OKAY FOR NOW BY GARY D. SCHMIDT
published by Clarion, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
And the Giveaway Winners Are…
Thank you so much for many wonderful comments, whether you commented daily or just once or twice to let us know your thoughts on specific titles and matches. The winners of the 2012 BoB Giveaways are drawn from more than 100 names. We will contact each winner via email to arrange for prize delivery. Congratulations!
Heidi wins a set of Gerald Morris’ series The Knights’ Tales. Sondy wins a set of the 43 Old Cemetery Road series by Kate and Sarah Klise. Elissa wins a set of Sy Montgomery’s nonfiction books including her latest, a biography of Temple Grandin. Steffaney Smith wins a Just Grace tote bag with all 8 series books and bookmarks. Maisie Mac wins the Grave Mercy pack – Grave Mercy t-shirt, bookmarks, buttons, and book.
(Provided by our sponsor Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.)
Indigo wins an autographed copy of Inside Out and Back Again. DavidB wins an autographed copy of Inside Out and Back Again. Chelle wins an autographed copy of Inside Out and Back Again. Genevieve wins an autographed copy of Heart and Soul. Moe wins an autographed copy of Heart and Soul.
(Provided by our sponsor HarperCollins.)
Who’s that Man Inside the BoB Art Studio?
As many of BoB followers pointed out, SLJ’s Battle of the Kids’ Books site is not only thought provoking and fun to read, it is also a total joy to look at: all because we have the ingenious and whimsical Match graphics and other icons. Who has created all these images? You asked, and we answer here:
Mark Tuchman, SLJ’s Creative Director
Mark has been working at SLJ for the last ten years and recently collected his design work here: http://marktuchman.wordpress.com. His prior freelance work illustrating for newspapers and magazines such as Glamour, NY Newsday, The Daily News, Scholastic, Black Enterprise and Seventeen can be viewed here: www.marktuchman.com.
We couldn’t thank Mark enough for giving us the pleasure of receiving the graphics for the Match posts and sharing them with all the BoB fans. We feel it a fitting tribute to Mark’s talents and dedication by exhibiting a selection of his BoB designs for the past four years. Please enjoy!
2009 Battle Brackets:
2009 Match Design (based on crude design by the Battle Commander):
Peanut Gallery Banner:
2009 winner The Hunger Games on the top and third tiers of the winners podium:
2010 Early Brackets:
Victory Tour of 2009 BoB winner Hunger Games to 2010 Contenders:
2010 Boxing Ring Theme Match Graphic:
Confetti fluttering around Match winner (2010):
2010 Undead:
…
» Continue Reading: Who’s that Man Inside the BoB Art Studio?
The Big Kahuna Match: Between Shades of Gray vs Life: An Exploded Diagram vs Okay for Now
Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt Clarion/HMH Life: An Exploded Diagram by Mal Peet Candlewick Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys Philomel/Penguin Judged by Jonathan Stroud
When those fine people at School Library Journal asked me to judge the conclusion of this year’s Battle of the Kids’ Books, I knew at once it was a great honour. What I didn’t know, exactly, was what a “Big Kahuna” actually was. To me it conjured an image of a patriarchal sort of cove, wearing an impressive white beard, a set of mercifully long robes and a pair of leather sandals. Probably sitting resplendent on some kind of throne. Well, I did the best I could. The beard is false, the robes are itchy, and instead of a throne I’ve got a fold-up picnic chair, but that’s all incidental. What matters is what I’ve been reading. Three superb books, the hard-won finalists of a magnificent competition.
Here’s something I discovered right off. It doesn’t matter how big your beard is, sitting in judgement is a tricky job.
Or at least it is when each of the books is so individually excellent and tonally distinctive. And when their subject matter is so apparently disparate: love and sex in the shadow of the Cuban Missile Crisis; enduring the unimaginable horrors of Stalinist persecutions; the life of a kid growing up in Vietnam-era small-town America. How do you adjudicate something like that?
Well, for …
» Continue Reading: The Big Kahuna Match: Between Shades of Gray vs Life: An Exploded Diagram vs Okay for Now
This Week’s Peanut Gallery
Posts of the Week
The Book Nut’s Weekly Roundup #2, and Quarterfinal Roundup. Emily Brown weighs in and makes an interesting suggestion:
So I’m enjoying the Battle of the Kids Books, but in comparing it to the Morning News Tournament of Books, I do find it lacking in the commentary department. The judges give you their experience of the book, so I’d like the commentators to connect the decisions to trends and issues in the field of kidlit … instead of just saying whether they agree or disagree.
Liz B on Chime v Smoke, Drawing v Again, Diagram v Wonderstruck, Gray v Chime, Memory v Life, and Timothy Rising from the Dead. Bookshelves of doom is “YESSSSSSSSSS!” for her champion. Brandy’s thoughts on the final four and the finalists. Reads for Keeps’ Round 3 Inklings. Sondy’s chanting Go, Zombie, Go! A Spectator’s Commentary, Week 3. And here’s one …SLJBotB Commentary….Better Late Than Never!
Tweets of the Week
elockhart This is my round! Some of you WON’T LIKE the opener. RT @SLJsBoB: Chime vs Daughter of Smoke & Bone http://bit.ly/GTvgYL #sljbob12 rockinlibrarian @elockhart @SLJsBoB Well we’re peculiar in the same way, then. I haven’t read both books, but I at least agree with you on romance. brandymuses This was a good one to wake up to. RT @SLJsBoB: Round 2, Match 2: Chime vs Daughter of Smoke and Bone KateCoombs13 @brandymuses @SLJsBoB I liked both books, but I’m with you on this one. What amazing writing! (I say, trying not to be spoilerish.) elizabethfama Good question hidden in @SLJsBoB‘s comments today: Does Briony being a witch make …
» Continue Reading: This Week’s Peanut Gallery
2013 Battle Schedule
Recent Posts
- Winner of the 2013 Battle of the Kids’ Books
- The Big Kahuna Match: Between The Fault in Our Stars, No Crystal Stair, and Code Name Verity
- This Week’s Peanut Gallery
- And the 2013 BoB Undead Winner Is…
- Round 3, Match 2: Splendors and Glooms vs No Crystal Stair
What People Are Saying…
- Rankingoptimierung on The Big Kahuna Match: Between The Fault in Our Stars, No Crystal Stair, and Code Name Verity
- Edgar Awards, “Briefings,” and ACL Pinterest Page | on And the 2013 BoB Undead Winner Is…
- ‘Code Name Verity,’ ‘The Quick Fix’ Win Edgars | School Library Journal on And the 2013 BoB Undead Winner Is…
- Sonderbooks » Blog Archive » Review of Midwinter Blood, by Marcus Sedgwick on Round 1, Match 5: Jepp, Who Defied the Stars vs Starry River of the Sky
- Josef on The Big Kahuna Match: Between The Fault in Our Stars, No Crystal Stair, and Code Name Verity
- April Shroeder on The Big Kahuna Match: Between The Fault in Our Stars, No Crystal Stair, and Code Name Verity
- Dark Horse ‘No Crystal Stair’ Takes Battle of the Kids’ Books Top Prize | School Library Journal on This Week’s Peanut Gallery
- Dark Horse ‘No Crystal Stair’ Takes Battle of the Kids’ Books Top Prize | School Library Journal on Downloadable Graphics
- Alyson on The Big Kahuna Match: Between The Fault in Our Stars, No Crystal Stair, and Code Name Verity
- Nina Lindsay on The Big Kahuna Match: Between The Fault in Our Stars, No Crystal Stair, and Code Name Verity
