Newbery Medal Award Book Club

[Tuly]

January is one of my favorite months because Betsy was born this month, so was my brother. But also the Newbery Medal Award is announced. I found another cool blog created by Elizabeth Bird, she predicts the 2011 winner and honor picks.

Newbery Predictions

My Top Newbery Award Pick:

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia -
No real surprise there. I’ve been toting this book since I read it back in February. The title has absolutely everything going for it. A strong family story, an unconventional setting, and a historical topic that hasn’t really been covered much at all in children’s literature. Williams-Garcia has always been a top notch writer, but with this book she has finally produced something young enough to grab the attention of a Newbery committee. As far as I can tell, this book should at least be able to nab an Honor. I hope for more, but Newbery committees do love to break my heart.

My Top Newbery Honor Picks:

Keeper by Kathi Appelt – It’s a strong choice and is considered widely to be more accessible than her previous novel The Underneath. And even with all the debate surrounding it that book still won a Newbery Honor! Again, this is a story about family (a popular theme this year) and mothers. It has a great deal of heart too, which may push it over the edge. I wouldn’t mind seeing it do very well indeed.

The Water Seeker by Kimberly Willis Holt – Entirely based on heresay and conjecture. I haven’t read it myself. I simply hear good things. Consider it to be on my To Be Read list.

The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz – It was pointed out to me after the last set of predictions that fairy books don’t win big medals. They might be right. We’ve already a serious mermaid title going for the gold this year. Can we handle both fairies and mermaids in a single category? I’d like to think so since Schlitz’s book takes a topic that is usually brushed over by lesser authors and makes it into something wild and classic. But I can also see the Newbery committee dismissing it as . . well . . as too much fun. It happens.

The Boneshaker by Kate Milford – In any given year you’ll usually find a debut author/wild card. This book has both. I consider it a serious Honor contender. The shades of Ray Bradbury in it don’t overwhelm the text. It’s creepy and delightful and the writing itself is superb. I am much taken with this book.

The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan – A Hispanic-American has never won a Newbery Award proper, you know. Could this be the first time it happens? Maybe so. I liked the book, though I know folks who found it too “writerly” to sink their teeth into entirely. Still, with its Peter Sis illustrations and poetic text (on top of a very real story any child could relate to) consider Ryan the author to watch this year. Remember: The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman was also illustrated by Peter Sis and that won Newbery gold!

[Tuly]

And the winner for 2011 is....

2011 Medal Winner


The 2011 Newbery Medal winner is Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool, published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, a division of Random House, Inc.

The town of Manifest is based on Frontenac, Kan., the home of debut author Clare Vanderpool’s maternal grandparents. Vanderpool was inspired to write about what the idea of “home” might look like to a girl who had grown up riding the rails. She lives in Wichita with her husband and four children.

“Vanderpool illustrates the importance of stories as a way for children to understand the past, inform the present and provide hope for the future,” said Newbery Medal Committee Chair Cynthia K. Richey.


2011 Honor Books

Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm, published by Random House Children's Books, a div. of Random House, Inc.

Sassy eleven-year-old Turtle finds her life turned on end when she is sent to live with her aunt in Depression-era Key West. With vivid details, witty dialogue and outrageous escapades, Jennifer Holm successfully explores the meaning of family and home… and lost treasures found.

Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus, published by Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams.

Shipwrecks, whaling, a search for home and a delightful exploration of cultures create a swashbuckling adventure. This historical novel is based on the true story of Manjiro (later John Mung), the young fisherman believed to be the first Japanese person to visit America, who against all odds, becomes a samurai.


Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Rick Allen, published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt



Welcoming her readers into the “wild, enchanted park” that is the night, Joyce Sidman has elegantly crafted twelve poems rich in content and varied in format. Companion prose pieces about nocturnal flora and fauna are as tuneful and graceful as the poems. This collection is “a feast of sound and spark.”





