published by Viking Children’s Books
Penguin Young Readers

Judged by Katherine Paterson

If you have been following the Battle, you know what a pickle I found myself in. As I told one of the Battle Commanders when I learned the titles of the three finalists, “This is not a choice between apples and oranges, it’s a choice between apples, orangutans, and orchids.” The good news is I was given three fine and worthy books. The bad news is that I had to eliminate two of them.

I read The Lost Conspiracy first. It was by far the fattest and would take the longest to read, and besides, it was fiction, and I love fiction. Even though I usually prefer realism to fantasy, I was fully taken in by the strange island world of Gullstruck that Frances Hardinge created and the twists and turns of plot that left me gasping for breath.  Hardly any character, with the exception of little Hathin, was what he or she seemed to be initially. I’ve gotten pretty good over the years guessing what was going to happen in a book, but I couldn’t guess this time, which is why I initially thought, nothing can beat this.

And then I read, the Undead winner, Pamela Turner’s, The Frog Scientist. I was enchanted. Here is a non-fiction book for younger readers that teaches the methods of scientific research with such clarity and in such an engaging, human way that anyone from a curious five year old to an elderly grandparent would not only learn a lot but would delight in doing so. It is also a tremendous lesson in ecology, showing the interconnectedness of all things on earth. The photographs and charts and design of the book are so engaging that they made even a judge racing to get through the required reading go back and savor them in detail. Turner’s choice of the central figure in the book—the real Frog Scientist—is wonderful. Dr. Tyrone Hayes is a man any child would long to go adventuring with. The photographs by Andy Comins show this scientist’s diligence and great sense of humor as he works with his own children and the young college age assistants  who are a dedicated part of the project. I was full of admiration for the sheer honesty of the book. In order, for example, to find out why frogs are dying, more frogs must die and be dissected and studied. Despite the death of frogs, I can’t wait to get this book into the hands of my frog loving grandchildren. It was easy for me to see why it roused anyone concerned about our future on this planet to want this book to come back from the dead. It is also a dramatic reason why wonderful informational books are vital to our children’s education. I haven’t seen any research material on the internet that could  compete or inspire like The Frog Scientist.

The last book I read was Elizabeth Partridge’s Marching for Freedom. When the books began to arrive and I saw it was one of the entrants, I hoped in a perverse sort of way that this would not be one of the books left for me to choose from. So—full disclosure time: not only is Elizabeth Partridge the only one of the three authors I know and call a friend, but my husband marched with African Americans in Greensboro, Alabama in July of 1965. All the marchers were arrested, loaded onto school busses, and taken to Selma because it had the larger jail. My problem therefore was: Could I be objective? Or, on the contrary, trying so hard not to let personal feelings creep in, would l be totally unfair?  Either extreme was possible, but, in the end, it was the book itself that won me over. The wonderful thing that Partridge did for me was to tell the story in a way I’d never heard it before—through the eyes and voices of the young. Even though Partridge is an elegant writer, she never lets herself get in the way of the story she has chosen to tell. She stands aside and lets her young protagonists shine, showing their naked fear in the face of unspeakable brutality, as well as their joy and pride in being part of the great overcoming event that was the march from Selma to Montgomery in the almost forgotten spring of 1965. There are a number of pictures of these young people in the powerful collection of photographs in the book. Indeed, Marching for Freedom is a perfect match of word and picture, telling of events that that those of us who are old enough to remember that spring thought we knew about, but we’d never heard told in just this way before. I knew there were children tear-gassed and beaten and attacked by dogs on Bloody Sunday, but I didn’t know their names, I hadn’t before heard their voices. And now I have. So, this, then is my choice. I truly enjoyed The Lost Conspiracy, and The Frog Scientist made me an eager and delighted student, but Marching for Freedom stirred my soul in a way few books have. So, I have chosen it to win the Battle.

– Katherine Paterson

Well, here we all are assembled in Katherine’s wonderfully expansive topiary garden among the meticulously sculpted greenery of Jess, Leslie, Gilly, and Jacob (!!!), waiting on her decision as if she were the oracle at Delphi—and what a terrific decision it was.  Personally, I thought that she would go with THE LOST CONSPIRACY.  It will face off against MARCHING FOR FREEDOM again in a couple of weeks at the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes.  And, of course, all three books could figure into the mix at the Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards announced in early summer, and THE LOST CONSPIRACY could also still find itself on the Carnegie Medal shortlist (where in a Battle of the Behemoths it could face off with the likes of NATION and THE GRAVEYARD BOOK).  THE FROG SCIENTIST is a huge surprise as the Undead Poll winner, but I hope its selection spurred people to take a closer look at one of the less heralded candidates in the field.  And, finally, what can we say about MARCHING FOR FREEDOM that has not already been said?  It should have been a Newbery book.  Too bad Gary and Chris and Walter and Katherine weren’t on the committee last year!

