Reading the NBA Nominees
On Wednesday night, the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature went to Phillip Hoose’s Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice. It was surely a special moment for the author, made even more so by the presence of Claudette Colvin herself. Was this nonfiction book the best children’s book of the year? Who knows. But I’ve decided to read four of the five nominees to render my judgment. (Since Stitches was not specifically designated as a children’s book, I’m going to skip it!) Though I don’t need anymore reading projects, on top of all the reading I do anyway, I think this will be fun and worthwhile. I’ll post my thoughts as I read each book, and then render the verdict. What will being the winner mean? Absolutely nothing, probably, unless the winner wants to slap on a sticker that says “Martin’s NBA Winner.” Somehow I think that is unlikely.
First up in the reading queue: Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia. I don’t expect this little project to be completed by the end of the year, but hopefully I’ll have waded through the nominees by the time the ALA announces their Printz winner and honor books in January.