6 down...

...3 more nomination statements coming shortly--I hope. This is the time of year I ask myself why I'm doing this to myself again this year! That is, cramming in the re-reading. On the actual committee, I'd be reading some of these for the third time, marking pages with post-its and sketching out for each title (of several dozen) an argument for or against, with specific examples to justify. I'm only doing a vague approximation of that here. Like the kid asked to clean her room who just shoves everything under the bed...

But judging a book by the Newbery criteria is a very different way of looking a book than most of us do on a casual read. You have to explicitly UNconsider:

• The lovely illustrations or quality of the pages and binding (unless they detract from the writing.)
• Other books it is similar too, except for those being discussing. It’s not a valid criterium that the book is the best of this author yet…or just like another book that was written last year.
• Personal reading preferences!: whether or not this is a book that you just "like" or "don't like" don't matter. Unless you can explain...very specifically...why.

It's a fabulous excercise, but a heckuva lot of work, and I'm whining about doing not one-hundredth of it. If you know someone on the Newbery Committee this year, now's the time NOT to invite them to the movies. Give them a kiss, a pat on the head, a good light, and some reading glasses.