Books pages - Newbery Books
The Newbery Medal, named for eighteenth-century British
bookseller John Newbery, is awarded annually by the American Library
Association for the most distinguished American children's book published
the previous year (Association
for Library Service to Children)
Newbery Winners 1985 to date
Vanderpool:
Moon Over Manifest (2011 Winner)
By Clare Vanderpool
2010, 368 pages, $17 list
It's
as if readers jump off the train in Manifest, KS, in 1936 with Abilene Tucker, 12, the feisty, likable, and
perceptive narrator. She is there to live with Pastor Shady Howard, her
father's friend, while her father works on the railroad back in Iowa. An
equally important story set during World War I is artfully intertwined. Since
her mother went off on her own 10 years earlier, Abilene and Gideon have been
alone. Though their life together is unsettled, their bond is strong. Shady's
place is shabby, but he is welcoming. The mystery about Manifest and Gideon
unfolds after Abilene finds a box filled with intriguing keepsakes. It includes
a letter dated 1917 to someone named Jinx from Ned Gillen that has a warning,
“THE RATTLER is watching.” This starts Abilene, with the help of new friends
Ruthanne and Lettie, on a search to learn the identity of the pair. The story
cleverly shifts back and forth between the two eras. Abilene becomes connected
to Miss Sadie, a “diviner” who slowly leads her through the story of Ned and
Jinx. Though the girl is lonely, she adjusts to her new life, feeling sure that
her father will come for her at summer's end. The Ku Klux Klan and its campaign
against the many immigrants working in the coal mines and the deplorable
conditions and exploitation of these men provide important background. This
thoroughly enjoyable, unique page-turner is a definite winner.
Stead:
When You Reach Me (2010 Winner)
By Rebecca Stead
2009, 208 pages, $16 list
It is 1979 on the Upper West Side of New York City, and Miranda, a sixth grader, is
telling us, or rather someone in particular, about the events of the previous
few months — “trying to map out the story you asked me to tell.” How the
spare apartment key suddenly disappeared. How her best friend, Sal, stopped
talking to her after being hit by a strange boy on their way home from school.
And how anonymous notes started appearing, referring to things no one else but
she could know about and begging her to do things as well.
Gaiman:
The Graveyard Book (2009 Winner)
By Neil Gaiman
2008, 320 pages, $18 list
In The
Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman has created a charming allegory of childhood.
Although the book opens with a scary scene--a family is stabbed to death by
"a man named Jack” --the story quickly moves nto more child-friendly
storytelling. The sole survivor of the attack--an 18-month-old baby--escapes
his crib and his house, and toddles to a nearby graveyard. Quickly recognizing
that the baby is orphaned, the graveyard's ghostly residents adopt him, name
him Nobody ("Bod"), and allow him to live in their tomb. Taking
inspiration from Kipling’s The Jungle Book, Gaiman describes how the toddler navigates
among the headstones, asking a lot of questions and picking up the tricks of
the living and the dead. In serial-like episodes, the story follows Bod's
progress as he grows from baby to teen, learning life’s lessons amid a cadre of
the long-dead, ghouls, witches, intermittent human interlopers. A pallid,
nocturnal guardian named Silas ensures that Bod receives food, books, and
anything else he might need from the human world. Whenever the boy strays from
his usual play among the headstones, he finds new dangers, learns his limitations
and strengths, and acquires the skills he needs to survive within the confines
of the graveyard and in wider world beyond.
Schlitz:
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village (2008 Winner)
By Laura Amy Schlitz
2007, 96 pages, $20 list
Maidens, monks, and millers’ sons -- in these pages, readers
will meet them all. There’s Hugo, the lord’s nephew, forced to prove his
manhood by hunting a wild boar; sharp-tongued Nelly, who supports her family by
selling live eels; and the peasant’s daughter, Mogg, who gets a clever lesson
in how to save a cow from a greedy landlord. There’s also mud-slinging Barbary
(and her noble victim); Jack, the compassionate half-wit; Alice, the singing
shepherdess; and many more. With a deep appreciation for the period and a grand
affection for both characters and audience, Laura Amy Schlitz creates
twenty-two riveting portraits and linguistic gems equally suited to silent
reading or performance. Illustrated with pen-and-ink drawings by Robert Byrd --
inspired by the Munich-Nuremberg manuscript, an illuminated poem from
thirteenth-century Germany -- this witty, historically accurate, and utterly
human collection forms an exquisite bridge to the people and places of medieval
England. Step back to an English village in 1255, where life plays out in
dramatic vignettes illuminating twenty-two unforgettable characters.
