Mock Newbery Book Club
Berkeley students read the best new books of the year and vote on their favorites.
Thank you to all the students who participated in the Berkeley Mock Newbery Club this year! We had so much fun reading books, visiting with authors during virtual Mock Newbery Nights, giving away prizes, and hearing what you thought of the books. The votes were tallied and the winner was announced on Thursday, April 16!
2021 Berkeley Mock Newbery Winner
Congratulations to Jerry Craft, author of this year's Berkeley Mock Newbery Winner, Class Act!
Over 200 4th and 5th grade students voted in this year's Mock Newbery and selected Class Act as the winning book of 2021!
2021 Berkeley Mock Newbery Honoree
When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed was selected as runner-up.
Genre: Realistic Fiction/Humor
Format: Graphic Novel
If you liked: New Kid by Jerry Craft
Genre: Historical Fiction
If you liked: Moon Over Manifest by Claire Vanderpool
Genre: Realistic Fiction
If you liked: Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar
Genre: Fantasy/Magical Realism
If you liked: The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
If you liked: Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi
Genre: Fantasy/Animals
If you liked: Mr. and Mrs. Bunny by Polly Horvath
Genre: Realistic Fiction
If you liked: It Ain't So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas
Genre: Realistic Fiction
If you liked: Ramona (Series) by Beverly Cleary
Genre: Memoir/autobiography
Format: Graphic Novel
If you liked: The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Genre: Folklore-inspired Fiction; Magical Realism
If you liked: Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani
How do I read these books?
You can get all of these books from the Berkeley Public Library! Clicking on the book covers above will take you straight to an e-book available through Sora or, in cases where ebooks are not available, to the Berkeley Public Library catalog, where you can place a physical copy of the book on hold.
At a time when so many small businesses are struggling to keep their doors open, we also encourage folks to support our local bookstores:
Ashay by the Bay, Bandung Books, Eastwind Books, Marcus Books, Mrs. Dalloways, Moe’s Books, Mr. Mopps, Books Inc., Pegasus Books and Mrs. Dalloways.
What is the Mock Newbery Book Club?
Each year, the American Library Association awards the The Newbery Medal to the author of the most “distinguished contribution to American literature for children.” A group of librarians, teachers and writers are a part of the Newbery Committee, which meets regularly and picks the award winner every Winter.
In Berkeley, 4th and 5th graders form their own Mock Newbery Committees. In years past, the students met regularly to discuss and read a list of 10 new books chosen by their BUSD librarians to reflect the diversity of our community and spark joy and a love of reading. Students then vote on their choice to receive the Berkeley Mock Newbery Medal. Past winners in Berkeley include: The Bridge Home, Front Desk, The War I Finally Won and Ghost. Which book will the students pick this year? Join us and find out!
This year we’ll be meeting on Zoom for three evening events for students and families. We'll have special guests, prizes and, of course, time to read and talk about books. Families are encouraged to join us and read along with your children! Questions in the meantime? Contact your school librarian.
Which Mock Newbery book was your favorite?
We invite you to submit a video (2 minutes or shorter) telling us WHY someone should read one of the Mock Newbery books. Tell us a little bit about the book and a few of the reasons why you love it - but no spoilers! We will choose a few of the videos to play during our Mock Newbery Nights.