One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia, published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers



The voices of sisters Delphine, Vonetta and Fern sing in three-part harmony in this wonderfully nuanced, humorous novel set in 1968 Oakland, Calif. One crazy summer, the three girls find adventure when they are sent to meet their estranged poet-mother Cecile, who prints flyers for the Black Panthers

.

[Tuly]

On my trip to Utah this past week. I read the this years Newbery Medal Award winner - Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool. It was a quick read, however that does not always mean it is a good book. However, I actually enjoyed this book. This book takes place in Kansas, the time goes back and forth between 1918 and 1936. The heroine of the story is Abilene and as most books lately is without a father and a mother. The whole book is about Abilene trying to find out more about her father who was raised in Manifest, Kansas. There are some wonderful thoughts in the book. I still feel books written with a Midwest or Southern state setting try to sound like To Kill A Mockingbird (dream on). I would suggest this book to any one over the age of 12.

[Tuly]

Here are the predictions for 2012 from - (The red writing are my notes about the book.)
http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/af ... edictions/

Newbery/Caldecott 2012: Mid-Year Projections/Predictions
June 7th, 2011

Normally I’d do this kind of post for June 15th but there’s a possibility that I might be a bit busy on that date, so we’ll do it now for kicks. It’s time for our mid-year Newbery/Caldecott querying. I’ve already indulged in some Spring Predictions, but I prefer the Summer ones because at this point I’ve read and heard about a lot more. So with that in mind, here are some of the titles that may at least get a fair amount of discussion around the old Newbery/Caldecott tables:

Newbery

Lunch-Box Dream by Tony Abbott – I would greatly appreciate it if you all read this one and then told me what you made of it. This year I’ve read a fair number of titles that have made me scratch my head, but not one of them is more head scratchier than this. My notes in the back of the book could only be described as a jumble. I just couldn’t figure out if it was genius or something else. Please. Somebody tell me. I seriously haven’t a clue what to say about this book, except that I know it’ll be on all the discussion lists before the year is out.

The Mostly True Story of Jack by Kelly Barnhill – If I am allowed one dark horse Newbery candidate a year, then I would like to make Barnhill’s debut my dark horse. I’ll admit to you right here and now that the title inspired no confidence in me. Then I read it. This has got to be one of the creepiest middle grade titles of the year and I absolutely adore it. There’s a really nice mystery, and Barnhill has the ability to dole out facts and clues in a slow manner that somehow keeps the reader from going crazy. Keep a very close eye on this one and, while you’re at it, on Barnhill.

The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall – Ah, the competition is building and so I wonder if the third book in any series, even one as fun as the Penderwicks, can withstand the onslaught. I’m keeping this title on here because I do feel that it’s a standalone and that the writing is more than above par. That said, I’ve just preceded it with books about 1959 race relations and horror/fantasy. Can a sweet tale of siblings remain visible against such subject matter? Time will tell. I have read the first Penderwicks and enjoyed it and recommend it.

Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming – This is still my favorite nonfiction of the year. In fact, the more I think about it the more I like it. I’ve had librarians tell me that though they usually hate it when an author splits a narrative into two, Fleming did such a good job that they didn’t mind. I would add an additional point in its favor: It’s fun. I know that fun shouldn’t count for anything. Fun is irrelevant. Nowhere in the Newbery criteria is there a call for “fun”. But I figure nonfiction titles need as much help as they can Newbery-wise, so I call the fact that it is fun a definite step in the right direction.

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos – This is undoubtedly wishful thinking on my part. Gantos has never gotten the gold, and he deserves it someday. This book, of course, has a weird undercurrent to it that may turn off a certain breed of Newbery committee member. Not everyone is going to find Jack’s constant brushes with death as interesting as I do. Still, I hold out hope that maybe this’ll be a Gantos-luvin’ committee year. Stranger things have happened.

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai – Probably one of the books with the best bets behind it. If I were to make my absolute list of probable winners, Lai would be on there. With an Honor, hopefully. I think it has the power to win people over too. Dunno. Certainly it’s been a while since a verse novel won a Newbery proper. Can’t help but wish it had a different title, though.

Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt – Still the one to beat and the number one choice of the year. I’ve seen nothing that comes close to bumping it off its about-time-we-gave-Schmidt-a-gold-award pedestal. Yes, I have heard the objections to the ending. But I have also heard such objections 9 times out of 10 followed up with “but it’s so good I don’t care about that”. Folks aren’t fond of the father’s sudden reversal, it seems, but it’s not a deal breaker. Whew!

Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu – Ooo. We haven’t even begun to discuss this one yet, have we? I’ll go into it soon, but this is one fantasy novel that is definitely going to get a lot of talk in the next few months. If A Tale Dark and Grimm gave us new insights into the world of the Grimm brothers, Ursu’s novel may shed a lot of light on the legacy of Hans Christian Andersen. If you haven’t heard of this one yet it’s a modern take on Andersen’s The Snow Queen and it’s remarkable. More soon, I promise.

Now, by this point you may have seen that this is an unusually strong year for fantasy. One fantasy novel I have not included, however, is the debuted-at-#7-on-the-New-York-Times-bestseller-list title The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne Valente. The reason for this is simple. It’s ineligible. You see, to win a Newbery a book must be an “original work”. And according to the Newbery criteria on the subject, “Further, ‘original work’ means that the text is presented here for the first time and has not been previously published elsewhere in this or any other form. Text reprinted or compiled from other sources are not eligible. Abridgements are not eligible.” The problem? Valente published her book in its entirety free and online for the masses before it was picked up by Feiwel and Friends for a printing. This was quite nice of her, but it scupped her chances of ever getting a big time literary award. Them’s the breaks, folks.

As for you Chime fans, I hear your pain and I sympathize. However, Chime is destined for Printz greatness, not Newbery. It’s a lovely book but even its biggest defenders concede that it’s YA, not children’s.

Caldecott

Blue Chicken by Deborah Freedman – I still love it to pieces. There’s something really pleasant about the storytelling on this one. Something simple, but still complex enough to give it a little rise above the pack. Gentle surrealism, let’s call it.

Perfect Square by Michael Hall – And not because there are ads for the bloody thing all over my blog as of this writing. No, from the moment I saw this book I felt a buzz about it. Some titles you hear about and you just feel that the book is important in some way. This is one such book. We have this book. It is excellent!

A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka – Here’s one that I’ve heard multiple people rave about, independent of one another. Now I’m not a Raschka follower myself, if only because my preferred form of children’s illustration meanders more towards the thin-lined/tiny details school than the somewhat Impressionistic vibe Raschka cultivates. Yet with this latest Raschka captures not just a doggy story, but an emotional journey. It’s bright. It’s cheery. It’s bouncy. It may yet win him a second Caldecott Award. Keep your eye on the doggy then.

A Nation’s Hope by Matt de la Pena, illustrated by Kadir Nelson – Even I couldn’t help but hear the buzz surrounding this one, and I see that as a good thing. Nelson’s long since overdue for a Caldecott Award. If he got it for a bit of nonfiction, all the better! This is a good year for Joe Louis (his appearance in Andrea Pinkney’s Bird in a Box makes for a nice complementary title) and Matt de la Pena is definitely showing that he’s more than just a YA man. I see legs on this book. Long legs.

Me . . . Jane by Patrick McDonnell – Someone mentioned this in the comments during my last predictionfest, and I admit that it has some sterling qualities. I do wonder about its eligibility, though. Here’s the kicker: Some of the art in the book consists of original documents by Jane Goodall when she was a little girl. Has the committee ever tackled the question of what to do about primary sources in picture books? Would Goodall be considered a co-illustrator on this book because her art is included? Do we even consider it “art” if it’s sketchbooks rather than images created solely for the purpose of forwarding the text? I would love to get some other opinions on this, because I feel it has a lot of bearing on future Caldecott wins.

Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat by Philip Stead – Jules at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast featured Mr. Stead (husband of last year’s Caldecott winner) not too long ago and made a real case for the beauty of this book. It would certainly be amusing to see a husband/wife team win the Caldecott two years in a row. Collage is an interesting medium too. If I’m right (and I could certainly be wrong about this) cut paper hasn’t won a Caldecott Medal proper since 1997’s The Golem by David Wiesneski. And when was the last time collage won? I’m hard pressed to say.

Queen of the Falls by Chris Van Allsburg – I still believe. Van Allsburg has Caldecotts to his name, so it’s not like he’s hurting. Just the same, this is his best book in years and years and years and I just want everyone to notice it. After all, it’s a story that needs to be told.

And then there are some other titles that I think have quite a chance to pull ahead in the fall season. Heart & Soul by Kadir Nelson comes to mind, as does Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beth Krommes. For now, however, I’m just sticking with the books I’ve already seen. There’s time enough for fall predictions in the future.

[Tuly]

Here are the winners for 2012 -

American Library Association Announces 2012 Youth Media Award Winners

DALLAS, Jan. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The American Library Association (ALA) today announced the top books, video and audiobooks for children and young adults - including the Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Newbery and Printz awards - at its Midwinter Meeting in Dallas.

A list of all the 2012 award winners follows:

John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature:

"Dead End in Norvelt," written by Jack Gantos, is the 2012 Newbery Medal winner. The book is published by Farrar Straus Giroux.

Two Newbery Honor Books also were named: "Inside Out & Back Again," written by Thanhha Lai and published by HarperCollins Children's Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers; and "Breaking Stalin's Nose," written and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin, and published by Henry Holt and Company, LLC.

Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children:

"A Ball for Daisy," illustrated and written by Chris Raschka, is the 2012 Caldecott Medal winner. The book is published by Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, a division of Random House, Inc.

Three Caldecott Honor Books also were named: "Blackout," illustrated and written by John Rocco, and published by Disney - Hyperion Books, an imprint of Disney Book Group; "Grandpa Green" illustrated and written by Lane Smith, and published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership; and "Me . . . Jane," illustrated and written by Patrick McDonnell, and published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

[Tuly]

Here is a list of the Newbery award books from 1922 to present. I will also add comments ( in red or brown ) to all of the award winning books I read. This will take me a while so I will be adding to this post. You are all welcome to join in the fun.

