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The Mocks Thus Far: Caldecott, Newbery, Printz, & Geisel

December 17, 2013 by Betsy Bird   23 comments

ATTENTION!!!  If you are planning on watching the live feed of the Newbery/Caldecott announcements during the ALA Youth Media Awards presentation, come half an hour earlier and check out my pre-game show where I will join cohort Lori Ess in discussing the potential winners.  Afterwards we will note which Mock Newberys, Mock Caldecotts, Mock Printzs, etc. got it right nationwide.  For more information: https://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2014/01/20/introducing-the-first-ever-absolutely-fantastic-slj-pre-game-and-post-game-show/

As promised I said I’d be your eyes on the sky, keeping a close watch over the Mock lists coming out in the coming weeks and months.  With the ALA Media Awards just around the corner, there’s a lot to keep track of.  So what do folks like?  Read through this and you’re sure to see some trends emerging.

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Here’s what I have thus far.  Feel free to leave a comment with more Mocks that you know of:

Mock Caldecotts 2014

They’ve only gotten as far as the shortlist stage.  They’ll announce the Mock Caldecott results on January 22.  Here’s what they have under consideration:

Journey by Aaron Becker
On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne, illustrated by Vladimir Radunsky
Inside Outside by Lizi Boyd
Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown
Locomotive by Brian Floca
Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle
Mr. Wuffles by David Wiesner

Phil Nel recaps the winner and honors beautifully.  If you just want the raw data, however, here it is:

Winner: Journey by Aaron Becker

Honors: The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt, ill. Oliver Jeffers

Honors: Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle

In a bit of a twist, Ossining’s Mocks are chosen by actual honest-to-goodness children.  The results:

Winner: Journey by Aaron Becker

Honors: Picture a Tree by Barbara Reid

Honors: The Dark by Lemony Snicket, ill. Jon Klassen

  • Brooklyn Public Library 

Brooklyn has a particularly long shortlist this year.  We’re having some discussion in our office as to whether or not Nino Wrestles the World is eligible.  I sure hope they’re right and it is.  Under consideration is:

– The Dark – illustrated by Jon Klassen, written by Lemony Snicket
– Journey – Aaron Becker
– Locomotive – illustrated & written by Brian Floca
– The Mighty Lalouche – illustrated by Sophie Blackall; written by Matthew Olshan
– Nino Wrestles The World – illustrated & written by Yuyi Morales
– On A Beam of Light – illustrated by Vladimir Radunsky; written by Jennifer Berne
– The Tortoise & The Hare – illustrated & written by Jerry Pinkney

  • Dayton Metro Library

Good old Dayton.  Pretty straightforward when all is said and done.

Winner: Mr. Tiger Goes Wild written and illustrated by Peter Brown

Honors: Knock Knock: My Dad’s Dream for Me Illustrated by Brian Collier, written by Daniel Beaty
Honors: Journey written and illustrated by Aaron Becker
Honors: Eat Like a Bear illustrated by Steve Jenkins, written by April Pulley Sayre

  •  Colorado Association of Libraries – http://catsig.wordpress.com/2013/10/18/mock-caldecott-and-mock-printz-awards/

All decisions will be made on January 23rd.  Though they’re still in the finalist phase they’ve a nice shiny list of contenders up and running.  These include:

Bluebird by Bob Staake
The Dark written by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Jon Klassen
Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle
Journey by Aaron Becker
Locomotive by Brian Floca
Mr. Wuffles by David Wiesner
On a Beam of Light written by Jennifer Berne, illustrated by Vladimir Radunsky
Building our House by Jonathan Bean
Have you Seen my New Blue Socks? by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier
The Matchbox Diary by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline
Inside Outside by Lizi Boyd
Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown
Nino Wrestles the World by Yuyi Morales
If You Want to See a Whale by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Erin E. Stead
Frog Song by Brenda Guiberson, illustrated by Gennady Spirin
Stardines Swim High Across the Sky by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Carin Berger
Unicorn Thinks he’s Pretty Great by Bob Shea
Tiger in my Soup by Kasmira Sheth, illustrated by Jeffery Ebbeler
Lucky Ducklings by Eva Moore, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter
Hello, My Name is Ruby by Philip Christian Stead
Who Says Women Can’t be Doctors? by Tanya Lee Stone, ill. by Marjorie Priceman
Polar Bear Morning by Lauren Thompson, illustrated by Stephen Savage
Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike by M. Markel, ill. by Melissa Sweet
Chu’s Day by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Adam Rex
How to be a Cat by Nikki McClure

Mock Newberys 2014

No shortlist has been posted as of yet.

