Poll results

I'm going to clean up the sidebar a bit, and post the results from a few recent polls.

Question: Have you seen the movie Cars?
Answers:

• A few times (9 votes)
• Nope (9 votes)
• Once (6 votes)
• Approximately 8 million times. I've lost count. (4 votes)

I made a few recommendations for books based on Cars in this post... in case you're a parent (like me) who has seen the movie more times than you'd like to admit.

Question: My reaction to the Thursday, March 14 for Better or For Worse strip is:
Answers:

• Bleah (14 votes)
• Finally (7 votes)
• Mixed (3 votes)
• Yay (2 votes)

For those who haven't been following For Better or For Worse lately, the March 14th strip I'm referring to is about Liz and Anthony getting engaged. According to the poll results, there don't seem to be a lot of fans of this development. I think what mainly bothers me about it is that it's been fairly love-less so far. It feels like they're making a business deal.

Question: Harry Potter 7 is being released as two movies. What do you think?
Answers:

• I love it. They'll have time to do it justice. (14 votes)
• I'm reserving judgment until I see it. (9 votes)
• I don't like it. Seems like an odd choice. (8 votes)
• I don't care either way. (5 votes)

I'm not sure which way to vote on this one. Actually, I think I agree with all four options.

There are two polls up now. One is based on this post about the ALA conference and the BookExpo. And I just added a new poll. I feel like I read a lot of books... but am always awed by how many books other librarians, booksellers and bloggers read. So, I'm curious. Taking this past week as an example of a typical week, how many new books (including picture books) have you read? They don't have to be newly published, just new to you.

Poll results: Harry Potter books

I tallied up the results of this poll a while ago but keep forgetting to post them.

The question: Which books mentioned in the Harry Potter series would you like to read?
The answers:

• Tales of Beedle the Bard (11 votes)
• Enchantment in Baking (10 votes)
• Hogwarts: A History (10 votes)
• Curses and Counter-curses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying, and Much, Much More) by Professor Vindictus Viridian (9 votes)
• Basic Hexes for the Busy and Vexed (6 votes)
• History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot (6 votes)
• Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore by Rita Skeeter (6 votes)
• Rune Dictionary (6 votes)
• Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle (5 votes)
• Charm Your Own Cheese (5 votes)
• Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles by Wilhelm Wigworthy (5 votes)
• Powers You Never Knew You Had and What To Do With Them Now You've Wised Up (5 votes)
• Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts (5 votes)
• Saucy Tricks for Tricky Sorts (5 votes)
• Weird Wizarding Dilemmas and Their Solutions (5 votes)
• Advanced Potion-Making by Libatius Borage (4 votes)
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander (4 votes)
• One Minute Feasts: It's Magic! (4 votes)
• Practical Defensive Magic and Its Use Against the Dark Arts (4 votes)
• Standard Book of Spells by Miranda Goshawk (4 votes)
• Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst the Vampires by Eldred Worple (3 votes)
• Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble (3 votes)
• Invisible Book of Invisibility (3 votes)
• Men Who Love Dragons Too Much (3 votes)
• Numerology and Gramatica (3 votes)
• Ancient Runes Made Easy (2 votes)
• Death Omens: What To Do When You Know The Worst Is Coming (2 votes)
• Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard (2 votes)
• Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit (2 votes)
• Flying With the Cannons (2 votes)
• Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger (2 votes)
• Moste Potente Potions (2 votes)
• One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore (2 votes)
• Sonnets of a Sorcerer (2 votes)
• Unfogging the Future by Cassandra Vablatsky (2 votes)
• Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch (1 vote)
• From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide (1 vote)
• Intermediate Transfiguration (1 vote)
• Jinxes for the Jinxed (1 vote)
• Magical Me by Gilderoy Lockhart (1 vote)
• Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling (1 vote)
• Monster Book of Monsters (1 vote)
• Quidditch Through the Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp (1 vote)
• Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches (1 vote)
• Voyages With Vampires by Gilderoy Lockhart (1 vote)
• Wanderings With Werewolves by Gilderoy Lockhart (1 vote)
• Appraisal of Magical Education in Europe (0 votes)
• Break With a Banshee by Gilderoy Lockhart (0 votes)
• Flesh-Eating Trees of the World (0 votes)
• Fowl or Foul? A Study of Hippogriff Brutality (0 votes)
• Gadding With Ghouls by Gilderoy Lockhart (0 votes)
• Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests (0 votes)
• Handbook of Do-It-Yourself Broom Care (0 votes)
• Holidays With Hags by Gilderoy Lockhart (0 votes)
• Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean (0 votes)
• Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy (0 votes)
• Prefects Who Gained Power (0 votes)
• Spellman's Syllabary (0 votes)
• Travels With Trolls by Gilderoy Lockhart (0 votes)
• Year With The Yeti by Gilderoy Lockhart (0 votes)

I agree, I'd love to read The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Thanks to Amazon (see this post) we can now at least read plot summaries of each story. Maybe this book will be published one day. That would be wonderful.