Newbery Medal Winners, 1922 - Present
2024: The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers (Knopf Books for young readers) Johannes, a dog, is the eyes to his community. I highly recommend this book
2023: Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson (Little, Brown Books) A historical fiction about maroon communities in the South. I do recommend this book, well written.
2022: The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera ( Levine Querido) Dystopian story. Recommend it
2021: When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller (Random House) I do recommend this book based on an old Korean folktale.
2020: New Kid by Jerry Craft (Harper Collins) - First graphic novel winner. I do recommend it.
2019: Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina (Candlewick Press) - I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.
2018: Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly (Greenwillow Books) - Four middle-school children's adventures. I do recommend it.
2017: The Girl who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill (Algonquin young readers) - Fantasy story with dark tones. Don't highly recommend it.
2016; Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena (G.P. Putnam's Sons) - Basically a picture book. I do recommend this book.
2015: The Crossover by Kwame Alexander (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) - I do recommend this book.
2014: Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick Press) - Don't highly recommend this book.
2013: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (Publisher: Harper Collins) - I do recommend this book.
2012: Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos (published by Farrar Straus Giroux) - Another youth novel. I don't recommend this book.
2011: Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool (Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children's Books) - This book had a good story. More like a youth novel form. Don't highly recommend it.
2010: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children's Books) - Don't highly recommend it. Should be a youth novel.
2009: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, illus. by Dave McKean (HarperCollins) - Cool ghost story. I do recommend this book.
2008: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz (Candlewick) - I do recommend this book.
2007: The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron, illus. by Matt Phelan (Simon & Schuster/Richard Jackson) Don't highly recommend this book
2006: Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins (Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins) - Do not recommend this book
2005: Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata (Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster) Depressing book and not very interesting.
2004: The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick Press) I love this book. It is better than the movie. It was the book that helped Emma appreciate reading.
2003: Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi (Hyperion Books for Children) - Highly recommend it. Great medieval story.
2002: A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park(Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin) - Highly recommend this story it takes place in Korea.
2001: A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck (Dial) I enjoy most of Peck's books. I highly recommend this book. It is part of a series.
2000: Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (Delacorte) - Great story. I do recommend this book.
1999: Holes by Louis Sachar (Frances Foster) The movie is a lot like the book but I still like the book better. I do recommend this book.
1998: Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse (Scholastic)This book is written as a poem. A bit depressing. Do recommend it.
1997: The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg (Jean Karl/Atheneum) - I love this book and the author. Highly recommend it.
1996: The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman (Clarion) - Another medieval book. I don't recommend it.
1995: Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech (HarperCollins) - I also love a lot of the author's books. I highly recommend this book.
1994: The Giver by Lois Lowry(Houghton) -Another utopia world story. Don't recommend it.
1993: Missing May by Cynthia Rylant (Jackson/Orchard)- I love Rylant. This is a wonderful story. I highly recommend it.
1992: Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (Atheneum) - Nice dog story. I recommend it.
1991: Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (Little, Brown) - Spinelly is another author I enjoy. I do recommend this book.
1990: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (Houghton) - - I love the author Lowry. I highly recommend this book about WW II.
1989: Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman (Harper) - A small collection of poetry. I do recommend this book.
1988: Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman (Clarion) - I also enjoy a lot of Freedman's non-fiction books. I highly recommend this book.
1987: The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman (Greenwillow) - I do recommends this book.
1986: Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (Harper) - I highly recommend this book.
1985: The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley (Greenwillow) - Fun dragon story. I do recommend this book.
1984: Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary (Morrow) - Not one of my favorite Cleary books. I do recommend this book.
1983: Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt (Atheneum) - I do recommend this book. It is part of a series.
1982: A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers by Nancy Willard (Harcourt) - Very short book. I do recommend this book.
1981: Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson (Crowell) - I love Paterson's books. I do recommend this book.
1980: A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-1832 by Joan W. Blos (Scribner) - I do recommend this book.
1979: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (Dutton) - I loved this mystery story. I highly recommend it.
1978: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (Crowell) - I highly recommend this book.
1977: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor (Dial) -
1976: The Grey King by Susan Cooper (McElderry/Atheneum) - I love this book, I highly recommend the whole series.
1975: M. C. Higgins, the Great by Virginia Hamilton (Macmillan) - I don't recommend this book.
1974: The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox (Bradbury) - I recommend this book.
1973: Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George (Harper) - Not one of my favorite George books. I don't highly recommend it.
1972: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien (Atheneum)
1971: Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars (Viking) - Lovely sister and brother story. I do recommend this book.
1970: Sounder by William H. Armstrong (Harper)
1969: The High King by Lloyd Alexander (Holt) - I highly recommend this book. It is part of a series.
1968: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg (Atheneum) - I love this book. I highly recommend this book.
1967: Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt (Follett)
1966: I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino (Farrar) - I do recommend this book.
1965: Shadow of a Bull by Maia Wojciechowska (Atheneum) I highly recommend this book.
1964: It's Like This, Cat by Emily Neville (Harper) - I do recommend this book if you are a New Yorker.
1963: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (Farrar) -I love L'Engle and all of the books of this series. I highly recommend this book.
1962: The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare (Houghton) - I do recommend this book, even though it takes a while to get into the story.
1961: Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell (Houghton) - I do recommend this book.
1960: Onion John by Joseph Krumgold (Crowell) - I do recommend this book.
1959: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (Houghton) - I love this book and highly recommend it.
1958: Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith (Crowell)
1957: Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen (Harcourt) - I highly recommend this book
1956: Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham (Houghton)I highly recommend this book.
1955: The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong (Harper) - Boring story. I don't recommend this book.
1954: ...And Now Miguel by Joseph Krumgold (Crowell)I do recommend this book.
1953: Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark (Viking) - I love this book. I highly recommend this book.
1952: Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes (Harcourt) - Cute dog story. I do recommend this book.
1951: Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates (Dutton)
1950: The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli (Doubleday) - I love this book. I highly recommend this book.
1949: King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry (Rand McNally)Beautiful book about the story of the Godolphin Arabian horse. I do recommend this book.
1948: The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pène du Bois (Viking - I love this author's story and illustrations. I highly recommend this book.
1947: Miss Hickory by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey (Viking)Charming story. I highly recommend this book.
1946: Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski (Lippincott)I love Lenski and this story. I highly recommend this book.
1945: Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson (Viking)
1944: Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes (Houghton)
1943: Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray (Viking)
1942: The Matchlock Gun by Walter Edmonds (Dodd) - This is a quick read. I do recommend this book.
1941: Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry (Macmillan)
1940: Daniel Boone by James Daugherty (Viking)
1939: Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright (Rinehart) - This is a short book. I highly recommend it.
1938: The White Stag by Kate Seredy (Viking) -
1937: Roller Skates by Ruth Sawyer (Viking)
1936: Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink (Macmillan)I do recommend this book.
1935: Dobry by Monica Shannon (Viking)
1934: Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women by Cornelia Meigs (Little, Brown) - I do recommend this book.
1933: Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze by Elizabeth Lewis (Winston)
1932: Waterless Mountain by Laura Adams Armer (Longmans)
1931: The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth (Macmillan)I do recommend this book.
1930: Hitty, Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field (Macmillan)
1929: The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly (Macmillan)
1928: Gay Neck, the Story of a Pigeon by Dhan Gopal Mukerji (Dutton)
1927: Smoky, the Cowhorse by Will James (Scribner)
1926: Shen of the Sea by Arthur Bowie Chrisman (Dutton)
1925: Tales from Silver Lands by Charles Finger (Doubleday)
1924: The Dark Frigate by Charles Hawes (Little, Brown) - I highly recommend this book.
1923: The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting (Stokes)
1922: The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem van Loon (Liveright)

