Okay, so the announcements are in. Thank you very much to the YALSA blog for their live blogcast of the event.
I think the Newbery winner--The Higher Power of Lucky (my review here)--is a complete, and not unwelcome, surprise. I really liked the three honor books as well--Hattie Big Sky (review), Penny From Heaven (review), and Rules. These four books are all outstanding, but where are Kiki Strike and A Drowned Maiden's Tale? Where, oh where, is the pure fun for the Middle Grade reader?
Some categories, other than the honorary ones, I particularly liked are:
BATCHELDER:
honor: LAST DRAGON, KILLER'S TEARS
winner PULL OF THE OCEAN
and
PRINTZ:
honor: OCTAVIAN NOTHING, ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES, SURRENDER, BOOK THIEF
winner: AMERICAN BORN CHINESE