I'd also love to get a copy of all the cookbooks in Mrs. Weasley's kitchen. Enchantment in Baking and One Minute Feasts: It's Magic! would both be a real asset in my ridiculously busy life.

I'd like to read all the Gilderoy Lockhart books (although it appears that no one else would)... simply because I need a good laugh. Think of the humor value of those books!

I'm surprised that Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard got any votes... it was the assigned book in Professor Umbridge's class and sounds very boring.

I'm curious about the rest of The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore, particularly the chapter about Harry and Dumbledore. But I also think this book would drive me crazy and I'd end up flinging it across the room before long.

If I lived in the wizarding world, I think I'd be the only person (other than Hermione) who would have read Hogwarts, a History from cover to cover.

For those who voted for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander and Quidditch Through the Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp you're in luck. J.K. Rowling has published these books and they're very funny (and useful when reading the Harry Potter series). I highly recommend them for die-hard Harry Potter fans.

Poll results

Clearly, most of my readership consists of fellow bloggers. That's what I found out from this poll.

Question: Do you have a blog?

Answers:

• I have two or more blogs. (14 votes)
• Yes. (13 votes)
• I contribute to a group blog. (4 votes)
• No. (3 votes)
• I'm thinking of starting a blog. (1 vote)
• What's a blog? (1 vote)

To the person who voted for "I'm thinking of starting a blog," I say go for it. And, once you do, let me know the address so I can read it.

To the person who voted for "What's a blog?"... you're reading one. Here's a brief description from Blogger, and incidentally, the page also contains a link for you to start your own blog.

For Better or For Worse: Finally

The readers of Wizards Wireless are good guessers.

Here's the results from a recent poll I posed for readers of For Better or For Worse.

Question: "When do you think Anthony is going to propose?"

Answers:

• In the next two weeks (8 votes)
• Never (I hope), but I'm being realistic, so I voted for one of the other choices too. (6 votes)
• In the next two months (3 votes)
• In the next six months (1 vote)
• In the next year (1 vote)

After you've patted yourself on the back for your all-knowingness (which is a word I just invented)... head on over and check out today's strip. But, you already knew what was going to happen, didn't you?

And check out the new poll I just added.

Poll results

Here are the results from a recent poll I conducted.

Question: Which sources do you consult the most when deciding what books to read?

Answers:

• Blogs (17 votes)
• Friends (15 votes)
• Award lists (10 votes)
• Libraries (9 votes)
• Word of mouth (8 votes)
• Reviews on Amazon and Barnes and Noble (7 votes)
• Reviews in professional journals (7 votes)
• The blurb on the book's dust jacket (7 votes)
• Your book club (5 votes)
• Bookstores: independent stores (4 votes)
• Reviews on Goodreads or LibraryThing (4 votes)
• Reviews in newspapers or magazines (4 votes)
• Bookstores: chain stores (3 votes)
• Conferences (3 votes)
• Websites: other than those listed above (2 votes)
• Your kids (2 votes)
• Your parents (2 votes)
• Other (2 votes)
• All of the above (0 votes)

Although this is a very small sample, it made me curious. Are blogs that influential? Does everyone read blog reviews or are they mainly read by other bloggers? I set up a poll on the sidebar that doesn't answer either question, but does ask if you're a blogger yourself.

And, continuing on this tangent for a moment... if blogs are really that powerful... that is to say, if more people consult them more than any other form of marketing or word of mouth... then that is really intriguing. And if it is true, do you think publishers are aware of this trend?

Books and literature in the Harry Potter series

Since this blog is about books and Harry Potter, it seems only natural for me to talk about the books that are mentioned within the Harry Potter series.

J.K. Rowling liberally sprinkles book titles throughout the series, and I've posted a new poll listing some of my favorites. There are 60 books listed, so it doesn't contain every title mentioned in the series (if you're looking for that, see this list at the Harry Potter Lexicon.) But, if the book is featured in my poll, it means that it figures significantly into the plot. Or it's on Harry's initial shopping list in Sorcerer's Stone. Or I think the title is cool. Clearly, I used rigorous standards.

Poll results

Here are the results of a few recent Wizards Wireless polls:

Question: Are you a member of GoodReads?

Answers:

1^st place (14 votes)

• Yes

2^nd place (2 votes)

• I've thought about it, but haven't joined yet.

3^rd place (1 vote each)

• I used to be, but I'm not anymore.
• What's Goodreads?

