Newbery committee members must be fair and objective in their selection of a winner, and by all assumptions, they are just that. However, the committee is made up of people - people with likes and dislikes, favorite authors, preferred genres, etc. While I am without a doubt that these individuals try hard to keep their biases at bay, a part of me still wants to know:
What do they enjoy reading?
Do they like humor, fantasy, historical fiction?
Who are their favorite authors?
I can’t help but wonder, is it possible to predict anything about the Newbery winner by learning about the committee members?
What do they enjoy reading?
Do they like humor, fantasy, historical fiction?
Who are their favorite authors?
I can’t help but wonder, is it possible to predict anything about the Newbery winner by learning about the committee members?
In a 2011 article for The Oregonian, Molly Young interviewed Stephen Engelfried, youth services librarian at Wilsonville Public Library and chair of the 2013 Newbery committee. At the time of the article, Engelfried said that he was reading and enjoying Amelia Lost, Candace Fleming’s biography of Amelia Earhart. He also said that his favorite series is The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander, a fantasy series. With this in mind, is it safe to presume that 2012 books such as The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There by Catherynne M. Valente and the semi fictional biography No Crystal Stair by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson may interest Engelfried?
I do not wish to oversimplify the Newbery selection process or suggest that the committee plays favorites. But I do find it interesting to learn about the committee members and their personal preferences.
What are your thoughts? If you were on the Newbery committee, would you be able to put aside any favoritism and be completely objective in your selection?
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