Score

To whomever this concerns:

This list was developed to share possible texts eligible for the 2023 Newbery Awards. I noticed that a number of ineligible books were added to the list over the past day, primarily due to being published before 2022. Also, some of the authors may not reside in the US and, therefore, would also be ineligible. (The list of criteria for the award is available through the link at the top of this list.)

In order to maintain the integrity of the list, I'd like to ask that if you added any of the following books, you remove them from the list simply by removing your vote for the book:

Vardaesia - pub. 2019 (author, Lynette Noni, lives in Australia)
Ghost Squad - pub. 2020
Path of the Ranger, books 3-11 - pub. 2021 and earlier (author, Pedro Urvi, lives in Spain)

Thank you!

The Passport Project?

Wow, only 66 ratings on GR, but 21 people (or should we say accounts) voted for it. That's not suspicious at all...

Meanwhile, every other book in the top 5 has at least 800 ratings. Hmm...

I admit, I am a bit puzzled by that as well, Phil.

Have any of you Newbery enthusiasts read the book? My library does not have a copy.

I am a teacher who was able to read an advanced copy of The Passport Project. My colleagues also read it, and we were so impressed that we asked the author to come speak to our Social Studies students. As of this school year, we have actually added it into our school district curriculum for social studies. I know it is a relatively new book and first time author, but I can assure you the reviews, votes, and excitement for this book are accurate and warranted. I definitely recommend checking it out to see for yourself. Our students love it!

Chassi wrote: "I am a teacher who was able to read an advanced copy of The Passport Project. My colleagues also read it, and we were so impressed that we asked the author to come speak to our Social Studies stude..."

Thanks for the review, Chassi. I hope it will soon become more readily available for others to enjoy.

Beth wrote: "I admit, I am a bit puzzled by that as well, Phil.

Have any of you Newbery enthusiasts read the book? My library does not have a copy."

I think if you look at the people who voted for it, that may shed some light. 6 out of 21 of them have only zero or one book on GR, and all 21 of them voted for Passport and only Passport. In other words, all 21 of the people who voted for Passport thought there was absolutely no other book on the list worth voting for.

We are being asked to believe that all 21 of these people are such enthusiastic readers that they sought out an indie book with less than 100 ratings but that they did not bother reading any of the eligible books from major publishers with 800+ ratings.

To whomever suggested Phil Earle's When the Sky Falls: It looks like that book is ineligible because the author lives in England. It has some great reviews, so hopefully some of our libraries will still carry the book for avid readers to enjoy.

Phil wrote: "Beth wrote: "I admit, I am a bit puzzled by that as well, Phil.

Have any of you Newbery enthusiasts read the book? My library does not have a copy."

I think if you look at the people who voted fo..."

Phil, I am sorry that I never officially responded to your concerns. This conversation came around the time that I was returning to work at school while also arranging to get my kids back to college or moved into their first apartment. I had also hesitated to say anything because I was hoping someone else would chime in with their opinion, but, since that didn't happen, I want to respond.

First of all, I really appreciate those of you who have contributed to this list with book suggestions and votes over the past 8 months. You're right, Phil, that it has been a slow burn as people have been gradually reading more books and stating their opinion through votes. It took a long time for those other top ten titles to achieve as many votes as they have, and it was very unsettling to see all of that slow accumulation overpowered in one day. (A similar phenomenon happened early in the year on the Mock Printz list I set up, though, it put what most still consider to be the front-runner at the top - All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir.)

I have participated on past Goodreads Newbery lists for several years and, when I saw that no one had started the one for 2023, I decided to input any titles I had come across in my research. Since that time at the end of January, I have contributed more than 80 titles, though I'm still working my way through reading them all! I keep my eyes and ears open for ideas and then check their status and reviews on Goodreads and on Amazon and also look for starred Journal reviews before adding book titles to the list.

When I originally set up the list, Goodreads made it clear that it would be a public list and that I would really have no control over what others put on the list. That means that I may voice my concern over, for example, having 8 different titles from a fantasy series added to the list (none of which are eligible due to publication date and possibly the author's residency), but I can't actually remove those titles myself, and, when I think about it, I'm glad that I don't have that power because this makes it a shared list. As in the past, I have appreciated learning about eligible titles that others have voted onto the list, and, like everyone else participating on this list, I have to accept the unworthy titles along with the worthy ones.

Likewise, I had seen The Passport Project mentioned in SLJ's Heavy Medal discourse and did my usual investigations but ultimately concluded that I wanted to see more reviews before adding it to our list, so I wasn't completely surprised when it appeared here. What I didn't expect was so many votes in one day, but, ultimately, if these voters are inspired to join Goodreads and, hopefully, to keep reading other titles they may see on this list, it's a success in my book.

As a former librarian and English teacher, my ultimate aim is to seek out books that make young people excited about reading, so if this book has pulled off that feat in American classrooms without going through the usual channels, then I find it to be an interesting development. Believe me, readers at Heavy Medal are equally fascinated to see an independently-published book reaping so much enthusiasm.