4^th place (0 votes)

• No

Based on the results of this poll, and the huge reaction I got when I asked this question on the Kidlitosphere discussion group... I'd say that an awful lot of people use the GoodReads website. For the person who voted for "what's GoodReads?" see this post. I've been having a lot of fun seeing what friends and fellow bloggers are reading... although I can already see that the hardest part for me will be to keep my GoodReads reading list up to date.

Question: My favorite books written by Lucy Maud Montgomery are:

Answers:

1^st place (13 votes)

• Anne of Green Gables

2^nd place (7 votes)

• The Blue Castle

3^rd place (5 votes each)

• Anne's House of Dreams
• Rilla of Ingleside

4^th place (4 votes each)

• Anne of the Island
• Anne of Windy Poplars
• Emily of New Moon
• I haven't read any of her books

5^th place (3 votes each)

• Anne of Ingleside
• Anne of Avonlea

6^th place (2 votes each)

• Rainbow Valley
• Emily Climbs
• Emily's Quest
• The Story Girl

7^th place (1 vote each)

• Chronicles of Avonlea
• Mistress Pat
• Kilmeny of the Orchard
• Jane of Lantern Hill
• A Tangled Web

8^th place (0 votes each)

• The Golden Road
• Further Chronicles of Avonlea
• Pat of Silver Bush
• Magic for Marigold

As I expected, Anne of Green Gables got the most votes in this poll. But I was delighted to see so much love for The Blue Castle, which is a far more obscure book. For my favorite L.M. Montgomery books, see this post.

Question: Does anyone read these poll result posts?
It's the best way I can think of the archive the results, but they always seem so lengthy to me. Should I keep writing them?

See the new poll in the sidebar about what sources you consult for book recommendations.

Poll results

Here are are some poll results that surprised me. I thought everyone (given the chance) would love to play Quidditch, but it turns out what most people really want is a good seat in the stands (preferably in the Top Box, of course).

Question: If you could be involved in a Quidditch match, what would you chose to be?

Answers:

1^st place (9 votes)

• Spectator

2^nd place (8 votes)

• Chaser

3^rd place (4 votes)

• Seeker

4^th place (2 votes each)

• Beater
• Commentator

5^th place (1 vote each)

• Keeper
• Mascot
• Referee

I thought everyone would want to be a Seeker because it's the most glamorous and high profile position. Personally, I wouldn't want to be one, though... there's just too much pressure.

I'd want to be a Beater. You just fly around whacking Bludgers at people. Sure, you have to use a little strategy, but not much. Doesn't that sound like fun?

Speaking of polls, I recently posted one about the website GoodReads. Even though (I swear) I double-checked the poll before I posted it... there's a typo in one of the choices. Unfortunately, you can't change the options on the poll after people have voted... so now that typo is just sitting there, taunting me. Be sure to vote so I can take that poll down!

Poll results

There was an election held today where I live... so that put me in the mood for counting votes. Here are the results of three recent Wizards Wireless polls.

Question: Which businesses mentioned in the Harry Potter books would you like to visit?

Answers:

1^st place (33 votes)

• Flourish and Blotts bookstore

2^nd place (30 votes)

• Honeydukes sweetshop

3^rd place (29 votes)

• Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes

4^th place (22 votes)

• Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlor

5^th place (21 votes)

• Ollivander’s wand store

6^th place (16 votes)

• The Three Broomsticks

7^th place (15 votes)

• The Leaky Cauldron

8^th place (14 votes each)

• Magical Menagerie pet store
• Dervish and Banges magical equipment

9^th place (11 votes)

• Zonko's Joke Shop

10^th place (9 votes each)

• Eeylops Owl Emporium
• Gringotts Wizarding Bank
• Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop
• Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions

11^th place (7 votes each)

• Gladrags wizardwear
• Madam Puddifoot's tea shop

12^th place (6 votes each)

• Quality Quidditch Supplies
• Hogsmeade post office

13^th place (5 votes each)

• The Hog's Head
• Borgin and Burkes dark arts shop

14^th place (4 votes)

• Apothecary

I love that Flourish and Blotts bookstore won this poll. Come to think of it, that's the business I'd want to visit the most, too.

As for the next poll, all I can say is that if Madam Pince retires, there will be fierce competition to fill the job of Hogwarts librarian.

Question: If you were looking for a job in the Harry Potter world, which ones would you choose?

