What was missing last week?

Last Monday was the once-a-year celebration of all that is children's lit: the announcement at ALA of the winners of the Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, and other top awards in children's literature. Beforehand there is always speculation about which titles will win, and after the names are called, there is always discussion about the newly crowned winners. Here at One Potato...Ten, our topic this go-round is about a title we really enjoyed over the year that we thought might get a nod at this year's awards. This is by no means a second-guessing or argumentative thing, just a way to give a shout-out to some terrific books. So here was one of my favorites from the year:

See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles is about twelve-year-old Fern, who feels invisible. It seems as though everyone in her family has better things to do than pay attention to her: Mom (when she’s not meditating) helps Dad run the family restaurant; Sarah is taking a gap year after high school; and Holden pretends that Mom and Dad and everyone else doesn’t know he’s gay, even as he fends off bullies at school. Then there’s Charlie: three years old, a "surprise" baby, the center of everyone’s world. He’s devoted to Fern, but he’s annoying, too, always getting his way, always dirty, always commanding attention. If it wasn’t for Ran, Fern’s calm and positive best friend, there’d be nowhere to turn. Ran’s mantra, "All will be well," is soothing in a way that nothing else seems to be. And when Ran says it, Fern can almost believe it’s true. But then tragedy strikes- and Fern feels not only more alone than ever, but also responsible for the accident that has wrenched her family apart. All will not be well. Or at least all will never be the same.

I highly recommend it!