YMA 2021 version

Mrs. Warland was featured prominently in my dream last night. I'm sure it was because I was missing her being by my side this week. Monday wasn't the same without her keeping me sane cutting cake, leaping, screaming, crying and just sharing in the pure joy and excitement of Youth Media Awards.

But alas this was, and continues to be, a different year. There was a little applause, some shrieks but nothing like the past and no cake. The only Newbery book Mrs. Warland read was Rita Williams-Garcia's One Crazy Summer and that was this summer when she had to call me to tell me that it is SO good and deserves the Newbery. "Ummm...Doe? Do you see the stickers on the cover?" It did win! IN 2011! But honestly if it wasn’t for her reminding me how great that book was I wouldn’t have reached out to Rita to appear on Author Fan Face-off, so really nothing is lost. (Her filming is in a couple of weeks. I should probably reach out to Doe for some questions...)

I’m exhausted from my week long YMA parties and celebrations. I watched the Caldecott awards 10x; Sibert 14x (we had Honeybee on our Caldecott list), CSK 10x (hooray for Magnificent Homespun Brown).  And unbelievably Newbery only twice: once live in the 5th grade class I had while it was going on and then later that afternoon with the Newbery Navigators. Coincidentally, though, a 5th grader in that class was reading The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez and pulled it out of his backpack just after the Pura Belpre announcement. Woohoo!

I also read the Geisel winner (thank you JLG) multiple times to K and 1, when I had time. It is perfect and well deserving of the award says kinder Lilly. 

These kids didn’t miss the cake they never knew existed but I did. Instead they enjoyed a little treat of a gold medal (aka gelt in my world) or a gold kiss (yes, they actually make them gold without almonds). Cupcake love in the form of cupcake holder medals (which surprisingly went over very well!) and a gold photo booth! One group of second graders loved the photo booth so much they came back again and again for silly shots.

 

So happy for all the winners but especially two time Newbery and Sibert honor Christina Soontornvat, (ICYMI we posted a special AFF on Tuesday in her honor), HONEYBEE, Mr. Cc’s We Dream of Space, my second graders Outside In (which we celebrated a book birthday for) and the gorgeous We are Water Protectors (which we also celebrated a book birthday). Oh and Sunday night I downloaded Welcome to the Pity Party after attending a Jewish Libraries midwinter event (I kind of want to join as a librarian who is Jewish but doesn't work in a Jewish library. Is that kosher?) and was literally late for work this week because I had to finish it. Speaking of Sydney Taylor, A Place at the Table got a notable. Woohoo! Check out their AFF, too.

Yay, Christina!

Yay, Saadia!  Yay, Laura!

All in all a good week. The kids seemed genuinely sad when I said it was the last meeting of our Caldecott Committee. Hmmm...maybe it doesn’t have to be? We’re already a month into book releases eligible for 2022...

A slide from our Sibert voting day last week. Both of these won stickers!

Definitely going to be a future blog post if I can get my act together! 💓

'Twas the Night Before YMA 2021 version

I still have all the feels of the night before the Youth Media Awards and so many other ones, too.  

Newbery

The closest I came to my typical quarter long Newbery project was my after school Newbery Navigators club.  A handful of dedicated readers read a bunch of books.  One loves Echo Mountain.  Another Mananaland. Every single one of them When Stars Are Scattered.  We read Clean Getaway aloud so of course we'd be thrilled to see Scoob and G'ma get some love. Over the summer, 4th grade teacher Mr. C swore that he didn't have to read another 2021 book because he already read the winner, We Dream of Space. Maybe this is the year for nonfiction and we'll be placing a sticker on All Thirteen or The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh (too old?). 

Caldecott

My 2nd and 3rd graders were on the "Caldecott Committee." What a year for picture books!  We read and scored as many as we could but I'm afraid that I still missed a bunch.  The third graders LOVED A New Green Day and the second graders couldn't get enough of Lift.

I force the kids to make one choice, but not me. This is a good thing. There's no way I could pick my favorite. I love We are Water Protectors, Outside In, Hike, In a Jar, The Old Truck....honestly, I love them all.

  

And because this year I have a fixed schedule, I'll be celebrating all week long.  I bought gelt (gold coins) and gold Hershey's kisses (without almonds) as my treat and hope that is festive enough for our "party day." I also found a gold backdrop for photo ops and some gold balloons.  Happy Youth Media Day.

Sibert

I was fortunate enough to run into 4th grade ELA teacher, Mrs. Roe, in the stairwell in November.  We chatted for about five minutes and came up with a Sibert Smackdown plan.  She would read books aloud and I would read others over Flipgrid.  4th graders read over a dozen Sibert Smackdown contenders. Considering that I didn't think they would read any, this is amazing!