Answers:

1^st place (17 votes)

• Hogwarts librarian

2^nd place (10 votes)

• Hogwarts professor

3^rd place (6 votes)

• reporter for the Daily Prophet

4^th place (5 votes each)

• assistant at Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes
• manager of Flourish and Blotts bookstore

5^th place (4 votes each)

• auror
• clerk at Honeydukes sweetshop
• Quidditch player

6^th place (3 votes)

• wand maker

7^th place (2 votes each)

• Minister of Magic
• reporter for the Quibbler

8^th place (1 vote each)

• broom maker
• curse-breaker for Gringotts
• dragon keeper in Romania
• employee of the Ministry of Magic
• Hogwarts headmaster

9^th place (0 votes each)

• conductor of the Knight Bus
• dish washer at the Leaky Cauldron
• dragon feeder at Gringotts
• healer at Saint Mungo’s
• Hogwarts caretaker
• Quidditch referee
• saleswizard at Quality Quidditch Supplies
• security troll trainer

I find it interesting that the Minister of Magic ranks as low as reporter for the Quibbler. I can't really blame you. I wouldn't want to be Minister of Magic either.

The last poll has nothing to do with Harry Potter. (Yes, I do run non-Harry Potter polls from time to time. =) This one is about a comic strip. (See this post for more details about what's going on with For Better or For Worse these days).

Question: If I could decide the fate of For Better or For Worse, I would:

Answers:

1^st place (13 votes)

• End it completely in September

2^nd place (6 votes each)

• Continue running it past September with a mixture of reruns and new material
• I don't read the comic strip

3^rd place (2 votes)

• I wouldn't be able to decide

Want to vote for something? See the current poll on the sidebar to vote for your favorite books by Lucy Maud Montgomery. (For more about my favorite books by this wonderful author, see this post.) And, there's a brand new poll about Quidditch.

Poll results

As another semester of graduate school starts in my life, my thoughts turn to my favorite fictional school, Hogwarts. I recently did a poll of favorite subjects taught at Hogwarts. Here's the results:

Question: Which Hogwarts subjects would you like to study?

Answers:

1^st place (21 votes)

• Transfiguration

2^nd place (20 votes)

• Defense aganist the Dark Arts

3^rd place (17 votes)

• Flying

4^th place (16 votes)

• Charms

5^th place (15 votes)

• Potions

6^th place (12 votes)

• Care of Magical Creatures

7^th place (9 votes each)

• Ancient Runes
• Herbology

8^th place (7 votes)

• Occlumency

9^th place (5 votes each)

• History of Magic
• Muggle Studies

10^th place (4 votes)

• Astronomy

11^th place (3 votes)

• Arithmancy

12^th place (2 votes)

• Divination

See the new poll in the sidebar which asks about occupations in the Harry Potter world. I have to say, I think I'd enjoy being the manager of Flourish and Blotts or the Hogwarts librarian. How about you?

Assorted Poll Results

Looks like I'm not the only one who was thrilled that The Invention of Hugo Cabret won the Caldecott Medal. Hugo was the decisive victor in my poll about the 2008 ALA awards.

Question: Which 2008 ALA Award winners are you the happiest about?

Answers:

1st place (21 votes)

• Caldecott: The Invention of Hugo Cabret
  

2nd place (10 votes)

• Newbery: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!

3rd place (9 votes)

• Geisel: There Is a Bird on Your Head!

4th place (5 votes)

• Siebert: The Wall

5th place (4 votes)

• Edwards: Orson Scott Card
  

6th place (3 votes)

• King Author: Elijah of Buxton

7th place (2 votes each)

• King Illustrator: Let it Shine
• Odyssey: Jazz
• Printz: The White Darkness
• Schneider middle grade: Reaching for Sun
• None of the above
• I haven't read any of the winning books

8th place (1 vote each)

• Arbuthnot: Walter Dean Meyers
• Belpré Illustrator: Los Gatos Black on Halloween
• Carnegie: Jump In
• Schneider young children: Kami and the Yaks
• Schneider teen: Hurt Go Happy

9th place (0 votes each)

• Batchelder: Brave Story
• Belpré Author: The Poet Slave of Cuba
• King/Steptoe New Talent Author: Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything in It

Let's wrap up some other polls while we're at it. Here are the results from my poll about traveling in the Harry Potter world.

Question: My preferred method of travel in the Harry Potter world would be:

Answers:

1^st place (14 votes)

• Appartition

2^nd place (8 votes)

• All of the above

3^rd place (7 votes)

• Hogwarts Express

4^th place (4 votes each)

• Broomstick
• Portkey

5^th place (2 votes each)

• Floo Powder
• Flying car
• Hippogriff
• Walking

6^th place (1 vote each)

• Dragon
• Knight Bus

7^th place (0 votes each)

• Deluminator
• London Underground
• Phoenix
• Thestral
• None of the above

I have to agree with the results on this one. After a few recent plane trips, I think apparition is definitely the way to go. I'm willing to deal with the uncomfortable physical side effects and the possibility of splinching in order to get where I want to go instantaneously.


