I had a wonderful time at ALA seeing friends and checking out the latest books from publishers; many thanks to those I saw – especially Beth from Bloomsbury who had some very kind words about this blog! Since it’s the last day of June and I’ve just finally finished the May stars update, I’m going to skip the May Newbery and Printz posts and go right into adding the June starred reviews.
ETA: The numbers below have been updated to include Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World as a 4 star title rather than two 2 star titles. My thanks and apologies go to Kelly Jensen who noticed and pointed out the error to me.
May 2017 stars tally:
- 593 books published in 2017 have been awarded 1003 starred reviews as of the end of May.
- 2 books have 6 starred reviews, 15 books have 5 starred reviews, 24 books have 4 starred reviews, 65 books have 3 starred reviews, 138 books have 2 starred reviews, 349 books have 1 starred review.
6 starred reviews: 2 books
5 starred reviews: 15 books
4 starred reviews: 23 books
3 starred reviews: 65 books
Citations:
6 starred reviews (2 titles):
The Hate U Give. Angie Thomas. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray. 9780062498533. B, BCCB, HB, K, PW, SLJ.
Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers. Deborah Heiligman. Henry Holt. 9780805093391. B, BCCB, HB, K, PW, SLJ.
5 starred reviews (15 titles):
American Street. Ibi Zoboi. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray. 9780062473042. B, BCCB, K, PW, SLJ.
Big Cat, Little Cat. Elisha Cooper. Roaring Brook. 9781626723719. BCCB, HB, K, PW, SLJ.
Bull. David Elliott. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 9780544610606. B, BCCB, HB, K, PW.
Clayton Byrd Goes Underground. Rita Williams-Garcia. HarperCollins/Amistad. 9780062215918. B, K, PW.
A Face Like Glass. Frances Hardinge. Abrams/Amulet. 9781419724848. B, K, PW, SLJ.
Flying Lessons and Other Stories. Ellen Oh, ed. Crown. ISBN 9781101934593. B, BCCB, K, SLJ, PW.
Grand Canyon. Jason Chin. Roaring Brook/Neal Porter. 9781596439504. B, BCCB, HB, PW, SLJ.
The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors. Drew Daywalt, illus. by Adam Rex. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray. 9780062438898. B, BCCB, K, PW, SLJ.
Midnight at the Electric. Jodi Lynn Anderson. HarperCollins/HarperTeen. B, K, PW, SLJ.
Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets. Kwame Alexander with Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth, illus. by Ekua Holmes. Candlewick. 9780763680947. B, BCCB, K, PW.
The Pearl Thief. Elizabeth Wein. Disney-Hyperion. 9781484717165. B, K, PW, SLJ.
Rivers of Sunlight: How the Sun Moves Water Around the Earth. Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm, illus. by Molly Bang. Scholastic/Blue Sky. 9780545805414. B, HB, K, PW, SLJ.
The Secret Project. Jonah Winter, illus. by Jeanette Winter. Simon & Schuster/Beach Lane. 9781481469135. B, BCCB, HB, K, PW.
The Three Billy Goats Gruff. Jerry Pinkney. Little, Brown. 9780316341578. B, K, PW, SLJ.
Wolf in the Snow. Matthew Cordell. Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends. 9781250076366. B, HB, K, PW, SLJ.
4 starred reviews (24 titles):
All Ears, All Eyes. Richard Jackson, illus. by Katherine Tillotson. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy. 9781481415712. B, K, PW, SLJ.
Allegedly. Tiffany D. Jackson. HarperCollins/Katherine Teagen. 9780062422644. B, K, PW, SLJ.
*NEW* Beyond the Bright Sea. Lauren Wolk. Penguin/Dutton. 9781101994856. B, K, PW, SLJ.
Blue Sky White Stars. Sarvinder Naberhaus, illus. by Kadir Nelson. Penguin/Dial. 9780803737006. B, K, PW, SLJ.
City of Saints & Thieves. Natalie C. Anderson. Penguin/Putnam. 9780399547584. B, BCCB, PW, SLJ.
Crossing Ebenezer Creek. Tonya Bolden. Bloomsbury. 9781599903194. B, K, PW, SLJ.
Egg. Kevin Henkes. HarperCollins/Greenwillow. 9780062408723. HB, K, PW, SLJ.
