Subscribe to SLJ

Winner of the 2010 Battle of the Kids’ Books

MARCHING FOR FREEDOM by ELIZABETH PARTRIDGE

published by Viking Children’s Books Penguin Young Readers

Posted in 2010, General | 5 Comments »

Big Kahuna Round

The Lost Conspiracy by Frances Hardinge HarperCollins The Frog Scientist by Pamela S. Turner Houghton Mifflin Marching for Freedom by Elizabeth Partridge Viking 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 …

» Continue Reading: Big Kahuna Round

Posted in 2010, Big Kahuna | 24 Comments »

This Week’s Peanut Gallery

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.

Posted in 2010, Peanut Gallery | 6 Comments »

Winner of the Undead Poll

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

Posted in 2010, Commentary | 23 Comments »

Round 3 Match 2 Marching for Freedom vs Tales from Outer Suburbia

Marching for Freedom by Elizabeth Partridge Viking Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan Arthur A. Levine Books 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 …

» Continue Reading: Round 3 Match 2 Marching for Freedom vs Tales from Outer Suburbia

Posted in 2010, Round 3 | 9 Comments »