Skip to Main Content

Mock Newbery: Home

Nominees for Mock Newbery 2025

Olivetti
The Color of Sound
Not Nothing
The Telephone Tree
Kareem Between
Deer Run Home
The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman
Mid Air
The Wrong Way Home
book jacket
jacket art
jacket art
jacket art
jacket art
jacket art

Directions

We will give the Mock Newbery another try this year! I'm going to make this as easy as possible on all of us because I know how busy everyone is. I encourage you to read at your own pace. Rather than meet monthly, we will have one gathering from 2:00 to 4:00 on Friday, Janaury 17th to try to predict the medalist and honorees. I will make some reading recommendations but feel free to bring other titles to our gathering for consideration. Please register for our gathering below and use the recommendation form any time between now and our gathering, especially if you have a really good feeling about a title. 

REGISTRATION (for January 17, 2025 from 2:00 to 4:00 in the CRC) Registration is now CLOSED

MAKE A SUGGESTION

Newbery Evaluation Worksheet (use this to take notes on any titles you are able to read)

Newbery Criteria

Every year, the Association of Library Services to Children, a division of the American Library Association, awards the Newbery Medal to the author of the most distinguished contribution to children's literature.

Criteria for the Award

  • The award takes into consideration only the text of the book; images may not be considered. Only if elements distract from the text may they be taken into consideration. The text cannot be dependent on other media (sound, video, website, etc.).
  • Children must be the target audience, with childhood being defined as up to fourteen years of age. Books within this entire age range may be considered, but the intended age group’s understandings, abilities, and appreciations should be taken into consideration.
  • “Distinguished” is
    • marked by eminence and distinction; noted for significant achievement
  • Committee members should consider:
    • interpretation of theme/concept
    • presentation of information (accuracy, clarity, organization, etc.)
    • development of plot
    • delineation of characters and setting
    • appropriateness of style
      • Not all of these elements must be present, but distinction should be in all present elements
  • The work must be original; retellings are acceptable, but must be product of original research
  • The work must be published in the United States; original publications from other countries are ineligible
  • The work must be published in the previous year
  • The author must be a United States citizen or have an established, maintained residence in the United States
  • The author's entire body of work may not be taken into consideration.

from ALSC guidelines for the Caldecott Medal (ala.org/awards).

Previous Years

How have we done in previous years? Take a look. Books highlighted in gold indicate the book that won the Newbery Medal. Books highlighted in silver indicate books that won Newbery Honors.

2025

Newbery Medal: And Then Boom! by Lisa Fipps

Newbery Honors: Louder Than Hunger by John Schu, The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko, and The Wrong Way Home by Kate O'Shaughnessy

Actual Winners