– Commentator Jonathan Hunt

WINNER OF THE 2010 SLJ’S
BATTLE OF THE KIDS’ BOOKS:
MARCHING FOR FREEDOM
by ELIZABETH PARTRIDGE

published by Viking Children’s Books
Penguin Young Readers

Here’s what we’ve come across this week:

• Kara Schaff Dean caught up with the Battle here, considers the finalists here and also reflects on how the Battle brings new readers to the contenders.  “As the 2010 edition draws to a close, I look forward to the opportunity to pass on the results with the same enthusiasm as last year.” Yes!
• Caroline Parr did a great piece on us at fredericksburg.com.
• Laura stayed abreast of the Battle considering color, safety, and self-reflection.
• Liz calling out “CharMa, CharMa” finished out Round Two  here and here and attacked Round Three here and here.
• Sondy did a second round round-up.
• Glad RachReads has been enjoying the Battle!
• Charlotte noted Megan Whalen Turner’s match. As did her fan community.
• Judge Shannon Hale reflects on her decision and the inner reader.
• Eric’s Leader Board as of April 1.

Well, the winner of the Undead Poll is sure to be a big surprise.  During the first week of polling, WHEN YOU REACH ME opened with a comfortable lead, FIRE was gaining ground, but then . . . the post.  Scientist PZ Myers posted a glowing review of THE FROG SCIENTIST followed by a plug for Battle of the Books and a direct link to the Undead Poll ballot.  Whether it was that direct link or the extraordinary passion of science advocates, votes for THE FROG SCIENTIST came in so fast and furiously that we first wondered what the heck was happening.  FIRE did eventually overtake WHEN YOU REACH ME with THE LAST OLYMPIAN trailing in its wake, but it didn’t matter by then because THE FROG SCIENTIST had already run away with it.  While this was a missed opportunity for THE LAST OLYMPIAN, WHEN YOU REACH ME,  and FIRE, we can take away lessons on how to more actively and aggressively campaign for our favorites.  Then, too, given the strength of the nonfiction this year, there is something fitting about having two of the final three books represent the genre.  So . . .  THE LOST CONSPIRACY vs. MARCHING FOR FREEDOM vs. THE FROG SCIENTIST.  Place your bets!

– Commentator Jonathan Hunt

Judged by Walter Dean Myers

Shaun Tan invites the reader to go along with him on a journey full of surprises. It is soon clear as we go through these very brief stories, illustrated by Tan with intelligence and humor, that we are not likely to end up anywhere we would expect. In ‘Stick Figures’, for example, he gives life to the imagined reality of the fallen tree branches we see around us and the reactions to those sometimes human like figures. In another story a deer appears on a roof and, in a reversal of the Clement Moore story, takes gifts instead of bringing them. A story which encapsulates both the wit and weakness of the book is called ‘Our Expedition.’ In this story Tan tells of two brothers who find a directory in which one of the maps ends abruptly. A debate ensues as to whether a page has fallen out of the book and the two brothers decide to follow the map to find out exactly what should have been included. They discover that the landscape is exactly as the map indicates, a sheer cliff beyond which there is nothing. A different approach to a story? Absolutely! An interesting approach? Mildly. Compelling? No. After The Arrival I expected great things from Shaun Tan. I still do.

Although billed as a book which emphasizes the role of children in the Civil Rights struggle, in my mind the outstanding aspect of Marching for Freedom is the way, through words and images, the author puts a human face on the participants.  Most books are content to show the marchers/protesters as either openly defiant or aloof from the dangers involved as they sing hymns and hold hands.  In this carefully compiled collection of photographs and precise text, the author revisits people who were clearly worried about their safety, who knew they might be beaten or even killed, bringing the real experience of the marches into sharp focus.

I’m often told by young people who have always lived in northern schools that they would have done things different had they lived in the South of the sixties.   What they don’t realize that it was in the South, in places like Selma and Montgomery, that the depths of individual courage was most sorely tested.  Elizabeth Partridge brings that courage to these pages.

