On Wednesday morning, the National Book Foundation narrowed its longlist down to five finalists for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature: Noggin by John Corey Whaley, Revolution by Deborah Wiles, Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson, Threatened by Eliot Schrefer, and The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny and the Fight for Civil Rights by Steve Sheinkin. The winners will be announced at the NBA’s annual awards dinner on November 19, hosted by Lemony Snicket. Read on for PW’s starred reviews of the books by all five finalists.
Noggin by John Corey Whaley (S&S/Atheneum).
“Whaley’s second novel (following his Printz-winning Where Things Come Back) is far more concerned with matters of the heart than with how head reattachment surgery would work.” Read the full review.
Revolution by Deborah Wiles (Scholastic Press).
“Though the novel is long, it's also accessible and moving, and it will open many eyes to the brutal, not-so-distant past out of which a new standard of fairness and equality arose.” Read the full review.
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (Penguin/Nancy Paulsen)
“The writer’s passion for stories and storytelling permeates the memoir, explicitly addressed in her early attempts to write books and implicitly conveyed through her sharp images and poignant observations seen through the eyes of a child.” Read the full review.
Threatened by Eliot Schrefer (Scholastic Press).
“Schrefer’s passion for the material and empathy for the characters shows on every page, and his non-human subjects are every bit as complex and fascinating as narrator Luc.” Read the full review.
The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny and the Fight for Civil Rights by Steve Sheinkin (Roaring Brook).
“Sheinkin delivers another meticulously researched WWII story, one he discovered while working on his Newbery Honor book, Bomb.” Read the full review.