And, here's the results of the poll that had the fewest choices available of any poll I've run so far.

Question: Are you in a book club?

Answers:

1^st place (14 votes)

• No

2^nd place (11 votes)

• Yes

3^rd place (4 votes)

• I have been in the past

Want to vote for something? No problem. I have two polls currently up. One is about subjects that you'd like to study at Hogwarts. And I just added a new one asking which business establishments in the Harry Potter world you'd like to visit. Happy voting!

Poll results

It's time to post results from my poll about favorite American Library Association awards.

Question: Which American Library Association awards do you like the best?

Answers:

1^st place (15 votes)

• John Newbery Medal : most distinguished contribution to children's literature

2^nd place (8 votes each)

• Randolph Caldecott Medal: most distinguished American picture book for children
• Theodor Seuss Geisel Award: books for beginning readers

3^rd place (4 votes each)

• Alex Awards: adult books that appeal to a teen audience
• Michael L. Printz Award: young adult literature
• Schneider Family Book Award: books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience

4^th place (3 votes each)

• Odyssey Award: audio books
• Laura Ingalls Wilder Award: authors and illustrators who have made a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children
  

5^th place (2 votes)

• Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award: non-fiction books

6^th place (1 vote each)

• May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award: recognizes an author, critic, librarian, historian, or teacher of children's literature
• Mildred L. Batchelder Award: translated books originally published in other countries
• Pura Belpré Award: recognizes Latino authors and illustrators
• Andrew Carnegie Medal: children's video
• Margaret A. Edwards Award: lifetime achievement in writing for young adults
• Coretta Scott King Book Award: recognizes African American authors and illustrators
• None of the above

Note, this poll was for the awards themselves. To vote for your favorite 2008 ALA Award winners, see the poll on the sidebar.

A few comments about the results:
I was surprised that the votes for the Newbery were double the votes for the Caldecott. I always consider these two awards as equals.

I was also surprised (in a good way) at how many votes the Geisel Award for early readers recieved. I love the Geisel, and I follow it pretty closely, but it seems to me that not that many people know about the award yet (which is only it it's third year).

Other polls currently running:
What's your preferred method of travel in the Harry Potter world?

Are you a member of a book club?

And I just put together a new poll: which Hogwarts subject would you most like to study? The emphasis is on the subject, not the teacher. Let's assume you can select a teacher of your choice for classes such as Divination, Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts (otherwise, those choices probably wouldn't poll too well). And I added Occlumency... which, while not technically in the official course of study, would be an incredibly useful skill to have.

Have any suggestions for polls relating to children's books, comic strips or Harry Potter? Wizards Wireless is always happy to hear them!

Assorted Polls

Do you have opinions? Wizards Wireless wants to know about them!

Now that the ALA award winners have been announced, which ones are you the happiest about? See the new poll on the sidebar.

I've also got another poll currently running that asks if you've ever been in a book club.

Only two polls? Why not make it three. Okay. I just posted a Harry Potter poll. Which method of transportation described in the Harry Potter books would you prefer for all your transit needs?

Oh, wait, there's actually four polls up now. There's still a day left to vote for your favorite ALA award.

Poll results: Newbery

And we have a Newbery winner! Not for the 2008 Newbery... that will be announced tomorrow, but for my equally important poll about favorite past Newbery winners.

The winner is one of my all time favorite books: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg.

I was surprised at how few votes King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry got (only 2)... and was impressed at how many obscure Newbery winner recieved votes. See below for the rest of the intriguing results.

Question: What are your favorite Newbery Medal books?

Answers:

1^st place (26 votes)

• 1968: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

2^nd place (24 votes)

• 1994: The Giver

3^rd place (23 votes each)

• 1979: The Westing Game
• 1978: Bridge to Terabithia
• 1963: A Wrinkle in Time

4^th place (22 votes)

• 1999: Holes

5^th place (21 votes)

• 1990: Number the Stars

6^th place (18 votes)

• 1959: The Witch of Blackbird Pond

7^th place (15 votes)

• 1972: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

8^th place (14 votes)

• 1981: Jacob Have I Loved

9^th place (13 votes)

• 1944: Johnny Tremain

10^th place (12 votes each)

• 1986: Sarah, Plain and Tall
• 1961: Island of the Blue Dolphins

11^th place (11 votes)

• 1995: Walk Two Moons

12^th place (10 votes each)

• 1991: Maniac Magee
• 1983: Dicey's Song
• 1936: Caddie Woodlawn

13^th place (9 votes each)

• 2004: The Tale of Despereaux
• 1997: The View from Saturday
• 1977: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
• 1973: Julie of the Wolves

14^th place (8 votes each)

