Paul Griffin writes books, lots of books.  He sells few, very few.  He likes dogs, books about dogs and living with dogs.  He likes cats too.  If his wife weren’t allergic to cats, Paul would be one of those crazy old cat ladies.  If he were old…

Paul Griffin writes books, lots of books.  He sells few, very few.  He likes dogs, books about dogs and living with dogs.  He likes cats too.  If his wife weren’t allergic to cats, Paul would be one of those crazy old cat ladies.  If he were old…

Catherine Gilbert Murdock is rather surprised to find herself in a Battle of the Books, as her weapon of choice is usually a short-handled shovel. When not shoveling, she’s found time to author the award-winning Dairy Queen trilogy, about a football-playing farm girl in rural Wisconsin, and the fantasy duo Princess Ben and Wisdom’s Kiss. Her new novel Heaven is Paved with Oreos (fall 2013) is also set in rural Wisconsin, and features an enthusiastic eighth-grader who learns how much she has yet to learn, about everything. Catherine also sometimes writes adult non-fiction. She lives in suburban Philadelphia with her husband, two children, three cats, and six shovels.

Margarita Engle is the Cuban-American author of The Surrender Tree, which received the first Newbery Honor ever awarded to a Latino/a.  Her other novels in verse about the island include The Poet Slave of Cuba, Hurricane Dancers, The Firefly Letters,…

Deb Caletti is the award-winning author of nine young adult novels, including Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, The Nature of Jade, Stay, and The Story of Us.  In addition to being a National Book Award finalist, Deb’s work has gained other distinguished recognition, including the PNBA Best Book Award, the Washington State Book Award, and School LibraryJournal’s Best Book award, and finalist citations for the California Young Reader Medal and the PEN USA Literary Award.  Her first novel for adults, He’s Gone, will be released in May of 2013, and her next Y/A novel, The Last Forever, will appear in the spring of 2014.  Deb lives with her family in Seattle.

Franny writes middle-grade and young-adult fantasies.  Her most recent novel, Chime, was nominated for the National Book Award. Her novel The Folk Keeper won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and the Mythopoeic Award.  She’s written one pictur…

Twice Kathi Appelt’s books have duked it out here, and both times they went down to worthy challengers.  But she is not bitter.  Instead, she has focused her energies on her next novel, The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp, which features r…

will be announced, one every weekday, starting this Wednesday, February 6th.  And they are awesome! Just wait and see.

In case you’re wondering, BOB contenders fared pretty well at the YMAs.  I’m sure some of you think we may have had the inside track on the Newbery with Roxanne being on the committee and all, but I can assure you that was not the case.

BOMB . . . This title now becomes the most decorated book of the year with the Sibert Medal, Nonfiction Award, and Newbery Honor in addition to being a National Book Award finalist.

CODE NAME VERITY . . . This one got a Printz Honor.  Many were surprised that it didn’t win the Award outright, but SERAPHINA and THE FAULT IN OUR STARS which both also got six starred reviews were shut out of the Printz line-up entirely.

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS . . . This one got the Odyssey Award.  Not the award most people were predicting for this book, but it gets a second chance here.

MOONBIRD and TITANIC . . . This pair joined BOMB in being recognized by both the Sibert and Nonfiction committees.

NO CRYSTAL STAIR . . . I had it penciled in as the Coretta Scott King Award, but an Honor is almost quite as good–and it did win the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award.

THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN . . . Can this one escape the dreaded Newbery curse here at BOB?

SERAPHINA . . . I think this is the strongest book to ever win the Morris Award–and I thought there was a legitimate chance to repeat …

» Continue Reading: So How Did the BoB Contenders Do With ALA’s Youth Media Awards?

In the comments of the Contenders Announcement we mentioned that we’d decided to go for a different bracket configuration this year and asked you to speculate a bit on what that might be. You came up with some great ideas which we will keep in mi…

ALL THE FANTASY?

There was so much good stuff out there this year.  We steered away from sequels this time around which left BITTERBLUE and DAYS OF BLOOD & STARLIGHT out of the mix.  THE DIVINERS and THE RAVEN BOYS were series starters and it was especially difficult to leave them off knowing we were less likely to pick a second or third book in a series.  And then there’s THE BRIDES OF ROLLROCK ISLAND.

THE GRAPHIC NOVELS?

We had very serious conversations about LITTLE WHITE DUCK and DRAMA.  I think you can make an excellent argument for them–and we could, too.  We just couldn’t agree on what they should replace.

MY FAVORITES?

We turn our list in on December 1st so that SLJ can recruit judges in a timely manner.  This means that some books that we don’t read by then, or that grow in our estimation, don’t make the cut.  If we were making this list now, I don’t think there’s anyway you could convince us that TWELVE KINDS OF ICE and CHICKADEE don’t belong on it.  Of course, those of you who follow Jonathan on Heavy Medal, Monica on educating alice, and Roxanne at her cryptic Fairosa’s Cyber Library or all of us on goodreads would have a sense of our personal favorites that we had to leave behind.

–Commentator Jonathan Hunt

Here’s the skinny.

BOMB . . .  Five starred reviews, three best lists, National Book Award finalist, and YALSA Nonfiction Award finalist.  The most buzzed nonfiction title of the year, BOMB is a thrilling cloak and dagger story that virtually reads like a novel.

CODE NAME VERITY . . . Six starred reviews, six best lists, Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Award.  The standout literary fiction title of the year–with apologies to Margo Lanagan.  So happy to see Wein getting the recognition she deserves.  Now go check out all of her previous books, too.

ENDANGERED . . . One starred review, National Book Award finalist.  Having worked in Sierra Leone with the Peace Corps, Monica was really impressed by Schrefer’s ability to capture the complex nuances of the continent.  I wasn’t quite as enamored, but I figured it would make a nice bye round for either CODE NAME VERITY or THE FAULT IN OUR STARS.  Hey, what the %$#@ happened to the seeding!

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS . . . Six starred reviews, six best lists.  I’m never convinced that the new John Green novel is the Best Thing Ever Written–Like Ever, but I always think it’s a virtual lock for BBYA Top Ten (or whatever they’re calling that committee now).

JEPP, WHO DEFIED THE STARS . . . Three starred reviews.  With two other strong books in this niche–THE WICKED AND THE JUST, THE UNFORTUNATE SON–we thought this one was clearly the best.  Probably a bit of a surprise for many …

» Continue Reading: Wondering why we chose what we did?

Bomb by Steve Sheinken (Macmillan)

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (Hyperion)

Endangered by Eliot Schrefer (Scholastic)

Fault in Our Stars, The by John Green (Penguin)

Jepp, Who Defied the Stars by Katherine Marsh (Hyperion)

Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead (Random House)

Moonbird by Philip Hoose (Macmillan)

No Crystal Stair by Vauda Micheaux Nelson (Lerner)

One and Only Ivan, The by Katherine Applegate (Harper Collins)

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman (Random House)

Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz (Candlewick)

Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin (Little Brown)

Temple Grandin by Sy Montgomery (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage (Penguin)

Titanic by Deborah Hopkinson (Scholastic)

Wonder by R. J. Palacio (Random House)

On Thursday, January 24th, a week from today.

The contenders have been selected and we will be announcing them later this month, giving BOB followers ample time to read. So, watch this space!

OKAY FOR NOW
BY
GARY D. SCHMIDT
published by Clarion, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

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…