Eliza and Her Monsters. Francesca Zappia. HarperCollins/Greenwillow. 9780062290137. B, K, PW.
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue. Mackenzi Lee. HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen. 9780062382801. B, K, PW, SLJ.
A Greyhound, a Groundhog. Emily Jenkins, illus. by Chris Appelhans. Random House/Schwartz & Wade. ISBN 9780553498059. B, K, SLJ, PW.
Hello Universe. Erin Entrada Kelly. HarperCollins/Greenwillow. 9780062414151. B, K, PW, SLJ.
*NEW* Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World. Kelly Jensen, ed. Workman/Algonquin Young Readers. ISBN 9781616205867. B, K, PW, SLJ.
History Is All You Left Me. Adam Silvera. SoHo Press/SoHo Teen. ISBN 9781616956929. B, K, SLJ, PW.
A List of Cages. Robin Roe. Disney-Hyperion. 9781484763803. B, K, PW, SLJ.
Little Fox in the Forest. Stephanie Graegin. Random House/Schwartz & Wade. 9780553537895. B, BCCB, K, PW.
One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance. Nikki Grimes. Bloomsbury. 9781619635548. BCCB, K, PW, SLJ.
Piecing Me Together. Renée Watson. Bloomsbury. 9781681191058. BCCB, K, PW, SLJ.
Rickety Stitch and the Gelatinous Goo: The Road to Epoli. Ben Costa and James Parks. Knopf. 9780399556135. BCCB, K, PW.
Speed of Life. Carol Weston. Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky. 9781492654490. B, K, PW, SLJ.
Strange the Dreamer. Laini Taylor. Little, Brown. 9780316341684. B, BCCB, PW, SLJ.
Thick As Thieves. Megan Whalen Turner. HarperCollins/Greenwillow. 9780062568243. B, PW, SLJ.
Town Is By the Sea. Joanne Schwartz, illus. by Sydney Smith. Groundwood. 9781554988716. B, HB, K, SLJ.
Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team. Steve Sheinkin. Roaring Brook. 9781596439542. B, HB, K, SLJ.
We Are Okay. Nina LaCour. Penguin/Dutton. 9780525425892. B, K, PW, SLJ.
3 starred reviews (65 titles):
Alice Paul and the Fight for Women’s Rights. Deborah Kops. Boyds Mills/Calkins Creek. 9781629793238. B BCCB, K.
Amina’s Voice. Hena Khan. Simon & Schuster/Salaam Reads. 9781481492065. B, K, SLJ.
Antoinette. Kelly DiPucchio, illus. by Christian Robinson. 9781481457835. B, K, PW.
*NEW* The Art of Starving. Sam J. Miller. HarperCollins/HarperTeen. 9780062456717. B, K, PW.
Ashes to Asheville. Sarah Dooley. Penguin/Putnam. 9780399165047. B, PW, SLJ.
Away. Emil Sher, illus. by Qin Leng. Groundwood. 9781554984831. B, K, SLJ.
Bang. Barry Lyga. Little, Brown. 9780316315500. K, PW, SLJ.
Be Quiet! Ryan T. Higgins. Disney-Hyperion. 9781484731628. K, PW, SLJ.
Beck. Mal Peet with Meg Rosoff. Candlewick. 9780763678425. K, PW, SLJ.
*NEW* Bob, Not Bob! Liza Garton Scanlon and Audrey Vernick, illus. by Matthew Cordell. Disney-Hyperion. 9781484723029. BCCB, HB, PW.
*NEW* The Book of Mistakes. Corinna Luyken. Penguin/Dial. 9780735227927. B, K, PW.
Bronze and Sunflower. Cao Wenxuan. Candlewick. 9780763688165. B, K, PW.
Deep in the Woods. Christopher Corr. Quarto/Frances Lincoln. 9781847807267. B, K, PW.
*NEW* A Dog in the Cave: The Wolves Who Made Us Human. Kay Frydenborg. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 9780544286566. B, K, SLJ.
Dreamland Burning. Jennifer Latham. Little, Brown. 9780316384933. B, K, SLJ.
The End of the Wild. Nicole Helget. Little, Brown. 9780316245111. B, K, PW.
*NEW* The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora. Pablo Cartaya. Penguin/Viking. 9781101997239. B, K, PW.