• 2001: A Year Down Yonder
• 2000: Bud, Not Buddy
• 1996: The Midwife's Apprentice
• 1985: The Hero and the Crown
• 1984: Dear Mr. Henshaw

15^th place (7 votes)

• 2002: A Single Shard

16^th place (6 votes each)

• 2007: The Higher Power of Lucky
• 1998: Out of the Dust
• 1976: The Grey King
• 1969: The High King
• 1950: The Door in the Wall

17^th place (5 votes each)

• 2005: Kira-Kira
• 1988: Lincoln: A Photobiography

18^th place (4 votes each)

• 1989: Joyful Noise
• 1970: Sounder
• 1967: Up a Road Slowly
• 1962: The Bronze Bow
• 1923: The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle

19^th place (3 votes each)

• 2003: Crispin
• 1993: Missing May
• 1987: The Whipping Boy
• 1974: The Slave Dancer
• 1956: Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
• 1955: The Wheel on the School
• 1948: The Twenty-One Balloons
• 1945: Rabbit Hill

20^th place (2 votes each)

• 2006: Criss Cross
• 1964: It's Like This, Cat
• 1958: Rifles for Watie
• 1949: King of the Wind
• 1941: Call It Courage
• 1937: Roller Skates
• 1934: Invincible Louisa
• 1931: The Cat Who Went to Heaven
• 1930: Hitty, Her First Hundred Years

21^st place (1 vote each)

• 1992: Shiloh
• 1982: A Visit to William Blake's Inn
• 1980: A Gathering of Days
• 1975: M. C. Higgins, the Great
• 1971: Summer of the Swans
• 1954: And Now Miguel
• 1953: Secret of the Andes
• 1952: Ginger Pye
• 1951: Amos Fortune, Free Man
• 1947: Miss Hickory
• 1946: Strawberry Girl
• 1943: Adam of the Road
• 1942: The Matchlock Gun
• 1940: Daniel Boone
• 1939: Thimble Summer
• 1938: The White Stag
• 1933: Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze
• 1932: Waterless Mountain
• 1929: The Trumpeter of Krakow
• 1927: Smoky, the Cowhorse
• 1922: The Story of Mankind

22^nd place (0 votes each)

• 1966: I, Juan de Pareja
• 1965: Shadow of a Bull
• 1960: Onion John
• 1957: Miracles on Maple Hill
• 1935: Dobry
• 1928: Gay Neck, the Story of a Pigeon
• 1926: Shen of the Sea
• 1925: Tales from Silver Lands
• 1924: The Dark Frigate

See this post for the results of the Caldecott poll I conducted.

Poll results

My poll results don't have the shock value of the New Hampshire primaries, but they always surprise me, nonetheless. Here are the results of my Printz award poll (the original post is here).

Question: What are your favorite Printz winners and honor books?

Answers:

1^st place (10 votes)

• 2007 honor: An Abundance of Katherines

2^nd place (7 votes each)

• 2007 winner: American Born Chinese
• 2007 honor: The Book Thief
• 2006 winner: Looking for Alaska
• 2004 honor: A Northern Light
• 2000 honor: Speak

3^rd place (6 votes each)

• 2007 honor: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing
• 2005 winner: how i live now
• 2004 honor: The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things

4^th place (5 votes)

• 2003 honor: The House of the Scorpion

5^th place (4 votes each)

• 2005 honor: Airborn
• 2000 winner: Monster

6^th place (3 votes each)

• 2005 honor: Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy
• 2002 honor: True Believer
• 2001 honor: Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging
• 2000 honor: Hard Love

7^th place (2 votes each)

• 2004 winner: The First Part Last
• 2004 honor: Fat Kid Rules the World
• 2003 winner: Postcards from No Man’s Land
• 2003 honor: My Heartbeat
• 2003 honor: Hole in My Life
• 2001 winner: Kit’s Wilderness
• 2000 honor: Skellig

8^th place (1 vote each)

• 2006 honor: I Am the Messenger
• 2006 honor: John Lennon
• 2002 honor: The Ropemaker
• 2001 honor: Many Stones
• 2001 honor: The Body of Christopher Creed

9^th place (0 votes each)

• 2007 honor: Surrender
• 2006 honor: Black Juice
• 2006 honor: A Wreath for Emmett Till
• 2005 honor: Chanda’s Secrets
• 2004 honor: Keesha’s House
• 2002 winner: A Step From Heaven
• 2002 honor: Heart to Heart
• 2002 honor: Freewill
• 2001 honor: Stuck in Neutral

I'm impressed that An Abundance of Katherines won so decisively. It's made me resolve to get me hands on a copy as soon as possible. I heard John Green's acceptance speech for the Printz honor, and the book sounded incredibly cool. I have to give it a try.

On to the next poll...