  • Berkeley Carroll School in Park Slope

Know a school doing its own Mock list?  Pass it on!  I’ll take any and all comers.  This particular school has only listed the finalists at this point.  They are:

Rump by Liesl Shurtliff
Beholding Bee by Kimberly Newton Fusco
Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool
A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff
Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo

  • Saint Anne’s School in Brooklyn Heights

Another Brooklyn school.  A different list of finalists.  They are:

Beholding Bee by Kimberly Newton Fusco
Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Jinx by Sage Blackwood
Rump by Liesl Shurtliff
A Song for Bijou by Josh Farrar
The Water Castle by Megan Frazer Blackmore
White Fur Flying by Patricia MacLachlan

  • Packer’s School in Brooklyn Heights

Aw, heck. Three’s the charm. Here’s another list of finalists:

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
PS Be Eleven by Rita Williams-Garcia
Rump by Liesl Shurtliff
Jinx by Sage Blackwood
The Thing About Luck by Cynthia Kadohata
A Song for Bijou by Josh Farrar
Doll Bones by Holly Black

  • Brooklyn Public Library

This time the shortlist of titles comes directly from the public library itself.  The books are:

– Courage Has No Color written by Tanya Lee Stone
– Doll Bones written by Holly Black
– Flora & Ulysses written by Kate DiCamillo
– Serafina’s Promise written by Ann Burg
– The Thing About Luck written by Cynthia Kadohata

  • Dayton Metro Library – Mock Newbery

I’m particularly fond of this list of winners.  One shouldn’t have favorites, but this is very nice indeed.

Winner:   One Came Home by Amy Timberlake

Honor Books:

  • The Doll Bones by Holly Black
  • The Water Castle by Megan Frazer Blackmore

 

Mock Printz 2014

 

When they do a list they do a LIST!  And the finalists up for contention are:

  1. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
  2. A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty
  3. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
  4. Far Far Away by Robert McNeal
  5. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
  6. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
  7. Golden Boy by Tara Sullivan
  8. In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters
  9. Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner
  10. Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick
  11. Out of Nowhere by Maria Padian
  12. Primates: Fearless Science by Jim Ottaviani And Maris Wicks
  13. Rapture Practice by Aaron Hartzler
  14. Summer Prince by Alaya Johnson
  15. Winger by Andrew Smith

All final decisions will be made on January 18, 2014.  The finalists are:

  1.  Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowel
  2. In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters
  3. Rapture Practice by Aaron Hartzler
  4. September Girls by Bennett Madison
  5. Winger by Andrew Smith
  6. Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
  7. Boxer/Saint by Gene Luen Yang
  8. Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg
  9. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
  10. If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch

Cool!  Austin created a Bibliocommons list of their particular finalists.  Nicely done.  And those up for contention include:

The Golden Day by Ursula Duborsky
Crash and Burn by Michael Hassan
Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Winger by Andrew Smith
Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein
Black Helicopters by Blythe Woolstone
Boxers and Saints by Gene Luen Yang

This particular system is knocking out contenders left and right.  So far the remaining finalists include:

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Boxers and Saints by Gene Luen Yang
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin
More Than This by Patrick Ness
Fire Horse Girl – Kay Honeyman
Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass
Picture Me Gone by Meg Rosoff
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Midwinter Blood by Marcus Sedgwick
Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz

In this particular case the final decision will be made on January 2nd.  Until then the possible titles include:

Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner
Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan
Far Far Away by Tom McNeal
More Than This by Patrick Ness
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgewick
Counting by 7s by Holly Sloan
Winter by Andrew Smith
5th Wave by Rick Yancey
The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr

Fort Vancouver  – http://mylibrary2.fvrl.org/teen/docs/MockPrintzWorkshop2014.pdf

Love the PDF they made for this one.  Extra points for the form with room to write in your thoughts.  The final decisions will be made January 25th.  Here are the finalists:

Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner
Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan
Far Far Away by Tom McNeal
A Corner of White by Jacyln Moriarty
More Than This by Patrick Ness
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgewick
Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein
Black Helicopters by Blythe Woolstone
Boxers and Saints by Gene Luen Yang

On January 23rd we’ll find out their choices.  Until then, here are the finalists:

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan
Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner, illustrated by Julian Crouch

No finalists yet, so keep an eye on their site for now.

