Mock Newbery 2011, My Picks

It is that time of year when people start talking about their picks.  I have to get serious because I have to pick my top 5 by October 1st for my Mock Newbery.  I have my top 4:


Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
This one is a personal favorite because I have a physical disability and like Melody use a wheelchair. I really connected with her, even though the coach of my academic teams never left me out. This book is also very well written in my opinion, I got in an online argument with another book blogger who said it was outdated that that laws protect kids with disabilities from being treated badly. She clearly had not lived my life, you would be amazed at how most people think I have an intellectual disability just because I have a visible disability. They are shocked when I start talking...okay, sometimes that is fun.



One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

I found it interesting learning about this time period and about the Black Panthers which is not a subject that comes up too often in the "middle of nowhere" Indiana. I also love how poetry is a huge part of the story and characters, and how the sisters connect and how the mother is so complicated. I am not the only kid at my school who really enjoys historical fiction and this is not your ordinary historical fiction. After I read the book I connected with the author and learned that she is a friend of Deborah Wiles who also published a book about the same time period this year; I thought that that was interesting. I happened to read them back to back and that was great because there are lots of connections.



Keeper by Kathi Appelt
This story is really well written. It seems simple and really readable, you LOVE Keeper and want to read without stopping. But, it is more interesting and has more to it than you first see. It is a growing up story but with magic and lots of parts. At first I thought that it might be a little long for the age group it was written for, but I managed and it is not.



Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

Disabilities on the Autism Spectrum have been a popular topic recently, and I think that this book is written well enough to win the Scheinder Family Book Award if it doesn't get the Newbery, or even if it does (how cool would that be?). Anyway, separate from the Autism part this was a great book and made you think about how people think- grief and all. I did read this in a group of sad books and was worn out by that but it still made my favorite list.

So, I still have one slot.  I would love your input, which one other book should be a Mock Newbery for my group?