Heavy Medal

Award season is coming and, with it, a host of mock award blogs are guessing what books might earn medals for the 2015 year. I tend to follow both Heavy Medal and Someday My Printz Will Come because books discussed on both blogs are likely to be popular with my students. Heavy Medal recently posted a shortlist of guesses as to which books might be in the running for the Newbery this year. I'm trying to read all of them before the awards are announced. I finished two this weekend (both by authors who have been touched by Newbery magic in the past):

Written in diary format, The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz follows Joan as she runs away from her father's farm in order to better herself in the city. I giggled and cringed at the same time as a young Catholic girl works to fit into--and learn from--her Jewish employer's family. Joan is optimistic and funny--I loved her voice throughout the story.

Told in second person, Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead is the story of Bridge, Em, and Tab, three longtime friends going through the trials of middle school. My eighth grade daughter picked this up when I brought it home and finished in less than 24 hours. When I asked her what she thought, she just sighed and said, "So great." We all have a little bit of each of these girls in us and this book reminded me of what it is like to be in seventh grade.

I started Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan this morning and am hoping to also read Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson this week. What books have you read in 2015 that might be in the running for an award?