

Sidenote : In The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger the story concerns a solution to what happens when you spill water on your pants and it looks like you peed yourself.  A brilliant solution, no less.  Big Nate by Lincoln Peirce had the same problem, but a far less elegant solution.

Girls Who Insist on Befriending the New Boy (For Reasons We Don’t Quite Understand)
Milo: Stick Notes and Brain Freeze by Alan Silberberg
How I Nicky Flynn, Finally Get a Life (and a Dog) by Art Corriveau
Guinea Dog by Patrick Jennings

Climbing High on the Rigging on Ships
The Celestial Globe by Marie Rutkoski
Thunder from the Sea by Jeff Weigel
The Death-Defying Pepper Roux by Geraldine McCaughrean

Filed under: Uncategorized

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments
Golden Fuse Awards

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

January 2023

The Top Ten Most Disappointing Edibles and Potables of Children's Literature

by Betsy Bird

January 2023

Announcing the 2023 Newbery/Caldecott/YMA Pre-Game Show!

by Betsy Bird

January 2023

2023 Arrived and a Blog Is Still Here: What Does the Future Hold?

by Betsy Bird

November 2022

A Lost Hero: The Rediscovery of Mildred Batchelder

by Betsy Bird

November 2022

The Yellow Áo Dài : A Talk with Hanh Bui and Minnie Phan

by Betsy Bird

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

One Star Review, Guess Who? (#181)

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Review of the Day: The Tree and the River by Aaron Becker

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Monkey Prince Vol. 1: Enter the Monkey | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Heavy Medal

Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Readers’ Poll Results

by Steven Engelfried

Teen Librarian Toolbox

The Value of Innocence for BIPOC Students, a guest post by David Mura

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Looking Ahead: Our 2023 Preview

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

5 Picture Books to Help the Youngest Readers Celebrate Día de los Muertos

Sleep Tight! 6 Board Books for Bedtime

6 Hanukkah Books for Young Readers

SLJ Book Reviews Editors' Favorite 2022 Best Books Covers

SLJ Book Reviews Editors’ Favorite Best Books Quotes 2022

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Brenda Kahn says

    January 1, 2011 at 7:55 pm

    Wonderful post Betsy! I love the Saddest Arc to Cover Switcheroo category and agree with you completely. I listened to it last week and meant to comment on the cover in my post, but lost the thought. I just added this addendum: The arc cover reminded me a bit of the original Bud, Not Buddy cover, featuring a child with luggage amidst vintage imagery. Both covers definitely set a certain tone. They also scream “historical.” I’m all for beautiful covers with kid appeal, but I also don’t like burying peas in the mashed potatoes. If the kid really, really hates peas, they are going to look twice at mashed potatoes, or not at all, for the rest of their lives. It’s a matter of trust.

    I also collect wordless books, both for myself and to beef up a little unit I have at my school. I just adored The Boys and laugh each time I flip through it. How about a runner-up for Suzy Lee’s Shadow? It has the same sense of simple wonder as her earlier book, The Wave. It also reminds me of another wordless favorite that celebrates the power of imagination, Sidewalk Circus.

    brenda

    • Elizabeth Bird says

      January 1, 2011 at 8:28 pm

      Oh yes! Shadow should definitely be on there. Wordless beauty, that one. Thanks!

  2. DaNae says

    January 1, 2011 at 9:09 pm

    I will forever be grateful that you brought MILO to my attention. IT is a secret joy I carry in my pocket.

    I’m totally with you on Erin Stead and THE BOYS.

    It’s about time knitting got the regognition it deserves.

  3. Editorial anonymous says

    January 1, 2011 at 10:25 pm

    aw, thanks. i missed you, too.
    i am also a big fan of A TALE DARK AND GRIMM. Favorite new punishment for villains: snakes and boiling oil. Naturally.

  4. JudiJ says

    January 1, 2011 at 10:37 pm

    Great list, Betsy. You are the list queen. As far as the power of knitting goes, I don’t know if you can get Loving Richard Feynman (Penny Tangey) where you are (I recommend it) but it also has a knitting scenario. Catherine is a delightful, nerdy protagonist with a crush on the long-dead physicist of the title.

    http://bit.ly/hNB2Ot

  5. Kate Coombs says

    January 1, 2011 at 11:38 pm

    I’ve seen a lot of great book jackets, but the Kneebone Boy cover grabbed me so much that I think I would have read the book regardless of what it was about or the fact that I recognized the author’s name. The illustrator’s name is Jason Chan, and here’s a link to Ellen Potter talking about the jacket art: http://mackids.squarespace.com/mackidssquarespacecom/2010/1/22/year-in-the-life-of-a-book-ellen-potter.html

    Even though I agree with a lot of it, your list made me laugh–so thank you! I especially like “Reaching in people’s throats and pulling out birds” as a trend.

  6. Sharon says

    January 1, 2011 at 11:47 pm

    I love your love of “Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze”. It warms my heart that such a wonderful little book has a champion with an audience. 🙂

  7. Boni Ashburn says

    January 2, 2011 at 3:38 am

    That Turtle In Paradise cover change was a crime! So sad- and on one of my favorite books of the year. I’d love to have one of those arc’s! The Night Fairy’s endpapers were indeed awesome, but my vote would have to go with Ubiquitous, which was both amazing and educational to boot. And I’d cast a vote for A Tale Dark And Grimm’s cover- I thoroughly enjoyed poring over it after reading the book and seeing how much is worked into it- in silhouette, no less.

    • Elizabeth Bird says

      January 2, 2011 at 4:30 am

      Oh darn. You’re absolutely right about the Ubiquitous endpapers. Those should have rated a mention. Ah well.

  8. Donna Gephart says

    January 2, 2011 at 5:39 am

    Fun. Fun. Thanks for such a great list!

  9. Tabatha says

    January 2, 2011 at 2:03 pm

    Excellent list, Betsy! You gave me an idea — I post art, sometimes with themes, on Thursdays, and endpapers would make a great theme. Thanks 🙂

  10. Toby Speed says

    January 3, 2011 at 8:59 am

    Love your list, Betsy.

  11. Brooke Shirts says

    January 5, 2011 at 8:57 pm

    Hmm. I know this is a bit late in the game, but I’d like to nominate Heart of a Samurai for the “Climbing High in the Rigging” category. And possibly The Unsinkable Walker Bean. Sheesh, much with the sailing adventures this year, huh? Not complaining, though . . .

    • Elizabeth Bird says

      January 5, 2011 at 9:02 pm

      Oh, excellent points. Forgot all about those two and I even read them.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • External Links

    • A Fuse #8 Production Reviews
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Age Level
    • Ideas
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Neverending Search
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Classroom Bookshelf
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • 2022 Youth Media Awards
    • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
    • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
    • Summer Reading 2021
    • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
    • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
    • Summer Programming Survey
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2023


    COPYRIGHT © 2023