October still feels like the beginning of the school year, but it is approaching the end of the publishing year. So for me, it is time to take stock of the year’s best books, and begin the process of narrowing the list to the 6-8 titles we will use with our annual Mock Newbery book club of 4th through 6th graders. Our Newbery club meets once per week, beginning in November culminating with a party following the announcement of the actual award (January28th this year) for a total of about eight to ten weekly meetings depending how the holidays land. Attendance is nice for discussing the books, but not required to participate. Our meetings are held before school, and some of our truly avid readers stay up way too late to get to school early! Everyone participates by filling out a Newbery Club Score Card when they finish a book. ...