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New children's books, award season predictions

Covers of three children's books.
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Children's librarian Tracy Kampa's new recommended books.

Children's librarian Tracy Kampa discusses three new children's books and gives her predictions for Newbery and Caldecott awards.

Grand Rapids Area Library children's librarian Tracy Kampa is a contributor to What We're Reading and recently shared her recommendations for 3 new children's books and also her predictions for the upcoming Newbery and Caldecott book awards.

New Recommendations

Plain Jane and the Mermaid, by Vera Brosgol. Imagine yourself in Jane's shoes: her parents have died and have left no provision for her future because she is unwed. Her family's vast estate will be claimed by her nasty cousin Colin. What is she to do? Maybe propose marriage to a very handsome local boy who also finds himself in terrible strains? Again, though, Jane finds herself in a predicament when the local boy is captured by a mermaid and dragged to the bottom of the sea. Somewhat armed and ready, Jane is off to rescue her betrothed. While this story is certainly a fairy tale, the characters are not necessarily traditional, and the outcome may not be what you expect. I thoroughly enjoyed this delightful graphic novel.

Mallory in Full Color, by Elisa Stone Leahy. Mallory Marsh is a people pleaser, wanting her friends and family to be happy. She doesn't even know her favorite pizza because she always just goes along with whatever her friends want. Mallory's hidden talent is her web comic which is published under the name Dr. BotGirl by their local comic store. Mallory keeps that part of her life secret--while she is 12, the minimum age to web publish is 13. Mallory meets Noah, who identifies as non-binary. Mallory begins to have feelings for Noah, but wonders what kind of person Noah expects her to be. With the help of Noah friends, a grandma drag queen story time and a librarian who turns out to be pretty cool (as most librarians are), Mallory begins to understand not only who she is, but what and who is important to her.

So Cold! By John Coy, illustrated by Chris Park. A picture book with a Minnesota author, a Minnesota illustrator and published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press, should feel rapidly familiar to most Minnesotans. So Cold! tells the story of a father and son who have been eagerly waiting for a day cold enough to do all the frigid weather tricks. When they wake up to -23, they know it's the day for pounding in a nail with a frozen banana to throwing wet jeans. The back matter includes information on the six experiments that you too can try. Whether you're looking for some new ways to have fun this winter or merely want to send a copy to warm weather friends to show them what you have to endure, I suggest you get yourself a copy of So Cold! by John Coy, illustrated by Chris Park.

Award Predictions

It’s award season and the coveted Newbery Award for “the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children" will be announced Monday, January 27, 2025.

Tracy is well-known for her enthusiasm and excitement over the awards which are announced each year in January. The following are books she thinks will be considered for the award:

  • A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall, by Jasmine Warga
  • Not Quite a Ghost, by Anne Ursu
  • Enigma Girls, by Candace Fleming
  • Max in the House of Spies, by Adam Gidwitz
  • Black Girl You are Atlas, by Renee Watso;
  • The First State of Being, by Erin Entrada Kelly
  • The Secret Library, by Kekla Magoon
  • The Color of Sound, by Emily Barth Isler
  • The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman, by Gennifer Choldenko
  • Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All, by Chanel Miller;
  • Tree, Table, Book, by Lois Lowry
  • Kareem Between, by Shifa Saltagi Safadi
Book covers and woman reading to a child
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Books children's librarian Tracy Kampa favors for the Newbery Award.

Tracy also has a top 5 list of her personal favorite books she’s rooting for:

5. Quagmire Tiarello Couldn’t Be Better, by Mylisa Larsen. This book speaks to a world colored by mental illness, where Quagmire has spent his life trying to cover for his mom when she spins out of control. The book is funny and meaningful and helps continue the conversation around mental illness.

4. Louder than Hunger, by John Schu. This semi-autobiographical book follows Jake through his intense battle with and treatment for anorexia nervosa. This book is written in verse and initially I was disappointed because I have a hard time selling books to some kids that. Written in. After I finished it though, I could only think that this was the perfect way to tell this powerful and important story.

3. And then, Boom!, by Lisa Fipps. Also written in verse, this book tells the story of Joe and his grandma, who are left alone by Joe's mom. And then boom! Joe is completely alone to fend for himself. This book holds a coveted place on my bookshelf.

2. On a Wing and a Tear, by Cynthia Leitich Smith. This will probably have no shot at the Newbery just because its audience is much smaller, but I expect it will do very well with the American Indian Youth Literature Awards, which are announced every other year. So, we'll have to wait until 2026 for those. A modern-day folk tale, On a Wing and a Tear combines elements of American Indian history, the Great American road trip, baseball, the pitfalls of social media, and a cast of phenomenally well-rounded characters. When I closed the cover, I thought, ‘Wow, how did the author do that?’

1. The Wrong Way Home, by Kate O'Shaughnessy. Fern's mother takes Fern away from the only home she's known--the farm. Not disclosing her real reasons to Fern, her mother believes that they have fallen victim to a cult and she is trying to save them both. Fern, however, believes that her mother is very misguided and desperately tries to go home. But her desire to return leads her through very dangerous situations. The story line is unique for middle grade fiction, and I cheered for Fern and her mother. I think this book brings a lot to my shelves.

The Newbery isn't the only award Tracy follows. She additionally shared her predictions for the Caldecott Medal, awarded to “the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children”:

Picture book covers
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Children's librarian Tracy Kampa's picks for the Caldecott Award.

  • Jump for Joy, illustrated by Hadley Hooper, written by Karen Gray Ruelle;
  • Home in a Lunchbox, written and illustrated by Cherry Mo;
  • My Daddy is a Cowboy, illustrated by C. G. Esperanza, written by Stephanie Seales;
  • Being Home, written and illustrated by Michaela Goade;
  • The Yellow Bus, written and illustrated by Loren Long; and
  • Touch the Sky, illustrated by Chris Park, written by Stephanie V. W. Lucianovic.

Will any of Tracy’s picks end up with an award? We’ll report back next week.

Looking for a good book recommendation? Want to recommend a book you've just read? Check out our What We're Reading page on Facebook, or text us at 218-326-1234.

What We're Reading is made possible in part by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.

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Tammy Bobrowsky works at Bemidji State University's library. She hosts "What We're Reading," a show about books and authors, and lends her talents as a volunteer DJ.