50 States of Middle Grade Lit

It's all Tamara's fault.  It usually is.

After this post from Epic Reads in October of last year, my colleague and fellow-trouble maker issued a challenge - create a USA map of middle grade titles with settings in all 50 states.  No problem, right? She created a Google spreadsheet and asked her followers to fill it with middle grade titles for each state. Then I told her I'd try to figure out how to get the map created.  It has only taken me eight months.  I was having trouble figuring out clipping masks in Photoshop Elements.  After a great Photoshop class this week provided free of charge by the South Carolina Department of Education, Office of Career and Technology Education, I finally learned how!

I tried to stick with books that are definitely middle grade, although a few YA titles have slipped in.  If I had the option of including a new title over an old one, I usually chose the new one except for The Outsiders and Something Upstairs, which are personal favorites.   A complete list of the titles I used is below the map. I'm thinking I could use this as a bulletin board, and have students add other titles to each state.   How many states have you read?  Can you make it all the way across the USA in middle grade books?

Since their United States of YA post, Epic Reads has been gathering titles for PLANET YA.  I wonder if a world map of YA will be forthcoming.  I think I need to keep practicing!

50 States of Middle Grade Lit by Monique German

50 States of Middle Grade Lit

Alabama – Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai

Alaska – Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen

Arizona -  Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata

Arkansas -  Fire from the Rock  by Sharon M. Draper

California – One Crazy Summer  by Rita Williams-Garcia

Colorado – The White Gates by Bonnie Ramthun

Connecticut – Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea

Delaware – The Unbearable Book Club for Unsinkable Girls by Julie Schumacher

Florida – Chomp  by Carl Hiaasen

Georgia – Kira-kira by Cynthia Kadohata

Hawaii – Night of the Howling Dogs by Graham Salisbury

Idaho – The Sledding Hill by Chris Crutcher

Illinois – On the Day I Died by Candace Fleming

Indiana – Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani

Iowa – The Linden Tree  by Ellie Mathews

Kansas – Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

Kentucky – Lena by Jacqueline Woodson

Louisiana – Ruined by Paula Morris

Maine – The Water Castle by Megan Frazer Blakemore

Maryland – The Journey Back by Priscilla Cummings

Massachusetts – Million-Dollar Throw by Mike Lupica

Michigan – Hidden by Helen Frost

Minnesota – Summer of the Wolves by Polly Carlson-Voiles

Mississippi – Sources of Light by Margaret McMullan

Missouri – The Boneshaker by Kate Milford

Montana – Cryer’s Cross by Lisa McMann

Nebraska – The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente

Nevada – Northward to the Moon  by Polly Horvath

New Hampshire – Love and Leftovers  by Sarah Tregay

New Jersey – I Survived The Shark Attacks of 1916 by Lauren Tarshis

New Mexico – Kepler’s Dream by Juliet Bell

New York – P. S. Be Eleven by Rita Williams-Garcia

North Carolina – Crow by Barbara Wright

North Dakota – Wild Life  by Cythia DeFelice

Ohio – I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

Oklahoma – The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

Oregon – Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Parry

Pennsylvania – Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos

Rhode Island – Something Upstairs by Avi

South Carolina – Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

South Dakota – Go Big or Go Home by Will Hobbs

Tennessee – Paperboy by Vince Vawter

Texas – Illegal by Bettina Restrepo

Utah – Missing in Action by Dean Hughes

Vermont – The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. by Kate Messner

Virginia – Jefferson’s Sons by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Washington – The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

West Virginia – Close to Famous by Joan Bauer

Wisconsin – One Came Home by Amy Timberlake

Wyoming – Paint the Wind by Pam Munoz Ryan

2014 Newbery Predictions

Last year I put together a poster for my teachers that included the novels that online reviewers were calling "possibles" for the 2013 Newbery.  I hung a copy over the couch in the reading area, and when the Newbery Awards were announced several students rushed to check it out.  The winner, The One and Only Ivan was on the poster, so were two of the three honorees.  You can see the poster here.
Like many, I was disappointed that Wonder was not on the list of honorees, but I loved The One and Only Ivan, so I got over it. 

Here is this year's 2014 Newbery Prediction poster:

I've used ThingLink to link each book cover to the Goodreads site for the title.  If you hover your mouse over the poster, you will also see links to my sources for the list. 

If you like it, you can download the poster from Flickr.

Check out these sites for 2014 Newbery Predictions:

Goodreads Group: Mock Newbery 2014 Discussion
SLJ -  Newbery/Caldecott 2014: The Spring Prediction Edition
SLJ - Newbery/Caldecott 2014: The Summer Prediction Edition
ALSC - Notable Children's Books Nominees

I'm hoping to get a group of students involved in a Mock 2014 Newbery Award project, complete with award viewing via the ALA Mid-Winter Meeting in January 2014.  These are the sites I'll be following to as the "possibles" are discussed. 

SLJ - Heavy Medal - A Mock Newbery Blog - follow this blog from September to January for discussions about "all things Newbery."
For Those About to Mock - A Mock Newbery Blog

The fact that a book appears on any of the above lists does not mean that it is even being considered by the committee, but this many teachers and librarians discussing the best in new literature for children provide great titles, even if they are not award winners.  

What 2013 titles would you add to this poster?  Which ones have you read that you would not include?