< 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!
Island of the Blue Dolphins
By: Scott O'Dell
Medal Winner
NOT REVIEWED
Far off the coast of California looms a harsh rock known as the island of San Nicholas. Dolphin flash in the blue waters around it, sea otter play in the vast kelp beds, cormorants loll on the stony beaches.
Here, in the early 1800's, according to history, an Indian girl spent eighteen years alone, and this beautifully written novel is her story. It is a romantic adventure, filled with drama and heartache, for not only was mere subsistence on so desolate a spot a near miracle, but Karana had to contend with the ferocious pack of wild dogs that had killed her younger brother, constantly guard against the Aleutian sea-otter hunters, and maintain a precarious food supply, even when it meant battling an octopus.
More than this, it is an adventure of the spirit that will haunt the reader long after the book has been put down. Karana's quiet courage, her Indian self-reliance and acceptance of fate transform what to many would have been an ordeal into an uplifting experience. From loneliness and terror comes the strength and serenity that is modern man's goal and that is symbolized by the island itself, rising alone and majestic from the wide waters of the Pacific.
From the dust jacket
America Moves Forward
By: Gerald W. Johnson
Illustrated by: Leonard Everett Fisher
Honor
NOT REVIEWED
AMERICA IS BORN and AMERICA GROWS UP told the story of our country from its early beginnings to World War I. This final volume, which deals with the crucial period from 1917 to the present, brilliantly concludes Mr. Johnson's distinguished history of America.
The fierce controversies of those years have not yet been resolved. Did Wilson's anguished, uncompromising battle for the League of Nations defeat its own purpose? Did Roosevelt's society-shaking New Deal weaken or strengthen the structure of American democracy? Did Truman's decision to drop the atom bomb shadow the earth with a mushroom cloud from which it will never emerge? Only a man of Mr. Johnson's intelligence and integrity could examine these overwhelming questions and evaluate them with justice.
This book illuminates the underlying causes of events, the reasons why men acted as they did, the circumstances which brought America the power to wreck the world or save it. It will give young Americans a rich understanding of their country and a glimpse of the wisdom and courage the future demands.
Many dramatic black-and-white illustrations by Leonard Everett Fisher.
From the dust jacket
The Cricket in Times Square
By: George Selden
Illustrated by: Garth Williams
Honor
Reviewed by: Terri Shown
Also read and recommended by: Sandy Hall
"The Cricket in Times Square" by George Selden is a delightful children's book that captivates readers with its endearing characters and charming adventures. Set against the unique backdrop of Times Square, Selden's vivid descriptions skillfully bring the bustling city to life. The book's cultural references and details about city life provide readers with a glimpse into a different time and place, enriching the overall reading experience. With its heartwarming themes of friendship and discovery, this book is an excellent choice for family read-aloud sessions, offering both entertainment and a cultural journey for young readers. The audiobook is very well done and further enhances the storytelling experience, making it suitable for both independent reading and shared family enjoyment.
Old Ramon
By: Jack Schaefer
Illustrated by: Harold West
Honor
NOT REVIEWED
Jack Schaefer has been called "the most convincing tale-teller now writing fiction about the period of Western expansion," and in Old Ramon he has created one of his most magnificent characters. Beautifully written and filled with wisdom as well as adventure, this story of an old shepherd, a small boy and two brave dogs, has a trueness and depth that make it timeless and ageless in its appeal.
Ramon has been put in charge of his patron's boy for a season with the sheep. As his father and grandfather had before him, the boy watches and learns from Old Ramon: about sheep, rattlesnakes, sandstorms, coyotes, and wolves; how to overcome fear, ease tension, face death and responsibility; the difference between being alone and being lonely — all valuable things that can be learned not from books but only from such a man — a man with "the feel of the flock born in him."
For Old Ramon is as much a part of the plains as a gnarled juniper, a man who is wise in the ways of sheep, and the ways of men and of boys who are becoming men. He will make a lasting impression on readers of this book.
From the dust jacket
