This article introduces a group of teens who become reviewers for the Newbery Awards. A targeted young adult audience of 35 students taught by Jane Hester, a gifted instructor at Kennedy Junior High School, was chosen with careful attention to their reading abilities and willingness to participate in the arduous task of reading critically 25 books. Students took immediate interest in the 25 books that were presented to them, but none of them at that point had any idea of the time, effort, and passionate debate that would attend each book discussion. In endeavoring to mimic the actual Newbery Committee, an outstanding group of reviewers for the American Library Association, students would read not hundreds of books but a small, quality selection of Newbery contenders. Rather than evaluate books according to personal appeal, students would need to critique them by assessing excellence in writing style and potential reception by students in grades 3-8. Their goal was to accomplish this task prior to the actual Newbery Awards announcements. The far-reaching benefits of this program are manifold. They've succeeded in promoting the love of reading to student audiences who in turn come to appreciate the Newbery Awards' quest for excellence in literature. Hester has observed students who, given the opportunity to analyze the craft of several authors, can emulate various styles, thereby improving their own writing as they gain more confidence.