Newbery Medal Award Book Club

[Tuly]

I thoroughly enjoyed - Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village - by Laura Amy Schlitz, illustrated by Robert Byrd. This is a collection of short one-person (sometimes two) plays featuring characters, between ten and fifteen years old, who live in or near a thirteenth century English manor. I would suggest this book to 8 to 11 year-olds, even though I see it as a good resource book on the middle-ages for any age. I did not find any major offensive material, not unless one gets turned off by lice or maggots. The illustrations were perfect for the story. I have also enjoyed Laura Amy Schlitz book A Drowned Maiden's Hair - A melodrama. The story is not as weird as the title, but definitely a melodrama. My age suggestion for this book would be 10 to 12 year-olds. April's book club selection is 1952's Newbery Medal Winner - Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes

[John]

"Good Masters! Sweet Ladies"
Good book. Sweet illustrations.

[Tuly]

Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes - is basically a book about a dog . When the Pye family's puppy, Ginger, disappears on Thanksgiving Day, the children are convinced that he has been abducted by a stranger in a yellow hat. I would recommend this charming book to 8 to 10 year olds. There was absolutely nothing offensive in the book. June's Newbery Medal book selection is Miss Hickory by Carolyn Bailey a 1947 winner.

[Angela]

I hope this is the right section for my review of some Newbery books, Award and Honor winners.

So I read The Invention of Hugo Cabret recently and I absolutely loved it. It actually won the Caldecott medal but I really wonder if it should have won the Newbery as well. I mean there have been a couple of Newbery winners that I don't think were as good as The Invention of Hugo Cabret. It was a clean story all the way through and I think an appropriate age range would be 8 and up.

[Ian]

i also love the invention of hugo cabret. it's like a cross between a book and a movie. very enjoyable to read.

[Angela]

I've also recently read Kira Kira by Cynthia Kadohata. *sigh* Well, you know how people try to rationalize a bad movie (usually rated "r") by saying "It's really good, you should really see it. It just has this one little not so good part." This is what I thought when I read this book. I can't say that it was really, really good and that anyone and everyone should read it. All I will say is that there was an inappropriate part in it and I find it terrible that this was targeted toward children. To be completely frank, there are so many other good books to read that you shouldn't waste your time on this. Yes there were good and touching parts in this book but that doesn't make up for the inappropriate part!
I've just checked the Newbery award website and they say that the award goes "to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children." So with that in mind I would say that the age group that I would lump this in would be over 21. Granted it's not a graphic part in the book but I'm just so bothered that they would still consider it for children.
Yes I do realize that I just might be a prude.

[Angela]

The View From Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg was a delightful read! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I like that the group of children were intelligent and civil. The story was engaging and I'd say ages 7 or 8 and up.

[Angela]

Another E. L. Konigsburg book The Mixed-Up Files from Mrs. Basil. E. Frankweiler has a special place in my heart. Mostly because the children stay in a museum, and not just any museum but The Metropolitan Museum of Art! It was so fun to read about them in rooms that I've been in and done things that I've wanted to do. Like sleep in one of those beds, they look so comfy! I'd say this is good for all ages but for comprehension sake I'll say ages 7 and up.

[Tuly]

I really enjoyed The View from Saturday. I pretty much have enjoyed most of E.L. Konigsburg's books. Kira, Kira was a depressing book because of the story line I would advice it to 14-15 years old. By the way this is cool website or is it a blogg?

http://www.helpreaderslovereading.com/2 ... -time.html

[Tuly]

I thoroughly enjoyed The Invention of Hugo Cabret. I love any book where I learn something new, so yes this book is also educational. The illustrations are simple, beautiful pencil drawings with a great story. You will learn what an automaton is. Here is a great website to explain more.

http://www.fi.edu/learn/sci-tech/automa ... umentation

[Tuly]

Here are the 2009 winners:

Neil Gaiman has won the 2009 Newbery Medal for The Graveyard Book, illustrated by Dave McKean, for “the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.” The House in the Night, written by Susan Marie Swanson and illustrated by Beth Krommes, has won the 2009 Caldecott Medal for “the most distinguished American picture book for children.” The American Library Association announced the awards today in Denver.

The others who won medals or Honor Book citations are:

Newbery Honor Books:

The Underneath, by Kathi Appelt, illustrated by David Small

The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom, by Margarita Engle

Savvy, by Ingrid Law

After Tupac & D Foster, by Jacqueline Woodson

Caldecott Honor Books:
A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever, written and illustrated by Marla Frazee

How I Learned Geography, written and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz

A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, written by Jen Bryant

[Tuly]

I just finished reading the Newbery Medal Award winner for 2009 - The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Gaiman also wrote the book Coraline. Our hero Nobody Owens, Bod for short is raised by a family of ghosts. Though the story is dark it is redeemed by a wonderful story of a coming of age young man. Mr. Gaiman was inspired by Rudyard Kipling's, The Jungle Book, and that becomes obvious throughout the book. I would recommend this book to anyone over the age of 11.

[Tuly]

Here are the possible finalists for the Newbery Medal 2010. ALA announces the winner and finalists on January 18th, 2010. I got these predictions from a cool blog.

