< Newbery Medal and Honor Books
Given the Newbery Award's prestige it would be easy to assume that the award winners are all excellent books for children. The Biblioguides Team has not found this to be the case. We always want to provide parents with the information they need to make the best book decisions for their families. With that goal in mind, we've put together a complete list of all medal winners and honor books since inception, and the Biblioguides Review Team is working together to read our way through the winners and to provide a review. Where we have not yet reviewed a book, a description directly from the dust jacket or from the publisher has been provided. In some cases, we have shared a brief synopsis from The Newbery and Caldecott Awards: A Guide to the Medal and Honor Books (1999).
Reviews are the thoughts and opinions of the particular reviewer and do not necessarily represent all members of the team. Reviews will continue to be added as the team reads more of the Newbery books. We hope this list will help you familiarize yourself with the various winners and provide the necessary information to determine which books would be a good fit for your family!
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REVIEW TEAM FAVORITE
The Wheel on the School
By: Meindert DeJong
Illustrated by: Maurice Sendak
Medal Winner
Reviewed by: Deanna Knoll
Recommended age: Age 6+
Also read and recommended by: Sandy Hall, Sarah Kim, Sherry Early
When a group of resolute children decide to do something to bring the storks back to their village rooftops, a fun, fast-moving tale unfolds with an unexpected ending. A great read-aloud for our family, we thoroughly enjoyed learning more about children from another culture who have the determination to do something beyond the expectations of the adults in their lives.
★
REVIEW TEAM FAVORITE
Banner in the Sky
By: James Ramsey Ullman
Honor
Reviewed by: Deanna Knoll
Recommended age: Ages 8+
Also read and recommended by: Sandy Hall, Sherry Early
From a mountain climber himself, comes the story of the first ascent of the Matterhorn. While many aspects of the story are true, a few of the characters are fictional and bring the drama to this well written story. On the suggestion of a bookloving friend, I first read this book to our family as we were driving through the mountains of Switzerland, which truly made the book come alive. The adventure combined with moral dilemmas makes this book one of the top read aloud favorites in our home.
★
REVIEW TEAM FAVORITE
The Courage of Sarah Noble
By: Alice Dalgliesh
Illustrated by: Leonard Weisgard
Honor
Reviewed by: Deanna Knoll
Recommended age: Age 6+
Also read and recommended by: Lara Lleverino, Sandy Hall, Sara Masarik, Sherry Early, Tanya Arnold
Yet another favorite read aloud book in our home, this is a story that models courage in the best sort of way, not hitting one over the head with a morality story. Telling a true account of a little girl who traveled with her father to build a cabin in the wilds of Connecticut during the Colonial period, I marveled at the fortitude such a young girl could possess in the face of real danger. Her relationship with Native Americans is lovely, too, providing a picture of how children can cross racial barriers without the baggage adults often bring to relationships. I appreciate being able to share stories like this with my children—tales from our past that can help us navigate our current lives.
