1) Heavy Medal: a Mock Newbery Blog - I've followed Heavy Medal for the past couple of years and enjoy their thoughtful posts. They attempt to recreate the Newbery experience, which they know well, having served on the committee in the past. As I read these books, I will not be evaluating how distinguished they are based on Newbery criteria. Although I've been a children's librarian for ten years, I am first and foremost, a reader.
2) A place to find professional reviews - Lots of you have already read these books and they have been previously reviewed by all the children's literature review journals. I will post my own reactions to the book. In some cases I will have a lot to say; in others, very little. I do not want to provide long plot summaries or be confined by format in any way.
Right now, I am reading the selections for SLJ's Battle of the Kids' Books, which includes all the 2013 Newbery Books. I've read The One and Only Ivan and Bomb already; still on tap TBR are Splendors and Glooms and Three Times Lucky. I did love the winning book, although I thought Starry River of the Sky should have gotten an Honor.
