Emerson School's 2016 Mock Newbery Nominations (ages 9-12)

Our 4th and 5th graders have been reading new books, thinking hard about which ones they'd like to nominate for our Mock Newbery Book Club. This is our third year and we are having so much fun reading and sharing new books.

Emerson School's 2016 Mock Newbery Nominations

• All the Answers, by Kate Messner
• Appleblossom the Possum, by Holly Sloan
• Bayou Magic, by Jewell Parker Rhodes
• Chasing Secrets, by Gennifer Choldenko
• Diary of a Mad Brownie, by Bruce Coville
• Enchanted Air, by Margarita Engle
• Fish in a Tree, by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
• Pip Bartlett's Guide to Magical Creatures, by Maggie Stiefvater and Jackson Pearce
• The Seventh Most Important Thing, by Shelley Pearsall
• Shadows of Sherwood, by Kekla Magoon

We are spending a lot of our time talking about the criteria that the Newbery Committee considers when evaluating books. Our students talk about whether they find the characters distinguished, or perhaps it's the plot that really stands out for them. I love the "book buzz" that this creates among all the students.

You may notice that some books that the Newbery Committee is surely considering are not on here. My students liked Pam Munoz Ryan's Echo, but many found it too long. The Newbery Committee considers books written for children up to age 14, while my group is made of young tweens (9, 10, 11 years old).

Remember that the actual Newbery Committee considers any book written by an American citizen or American resident that was published in the United States during 2015. There is no public nomination list, but the committee members work together to put forward books they want to be considered.

You might find these other Mock Newbery lists interesting, as you consider what you and your children think are the best books of 2015:

• 100 Scope Note's post on the Goodreads list
• Anderson's 2016 Mock Newbery (bookstore in Chicago)
• Falmouth Elementary 2016 Mock Newbery (school in Maine)
• Gwin Oaks 4th grade Mock Newbery (school in Georgia)
• Read, Write, Reflect's 2016 Mock Newbery (Katherine Sokolowski's 5th grade)
• Pragmatic Mom's 2016 Caldecott & Newbery Predictions

Which books are you and your children loving this year? Do any favorites stand out for you?

Many thanks to all of the publishers for their support of our book club. Review copies have been kindly sent by Bloomsbury, Random House, Little Brown, Penguin, Simon & Schuster and Scholastic. If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this site, a small portion goes to Great Kid Books. Thank you for your support.

©2015 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books