Patron:
The Higher Power of Lucky (2007 Winner)
By Susan Patron and Matt Phelan
2006, 144 pages, $17 list
Lucky, age ten, can't wait another
day. The meanness gland in her heart and the crevices full of questions in her
brain make running away from Hard Pan, California (population 43), the
rock-bottom only choice she has. It's all Brigitte's fault -- for wanting to go
back to France. Guardians are supposed to stay put and look after girls in
their care! Instead Lucky is sure that she'll be abandoned to some orphanage in
Los Angeles where her beloved dog, HMS Beagle, won't be allowed. She'll have to
lose her friends Miles, who lives on cookies, and Lincoln, future U.S.
president (maybe) and member of the International Guild of Knot Tyers. Just as
bad, she'll have to give up eavesdropping on twelve-step anonymous programs
where the interesting talk is all about Higher Powers. Lucky needs her own --
and quick. But she hadn't planned on a dust storm. Or needing to lug the
world's heaviest survival-kit backpack into the desert.
Perkins:
Criss Cross (2006 Winner)
By Lynne Rae Perkins
2007, 368 pages, $7 list
She wished something would happen.
Something good. To her. Checking her wish for loopholes, she found one. Hoping
it wasn't too late, she thought the word soon.
Meanwhile, in another part of town, he felt as if the world was opening. Life
was rearranging itself; bulging in places, fraying in spots. He felt himself changing,
too, but into what? So much can happen in a summer.
Kadohata:
Kira-Kira (2005 Winner)
By Cynthia Kadohata
2006, 272 pages, $7 list
Glittering. That's how Katie Takeshima's
sister, Lynn, makes everything seem. The sky is kira-kira because its color is deep but see-through at the same
time. The sea is kira-kira for the
same reason. And so are people's eyes. When Katie and her family move from a
Japanese community in Iowa to the Deep South of Georgia, it's Lynn who explains
to her why people stop on the street to stare. And it's Lynn who, with her
special way of viewing the world, teaches Katie to look beyond tomorrow. But
when Lynn becomes desperately ill, and the whole family begins to fall apart,
it is up to Katie to find a way to remind them all that there is always
something glittering -- kira-kira --
in the future.
DiCamillo:
The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and
a Spool of Thread (2004 Winner)
By Kate DiCamillo and Timothy Basil
Ering
2006, 272 pages, $8 list
Welcome to the story of Despereaux
Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea.
It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in the darkness and
covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a
slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish. These three
characters are about to embark on a journey that will lead them down into a
horrible dungeon, up into a glittering castle, and, ultimately, into each
other’s lives. What happens then? As Kate DiCamillo would say: Reader, it is
your destiny to find out. From the master storyteller who brought us BECAUSE OF
WINN-DIXIE comes another classic, a fairy tale full of quirky, unforgettable
characters, with twenty-four stunning black-and-white illustrations by Timothy
Basil Ering. This paperback edition pays tribute to the book’s classic design,
featuring a rough front and elegant gold stamping.
Avi:
Crispin: The Cross of Lead (2003 Winner)
By Avi
2004, 320 pages, $7 list
“Asta’s son” is all he’s ever been called. The lack of name
is appropriate, because he and his mother are but poor peasants in
fourteenth-century medieval England. But this thirteen-year-old boy who thought
he had little to lose soon finds himself with even less -- no home, family, or
possessions. Accused of a crime he did not commit, he has been declared a
“wolf’s head.” That means he may be killed on sight, by anyone. If he wishes to
remain alive, he must flee his tiny village. All the boy takes with him is a
newly revealed name -- Crispin -- and his mother’s cross of lead. His journey
through the English countryside is amazing and terrifying. Especially difficult
is his encounter with the juggler named Bear. A huge, and possibly even mad,
man, Bear forces the boy to become his servant. Bear, however, is a strange
master, for he encourages Crispin to think for himself. Though Bear promises to
protect Crispin, the boy is being relentlessly pursued. Why are his enemies so
determined to kill him? Crispin is gradually drawn right into his enemies’
fortress where -- in a riveting climax -- he must become a different person if
he is to save Bear’s life and his own. He discovers that by losing everything,
he has gained the most precious gift of all: a true sense of self. A master of
breathtaking plot twists and vivid characters, Avi brings the full force of his
storytelling powers to the world of medieval England.