  • Brooklyn Public Library

Not to be outdone, here are their finalists:

1.       More Than This by Patrick Ness 

2.       Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

3.       Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

4.       Black Helicopters by Blythe Woolston

5.       Boxers & Saints by Gene Luen Yang

Mock Geisels 2014

  • Oregon Library Association

It’s rare to find Mock Geisels, so I was pleased as punch when I heard about these awards.  And they have some winners already!  They are:

WINNER: A Big Guy Took My Ball by Mo Willems. Hyperion Books for Children, 2013.

HONOR: Penny and Her Marble by Kevin Henkes. Greenwillow Books, 2013.

That’s all she wrote today, folks!  But keep those lists coming.  It’s fascinating to see the repeat titles.

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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.

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Comments

  1. Sigh. I was supposed to email you last night with this, but driving home from NYC challenged my senses. The Suffolk Cooperative Library System hosted a Mock Caldecott, with the following results:
    Winner: Journey by Aaron Becker
    Honor Titles: Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown
    Hank Finds an Egg by Rebecca Dudley
    Matchbox Diary by Paul Fleischman. Illustrated by bagram Ibatoulline.

    Our Mock Newbery will take place on January 13. Our short(ish) list of contenders:
    True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp by Kathi Appelt
    Hold Fast by Blue Balliet
    Doll Bones by Holly Black
    Salt: A Story of Friendship in a Time of War by Helen Frost
    Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff
    The Thing About Luck by Cynthia Kadohata
    Far Far Away by Tom McNeal
    Counting by Sevens by Holly Goldberg Sloan
    P.S. Be Eleven by Rita Williams- Garcia

    We also host a Mock Printz on January 17th with the following contenders:
    The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson
    Reality Boy by A.S. King
    September Girls by Bennett Madison
    Far Far Away by Tom McNeal
    Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
    Midwinter Blood by Marcus Sedgwick
    Boxers and Saints by Gene Luen Yang

    Happy Mocking to all 🙂

    • Yuyi Morales moved to Mexico, so the question is whether or not she retains her American address. I’ve heard conflicting reports, so I hope hope hope she still has a home in the U.S.

      • Here’s the relevant section from the Expanded Definitions. I think it’s fairly like that Morales would qualify under one of these conditions.

        III. AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR ELIGIBILITY ISSUES
        (A) RESIDENT
        RESIDENT – means 1) that the author or illustrator has established and maintains
        residence in the United States, U.S. territory, or U.S. commonwealth, as distinct
        from being a casual or occasional visitor.
        Or 2) that the author/illustrator meets one of the following criteria:
        a) The author/illustrator, a citizen of another country, holds a “green card” and is
        a Permanent Resident Alien.
        b) The author/illustrator lives for at least 6 months EVERY year in the United States, regardless of where the book was actually written.
        c) A resident is also an individual whose permanent home is in the US but who is
        outside of the US for a temporary purpose. For example, an individual goes on
        vacation in another country or works there temporarily. The individual still
        maintains residency in the US and intends to return.
        Examples:
        A Polish author who had obtained a “green card” and had lived in Brooklyn, NY,
        for many years decided, when her home was being renovated, to spend a year in
        Poland with relatives before returning to Brooklyn. She was considered eligible
        during this period, even though she was temporarily living abroad, because she
        had established Permanent Resident status.
        The British author Susan Cooper lived for many years in the Boston area, though
        she traveled widely and returned to Britain at times. She was considered eligible.
        (B) CITIZEN
        CITIZEN – means that the author/illustrator is considered by the government of
        the United States to be a U.S. Citizen, whether by birth or naturalization. This
        definition shall apply even if the author or illustrator obtains citizenship during
        the year in which a book is being considered.

        • Good! This is news that I like to hear, since I feel that Nino is one of the strongest contenders of 2013.

  4. Betsy-

    Allen County Public Library Mock Caldecott and Mock Newbery: http://acplkid.wordpress.com/category/mock-caldecott/2014-mock-caldecott-list/ and http://www.pinterest.com/allencountylib/2014-mock-newbery/

    Rhode Island Office of Library & Information Services Mock Caldecott and Newbery: http://www.olis.ri.gov/services/children/caldecott.php and http://www.olis.ri.gov/services/children/newbery.php

    Rachael Stein and Sam Eddington (Eastern Shore Regional Library, MD): http://abouttomock.blogspot.com/

    Eva Perry Mock Newbery (Wake County Public Library, NC): http://evaperrymocknewbery.wordpress.com/

    • Ooo. Thank you! I realized a bit late that I should have looked at the list on the blogroll of Heavy Medal. This is the next best thing! Thanks!