The new poll question serves to wrap up Wizards Wireless' discussion of American Library Association awards, and asks which ones are your favorites. Forgive the lengthy options... not all the awards are well known, so I thought quick summaries might help.

Incidentally, the poll asking about favorite Newbery medalists is still running. Be sure to vote if you haven't yet. The Giver is currently in the lead, followed by From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler which is in second place. Tied for third are Number the Stars, The Bridge to Terabithia and A Wrinkle in Time.

Poll results

Time. That's what the majority of Wizards Wireless would like. I wish I could help you. I could use some time myself.

Here are the results of the poll about the best object from the Harry Potter books.

Question: If you could receive one object from the Harry Potter books as a gift, what would it be?

Answers:

• 40%: A time turner
• 18%: An invisibility cloak
• 13%: A magic wand
• 13%: A firebolt
• 4%: A butterbeer
• 4%: A sorcerer's stone
• 4%: Another object
• 0%: A deluminator
• 0%: A Marauder's Map
• 0%: The Elder Wand
• 0%: A coin from Dumbledore's Army
• 0%: Gryffindor's sword

I love conducting polls because I'm always surprised by the results. For example, on this one, I would have predicted that the Sorcerer's Stone would be the winner: unlimited money and life.

There's good news for those who said they'd like a butterbeer... it's the only one on this list that's actually attainable! See this post for details.

I've got two other polls currently running: favorite Newbery medalists and favorite Printz winners and honor books. Be sure to vote!

What are your favorite Newbery books?

My children's literature professor in library school said: "If you learn only one thing from this class, let it be this: Newbery is spelled with one R."

I learned much more from the class than that. But I certainly did take away the fact that the Newbery Medal is named after the British publisher John Newbery, who spelled his last name with one R, not two. And since then, I cringe every time I see the Newberry Medal mentioned. Talking about the books that have won the Newbery Medal is far more interesting than learning how to spell it, but I couldn't resist slipping that in.

I just finished up a poll about favorite Caldecott books, so it's only natural that now I'm switching to favorite Newbery books. To find out more about the Newbery medal, click here. Here's a list of all the Newbery medalists, and here's a list of all the winners and honor books.

I just added an extremely lengthy poll to this blog... even longer than the Caldecott poll, because the Newbery has been around longer. What are your favorite books that won the Newbery Medal?

Here's mine:

• 2007: The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron
• 1999: Holes by Louis Sachar
• 1984: Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary
• 1979: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
• 1978: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
• 1972: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
• 1968: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
• 1949: King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry
• 1944: Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes

And here are my favorite Newbery honor books:

• 2007: Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
• 2007: Rules by Cynthia Lord
• 2000: Our Only May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm
• 1996: The Great Fire by Jim Murphy
• 1982: Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
• 1979: The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
• 1978: Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary
• 1976: Dragonwings by Laurence Yep
• 1973: Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel
• 1953: Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
• 1948: Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry
• 1944: These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• 1942: Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• 1941: The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• 1940: By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• 1939: Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard & Florence Atwater
• 1938: On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• 1929: Millions of Cats by Wanda Gág

Please vote, I'd love to see your opinion. The results from my Caldecott poll were fascinating. You can pick as many of your favorite Newbery medal winners as you like (sorry, I didn't include honor books for sanity's sake.)

And if you learn only one thing from this post, let it be this: Newbery is spelled with one R.

Poll results

Here are the results from a few recent polls I conducted.

Question: Amazon bought J.K. Rowling's limited edition book. What do you think?
Answers:

• 50%: I'm delighted that the book will now be shared instead of languishing in a safe deposit box.
• 18%: I'm not sure why Amazon bought it.
  
• 12%: I can't believe they paid FOUR million dollars.
  
• 12%: Can I put it in my Amazon shopping cart?
• 6%: I'm disappointed that anyone but me got it.
  

I completely agree with the 50% who said that they were delighted that the book will now be shared with the public. I think that's a wonderful thing.

J.K. Rowling said something very similar on her website. Here's her reaction to the sale of the book to Amazon.

Question: I read For Better or For Worse...
Answers:

• 31%: Every day. Online.
• 15%: Every day. Sometimes online. Sometimes in the newspaper.
• 15%: Occasionally.
• 15%: I never read it.
• 10%: Every day. In the newspaper.
• 5%: About once a week.
• 5%: If it's in front of me and I have nothing better to do.
• 0%: I catch up with it every few weeks or so.
• 0%: When the collections are published.
• 0%: Only when the storylines interest me.

So, it seems that a large number of Wizards Wireless readers follow the For Better or For Worse comic strip. I'll have to keep posting about it.

For Better or For Worse hodgepodge

I've been posting fairly sparingly about comic strips on this blog... but it is one of the three primary subjects of Wizards Wireless, so I think it needs a mite more attention.

