In December 2020, the Any Book Book Club voted on five titles to read for Bret Harte's first Mock Newbery/ Book of The Year Awards ceremony. Check out the list below to read about our Winner and the Nominees!
WINNER
Land Of The Cranes
by Aida Salazar
Watch a trailer for Land of The Cranes below, then check out the book at Bret Harte, on Sora, or at the Oakland Public Library!
Honor
Prairie Lotus
by Linda Sue Park
Prairie Lotus is a book about a girl determined to fit in and realize her dreams: getting an education, becoming a dressmaker in her father's shop, and making at least one friend. Hanna, a half-Asian girl in a small town in America's heartland, lives in 1880. Hanna's adjustment to her new surroundings, and the townspeople's prejudice against Asians, is at the heart of the story.
Check it out at Bret Harte, on Sora or at the Oakland Public Library!
Honor
From the Desk of Zoe Washington
By Janae Marks
Zoe Washington isn’t sure what to write. What does a girl say to the father she’s never met, hadn’t heard from until his letter arrived on her twelfth birthday, and who’s been in prison for a terrible crime? A crime he says he never committed.
Zoe is determined to uncover the truth. Even if it means hiding his letters and her investigation from the rest of her family. Everyone else thinks Zoe’s worrying about doing a good job at her bakery internship and proving to her parents that she’s worthy of auditioning for a kids baking competition on TV. This is one recipe Zoe doesn’t know how to balance.
Check it out at Bret Harte, on Sora or at the Oakland Public Library
Show Me A Sign
By Ann Clare LeZott
Mary Lambert has always felt safe and protected on her beloved island of Martha's Vineyard. Her great-grandfather was an early English settler and the first deaf islander. Now, over a hundred years later, many people there - including Mary - are deaf, and nearly everyone can communicate in sign language. Mary has never felt isolated. She is proud of her lineage.
But recent events have delivered winds of change. Mary's brother died, leaving her family shattered. Tensions over land disputes are mounting between English settlers and the Wampanoag people. And a cunning young scientist has arrived, hoping to discover the origin of the island's prevalent deafness. His maniacal drive to find answers soon renders Mary a "live specimen" in a cruel experiment. Her struggle to save herself is at the core of this novel.
When Stars Are Scattered
By Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed
Watch a trailer for When Stars Are Scattered below, then check out the Graphic Novel at Bret Harte, on Sora, or at the Oakland Public Library!
The 2020-2021 Book of The Year Committee
Riley R., Nubia T., Mirabella B., Sebastian Y., Xitlali F. (6th grade)