This week's middle grade sci fi/fantasy roundup--the "will a mg spec. fic. book win the Newbery" edition (2/1/15)

So tomorrow the Newbery Award is being announced!  I always like to have a spec. fic. book to root for, and this year I think the strongest, most "what I consider Newbery-worthy" book is The Witch's Boy, by Kelly Barnhill.  The writing is truly rich and lovely.  My second choice would be Greenglass House, by Kate Milford, but perhaps more because it is a book I personally liked than because I think the writing, qua writing, is Newbery-worthy.   If you have one you are rooting for, share it in the comments!

And now, the round-up; please let me know if I missed your post!

The Reviews

Beastkeeper, by Kat Hellisen, at Random Musings of a Bibliophile and Me On Books

Beneath, by Roland Smith, at Charlotte's Library

The Cat at the Wall, by Deborah Ellis, at alibrarymama

Convergence (The Zodiac Legacy Book 1), by Stan Lee, at Guys Lit Wire

Dragon Castle, by Joseph Bruchac, at @HomeLibrarian

Echo, by Pam Munoz Ryan, at Hidden In Pages

Future Flash, by Kita Helmetag Murdock, at alibrarymama

The Glass Sentence, by S.E. Grove, at Fantasy Book Critic

The Imaginary, by A.F. Harrold, at Mom Read It

Jinx, by Sage Blackwood, at Leaf's Reviews

The Last Wild, by Piers Torday, at Granite Media

Lost in Paris (Mira's Diary, book 1), by Marissa Moss, at Pages Unbound

Maddy West and the Tongue Taker, by Brian Faulkner, at The Write Path

The Magic Half, by Annie Barrows, at Books Beside My Bed

Mark of the Thief, by Jennifer A. Nielsen, at Jen Robinson's Book Page

Monstrous, by MarcyKate Connolly, at Librarian of Snark

No Place for Magic, by E.D. Baker, at Leaf's Reviews

The Only Ones, by Aaron Starmer, at Time Travel Times Two

A Plague of Unicorns, by Jane Yolen, at Geo Librarian

Skeleton Man, by Joseph Bruchac, at @HomeLibrarian

A Snicker of Magic, by Natalie Lloyd, at Read Till Dawn

The Story of the Amulet, by E. Nesbit, at Charlotte's Library

The Whispering Skull, by Jonathan Stroud, at Log Cabin Library


Authors and Interviews

Dianne K. Salernie (The Inquisitor's Mark) at Just Get It Written

Peggy Eddleman (Sky Jumpers) at Go Teen Writers


Other Good Stuff

Shane Hegarty's monster hunting series, Darkmouth, has been optioned; the first book in the series, The Legends Begin, is out in the US, from HarperCollins, in April. Read more at Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

5 Misconceptions about Sci Fi for kids, at Views from the Tesseract

Not exactly "good", but food for thought--How to Protect Yourself Online If You're a Book Blogger, at Ruth Silver  (a post that resulted from an author sending her an unlicensed image)

I suggested to my husband that we start life afresh as owners of The Enchanted Forest in British Columbia....but he didn't leap at the idea, so it's still for sale.....(via Once Upon a Blog)