Let me start with a bit more focus on For Better or Worse.

• It's a very popular and well-known strip drawn by Canadian author Lynn Johnston. It appears in roughly a gazillion newspapers and garners more attention and fans than most daily strips because the characters age and develop. Recently, the author has decided to stop aging the characters and run repeats of strips originally published decades ago.... see my previous posts about this comic strip.

• I've been having a lovely discussion in the comments of this post about For Better or For Worse with Liz of A Chair, A Fire Place and A Tea Cozy. Liz said the following: "I have to say, I love finding another person who is obsessed with the FBFW soap opera!" Liz, I love it too. In fact, it's inspired me to post more about FBoFW and other developments in comic strips I follow.

• Quick explanation of the acronyms: For Better or For Worse is abbreviated in a variety of ways... I typically use FBoFW. Others use FBFW. Lynn Johnston uses FBorFW, as evidenced that the strip's website is http://www.fborfw.com.

• Incidentally, if you read For Better or For Worse regularly, I highly recommend joining the Yahoo Group FBOFW: The For Better of Worse Forum.

• And, here's my reaction to the FBoFW strip for Monday, December 17th: That's it? She just left the cliffhanger from last week? Now I've got to read about holiday baking when I'm dying to know about Anthony, Therese's, Elizabeth's and Francie's reactions? At least the strip is still in the present tense, though.
  

• Out of curiosity, I've added a poll to the sidebar to see how many people who read this blog also read FBoFW or if it's just Liz and I.

• If you are a regular reader of FBoFW (or however you wish to acronym it), what are your thoughts about the recent developments in the past two years or so?

What's the most popular Caldecott Medal book?

Based on my informal poll, the answer is definitely Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. It swept the field with The Snowy Day by Era Jack Keats in a slightly distant second place and The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg and Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey tied for third.

And that doesn't surprise me at all. I've aways considered Where the Wild Things Are to be one of the most famous and popular Caldecott medal books. It is interesting, though, that in the top three, the most recent book is from 1986. I was also surprised that Black and White, the multi-layered groundbreaking book by David Macaulay only got one vote.

Question: What are your favorite Caldecott Medal books?

1^st place: 19 votes
1964: Where the Wild Things Are

2^nd place: 15 votes
1963: The Snowy Day

3^rd place: 12 votes each
1986: The Polar Express
1942: Make Way for Ducklings

4^th place: 11 votes each
1996: Officer Buckle and Gloria
1943: The Little House

5^th place: 10 votes
1970: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

6^th place: 9 votes
2007: Flotsam

7^th place: 7 votes each
2000: Joseph Had a Little Overcoat
1985: Saint George and the Dragon
1982: Jumanji
1976: Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears

8^th place: 6 votes each
2005: Kitten's First Full Moon
2004: The Man Who Walked Between the Towers

9^th place: 5 votes each
2006: The Hello, Goodbye Window
1998: Rapunzel
1988: Owl Moon

10^th place: 4 votes each
2002: The Three Pigs
2001: So You Want to Be President?
1999: Snowflake Bentley
1954: Madeline's Rescue

11^th place: 3 votes each
2003: My Friend Rabbit
1994: Grandfather's Journey
1993: Mirette on the High Wire
1992: Tuesday
1990: Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China
1989: Song and Dance Man
1971: A Story A Story
1968: Drummer Hoff
1944: Many Moons

12^th place: 2 votes each
1995: Smoky Night
1987: Hey, Al
1981: Fables
1980: Ox-Cart Man
1958: Time of Wonder
1957: A Tree Is Nice
1956: Frog Went A-Courtin'

13^th place: 1 vote each
1991: Black and White
1984: The Glorious Flight: Across the Channel with Louis Bleriot
1974: Duffy and the Devil
1973: The Funny Little Woman
1972: One Fine Day
1962: Once a Mouse
1961: Baboushka and the Three Kings
1955: Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper
1950: Song of the Swallows
1949: The Big Snow
1948: White Snow, Bright Snow

Last place: 0 votes each
1997: Golem
1983: Shadow
1979: The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses
1978: Noah's Ark
1977: Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions
1975: Arrow to the Sun
1969: The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship
1967: Sam, Bangs & Moonshine
1966: Always Room for One More
1965: May I Bring a Friend?
1960: Nine Days to Christmas
1959: Chanticleer and the Fox
1953: The Biggest Bear
1952: Finders Keepers
1951: The Egg Tree
1947: The Little Island
1946: The Rooster Crows
1945: Prayer for a Child
1941: They Were Strong and Good
1940: Abraham Lincoln
1939: Mei Li
1938: Animals of the Bible, A Picture Book