Anderson’s Mock Newbery Candidates, 2015
Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond by Brenda Woods. Moving and uplifting story of a girl who finally meets the African American side of her family. This book explores racism and how it feels to be biracial. It also celebrates families of all kinds. Grades 3-6
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. In vivid poems, Woodson shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Grades 5-8
Caminar by Skila Brown. Set in 1981 during Guatemala’s civil war, this lyrical debut novel tells the powerful tale of a boy who must decide what it means to be a man during a time of war. Grades 5-8
Crossover by Kwame Alexander. Basketball stars, Josh and Jordan, grow up both on and off the court as they realize breaking the rules comes at a terrible price. Written in verse, this story has a heart-stopping climax which proves a game-changer for the entire family. Grades 5-8
Egg & Spoon by Gregory Maguire. Two girls, Elena and Ekaterina, are growing up with very different lives, yet when their worlds collide an adventure is set in motion. Their escapade includes mistaken identity, a monk locked in a tower, a prince traveling incognito, and more. Grades 7-9. YA
El Deafo by Cece Bell. Going to school and making new friends can be tough. But going to school and making new friends while wearing a bulky hearing aid strapped to your chest? That requires superpowers. In this funny, poignant graphic novel memoir, Cece declares a place for herself in the world and finds the friend she has longed for. Grades 3-6
Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer Holm. With a lighthearted touch and plenty of humor, Jennifer Holm celebrates the wonder of science and explores fascinating questions about life and death, family and friendship, immortality and possibility. Grades 3-6
Gabriel Finley/Raven’s Riddle by George Hagen. Young Gabriel's father is missing, so he seeks help from a wise raven with magical powers who takes them to the strange land of Aviopolis where the mystery of his lost father may be solved. Grades 3-6
Glass Sentence by S.E. Grove. Sophia Tims searches for her brilliant, absent-minded uncle Shadrack, who has been kidnapped. Uncle Shadrack is the foremost cartologer in Boston in 1891, but when he is kidnapped, Sophia and Theo, a refugee from the West, head out on a dangerous search to find him. Grades 5-8
Greenglass House by Kate Milford. A rambling old inn, a strange map, an attic packed with treasures, squabbling guests, theft, friendship, and an unusual haunting mark this smart middle grade mystery in the tradition of the Mysterious Benedict Society books and The Westing Game. Grades 5-8
Half a World Away by Cynthia Kadohata. Eleven-year-old Jaden, an emotionally damaged adopted boy, feels a connection to a small, weak toddler with special needs in Kazakhstan, where Jaden's family is trying to adopt a "normal" baby. Grades 5-8
Misadventures of the Family Fletcher by Dana Alison Levy. Meet the Fletchers. Their year will be filled with new schools, old friends, a grouchy neighbor, hungry skunks, leaking ice rinks, school plays, wet cats, and scary tales told in the dark! This seriously funny, modern family adventure features two dads, four adopted boys, and a variety of pets. Grades 3-6
Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier. The Night Gardener follows two abandoned Irish siblings who travel to work as servants at a creepy, crumbling English manor house. But the house and its family are not quite what they seem. With Auxier's exquisite command of language, The Night Gardener is a mesmerizing read and a classic in the making. Grades 5-8
Paper Cowboy by Kristin Levine. Though he thinks of himself as a cowboy, Tommy is really a bully. He's always playing cruel jokes on classmates or stealing from the store. Life at home is tough and when his sister is badly burned doing a chore he was supposed to do, Tommy learns that one of his neighbors could by a communist and soon fear takes hold of everyone in this tight-knit community. Poignantly written historical fiction. Grades 5-8
Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin. Rose Howard is obsessed with homonyms. She’s thrilled that her own name is a homonym, and she purposely gave her dog Rain a name with two homonyms. When a storm hits their rural town, Rain goes missing and Rose has to find her dog even if it means leaving her routines and safe places to search. Grades 3-6
Secret Hum of a Daisy by Tracy Holczer. Twelve-year-old Grace and her mother have always been their own family, traveling from place to place like gypsies. After her mother's sudden death, Grace is forced to live with a grandmother she's never met. Then Grace finds clues in a mysterious treasure hunt, just like the ones her mother used to send her on. Maybe it is her mother, showing her the way to her true home. Grades 5-8
Silver People: Voices from the Panama Canal by Margarita Engle. As the Panama Canal turns one hundred, Margarita Engle tells the story of its creation. From the young “silver people” whose back-breaking labor built the Canal to the denizens of the endangered rainforest itself, this is the story of one of the largest and most difficult engineering projects. Grades 7 and up. YA
Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd. Midnight Gulch used to be a magical place, a town where people could sing up thunderstorms and dance up sunflowers. But that was long ago, before a curse drove the magic away. Felicity wants to stay in Midnight Gulch more than anything, but first, she'll need to figure out how to bring back the magic, breaking the spell that's been cast over the town. Grades 3-6
Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman. Inspiring story of a young girl’s struggle to regain her passion and find a new peace is told lyrically through verse that captures the beauty and mystery of India and the ancient bharatanatyam dance form. This is a stunning novel about spiritual awakening, the power of art, and above all, the courage and resilience of the human spirit. Grades 7 and up. YA
Turtle of Oman by Naomi Shihab Nye. This accessible, exquisite novel shines with gentle humor and explores themes of moving, family, nature, and immigration. It tells the story of Aref Al-Amri, who must say good-bye to everything and everyone he loves in his hometown of Muscat, Oman, as his family prepares to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan. Grades 3-6
West of the Moon by Margi Preus. Margi Preus expertly weaves original fiction with myth and folktale to tell the story of Astri, a young Norwegian girl desperate to join her father in America. After being separated from her sister and sold to a cruel goat farmer, Astri makes a daring escape. Grades 5-8
What the Moon Said by Gayle Rosengren. Thanks to her superstitious mother, Esther knows some tricks for avoiding bad luck: toss salt over your left shoulder, never button your shirt crooked, and avoid black cats. But even luck can't keep her family safe from the Great Depression. Fans of the Little House books will fall in love with Esther. Grades 3-6
Witch’s Boy by Kelly Barnhill When Ned and his identical twin brother tumble from their raft into a raging river, only Ned survives. Villagers are convinced the wrong boy lived. But when a Bandit King comes to steal the magic Ned's mother, a witch, is meant to protect, it's Ned who safeguards the magic and summons the strength to protect his family and community.
Grades 5-8
Zane and the Hurricane by Rodman Philbrick. Gripping yet poignant novel about a 12-year-old boy and his dog who become trapped in New Orleans during the horrors of Hurricane Katrina. Based on the facts of the worst hurricane disaster in U.S. history, Philbrick includes the lawlessness and lack of government support during the disaster as well as the generosity and courage of those who risked their lives and safety to help others. Grades 5-8