With all but one class voting, the top two winners are Crossings and Your Place in the Universe.

If you can't sleep tonight or woke up early and want to watch a little preview before the announcements, feel free to check out their flipgrids: https://flipgrid.com/ff7c379e

Geisel

Ugh. I love Geisel.  I've met some amazing people through the Geisel project including Stephen Savage, Anna Kang and Chris Weyant, Jonathan Fenske (who always makes me lol).  Even though I have only read a few of the Geisel contenders, Egg or Eyeball is my favorite with Baloney and Friends and Mo and his squished jelly doughnut as close seconds.

And that's my wrap.  Tomorrow will be nothing like any other year but I'm hopeful it will still be exciting. I'll be celebrating all week and really putting my acting skills to test.  Find me on Friday afternoon to see if I'm as surprised at the announcements as I am tomorrow.  But now it's time for me to hit my pillow.  See you on the other side.

We Dream of Space

The official "Teacher Appreciation Week" has come and gone.  But isn't it kind of like Mother's and Father's Day--where we could be celebrating teachers every day? 

Coincidentally, the last two books I finished had teachers I aspire to be like: summer school teacher, Ms. J (BenBee and the Teacher Griefer by KA Holt) and 7th grade science teacher, Ms. Salonga (We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly). Can I just say--My Newbery 2021 list is quite long and it is only mid-May. Both of these books and many of the ones I have already read are at the tippy top.

Since I wrote about Teacher Griefer yesterday, I must give equal time to Space. Seriously, this is why I could never be on an ALA committee. I'd be rallying for multiple gold medals right about this time of year.

Twins Bird and Fitch and Cash are all 7th graders in Park, Delaware. Their parents are always arguing and they never eat dinner together, a small detail that is a big deal. The kids are navigating life pretty much on their own.  It's January 1986 and there is big lead up to the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger in Ms. Salonga's class and for Bird, an aspiring space explorer.

I was a senior in HS and, because of regents, was home from school that dreaded da. I know the end of that story but Bird, who dreams of space, does not. The anticipation of the actual day for me, the adult reader, was tough.  How was Bird going to handle it? Ms. Salonga?

These kids. I loved them so much.  Fitch trying to manage his anger and his attempt to make good with Amanda.  Bird accepting being "not pretty" and deeply wondering what it would be like to have a family like Dani's, who do eat together and listen. And Cash running away to something.  I love how they navigate the relationship with themselves, leaving the parents out.

Finally, it was wonderful to take a walk down the memory lane of phone books, pinball, VCRs, soap operas and Tab. And even though I wasn't in 7th grade in 1986, 1982 was close enough. I am surprised I'm admitting all this. Well, I am looking forward to my Area 51 socially distant birthday party next month.

Want more? Found on the Harper Collins Erin Entrada Kelly Educator guide, here are some extension activities for We Dream of Space:

A couple of weeks ago we had a book birthday for this book.  Only three kids showed up.  Book unread, I bought them each a copy.  I spun the wheel and got the win.  Ace showed me his copy today.  I can't wait till he finishes so we can talk ALL about it.

Get reading, Ace (and Kyle and Khloe)! And anyone else who wants to talk. Pajama Mama?

Book Birthdays Part 2

At least I knew what I was going to wear today.

Last year for Halloween, Mrs. Kelliher and I dressed up as the character from Susan Verde's I am Peace. I dug it out, donned the peace earrings and necklace and I was good to go for the day.

Party 5: The Three Little Yogis and the Wolf Who Lost His Breath: A Fair Tale to Help You Feel Better by Susan Verde and illustrated by Jay Fleck

Susan at the top left. Thanks Mrs. K for joining us and the photo!

It was so good to see some new faces at the party AND Susan!  Thanks to KidLit TV you, too, can have a little party yourself for the book.  Hey! It's not too late! A birthday lasts the whole month, you know. Mine is in June and in my family the month is renamed, Junacey.



The final party of the week was this afternoon. When I looked outside and saw clouds, I felt hopeful that some kids would stay in and join me.  Three enthusiastic (another chapter please) and grateful guests showed up and I was happy.

Party 6: We Dream of Space by Newbery winner Erin Entrada Kelly

I bought this book on libro.fm yesterday thinking I would be able to find the five and a half hours to listen. Yeah, that didn't happen.  But we still had a great party.  Having the audiobook helped.  I projected my screen with this sample from Harper Collins and paired it with the audio.  You know it's a good party when everyone wants to keep reading.

(This was a good birthday rendition. Please disregard that I got the title wrong. Ugh.)

This week, this crazy leaping librarian gave away twelve books plus two prints.  I just can't help myself. Maybe only one book birthday party next week?  Ha.  Anyone want to place a bet that will happen? I could use some extra cash lol. xo