Through the Looking Glass Book Reviews: Newbery Award books

Welcome!

Dear Book Lovers, Welcome! I am delighted that you have found The Through the Looking Glass blog. For over twenty years I reviewed children's literature titles for my online journal, which came out six times a year. Every book review written for that publication can be found on the Through the Looking Glass website (the link is below). I am now moving in a different direction, though the columns that I write are still book-centric. Instead of writing reviews, I'm offering you columns on topics that have been inspired by wonderful books that I have read. I tell you about the books in question, and describe how they have have impacted me. This may sound peculiar to some of you, but the books that I tend to choose are ones that resonate with me on some level. Therefore, when I read the last page and close the covers, I am not quite the same person that I was when first I started reading the book. The shift in my perspective might be miniscule, but it is still there. The books I am looking are both about adult and children's titles. Some of the children's titles will appeal to adults, while others will not. Some of the adult titles will appeal to younger readers, particularly those who are eager to expand their horizons.

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Happy New Year Everyone! Newbery discussion

Happy New Year! I hope you all have a wonderful and book filled 2009. I know that 2008 has been a hard year for many of you and that you are worried about the future. Hopefully things will start to get better soon, and these trying times will soon be behind us. In the meantime we can read, talk to one another, and celebrate the best of children's literature.

Lately there has been a lot of talk about whether the Newbery Awards are

becoming too "complicated and inaccessible" to children and are therefore turning children off reading. I have been thinking about this a lot and though I can understand where this concern is coming from, I don't think this is true. Though I have not always liked the winners, I have never had a problem understanding why they were awarded the medal. You can see a complete list of the winners and honor books here on the ALA website.

I would be interested to know what you think about this. Do you think the Newbery Awards still have merit? Which Newbery Award winners do you like the most? Are there any that you really don't like? I have to confess that I did not really like The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread but I loved Crispin: The Cross of Lead.

All the best and again, Happy New Year.