Look at all the award-winning books we have read and talked about!

I feel so lucky that I was able to attend the ALA Youth Media Award ceremony in Chicago on Monday.  If you want to watch it (at home), here is the recording on YouTube:


Or you can read the press release. 

One thing struck me after the ALA Youth Media Award ceremony was over was how many of the award-winners we have read, talked about, or have in our classroom. Check it out:


YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults (finalist):

The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights by Steve Sheinkin


Odyssey Honor (audiobook award):

A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd


Coretta Scott King Awards:

When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds
Firebird by Misty Copeland, illustrated by Christopher Myers
How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon


Caldecott 

Honors:

Nana in the City by Lauren Castillo
Viva Frida by Yuyi Morales


The Noisy Paint Box by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by Mary GrandPre
Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen
The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet


Caldecott Winner:
 
The Adventures of Beekle by Dan Santat


And finally, the Newbery...

Honors:

El Deafo by Cece Bell
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Winner:
 
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

3rd quarter extra credit: Newbery/Caldecott Challenge

For those of you looking for a challenge in your reading, for extra credit, you can do one of the following:

1. Read one of the 2013 Newbery honor books and write a review of it in your literature journal, explaining why you think it is worthy of a Newbery honor.

The 2013 Newbery honors are:

• Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz
• Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage
• Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin

2. Read the 2012 Newbery winner, Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos and then write a review of it in your literature journal, explaining why you think it is worthy of a Newbery award.

3. Read ALL of the 2013 Caldecott honor books and write a review of them in your literature journal, explaining why you think they are worthy of a Caldecott honor.

The 2013 Caldecott honors are:

• Creepy Carrots! illustrated by Peter Brown, written by Aaron Reynolds
• Extra Yarn, illustrated by Jon Klassen, written by Mac Barnett
• Green, illustrated and written by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
• One Cool Friend, illustrated by David Small, written by Toni Buzzeo
• Sleep Like a Tiger, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski, written by Mary Logue

The responsibility falls on you to get a hold of these books if my library or the school library does not have some of them. 

To help you with this assignment, here are the criteria for selecting a Newbery and Caldecott award:
Newbery Criteria
Caldecott Criteria

Congratulations Katherine Applegate, winner of the 2013 Newbery Award for The One and Only Ivan!

Photo courtesy of Mr. Schu. I like how the Ivan on the book cover seems to be admiring his new sticker. :)

Dear 6th graders, as much as I am relieved and happy that we had a snow day yesterday, a part of me wishes we could have been together when Ivan was announced as the 2013 Newbery Award winner. Many shrieks and screams and tears poured forth from the people in that room in Seattle where the awards ceremony was held, along with the people watching at home or at school. It tugged at my heart just a little that I wasn't in a room full of joyous 6th graders when the award was announced.

What a wonderful tribute to Ivan for his book to win the Newbery Award only a few months after he died. Too bad he couldn't have been alive to see it.