In the long run, will it even reach the Newbery Committee? I don't know, but it is officially eligible, as far as I can tell, so this strange development just means that I would like to see what all the fuss is about and have ordered a copy since I cannot find it at my local library.

In the meantime, I urge the current voters to keep voting as they complete reading strong titles. The search is still on as we seek the best literature for children in 2022!

Phil wrote: "The Passport Project?

Wow, only 66 ratings on GR, but 21 people (or should we say accounts) voted for it. That's not suspicious at all...

Meanwhile, every other book in the top 5 has at least 800..."

This definitely seems like spam. 6 of the book's voters only have 1 book added (the passport project) and no friends. The goodreads policy states:

Artificially inflating or deflating a book’s ratings or reputation violates our rules. This includes activity like creating fake accounts to manipulate book ratings, purchasing reviews, and incentivizing votes, likes, or other actions on Goodreads. It’s not just that we don’t tolerate this; this kind of behavior ultimately diminishes the community’s trust in you.

The guidelines suggest you flag it, but there's no way to flag a list item, unfortunately. The next best thing would be to report it to the goodreads librarians group.

One bit of good news is it's definitely not going to win the Newbery. Not only does it not sound like a good book, but (according to worldcat) only 19 libraries nationwide have it. Five fewer than the number of people who voted for it on this list 😂

Beth wrote: "That means that I may voice my concern over, for example, having 8 different titles from a fantasy series added to the list (none of which are eligible due to publication date and possibly the author's residency), but I can't actually remove those titles myself, and, when I think about it, I'm glad that I don't have that power because this makes it a shared list. As in the past, I have appreciated learning about eligible titles that others have voted onto the list, and, like everyone else participating on this list, I have to accept the unworthy titles along with the worthy ones."

You can list the books that are ineligible for this list and report them in the goodreads librarian group. They can manually remove items from lists. The list has clearly defined parameters, and books that don't meet those qualifications can absolutely reasonably be removed. You can disagree about whether eligible books deserve to be higher or lower on the list, but ineligible items don't have a place here.

Allie wrote: "Beth wrote: "That means that I may voice my concern over, for example, having 8 different titles from a fantasy series added to the list (none of which are eligible due to publication date and poss..."

I was unaware of this service. Many thanks, Allie!

Beth wrote: "Phil wrote: "Beth wrote: "I admit, I am a bit puzzled by that as well, Phil.

Have any of you Newbery enthusiasts read the book? My library does not have a copy."

I think if you look at the people..."

Beth, thanks for organizing this list and thanks for your careful response. I also appreciate knowing what the creator of a list can/cannot do.

I also returned to school this fall, and don't have as much time or energy for GR as I did last summer. If I was sufficiently outraged, I would post a complaint on Kellie McIntyre's GR page. She is clearly putting in a lot of effort on it and might be discouraged from associating with sock puppets if she knew how she is perceived by the voters on this list. I'm not planning to follow up on it because, as I said, my time and energy are going towards teaching.

Beth, thank you for managing this group and for your open-minded and balanced moderation.

As the author of THE PASSPORT PROJECT, I am uncomfortable chiming in on this thread, but the false accusations/assumptions are troubling. While I understand the skepticism of a debut having so much support, I can assure you and those who participate in this list that none of the accounts that voted for TPP are spam/fake accounts.

Because my book is a true story that begins and ends in my community, it has received overwhelming grassroots support (hence the random accounts). This story has been embraced by readers young and old, and many educators and parents are passionate about raising awareness of this story’s important message.

I am sorry if enthusiasm for TPP has ruffled feathers. I wish those who’ve dismissed and denigrated it would consider reading it before judging it. That is all any author wants. Most libraries will acquire titles requested by their patrons.

I am honored and humbled to be listed among so many talented authors and worthy titles. FWIW, my favorite Newbery nominee so far is I MUST BETRAY YOU.

Thank you again for what you do. I hope this gives some perspective to the anomaly.

Kellie wrote: "Beth, thank you for managing this group and for your open-minded and balanced moderation.

As the author of THE PASSPORT PROJECT, I am uncomfortable chiming in on this thread, but the false accusa..."

Kellie, thank you for helping to explain the mystery. I'm glad to hear that we haven't been invaded by spam voters.

I have now secured a copy of your book but haven't yet had a chance to read it - maybe during Thanksgiving break! As an author, it must be gratifying to have so many community members embrace your book enthusiastically.

I have the sense that I Must Betray You is a serious contender for Newbery and/or Printz recognition. Who knows how it or your book will do? The excitement leading up to the ALA awards never gets old for me!

Kellie wrote: "Beth, thank you for managing this group and for your open-minded and balanced moderation.

As the author of THE PASSPORT PROJECT, I am uncomfortable chiming in on this thread, but the false accusa..."

Thank you, Beth. I hope you enjoy the journey!

Phil wrote: "The Passport Project?

Wow, only 66 ratings on GR, but 21 people (or should we say accounts) voted for it. That's not suspicious at all...

Meanwhile, every other book in the top 5 has at least 800..."

Yeah, I think someone got her friends to vote for her book, or made sock puppet accounts.