*NEW* Eyes of the World: Robert Capa, Gerda Taro, and the Invention of Modern Photojournalism. Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos. Henry Holt. 9780805098358. B, HB, K.
Forever, or a Long, Long Time. Caela Carter. HarperCollins. 9780062385680. B, K, SLJ.
Frederick Douglass: The Lion Who Wrote History. Walter Dean Myers, illus. by Floyd Cooper. HarperCollins. 9780060277093. B, PW, SLJ.
Gem & Dixie. Sara Zarr. Harpercollins/Balzer + Bray. 9780062434593. B, K, PW.
The Giant Jumperee. Julia Donaldson, illus. by Helen Oxenbury. Penguin/Dial. 9780735227972. K, PW, SLJ.
*NEW* Goldfish Ghost. Lemony Snicket, illus. by Lisa Brown. Roaring Brook/Neal Porter. 9781626725072. BCCB, HB, SLJ.
Harry Miller’s Run. David Almond, illus. by Salvatore Rubbino. Candlewick. 9780763689759. K, PW, SLJ.
*NEW* Hell and High Water. Tanya Landman. Candlewick. 9780763688752. B, K, PW.
Honestly Ben. Bill Konigsberg. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine. 9780545858267. B, PW, SLJ.
The Inexplicable Logic of My Life. Benjamin Alire Sáenz. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Clarion. 9780544586505. K, PW, SLJ.
Isaac the Alchemist: Secrets of Isaac Newton, Reveal’d. Mary Losure. Candlewick. 9780763670634. HB, K, SLJ.
Joplin, Wishing. Diane Stanley. HarperCollins/Harper. 9780062423702. B, K, PW.
The Legendary Miss Lena Horne. Carole Boston Weatherford, illus. by Elizabeth Zunon. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum. 9781481468244. B, K, PW.
Let’s Clap, Jump, Sing & Shout; Dance, Spin & Turn It Out!: Games, Songs, and Stories from an African American Childhood. Patricia C. McKissack, ed., illus. by Brian Pinkney. Random House/Schwartz & Wade. 9780375870880. K, PW, SLJ.
Life on Mars. Jon Agee. Penguin/Dial. 9780399538520. HB, K, SLJ.
Little Wolf’s First Howling. Laura McGee Kvasnosky, illus. by Laura McGee Kvasnosky and Kate Harvey McGee. Candlewick. 9780763689711. B, K, SLJ.
*NEW* Mama Lion Wins the Race. Jon J. Muth. Scholastic. 9780545852821. B, K, PW.
The March Against Fear: The Last Great Walk of the Civil Rights Movement and the Emergence of Black Power. Ann Bausum. National Geographic Kids. 9781426326653. K, PW, SLJ.
*NEW* Martí’s Song for Freedom/Martí Y Sus Versos Por La Libertad. Emma Otheguy, illus. by Beatriz Vidal. Lee & Low/Children’s Book Press. 9780892393756. B, K, PW.
Me and Marvin Gardens. Amy Sarig King. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine. 9780545870740. HB, PW, SLJ.
The Murderer’s Ape. Jakob Wegelius. Random House/Delacorte. 9781101931752. B, K, PW.
The Music of Life: Bartolomeo Cristofori & the Invention of the Piano. Elizabeth Rusch, illus. by Marjorie Priceman. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum. 9781481444842. BCCB, K, PW.
My Daddy Rules the World: Poems About Dads. Hope Anita Smith. Henry Holt/Christy Ottaviano. 9780805091892. K, PW, SLJ.
*NEW* My Pictures After the Storm. Éric Veillé. Lerner/Gecko Press. 9781776571048. BCCB, K, PW.
Nightlights. Lorena Alvarez. Nobrow. 9781910620137. BCCB, K, PW.
Optimists Die First. Susin Nielsen. Random House/Wendy Lamb. 9780553496901. K, PW, SLJ.
Pathfinders: The Journeys of 16 Extraordinary Black Souls. Tonya Bolden. Abrams. 9781419714559. K, PW, SLJ.
A Perfect Day. Lane Smith. Roaring Brook. 9781626725362. HB, K, SLJ.
Posted. John David Anderson. HarperCollins/Walden Pond. 9780062338204. B, K, PW.
