Newbery reading

I have this little challenge with myself where I try (er, hope) to have read the Newbery medal winner before the award is announced. In the past five years since I began, I have only managed to do so once, in 2009 when I was pleasantly stunned to hear that The Graveyard Book had won. (Did anyone else think it was rather a departure from the type of books they’d been picking?) Last year marked the only year when I hadn’t read at least two of the honor books (but, well, there only were two honor books).
So I’ve got less than two weeks to improve my record before this year’s awards are announced.
Here are some of the books I think deserve to win something, in reverse order of when I read them:

Twelve Kinds of Ice, by Ellen Bryan Obed
The Humming Room, by Ellen Potter
Katerina’s Wish, by Jeannie Mobley
Splendors and Glooms, by Laura Amy Schlitz
The Great Unexpected, by Sharon Creech
May B., by Caroline Starr Rose

 

I know it's a small list. I’ve read many other well-written books that just didn’t seem to say “Newbery” to me, such as Wonder or Liar and Spy (though I wouldn't actually be surprised if the Newbery committee disagrees with me). And lots of excellent young adult books, but I can’t pretend to have the knowledge to predict the Printz decision. (I will be saddened if Code Name Verity doesn’t win something, though historical fiction doesn’t get spotlighted very often.)

So, two questions for you:
1) What reading should I squeeze in before the 28th?
2) Why can’t we have a prize for young adult historical fiction--or is there one I don’t know about?