– Walter Dean Myers

The Winner of Round 3 Match 2 Is…

It’s odd how the books with the strongest visual aspects ended up in this bottom bracket, and how they keep bumping in to each other.  To be sure, LIPS TOUCH and CLAUDETTE COLVIN have striking visual elements, but they didn’t seem to be an issue in either decision, whereas in MARCHING FOR FREEDOM, THE STORM IN THE BARN, SWEETHEARTS OF RHYTHM, and TALES FROM OUTER SUBURBIA the visual elements have been mentioned in every single decision.  It took me a second read to warm up to TALES FROM OUTER SUB URBIA, so I figured it was only a matter of time until its odd quirkiness didn’t resonate with a judge.  Then, too, MARCHING FOR FREEDOM has that accumulation of story that Gary mentioned (and that Tobin mentioned in relation to CHARLES AND EMMA), while Chris and Walter have mentioned the wonderful humanizing quality of Partridge’s story.  So we now know two of our finalists—THE LOST CONSPIRACY and MARCHING FOR FREEDOM.  Which book will join them in the finals?  Hmmm.

– Commentator Jonathan Hunt

Judged by Megan Whalen Turner

So I am not good with suspense.  I’ll save you others who are like me from skipping several paragraphs to see who the winner is and I’ll tell you right out.  I picked The Lost Conspiracy.

While we were strolling through the topiary with Tobin, he laid out excellent arguments for Charles and Emma.  They’re all still there, so I hope that you will go read them if you haven’t already.  Charles and Emma is a wonderful, valuable, cherished piece of work.  I just happen to love Frances Hardinge’s book more.  Charles and Emma held my interest and warmed my heart, but The Lost Conspiracy stoked my imagination and rather set my brain on fire.

Both books take an oblique approach to events in our own world.  Heiligman doesn’t bring in the present day controversy of religion versus science and Hardinge is careful to subvert any one-to one correlation between her fiction and historical events.  We can draw parallels on our own.

Their expectations of their readers are radically different. As Tobin said, “[Heiligman] is … trying to narrate events as clearly as possible while keeping us emotionally and intellectually engaged.”  Heiligman does all the heavy lifting as she introduces you to wonderful people and tactfully suggests that we are not the first to debate the primacy of science and faith.  I love the quotes from the Darwin family letters and I’m grateful that Heiligman allowed them to speak so much for themselves.

If Charles and Emma floats you downriver to a peaceful sea of conclusions, The Lost Conspiracy compels the reader on a much less gentle journey. Hardinge expects you to stick with her, and as Angela said, it takes work. There’s humor, but it is a peppery kind.  The idea that the Lace were quietly abducting the odd member of the Cavalcaste community and sacrificing them to the local Volcano, as a favor to the Cavalcaste, leaves me equal parts laughing and horrified.

Hardinge allows no preconceptions here about who the “good guys” are, which lets us see that no one in this world is perfect, with the possible exception of [spoilers?].  On opposite “teams,” but working for the same master, what they are is perfectly awful.  Hardinge wipes out an entire village to the last man, woman, and child, just the way people have done in the real world for as long as there have been people, because she won’t coddle her readers.

I love it that this is not a Romeo and Juliette story.  The two sides in this story are not brought together by a star-crossed love affair, or by a special cross-cultural friendship. The Lace are surrounded by Lace.  The Cavalcaste by other Cavalcaste. It takes more than just a personal connection to begin to bring these two sides together; it takes a superhuman act of compassion for people who are almost entirely unknown.

I love Crackgem, King of Fans, Sorrow and Spearhead, er, Broken Brow.   I love that you can believe anything you want about them.  Their story is not so much open-ended as it is open-minded.

The point of BoB, is that the judges have axes to grind, and I am happy to identify mine.  (Besides the no-dead-dogs one, to which I’ve already confessed.)  A writer who asks a lot from the reader is a writer who believes the reader can deliver.  That’s a writer with a lot of respect for her audience. It’s a risk for an author to demand so much, and I want Hardinge to be rewarded for it.

That’s because it’s a risk for a reader, too.  A reader has to have faith in an author to invest so much in a story, and I think Hardinge pays back on that investment, a hundred times over.

Reading The Lost Conspiracy is like climbing the mountain and turning around to see the world laid out at your feet.  Only, in this case, the mountain is a volcano.

– Megan Whalen Turner

The first book that goes into the FINAL ROUND IS….