  5. Here is one more mock battle – this one coming from the Children’s Librarians Association of Suffolk County (CLASC). They are hosting a Mock Sibert on January 6th:
    Locomotive by Brian Floca
    On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne
    Courage Has No Color: The True Story of the Triple Nickles by Tanya Lee Stone
    Stronger Than Steel by Bridget Heos
    Bad Girls: Sirens, Jezebels, Murderesses, Thieves and Other Female Villains by Jane Yolen
    Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel

  6. Sacramento (CA) Public Library held a Mock Caldecott for Youth Services staff with the following results:
    Winner: Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown
    Honor Titles:
    Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle
    The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers

    Staff have been reading all year for the Mock Newbery, but our final discussion will be in January. We just voted to establish a shortlist of seven finalists:
    True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp by Kathi Appelt
    The Thing About Luck by Cynthia Kadohata
    Far Far Away by Tom McNeal
    P.S. Be Eleven by Rita Williams- Garcia
    The Center of Everything by Linda Urban
    Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo
    Jinx by Sage Blackwood

  7. My third graders (at Kensico School in Valhalla, NY) are also on the list of contenders stage…I will be asking everyone for their top 5 picks this week to weed out some before discussions in January. Not an easy list this year…I have 9 books on my top 5 list right now, and some of the kids are in the same boat!

    Here is our list…I will keep you posted when we’ve done our voting!

    Ball written and illustrated by Mary Sullivan
    Bluebird written and illustrated by Bob Staake
    Building Our House written and illustrated by Jonathan Bean
    The Dark written by Lemony Snicket and illustrated by Jon Klassen
    Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle written and illustrated by Chris Raschka
    Exclamation Mark written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
    Frog Song written by Brenda Z. Guiberson and illustrated by Gennady Spirin
    Hank Finds an Egg written and illustrated by Rebecca Dudley
    How to Be a Cat written and illustrated by Nikki McClure
    If You Want to See a Whale written by Julie Fogliano and illustrated by Erin E. Stead
    Journey written and illustrated by Aaron Becker
    Locomotive written and illustrated by Brian Floca
    A Long Way Away written and illustrated by Frank Viva
    The Matchbox Diary written by Paul Fleischman and illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline
    The Mighty LaLouche written by Matthew Olshan and illustrated by Sophie Blackall
    Mr Tiger Goes Wild written and illustrated by Peter Brown
    Mr Wuffles! written and illustrated by David Wiesner
    On a Beam of Light written by Jennifer Berne and illustrated by Vladimir Radunsky
    Papa’s Mechanical Fish written by Candace Fleming and illustrated by Boris Kulikov
    Stardines Swim High Across the Sky written by Jack Prelutsky and illustrated by Carin Berger
    The Tortoise and the Hare written and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
    When Stravinsky Met Najinsky written and illustrated by Lauren Stringe

    • Update!
      We all chose our top 5 books list today, and the books that got only one or no votes were struck from the list: Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle, Locomotive (sigh…one of my personal favorites…), On a Beam of Light, Stardines, The Tortoise and the Hare, and When Stravinsky Met Nijinsky.
      Discussions when we get back to school in January, and voting sometime before the real winners are announced!

  9. St. George’s Independent School
    Germantown, Tennessee
    Mock Newbery- We call ours The Gryphonbery in honor of our school mascot The Gryphon!
    Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library
    Flora & Ulysses
    The Water Castle
    Thing About Luck
    The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp

  10. 900 students at Falmouth Elementary School in Maine took part in a Mock Caldecott program. The winner of the Mock Caldecott Award was Journey by Aaron Becker. Honor books were A Splash of Red illustrated by Melissa Sweet and Mr. Wuffles by David Wiesner.
    http://mrspotter.edublogs.org/2013/12/19/winner-of-the-fes-mock-caldecott-award/

    The FES Mock Newbery book club will vote in January and the winner will be announced on 1/17. Students are currently reading books from two lists.
    http://fesmocknewbery.blogspot.com/2013/07/2014-fes-mock-newbery-list-1.html
    http://fesmocknewbery.blogspot.com/2013/11/mock-newbery-list-2.html

  12. On Friday, January 17th, 27 public and school librarians attended a Mock Caldecott Workshop at the Carmel Clay Public Library in Indiana.

    Winner: Mr. Tiger Goes Wild illustrated and written by Peter Brown
    Honors: Hank Finds an Egg illustrated and written by Rebecca Dudley, The Invisible Boy illustrated by Patrice Barton, written by Trudy Ludwig & Journey illustrated and written by Aaron Becker

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