Park:
A Single Shard (2002 Winner)
By Linda Sue Park
2003, 192 pages, $7 list
Tree-ear, an orphan, lives under a bridge in Ch’ulp’o, a
potters’ village famed for delicate celadon ware. He has become fascinated with
the potter’s craft; he wants nothing more than to watch master potter Min at
work, and he dreams of making a pot of his own someday. When Min takes Tree-ear
on as his helper, Tree-ear is elated — until he finds obstacles in his
path: the backbreaking labor of digging and hauling clay, Min’s irascible
temper, and his own ignorance. But Tree-ear is determined to prove himself
— even if it means taking a long, solitary journey on foot to present
Min’s work in the hope of a royal commission . . . even if it means arriving at
the royal court with nothing to show but a single celadon shard.
Peck:
A Year Down Yonder (2001 Winner)
By Richard Peck
2002, 144 pages, $7 list
Mary Alice's childhood summers in Grandma
Dowdel's sleepy Illinois town were packed with enough drama to fill the double
bill of any picture show. But now she is fifteen, and faces a whole long year
with Grandma, a woman well known for shaking up her neighbors-and everyone
else! All Mary Alice can know for certain is this: when trying to predict how
life with Grandma might turn out . . . better not. This wry, delightful sequel
to the Newbery Honor Book A Long Way from
Chicago has already taken its place among the classics of children's
literature.
Curtis:
Bud, Not Buddy (2000 Winner)
By Christopher Paul Curtis
2004, 272 pages, $7 list
It's 1936, in Flint, Michigan. Times may be
hard, and ten-year-old Bud may be a motherless boy on the run, but Bud's got a
few things going for him:
1. He has his own suitcase filled with his own important, secret things.
2. He's the author of Bud Caldwell's Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life
and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself.
3. His momma never told him who his father was, but she left a clue: flyers of
Herman E. Calloway and his famous band, the Dusky Devastators of the
Depression!!!!!!
Bud's got an idea that those flyers will lead him to his father. Once he
decides to hit the road and find this mystery man, nothing can stop him--not
hunger, not fear, not vampires, not even Herman E. Calloway himself.
Bud, Not Buddy is full of laugh-out-loud humor and wonderful characters,
hitting the high notes of jazz and sounding the deeper tones of the Great
Depression. Once again Christopher Paul Curtis, author of the award-winning
novel The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963, takes readers on a heartwarming and
unforgettable journey.
Sachar:
Holes (1999 Winner)
By Louis Sachar
2003, 256 pages, $7 list
Stanley Yelnats tries to dig up the truth in
this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment–and
redemption.
Hesse:
Out of the Dust (1998 Winner)
By Karen Hesse
1999, 240 pages, $6 list
A poem cycle that reads as a novel, Out of the Dust tells the story of a girl named Billie Jo, who
struggles to help her family survive the dust-bowl years of the Depression.
Fighting against the elements on her Oklahoma farm, Billie Jo takes on even
more responsibilities when her mother dies in a tragic accident. A testament to
the American spirit, this novel is an instant classic.
Konigsburg:
The View from Saturday (1997 Winner)
By E.L. Konigsburg
1998, 176 pages, $6 list
HOW HAD MRS. OLINSKI CHOSEN her
sixth-grade Academic Bowl team? She had a number of answers. But were any of them
true? How had she really chosen Noah and Nadia and Ethan and Julian? And why
did they make such a good team?