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blo ... 45348.html

Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba by Margarita Engle - The danger when I make up these lists is that I'm going to be so influenced by the last thing I read that I'll put it on the list willy nilly without proper time and consideration. But Margarita Engle has the advantage of being the kind of person that is underestimated. She quietly bides her time with her little verse novels, their lines a shocking collection of pinpointed emotional accuracy. Then BOOM! She's gets herself a Newbery Honor outta left field. And Tropical Secrets is completely middle grade appropriate. That means one thing to me. It's got a clear shot at taking home the gold. Give it a read. You'll see what I mean.


The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly - Also a Henry Holt title. Those HH folks are really firing on all cylinders this year. Calpurnia has been a longtime favorite from the minute the galleys came out. There has been some argument that the Newbery committee might see this as the kind of book that appeals more to librarians than actual children, but I don't think that debate will go very far. With its gorgeous cover and smart prose, this debut novelist might find herself thrust into the spotlight without warning.


The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick - I had this on my springtime predictions and I'm not going to remove it now. This is a great book. I had to convince someone the other day to get past the cover (which didn't appeal to them) and to check out the meat inside. Generally, it has gotten favorable buzz but nothing too significant. We'll see how it fares in the long run.


When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead - Anyone who reads this blog with regularity knows how I feel about this novel. Take a gander at the Goodreads reviews of it sometime if you like. The term "one of the best children's books I've read in years" pops up with frightening regularity. Now the Newbery might decide that some tiny element or another didn't work of them and then they'd attempt to discount the book altogether. This happens sometimes. And with a story containing this amount of backing and forthing within the narrative, it's more vulnerable than most. That said, it's an amazing book and deserves everything everything everything.


Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson - Still hanging in there. Don't discount the Woodson. This one was released in January, so the danger is that folks forget about it by the end of the year. But it has her customary style and grace intact and she's been edging closer and closer to outright Newbery Award status with every year. Could 2010 be hers?

This is another title I keep reading as a possible finalist -
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

Here is another site that analysis the Newbery Medal, I don't necessarily agree with her on what makes a Newbery winner, but she makes some good points.

http://cfbstaff.cfbisd.edu/paciottib/pe ... wbery.html

As I read books by each multiple-award author, I discovered the same thing: the first sentence or two places the reader immediately into the setting, the action, or the mind of the main character. To all of the beginnings, one asks why? and then is impelled to keep reading to find the answers. My favorite first lines are And Now Miguel’s “I am Miguel. ” (remind anyone else of “Call me Ishmael”? ) and Jacob Have I Loved: “As soon as the snow melts, I will go to Rass and fetch my mother.” ( reminding me of DuMaurier’s Rebecca). The funniest is Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth: “I first met Jennifer on my way to school. It was Halloween, and she was sitting in a tree.” What a great beginning!

I also noticed certain passages would make me stop and ponder what I had read—this had happened to me, or I’d had such a feeling, or I’d often wondered about this. I do not consider myself a simpleton, so for these “children’s books” to seize a 50-year old graduate student’s mind, they must have something that transcends age and time and level of education. For example, in Paterson ’s Jacob Have I Loved, Sara Louise looks up the Bible passage, Romans 9:13, from which the title of the book is taken and realizes:

The speaker was God. I was shaking all over as I closed the book and got back under the covers. There was, then, no use struggling or even trying. It was God himself who hated me. And without cause. … God had chosen to hate me. And if my heart was hard, that was his doing as well. (p 159)

Yet, another site worth checking out, notice which titles they have in common.
http://acplmocknewbery.blogspot.com/200 ... t-one.html

[Tuly]

The Newbery Medal Award winner and honor books for 2010 are:

2010 Medal Winner

When You Reach Me
The 2010 Newbery Medal winner is When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, published by Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children's Books.

Twelve-year-old Miranda encounters shifting friendships, a sudden punch, a strange homeless man and mysterious notes that hint at knowledge of the future. These and other seemingly random events converge in a brilliantly constructed plot.

2010 Honor Books


Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose, published by Melanie Kroupa Books, Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Hoose reveals the true story of an unsung hero of the Montgomery bus boycott. Hoose’s work stands out for its creative approach to narrative biography. Colvin’s own recollections are merged seamlessly with the narrative voice, providing a uniquely personal view of Colvin and the Civil Rights Movement.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly, published by Henry Holt and Company.

On the eve of the 20th century, 11-year-old Calpurnia awakens to new possibilities, and through her evolving relationship with her naturalist grandfather, learns to think like a scientist. Kelly’s rich, evocative language captures Callie’s distinctive voice and lively observations of the natural world.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin, published by Little, Brown and Company Books for Young Readers.

A rich tapestry of stories, both original and traditional, transports readers to a fantastic world where Dragon joins Minli on a fortune-changing quest.


The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick, published by The Blue Sky Press, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc.

This rollicking yarn, presented through the voice of 12-year-old Homer, uses humor and pluck to mitigate the horrors of the Civil War.

[Tuly]

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. Sometimes it's hard to say that I did not like a Newbery Medal award winner. As is the case with this book. It's a quick read book that I believe does not say anything that meaningful. It takes place in NYC around 1978 (by the way why are books that take place in NYC depressing?) Miranda the main character comes from a single parent home and then has a time traveling experience that changes her life. The characters are weak to me, some may say they are human but I had a hard time connecting with them. This book would be appropriate to anyone over the age of 11 because of some of the contents of the book. I would love to hear other opinions of this book, since this is just my opinion.