Yesterday in Part I, we looked at which month has produced the most Newbery winners. Today is all about critical acclaim.

(Many thanks to Elizabeth Fama, John Cochrane, and Jen Baker who inspired me with this post at Someday My Printz Will Come.)

As fans of the Newbery know, not all medal winners arrive to unanimous praise from the major children’s literature review journals (Booklist, Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Horn Book, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal) .

So over the last 10 years, what’s the average number of starred reviews for Newbery winners? Here’s the breakdown.

(Click to enlarge)

*Update: It looks like my source was off with Horn Book stars (thanks to Jonathan for the catch), numbers have been adjusted*

If you add it all up, 3.5 starred reviews is the average. No Newbery winner in the last 10 years has received a starred review from all six of the reviewers listed, but three came close (When You Reach Me, Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!, and Criss Cross with five each). Kirkus Reviews had the best “batting average”, awarding stars to 90% of the books that went on to win the Newbery in the last decade.

Anything jump out to you?