I’ve been trying to figure out why I have zero interest in all those Mock Newbery and Mock Caldecott awards and their accompanying lists of contenders.  Back when I was at Simmons studying children’s literature, I was hugely interested in all the Mock hype.  In several of our classes we had intense discussions over which books might win, and I remember passionately supporting Holes by Louis Sachar over all other possible winners (and I was right, it won, which made me feel pretty special). 

But now that I work in the “real” world as a children’s librarian – I don’t make predictions, nor do I care about or want to read the predictions made by others.  I did listen to the live webcast last year, with great enthusiasm, and I even jumped up with joy when one of my favorite books of the year got a Newbery Honor (Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin).  I’ll be doing storytimes during the webcast this year, but if I weren’t, I would listen to the live feed again. 

So why do I have no interest in the Mock lists and awards?  I truly can’t figure it out.  It’s not for lack of enthusiasm for the awards themselves, nor is it because I haven’t read many of the books, since I’ve usually read all of the ultimate winners and honor books.  And it’s not because I don’t have strong opinions, because I do.  Maybe I’m just too busy to be bothered?  Or maybe the Mock hype stretches on for too long?  It’s a mystery, a true mystery.