< 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!
★
REVIEW TEAM FAVORITE
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
By: E. L. Konigsburg
Illustrated by: E. L. Konigsburg
Medal Winner
Reviewed by: Terri Shown
Also read and recommended by: Sandy Hall, Sherry Early, Terri Shown
E.L. Konigsburg's "From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" is a captivating children's novel that seamlessly blends adventure, humor, and intellect. The story follows siblings Claudia and Jamie as they run away to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, uncovering mysteries about an angel statue attributed to Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. This heartwarming tale not only entertains but also introduces young readers to art, history, and the joy of curiosity.
Konigsburg's witty writing and well-developed characters make the book accessible for a wide age range, making it an ideal choice for family reading. The story's timeless appeal encourages discussions about family, responsibility, and the pursuit of knowledge, while also providing an opportunity for parents and children to explore and appreciate art together.. This perfect blend of entertainment and educational value ensures that this heartwarming tale will leave a lasting impression on readers of all ages.
The Black Pearl
By: Scott O'Dell
Illustrated by: Milton Johnson
Honor
Reviewed by: Sherry Early
Recommended age: 15+
The Black Pearl takes place in Mexico, Baja California, and it’s very Catholic as would be appropriate for the setting. In the story, which is something of a fairy tale about a boy and the Monster Manta Diablo, the Madonna of the Sea is a direct representative of or substitute for God Himself, which bothers my Protestant brain. But it’s a good and well written fairy tale or folk tale about the dangers of pride and hubris and the mystery of God’s (or the Madonna’s?) will and working in the world. It’s about how the intent of the gift matters. A sacrifice or offering given out of spite and and in an attempt to buy God’s favor is wrong. But a gift given in adoration and gratitude is accepted. That part rings true. I wouldn’t suggest it for middle grade children, but older teens might enjoy puzzling out the meaning of this tale and engaging in the adventure.
Read full review
The Egypt Game
By: Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Illustrated by: Alton Raible
Honor
NOT REVIEWED
Even to Melanie, who knew that you could never predict what a new kid would be like, April Hall was something of a surprise. One look at her stringy upswept hair, false eyelashes, and ragged fox fur collar, convinced Melanie that April was not going to be easy to integrate into the sixth grade at Jackson School.
But April had other surprises to offer, like the fact that she enjoyed reading and loved playing imagination games just as much as Melanie.
Within a month April and Melanie had developed a common interest in ancient Egypt and had begun to develop a land of Egypt in an abandoned storage yard. Complications arose when other people joined the original Egyptians, when a murderer ranged the neighborhood, and when an oracle predicted strange things. But it was all in the game, which gave even April a fall and winter to remember.
From the dust jacket
The Fearsome Inn
By: Isaac Bashevis Singer
Illustrated by: Nonny Hogrogian
Honor
NOT REVIEWED
On a hill overgrown with thistles, by a windmill with a broken wing, and a smithy whose forge had long been cold stood the inn that belonged to Doboshova, the witch.
It was in winter, when it stormed and snowed, that travelers stumbled on the inn where Doboshova and her half-devil husband, Lapitut, plied their witchcraft on just such luckless wayfarers.
Steeped in legend and folklore, peopled with devils, witches, three pretty girls and an equal number of handsome young men, THE FEARSOME INN is a fresh and wonderful tale of enchantment.
How Leibel, the cabala student, with the aid of a piece of magic chalk, manages to outwit the evil innkeepers, rescue his fellow victims, and break the spell cast over the inn, will entrance young readers for a long time to come.
Nonny Hogrogian’s rich, full-color illustrations add their own witchery to another modern classic for children by a master storyteller.
From the dust jacket
Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth
By: E. L. Konigsburg
Honor
NOT REVIEWED
Elizabeth is the loneliest only child in the whole U. S. of A. until she discovers Jennifer. Of course, Jennifer isn't a friend, really. Witches don't make friends, and Jennifer is a witch. Elizabeth becomes her apprentice, however, and in the process of learning how to become a witch herself, she also learns how to eat raw eggs, how to cast short spells, and how to get along with Jennifer, among other things.
The relationship lasts from fall into spring. The girls meet each Saturday at the library and go from there to the park where they hold special ceremonies and read books on witchcraft. The climax of their join effort is to be a flying ointment, but it is here that trouble crops up.
Though this story is set in suburban New York City, it could happen anywhere, for Elizabeth's problem, and Jennifer's problem, the need for a friend, can happen to anyone.
From the dust jacket
