Newbery

Newbery Medal Winners or Honorees

John Newbery was the first publisher to print a book deliberately meant to appeal to children. No other publisher had thought of this before; the success was great and the children’s book industry had then been launched. In 1922 the Newbery Medal was established as the first award given to books that make a distinguished contribution to literature for children. Classic Newbery Award winners include: The Giver by Lois Lowry, Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin, Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech, and so many more.

Check out the Newbery Award winners we have reviewed below and view the full list of Newbery Medal Winners and Honorees here.

Newbery

Rules by Cynthia Lord
Interest Level:  3-6
Reading Level:  3.9

Catherine's younger brother David has autism.  “No Toys in the Fish Tank” is just one of the many rules that Catherine has for him.  She develops these rules in order to help avoid some of David’s embarrassing behaviors and to try to help him understand the world around him.  In general, Catherine just wants a normal life and fears what people will think of her when they witness David’s behaviors that seems strange to most people. When Kristi moves in next-door, Catherine wants her to be her best friend but is afraid that David will ruin it for her.   Little does Catherine know that an unexpected friendship with Jason, a boy in a wheelchair will help her accept feeling different.

This book is a great read to help students and even adults understand autism.  In addition, you get a great sense of the struggles and frustrations that family members feel when one has a disability.  The book is great display of how our differences are what make the world so beautiful.

Reviewed by:  Julie Weideman  

 


 

 

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
Interest Level: 5-8

Reading Level: 6.2

All little girls dream of being a princess when they grow up. In this book, a surprise visit from a chief delegate of the King gives the girls from Mount Eskel an unexpected chance at it. The girls usually work alongside their fathers and brothers in the quarry mining Linder stone or stay at home to tend to the livestock and manage trading. Tucked away in this remote mountain village, these girls are far from royalty. This is why all the girls age 12-17 are whisked away to the Princess Academy where Tutor Olana can whip them into something worthy of being called a princess. The many months away from their families become difficult and competition amongst the girls grows fierce. The power of education becomes evident when upon learning to read and write young Miri discovers that her community is being greatly cheated in the trading of their precious Linder stone. Can Miri convince the adults to risk everything by demanding more from the traders? And who will be named “Academy Princess” and crowned as royalty in Danland? Find out by reading Shannon Hale’s Princess Academy.
 

I’ve heard many people rave about The Princess Academy. To be honest, I found it slow to start but it did improve from there. The plot does grow quite complex – Who will be princess? Will Miri master “quarry speech”? Does Pedar love her? What is Britta hiding? etc. Overall, it was definitely a fresh spin on the world of becoming a princess that young girls will love.

Reviewed by: Tiffany L. Braunel


the graveyard book cover

 

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Interest Level:  5-8

Reading Level:  5.3

 

The book starts off with three members of a family being brutally murdered.  The sole survivor is a baby who has gotten out of his crib, unaware of the tragedy that has occurred in his home, and has toddled up the hill to a nearby cemetery.  The ghostly inhabitants of the graveyard decide to adopt and raise the baby they call Nobody Owens, or Bod for short.  As Bod grows, his adventures with the dead and the living prepare him for a final meeting with the man Jack, the killer whose main target on that fateful night so long ago was the baby, the only member of the family who got away.

 

The killer’s knife still gives me shivers!  After I recovered slightly from the brutal murders at the beginning, I found the book to be a page turner.  The illustrations by David McKean add an interesting eerie quality.  I would definitely recommend this book to my 7th grade students, boys and girls alike.  


Reviewed by Polly J. LaMontagne