I am not good with suspense?!? Meaning that you can dish it out, but you can’t take it!  Maybe we should all just turn to the last page of A CONSPIRACY OF KINGS and read it first . . . Anyway, I love both of these books.  I do agree with Tobin that there is some repetition in CHARLES AND EMMA, but otherwise I think the book is about as perfect as it can be, and the choice to tell this story in such a novelistic fashion is truly inspired.  Now Helen and Angela both had problems getting into THE LOST CONSPIRACY, but like Megan I found this such an effortless story to slip into, and I particularly love the way that all of the background information that may seem gratuitous at first becomes very relevant later in the story.  Both books seem weightier than either MARCHING FOR FREEDOM or TALES FROM OUTER SUBURBIA.  Can either of those prevail?  And what of the Undead Poll winner?  Hmmm.

– Commentator Jonathan Hunt

Judged by Shannon Hale

First up: Matt Phelan’s graphic novel Storm in the Barn. I loved the feel of this book. It’s 200 pages, and they flow effortlessly. The washed out blues, grays, and browns evoke the famine-striken land, a town in Kansas waiting years for rain in 1937. His style is so accessible, and he communicates action and emotion with simple lines and shading and minimal color. A flashback section and a story-within- the-story apply richer color, bringing the context of the setting into sharp definition.

The story itself is highly readable. Jack is one casualty of the drought. At age 10 or 11, he should be a farm hand, but there’s no farm to work unless rain returns. Other stories intertwine with Jack’s — Dorothy in Oz, Jack of fairy tale fame — adding meaning and texture.

The boy’s story bends from historical fiction to fairy tale when he sees flashes in an abandoned barn and believes a rain monster is hiding inside. Text is minimal, and the illustrations tell what needs to be told. A wonderful medium for this story, and a wonderful story. Well done, Matt Phelan!

The second contender is Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan. He wowed me with The Arrival, and I was excited to lay my hands on this lavishly illustrated collection of short stories. What a treasure.

All of Tan’s stories can be read for what they are–speculative fiction set in a real world. Or perhaps realistic fiction in a world of magical realism. Or somewhere in between. But of course the beauty of this genre is that readers can create their own metaphors for these tales. “Stick Figures” echoed for me colonized Australia, and the lingering guilt and sadness that the land once belong to others who were driven away. Silent ghosts, voiceless reminders. The same could be read for American Indians or other slaughtered and displaced peoples. Or it could be the land itself protesting–the trees that have been cut away springing back up.

Or dozens of other metaphors.

The last line of “Undertow” gave me chills each time I read it. Such unexpected hope! Such grace! Here, Tan reminds me of Raymond Carver at his best. His stories also evoke other great writers of short speculative fiction, like Kelly Link and Gabriel Garcia Marquez–what a dazzling feat for an illustrator! But after reading this, I have to consider Shaun Tan, master of the great wordless graphic novel, as a terrific writer as well. I’m not sure what the effect of these stories would be without the illustrations, but it doesn’t matter. The stories are vivid, the illustrations gorgeous, and the whole package is delectable.

My one quibble is with the cover. I don’t think this is the best illustration to define the collection. Let me just throw that out there in case others agree and the publisher rethinks that for paperback. But I love the bumpiness and raised font! I love tactile covers. And in all ways, the book is packaged beautifully.

Between the two, my heart goes to Tales from Outer Suburbia. They’re both obviously terrific books, but that one just stuck to me longer. I’m sure another judge could easily rule the other way. They aren’t written for the same audience. I’d say Storm in the Barn is for 8-12, while Outer Suburbia is 12-adult, but I wasn’t asked to consider age range or anything else. My job is simply to read two books and pick one.

And so I get an intimate glance into the capriciousness of judging books for awards! Nevertheless, I’m proud to send this book along to Walter Dean Myers. Well done, Shaun Tan!

– Shannon Hale

The Winner of Round 2 Match 4 Is…

Okay, Shannon, but just beware of dark, shadowy figures in your garage, in your closet, under your bed!  Tobin picked the tightly plotted CHARLES AND EMMA over the more episodic CALPURNIA TATE, and Helen did somewhat likewise with THE LOST CONSPIRACY over LIPS TOUCH, while Julius and Shannon have chosen the short stories of TALES FROM OUTER SUBURBIA over the larger stories of WHEN YOU REACH ME and THE STORM IN THE BARN, respectively.  Most people probably tend to gravitate toward novels over short stories, and it probably takes an exceptional short story collection to successfully compete with excellent novels—but TALES FROM OUTER SUBURBIA fits the bill.  Shannon (and others) may actually prefer the Australian cover of the book which features a dog sitting on a television.  Has anyone noticed that the four remaining books—CHARLES AND EMMA, THE LOST CONSPIRACY, MARCHING FOR FREEDOM, and TALES FROM OUTER SUBURBIA—are all finalists for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize?  Interesting!