[Tuly]

Well, they said it could not be done. But I did it. I wrote comments to all of the Newbery Award books I read. I still have a lot more to read, but that is one of my long time goals to read all of the winners.

[Lily]

Wow. Thanks for the recommendations, Mom!

[Tuly]

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham. I have an extra book if any one wants it. This is a biography of Nathaniel Bowditch - he wrote The American Practical Navigator (also known as the "Sailor's Bible"). Latham does a wonderful job of making this book very interesting. I highly recommend this book for all ages.

[Tuly]

Just finished reading Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos this years Newbery Medal Award winner. This is definitely a youth novel. Not for children... there are some swear words and disturbing images. It is described as a historical fiction book that takes place in the 60's. Jack Gantos is the young boy growing in Norvelt, Pennsylvania. I do not highly recommend it.

[Tuly]

Live from Seattle these are the winners for 2013 -

The 2013 Caldecott Medal, which recognizes picture books, was awarded to Jon Klassen for This Is Not My Hat, a follow-up to his popular story, I Want My Hat Back. This Is Not My Hat is the tale of a small fish with a zealous attitude and what happens when he steals a hat from a larger creature.

The 2013 Newbery Medal for children’s literature was awarded to Katherine Applegate for The One and Only Ivan, which tells the story of an artistic gorilla that lives a caged life in a shopping center and hardly ever misses the jungle. But Ivan’s world is changed when he’s joined by a baby elephant that helps him to see things differently.

[Tuly]

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. This book makes a great effort to be like Charlotte's Web but instead of a spider it's a gorilla that does a remarkable art work. Animal rights lovers will appreciate this book. I still recommend this book.
Here's a cool website about the book.

http://theoneandonlyivan.com/

[Steve]

...it's a guerrilla that does a remarkable art work...

[Tuly]

ok I fixed it Steve after a good five minute laugh. Obviously you know where my mind is more with guerrillas than gorillas those are my real Bolivian roots.

[Lily]

Hilarious! And now I want to read the book even more....