It was a surprise to a lot of people
when Mrs. Olinski's team won the sixth-grade Academic Bowl contest at Epiphany
Middle School. It was an even bigger surprise when they beat the seventh grade
and the eighth grade, too. And when they went on to even greater victories,
everyone began to ask: How did it happen? It happened at least partly because
Noah had been the best man (quite by accident) at the wedding of Ethan's
grandmother and Nadia's grandfather. It happened because Nadia discovered that
she could not let a lot of baby turtles die. It happened when Ethan could not
let Julian face disaster alone. And it happened because Julian valued something
important in himself and saw in the other three something he also valued. Mrs.
Olinski, returning to teaching after having been injured in an automobile
accident, found that her Academic Bowl team became her answer to finding
confidence and success. What she did not know, at least at first, was that her
team knew more than she did the answer to why they had been chosen. This is a
tale about a team, a class, a school, a series of contests and, set in the
midst of this, four jewel-like short stories -- one for each of the team
members -- that ask questions and demonstrate surprising answers.
Cushman:
The Midwife's Apprentice (1996 Winner)
By Karen Cushman
1996, 128 pages, $6 list
From the author of "Catherine, Called Birdy" comes
another spellbinding novel set in medieval England. The girl known only as Brat
has no family, no home, and no future until she meets Jane the Midwife and
becomes her apprentice. As she helps the sharp-tempered Jane deliver babies,
Brat-who renames herself Alyce-gains knowledge, confidence, and the courage to
want something from life: "A full belly, a contented heart, and a place in
this world." Medieval village life makes a lively backdrop for the funny,
poignant story of how Alyce gets what she wants. A concluding note discusses
midwifery past and present. A Newbery Medal book.
Creech:
Walk Two Moons (1995 Winner)
By Sharon Creech
2003, 304 pages, $7 list
As Sal entertains her grandparents with Phoebe's
outrageous story, her own story begins to unfold--the story of a
thirteen-year-old girl whose only wish is to be reunited with her missing
mother.In her own award-winning style, Sharon Creech intricately weaves
together two tales, one funny, one bittersweet, to create a heartwarming,
compelling, and utterly moving story of love, loss, and the complexity of human
emotion.
Lowry:
The Giver (1994 Winner)
By Lois Lowry
2002, 192 pages, $7 list
In a world with no poverty, no crime, no sickness and no
unemployment, and where every family is happy, 12-year-old Jonas is chosen to
be the community's Receiver of Memories. Under the tutelage of the Elders and
an old man known as the Giver, he discovers the disturbing truth about his
utopian world and struggles against the weight of its hypocrisy. With echoes of
Brave New World, in this 1994 Newbery Medal winner, Lowry examines the
idea that people might freely choose to give up their humanity in order to
create a more stable society. Gradually Jonas learns just how costly this
ordered and pain-free society can be, and boldly decides he cannot pay the
price.
Rylant:
Missing May (1993 Winner)
By Cynthia Rylant
2004, 112 pages, $6 list
When May dies suddenly while gardening, Summer assumes
she'll never see her beloved aunt again. But then Summer's Uncle Ob claims that
May is on her way back—she has sent a sign from the spirit world. So Ob
and Summer, despite her doubts, set off in search of a medium, whom they hope
will explain May's departure and confirm her possible return.
Naylor:
Shiloh (1992 Winner)
By Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
2000, 144 pages, $7 list
When Marty Preston comes across a
young beagle in the hills behind his home, it's love at first sight -- and also
big trouble. It turns out the dog, which Marty names Shiloh, belongs to Judd
Travers, who drinks too much and has a gun -- and abuses his dogs. So when
Shiloh runs away from Judd to Marty, Marty just has to hide him and protect him
from Judd. But Marty's secret becomes too big for him to keep to himself, and it
exposes his entire family to Judd's anger. How far will Marty have to go to
make Shiloh his?
Spinelli:
Maniac Magee (1991 Winner)
By Jerry Spinelli
1999, 180 pages, $7 list
Maniac Magee is a folk story about a
boy, a very excitable boy. One that can outrun dogs, hit a home run off the
best pitcher in the neighborhood, tie a knot no one can undo. "Kid's gotta
be a maniac," is what the folks in Two Mills say. It's also the story of
how this boy, Jeffrey Lionel "Maniac" Magee, confronts racism in a
small town, tries to find a home where there is none and attempts to soothe
tensions between rival factions on the tough side of town. Presented as a folk
tale, it's the stuff of storytelling. "The history of a kid," says
Jerry Spinelli, "is one part fact, two parts
legend, and three parts snowball." And for this kid, four parts of fun.
