School Library Journal's Battle of the Kids' Books

Contenders Announcement Peanut Gallery

These Peanut Gallery posts are where we highlight responses to the latest BoB activity. And so here are some celebrating this week’s announcement of the 2012 Contenders. If we missed yours, let us know in the comments and we’ll add them in here.

• Our lovely School Library Journal did a bang-up article (with a couple of witty images from our wonderful art director Mark Tuchman) featuring this year’s Battle (and giving away a few, but not all of our judges).
• And the equally lovely Betsy Bird gave us a shot-out, noting that here is, “… the place where Amelia Lost gets its bloody due (if there’s any justice in this world).”
• Someone had the brilliant idea of creating a list of the contenders over at goodreads.  So now you can vote for your favorites there!
• Brain Lair is planning to read or reread all the contenders in bracket order, “so I can do a comparison of each and try to guess the winner before the judges do.”  Count me as very impressed.
• Reading is Good for You realizes that some of our contenders are mysteries to her so “..a trip to the library is in my future.”
• A Random Hodgepodge of Bookishness intends to get all the contenders read before the battle begins and notes, “The best thing about this battle is reading what authors think of these books – their insightful, eloquent, sometimes humorous reviews.”
• BooksnStories is ready to go while also expressing her thoughts on what didn’t make our list.  Say The Scorpio Races:“What!!?? A book about flesh-eating horses from the Irish Sea didn’t make the list??  Oh, well.  There is no accounting for taste.” (As a consolation prize we’ve got Maggie as a judge as revealed in SLJ’s BoB article.)
• Aw, shucks. Not Just For Kids “adores us… I love the guest judges. I love the monkey wrench of the Undead contender. I love the debate and conversation and second-guessing. I love that the BoBs is the metaphorical kick in the rear to my To Be Read pile.”
• So bookshelves of doom admits she’s read “read a completely pathetic* four of…”our contenders. No problem as she’s got till mid-March to read the rest!
• My Reading Frenzy thinks our first round is a doozy!
• Katie let us know that she is “… obsessed with the Battle of the Kids Books!!!!!” Her post is here.
• Children’s Literature Crossroads gave us a shout-out. Thanks!
• “Superbowl, schmuperbowl.” writes Brookline Blogsmith in their celebration of the BoB.
• Now why would Barbara O’Connor post the brackets without comment?  Hmmm???