1934 Newbery Medal and Honor Books

Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women

By: Cornelia Meigs

Medal Winner

Reviewed by: Diane Pendergraft
Also read and recommended by: Diane Pendergraft, Sandy Hall, Sherry Early

There may be other biographies of Alcott that psychoanalyze her more deeply, but this book is for children. Meigs obviously admires Alcott and wants others to do the same. She wants to give young readers an admirable heroine to emulate, which she does with good balance. We’re not given the impression that Louisa never gets frustrated and doesn’t kick against the goads in her life. Meigs is honest about Louisa’s prickles, as Jo March is about hers. But Meigs continually points to how the family was able, through humor and their love for each other, to overcome hardship. This is an excellent starting point for a competent middle-grade reader who is interested in the life of one of our beloved authors.

The ABC Bunny

By: Wanda Gág

Honor

Reviewed by: Terri Shown
Recommended age: 0-5
Also read and recommended by: Diane Pendergraft, Sandy Hall, Sherry Early

A timeless children's classic that takes young readers on an engaging alphabetical journey. With charming illustrations and playful storytelling, Gág creates a delightful experience for children learning their ABCs. The rhythmic flow of the book, coupled with simple language and rhyming patterns, makes it accessible for early readers. Nearly 90 years after its initial publication, "ABC Bunny" remains a delightful addition to any child's bookshelf learning their alphabet. 

The Apprentice of Florence

By: Ann Kyle
Illustrated by: Erick Berry

Honor
NOT REVIEWED

Nemo, a sixteen-year-old Florentine apprentice, is sent to Constantinople on business in 1453. The city is besieged by Turks, and Nemo is hurt. On his return, young Christopher Columbus tells him that his father, thought to be dead, is alive. More adventures ensue as Nemo searches for his lost father.

From The Newbery and Caldecott Awards: A Guide to the Medal and Honor Books (1993)

The Big Tree of Bunlahy: Stories of My Own Countryside

By: Padraic Colum
Illustrated by: Jack Yeats

Honor
NOT REVIEWED

Twelve fine old Irish tales and one original one are woven together by the storyteller who introduces each story. All are said to have been heard under the Tree of Bunlahy, the great elm tree with big, smooth stones under it. There the villagers would sit and listen to these tales of animals, heroes, and leprechauns.

From The Newbery and Caldecott Awards: A Guide to the Medal and Honor Books (1993)

The Forgotten Daughter

By: Caroline Snedeker

Honor

Reviewed by: Sherry Early
Recommended age: 13+
Also read and recommended by: Sandy Hall

If The Forgotten Daughter were published now, instead of in 1927, it would probably be classified as Young Adult, at least in terms of interest level. The story takes a young Greek slave girl from age twelve to seventeen as she grows up in Samnium, southern Italy, on a Roman farm villa in the second century B.C. Chloe, the slave girl, lives in a hut on the mountainside with her guardian, an older woman named Melissa. Chloe’s mother is dead, and her father, the Roman patrician and owner of the villa whom she hates, deserted her mother before Chloe was born. The first part of the book deals with the back story behind the marriage of Chloe’s parents and Chloe’s birth and enslavement.

The story is a romance, but a chaste one, although there is some kissing mentioned. It’s also a story of redemption and of freedom from the bondage of hatred and of forgiveness. The author paints a vivid and memorable picture of ancient Roman family life and politics, mentioning or invoking Sappho, Plato, Euripides, the Grachi, Plutarch, and many other Roman and Greek politicians and philosophers and playwrights. Chloe grows up isolated on her father’s Roman farm property, but the politics of Rome impact her life in unexpected ways. Her journey from slavery to freedom mirrors her internal journey from hatred to forgiveness, and it’s all accomplished within a pre-Christian religious and philosophical environment that feels very true and well-researched.

Glory of the Seas

By: Agnes Danforth Hewes

Honor
NOT REVIEWED

This is a swift story of the great days of the clipper ships, when Boston harbor teemed with commerce and the renowned shipbuilding firm of Donald McKay launched one beautiful ship after another and sent them on record-breaking voyages through the seven seas. In such an atmosphere young John Seagrave worked as a shipping clerk and dreamed of California gold. But long before he started for the West drama crowded into his life: a fugitive slave was smuggled in from the South, Seagrave and his friends got involved, dangerous trouble loomed on the horizon, and a series of thrilling adventures followed.

Mrs. Hewes has told a gripping story, chock-full of action, rich in American history, and alive with the tang of blowing salt water.

From the dust jacket

New Land: A Novel for Boys and Girls

By: Sarah Lindsay Schmidt
Illustrated by: Frank Dobias

Honor
NOT REVIEWED

It is the 1930s when Dad, the seventeen-year-old twins, and their younger sister arrive in Wyoming to homestead on an unproved claim. Rivalries on the football field and in the new vocational school, a blinding snowstorm, and troubles with the "big man" are overcome, and a new home is established.

From The Newbery and Caldecott Awards: A Guide to the Medal and Honor Books (1993)

Swords of Steel: The Story of a Gettysburg Boy

By: Elsie Singmaster
Illustrated by: David Hendrickson

Honor
NOT REVIEWED

A POWERFUL, deeply absorbing story in which the reader sees through the eyes of a sensitive boy, John Deane, events preceding the Civil War in the Gettysburg country, the pursuit of escaped negroes, the attack at Harper's Ferry, then war at close range when John's home is taken over by the enemy an he watches the family papers and treasures to to pile up the breastwork. The love affairs of John's sisters are in gay relief, and his own shy romance and his return from the War are touchingly described. Battle pictures of great vigor help to make a volume which will rank among the finest achievements of the year in books of interest for old and young.

From the dust jacket

The Winged Girl of Knossos

By: Erick Berry

Honor

Reviewed by: Sherry Early
Recommended age: 10+
Also read and recommended by: Deanna Knoll, Sandy Hall

Erick Berry was the pen name of author, illustrator, and editor Evangel Allena Champlin Best. She wrote this book, based on the Greek myths about Icarus, Theseus, Ariadne, and Daidalos, and interestingly enough, for this female author with a male pseudonym, she turns Icarus, Daidalos’ son, into a daughter named Inas.

Inas, the protagonist of this myth retold as historical fiction, is a brave and daring character. She dives in the Aegean Sea for sponges. She assists the Princess Ariadne of Crete in her court intrigues and plots to save the life of the Greek captive Theseus. She uses the wings that her inventor father has built to glide from the cliffs down to the seashore. She is a bull-vaulter, taking part in the ancient games of skill that her countrymen celebrate. She helps her father to escape the wrath of King Minos when the king is misled into thinking that Daidalos is a traitor.

There is a bit of romance in the novel, and the characters do a bit more dithering about trying to decide what to do and how to do it than I would like. But overall the book is a lovely introduction to the culture and history of ancient Crete encased in an exciting adventure saga.