2016 & 2017 Newbery Thoughts
As longtime readers know, we have made it a hobby to read all the 90+ Newbery medal winners and give our unsolicited opinion. Click here for our ranking. The books keep coming, so we keep giving our thoughts.
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Thus we have the Newbery motto for 2016: "What in the world is going on?"
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As an aside, roughly twice a decade, the Newbery medal departs from a standard novel to honor a book written in some other literary style, poetry, free verse, hip-hop rap, or the occasional non-fiction work. Last Stop on Market Place seems to be one of these times. Though we are generally fans of a fantastic tale more than anything else, these occasional departures have usually impressed us. The Crossover, Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!, and Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices are some examples.
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2017: Because of our 2016 experience, we were eager to see the follow-up. We procured a copy of the winner, The Girl Who Drank the Moon as well as the most-appealing Honor book The Inquisitor's Tale.
Verdict: Both Awesome. The Girl Who Drank the Moon is 100% fantasy with truly original characters and a compelling style. The Inquisitor's Tale is an imaginative yarn out of the Middle Ages that is sometimes silly, sometimes serious, always fun and always wonderfully illustrated. Very difficult to know which of these two deserved the Medal. They are both Medal quality.
Newbery Motto for 2017: Back on Track.
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