another Newbery read, but...

I finished another book (Jacob Have I Loved), but then they had to go and declare NEW award winners for this year!!

This year's medal winner is called The Higher Power of Lucky, and it was ordered by all of the Jefferson-Madison regional libraries the day it was declared the winner (the 22nd, I think?), and I am 5th on the list for the whole region to get a copy. I know I can't buy all of these books, so I am working the library thing unless I think one is amazing. Here is the summary from amazon for the new winner:

Lucky, age 10, lives in tiny Hard Pan, California (population 43), with her dog and the young French woman who is her guardian. With a personality that may remind some readers of Ramona Quimby, Lucky, who is totally contemporary, teeters between bravado--gathering insect specimens, scaring away snakes from the laundry--and fear that her guardian will leave her to return to France. Looking for solace, Lucky eavesdrops on the various 12-step meetings held in Hard Pan (of which there are plenty), hoping to suss out a "higher power" that will see her through her difficulties. Her best friend, Lincoln, is a taciturn boy with a fixation for tying knots; another acquaintance, Miles, seems a tiresome pest until Lucky discovers a secret about his mother. Patron's plotting is as tight as her characters are endearing. Lucky is a true heroine, especially because she's not perfect: she does some cowardly things, but she takes pains to put them to rights.

Needless to day, this looks like it could be pretty darn good. One that I read that kind of reminded me of this one was a book called Everything on a Waffle. It was an honor book (I read it just because it looked good), and I enjoyed it...predictable in some spots, but enjoyable...kids like predictable sometimes!

While thinking about good books and how they could be used, I just thought about Missing May, which is a medal winner that I read awhile ago, so I haven't mentioned it here. This is a book that I think would be amazingly great to share with kids who might be going through a loss, like if someone close to multiple students (or even one) has passed away, or if there has been a death that impacted the whole school or class, or even the teacher. Check it out...I think it's a great book to own (my aunt sent it to me before this whole quest began...she's great about picking good ones, and I get a person note in each about why she picked it--it's great!!)

Jacob Have I Loved was good. I had heard it was like amazing, and I didn't think it was better than Patterson's The Great Gilly Hopkins, which was only an honor book. One sister feels trapped by her circumstances, and feels as though her sister is beloved by everyone while she is kind of unusual. She ends up finding her own happily ever after, don't worry! I would say it's one to read, I would recommend it to others!

**DISCLAIMER**
I am totally just giving my opinion on these books I read, because it helps me remember them and it also might make someone else want to pick one up...if you disagree with any of my conclusions about a book, PLEASE, by all means, share it with me. I totally want to give a book every fair chance, and maybe you see it in a way I don't!