–Commentator Jonathan Hunt

Judged by Christopher Paul Curtis

Richard Peck gives readers another glimpse into the life of Grandma Dowdel, the wonderfully quirky heroine of his Newbery recognized novels A Year Down Yonder and A Long Way From Chicago.  In this story Peck treats us to Grandma Dowdel in a more peripheral way through the eyes of new-kid-in-town and next door neighbor, Bob Barnhart.  In addition to facing the horrors of trying to adjust to new settings, Bob is also burdened with being the “preacher’s kid” and suffers accordingly.

As in all of Richard Peck’s books the writing is meticulously well-crafted and enjoyable.  A Season of Gifts does, however, lack the emotional kick of Chicago and Yonder.  I think this may be due to the fact that while Bob is the narrator of the tale, Grandma Dowdel is its emotional center.  Peck is at his best when presenting us with the feisty woman’s world, the reader recognizes this and at the end longs for her to be a more integral part of the story. The storytelling is, as always with Peck, a pleasure to read, he has painted an enjoyable portrait of Americana.

Elizabeth Partridge’s Marching For Freedom is one of those books that sneaks up and ensnares the reader.  Even though we all know how the story ends, (it is a re-telling of the Selma voter’s rights struggle) Partridge gives us a fresh perspective as told by the children who took part in the struggle.  We are first startlingly introduced to the movement through the eyes of a ten year old who is being arrested for the first of many times.  Through the children’s eyes, the reader is taken on a journey with an emotionally satisfying conclusion.  Partridge skillfully opens up a part of American history that is either overlooked or forgotten.  Educators would do well to make this book required reading.   One of the more jarring images from the book’s pictures has nothing to do with the Civil Rights movement, it is instead a reflection of a plague that has hit Americans, especially African Americans, particularly hard in the past decades;  our rush towards obesity.  These photos show how what we consider normal is getting larger and larger.

– Christopher Paul Curtis

The Winner of Round 2 Match 3 Is…

You know, Chris’s last sentence had me scratching my head a bit as I didn’t remember any pictures of obese people, but then the light bulb blinked on, and I also recalled that there weren’t even pictures of chubby people.  So, this whole point serves to illustrate just how completely and vividly Partridge’s well chosen photographs plunge the reader not just into the harrowing events of the march, but also into the entire milieu of that time and place.  Peck is no stranger to communicating more with less, either.  His books are always a model of clear, precise writing with nary a wasted word.  I can see how Mrs. Dowdel seems like a slightly more peripheral character here than in A LONG WAY FROM CHICAGO and A YEAR DOWN YONDER, but I’ll take her anyway I can get her.  MARCHING FOR FREEDOM marches on to meet either a graphic novel or an illustrated collection of short stories: The Battle of the Graphic Books.

– Commentator Jonathan Hunt

… bloggers and commenters alike. Be sure to email the Battle Commander with your mailing address so we can get your t-shirt to you!

	Julie Larios
	Peter Sieruta
	Joel Singerman
	This Grrl Reads
	Jessica Leader
	Christina Rodriguez
	Danae
	Miriam
	Genevieve
	M.anda
	Sam
	Kris
	Marie1163
	Karn
	Tricia (Miss Rumphius)
	Lisanne

Julie Larios got in a tad late for last week, but she’s paying attention!

Peter Sieruta thinks that next year “Fuse #8 and the BOB folks should join forces and run competitions to select the top Newbery title of all time.”  He suggests some intriguing matches and a lot of the competitors would be Undeads….hmmm….

“If you prefer to limit discussion of basketball in class, you might use School Library Journal’s Battle of the Kids’ Books bracket” so said the New York Times Learning Network in a post about March Madness (the basketball kind).

Caroline Parr has a terrific piece about the Battle on fredericksburg.com.

Liz B is back with terrific posts on all the matches.  See them here, here, here, here, and here.

Joel Singerman is following carefully.

Happily, Laura still has plenty to say here, here, and here.

Here’s Betsy of Fuse#Eight with her recap of week two!

This Grrl Reads is paying attention she weighed in thoughtfully about Round 1 Match 8.

Christina Rodriguez gave us a shout-out.

Jessica Leader pointed out Julius Lester’s decision as an example of the Battle.

Brain Lair’s Round Two Picks.

Sondy considers the first round.