As I’ve done in years past, I’ll be posting some end-of-the-year book lists each day between Christmas and the first few days of January before taking my annual break for the first half of January.
Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow
Published by Disney Hyperion
Erin Bow takes the grimmest of premises and turns it into a funny, moving story filled with memorable characters.
The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, A Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity by Nicholas Day, illustrated by Brett Helquist
Published by Random House Studio
It’s pretty rare for a nonfiction book to win a Newbery, but this incredibly engaging whodunit that deftly moves between the fifteenth and twentieth centuries should definitely be a contender.
The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers, illustrated by Shawn Harris
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers
I would love to see this book get Newbery recognition, not only because of the funny narrator, engaging story, and impeccable writing, but also because it’s the only book on this list that’s really for an elementary audience.
The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh
Published by Roaring Brook Press
Expertly moving between the early days of the pandemic and 1930’s Ukraine, this well-researched historical fiction has possibly the biggest plot twist of any book I read this year and kept me turning the pages until the very end.
A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat
Published by First Second
Dan Santat’s graphic memoir about his life-changing trip to Europe the summer before high school has already won the National Book Award and could easily be considered for a Caldecott as well as a Newbery.
Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow
Published by Disney Hyperion
Erin Bow takes the grimmest of premises and turns it into a funny, moving story filled with memorable characters.
The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, A Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity by Nicholas Day, illustrated by Brett Helquist
Published by Random House Studio
It’s pretty rare for a nonfiction book to win a Newbery, but this incredibly engaging whodunit that deftly moves between the fifteenth and twentieth centuries should definitely be a contender.
The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers, illustrated by Shawn Harris
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers
I would love to see this book get Newbery recognition, not only because of the funny narrator, engaging story, and impeccable writing, but also because it’s the only book on this list that’s really for an elementary audience.
The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh
Published by Roaring Brook Press
Expertly moving between the early days of the pandemic and 1930’s Ukraine, this well-researched historical fiction has possibly the biggest plot twist of any book I read this year and kept me turning the pages until the very end.
A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat
Published by First Second
Dan Santat’s graphic memoir about his life-changing trip to Europe the summer before high school has already won the National Book Award and could easily be considered for a Caldecott as well as a Newbery.