Princess Cora and the Crocodile. Laura Amy Schlitz, illus. by Brian Floca. Candlewick. 9780763648220. B, PW, SLJ.
Priscilla Gorilla. Barbara Bottner, illus. by Michael Emberley. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum. 9781481458979. K, PW, SLJ.
*NEW* The Quilts of Gee’s Bend. Susan Goldman Rubin. Abrams. 9781419721311. B, K, SLJ.
Real Friends. Shannon Hale, illus. by LeUyen Pham. First Second. 9781626727854. B, PW, SLJ.
*NEW* The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet. Carmen Agra Deedy, illus. by Eugene Yelchin. Scholastic/Scholastic Press. 9780545722889. HB, K, PW.
Round. Joyce Sidman, illus. by Taeeun Yoo. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 9780544387614. B, K, PW.
*NEW* Saints and Misfits. S.K. Ali. Simon & Schuster/Salaam Reads. 9781481499248. B, K, SLJ.
*NEW* The Song From Somewhere Else. A.F. Harrold, illus. by Levi Pinfold. Bloomsbury. 9781681194141. HB, K, SLJ.
*NEW* Spill Zone. Scott Westerfeld, illus. by Alex Puvilland. First Second. 9781596439368. B, PW, SLJ.
Sputnik’s Guide to Life on Earth. Frank Cottrell Boyce. HarperCollins/Walden Pond. 9780062643629. B, K, SLJ.
Stormy Seas: Stories of Young Boat Refugees. Mary Beth Leatherdale, illus. by Eleanor Shakespeare. Annick Press. 9781554518951. B, PW, SLJ.
This House, Once. Deborah Freedman. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum. 9781481442848. K, PW, SLJ.
Train I Ride. Paul Mosier. HarperCollins. 9780062455734. B, K, PW.
The Unexpected Life of Oliver Cromwell Pitts: Being an Absolutely Accurate Autobiographical Account of My Follies, Fortune, and Fate. Avi. Workman/Algonquin. 9781616205645. B, K, PW.
The Unexpected Love Story of Alfred Fiddleduckling. Timothy Basil Ering. Candlewick. 9780763664329. B, K, SLJ.
*NEW* An Uninterrupted View of the Sky. Melanie Crowder. Penguin/Philomel. 9780399169907. K, PW, SLJ.
Walk With Me. Jairo Buitrago, illus. by Rafael Yockteng. Groundwood. 9781554988570. K, PW, SLJ.
Words in Deep Blue. Cath Crowley. Knopf. 9781101937648. B, K, SLJ.
Yours Sincerely, Giraffe. Megumi Iwasa, illus. by Jun Takabatake. Gecko Press. 9781927271889. B, K, SLJ.
For information on titles with one or two starred reviews, please see the spreadsheet.
Happy reading!
Jen J.'s Booksheets 
Amazing job. Thank you. What is your favorite YA title so far this year?
LikeLike
Of the small amount of 2017 titles I’ve read, The Hate U Give has been the best so far which is probably not surprising. I just finished The Upside of Unrequited and, while I found it delightful and will be recommending the heck out of it, I don’t think it’s Printz material probably. Anything you think I should move to the top o my list?
LikeLike
I found Allegedly surprising and so think it is worth a look at it. I was really surprised by the plot twists.
The author of BULL, David Elliott said he played with poetic forms to represent the voices of the different Greek Gods represented in the book. I wish I’d known that before I read it. I liked it, though I know next to nothing about Greek mythology.
Two nonfiction books: Vincent and Theo and Undefeated were both very good and I think of them often, though I suspect that the Printz folks won’t select a nonfiction title now that YALSA Nonfiction Award exists. What do you think on that topic?
LikeLike
Vincent and Theo is on my shortlist of books to read and if a non-fiction title (besides March) is going to break back in, I think it’s the best bet. But, I’m with you that having the YALSA non-fiction award makes it easy to subconsciously let the fiction rise to the top for the Printz. I don’t think anyone on the committee deliberately makes that choice, but it’s hard to weed out all our underlying biases.
And BULL is literally sitting on my dining room table in my pile of library books just waiting to be read. We’re busy getting our house ready to host part of my in-laws’ 50th wedding celebration right now though so my reading (and spreadsheet updating) has been relegated to the back burner temporarily!
LikeLike