Lowry:
Number the Stars (1990 Winner)
By Lois Lowry
1998, 144 pages, $7 list
The evacuation of Jews from
Nazi-held Denmark is one of the great untold stories of World War II. On
September 29, 1943, word got out in Denmark that Jews were to be detained and
then sent to the death camps. Within hours the Danish resistance, population
and police arranged a small flotilla to herd 7,000
Jews to Sweden. Lois Lowry fictionalizes a true-story account to bring this
courageous tale to life. She brings the experience to life through the eyes of
10-year-old Annemarie Johannesen, whose family harbors her best friend, Ellen
Rosen, on the eve of the round-up and helps smuggles Ellen's family out of the
country.
Fleischman:
Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices (1989
Winner)
By Paul Fleischman
2004, 64 pages, $6 list
Written to be read aloud
by two voices––sometimes alternating, sometimes
simultaneous––here is a collection of irresistible poems that celebrate
the insect world, from the short life of the mayfly to the love song of the
book louse. Funny, sad, loud, and quiet, each of these poems resounds with a
booming, boisterous, joyful noise. In this remarkable volume of poetry for two
voices, Paul Fleischman verbally re–creates the
"Booming/boisterious/joyful noise" of insects. The poems resound with
the pulse of the cicada and the drone of the honeybee. Eric Beddows's vibrant
drawings send each insect soaring, spinning, or creeping off the page in its own
unique way.A clear and fascinating guide to the insect world––from
chrysalid butterflies to whirligig beetles–– and an exultant
celebration of life.
Freedman:
Lincoln: A Photobiography (1988 Winner)
By Russell Freedman
1989 (1st edition), 160
pages, $10 list
A description of the boyhood, marriage, and young
professional life of Abraham Lincoln includes his presidential years and also
reflects on the latest scholarly thoughts about our Civil War president. A
Newberry Medal Book.
Fleischman:
The Whipping Boy (1987 Winner)
By Sid Fleischman
2003, 112 pages, $6 list
Jemmy, once a poor boy living on the streets, now lives in a
castle. As the whipping boy, he bears the punishment when Prince Brat
misbehaves, for it is forbidden to spank, thrash, or whack the heir to the
throne. The two boys have nothing in common and even less reason to like one
another. But when they find themselves taken hostage after running away, they
are left with no choice but to trust each other.
MacLachlan:
Sarah, Plain and Tall (1986 Winner)
By Patricia MacLachlan
2004, 64 pages, $6 list
Their mother died the day after Caleb was born.
Their house on the prairie is quiet now, and Papa doesn't sing anymore. Then
Papa puts an ad in the paper, asking for a wife, and he receives a letter from
one Sarah Elisabeth Wheaton, of Maine. Papa, Anna, and Caleb write back. Caleb
asks if she sings. Sarah decides to come for a month. She writes Papa: I will
come by train. I will wear a yellow bonnet. I am plain and tall, and Tell them
I sing. Anna and Caleb wait and wonder. Will Sarah be nice? Will she like them?
Will she stay?
McKinley:
The Hero and the Crown (1985 Winner)
By Robin McKinley
2007, 304 pages, $5 list
Robin McKinley's mesmerizing history of Damar is
the stuff that legends are made of. The
Hero and the Crown is a dazzling "prequel" to The Blue Sword.Aerin is the only child
of the king of Damar, and should be his rightful heir. But she is also the
daughter of a witchwoman of the North, who died when she was born, and the
Damarians cannot trust her.But Aerin's destiny is greater than her father's
people know, for it leads her to battle with Maur, the Black Dragon, and into
the wilder Damarian Hills, where she meets the wizard Luthe. It is he who at
last tells her the truth about her mother, and he also gives over to her hand
the Blue Sword, Gonturan. But such gifts as these bear a great price, a price
Aerin only begins to realize when she faces the evil mage, Agsded, who has
seized the Hero's Crown, greatest treasure and secret strength of Damar.
End of Newbery Books