Raymie Nightengale by Kate DiCamillo

Raymie Nightengale is one of seven books the HS Newbery Club is reading, discussing, and voting on during the month of September.

From Amazon...
Raymie Clarke has come to realize that everything, absolutely everything, depends on her. And she has a plan. If Raymie can win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition, then her father, who left town two days ago with a dental hygienist, will see Raymie's picture in the paper and (maybe) come home. To win, not only does Raymie have to do good deeds and learn how to twirl a baton; she also has to contend with the wispy, frequently fainting Louisiana Elefante, who has a show-business background, and the fiery, stubborn Beverly Tapinski, who’s determined to sabotage the contest. But as the competition approaches, loneliness, loss, and unanswerable questions draw the three girls into an unlikely friendship — and challenge each of them to come to the rescue in unexpected ways.

Reviews...

• DiCamillo's third-person narrative is written in simple words, few exceeding three syllables, yet somehow such modest prose carries the weight of deep meditations on life, death, the soul, friendship, and the meaning of life without ever seeming heavy, and there's even a miracle to boot. Readers will approach the tense and dramatic conclusion and realize how much each word matters. Raymie may not find answers to why the world exists or how the world works, but she can hold onto friends and begin to see more clearly the world as it is...Once again, DiCamillo demonstrates the power of simple words in a beautiful and wise tale. ~Kirkus Reviews
• With its short, vibrant chapters and clear, gentle prose, this triumphant and necessary book conjures the enchantments of childhood without shying away from the fraught realities of abandonment, abuse and neglect…Twirling a baton requires flair and confidence, in addition to an understanding that the baton is always balanced just a tiny bit off-center. There is something wonderfully off-balance, too, about ¬DiCamillo’s storytelling. It allows her characters to sparkle and soar. DiCamillo has called this novel, based partly on her own fatherless Florida childhood, "the absolutely true story of my heart." What a beautiful and generous heart it is. ~The New York Times Book Review 

If you read Raymie Nightengale, please comment on this post using the six listed criteria. Rate the author's success in each area out of 5 and include your rating in the comments. Also include the book's total score out of 30. Provide evidence from the book to support your comments and your rating. We will use these scores to help us determine which books move on to our final selection round.

Character Traits/Development: This will cover the main characters and any supporting characters that seem important and/or interesting. What are the traits of these characters? What type of people are they? Do we see him/her change throughout the course of the story? If so, how and why?

Setting: Where and when does the story take place? Why do you think the author chose this setting? How does it lend itself to helping the development of the story?

Plot: What are the main events in the story? What are the events that take place that cause a change to happen in the main character(s)?

Theme: What are the big ideas? What lesson does the author want us to learn from this story?

Word Choice/Language: Describe the word choice used by the author. How does this help the reader to understand and visualize the events, characters, and message of the story?

Voice: How does the author develop the distinct voice of the characters in the story? Why do you think the author did that? Does it make the reader respond in a certain way to the different characters? How?

Finally...

What is your opinion? Do you think this should be considered for a final vote for our Mock Newbery Award? Why or why not?