Newbery 2017

The Girl Who Drank the Moon
Author: Kelly Barnhill
Genre: Fantasy
Plot: Xan rescues a girl but accidentally feeds her moonlight, causing the girl to become magical.
Verdict: Great plot twists
My rating: 4 stars


Wolf Hollow
Author: Lauren Wolk
Genre: Historical Fiction
Plot: A girl who is bullying Annebelle makes trouble for the town, specifically for a war veteran named Toby.
Verdict: Interesting look at a bully
My rating: 3 stars


The Inquisitor's Tale
Author: Adam Gidwitz
Genre: Fantasy
Plot: In a tavern, the tale of three magical children is pieced together.
Verdict: Odd ending
My rating: 3 stars


Freedom Over Me
Author: Ashley Bryan
Genre: Poetry
Plot: A set of poems of the profiles of slaves at a slave auction.
Verdict: Potent and thought-provoking
My rating: 4 stars

This year in Newbery was a very interesting year.  I enjoyed the winner, The Girl Who Drank the Moon.  It is a high fantasy about a girl who is fed moonlight on accident by a witch, who then is forced to raise her because of her potential magical powers.  The other fantasy offering of the year was The Inquisitor's Tale.  I read this book first because it looked the most interesting with its great illuminations.  It was a interesting because the story is pieced together by people in a tavern which gives it a unique story telling experience, however, I was not thrilled with the ending.

The other two books are more historical ficotion.  Wolf  Hollow was set during World War II.  It involves a girl named Annabelle and her family as well as a veteran named Toby, who lives alone on the outskirts of town.  Annabelle is bullied by a girl in town and Toby becomes involved as the girl tells lies about an incident that happens.  Freedom Over Me is a collection of poems but it also historical fiction.  The author takes a bill of sale for a slave auction and creates backstories for all the different slaves who are on the auction block.  The mixing of the poetry and his art creates a very powerful book which should be a part of any Civil War unit.  If you look up Ashley Bryan, you will find that he has a very long and illustrious career.