< 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!
When You Reach Me
By: Rebecca Stead
Medal Winner
Reviewed by: Sherry Early
Recommended age: Age 11 and up
It's 1978, New York City, and sixth-grader Miranda is receiving mysterious secret notes from someone who claims to know the future--or maybe someone in the future? It's a great mystery, and perhaps Miranda's life is at stake. Can Miranda solve this very confusing mystery and save herself from a predicted demise?
When I read When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. I was already pre-disposed to like Ms. Stead’s novel because Madeleine L’Engle is one of my very favorite authors. And I had already read a lot buzz about When You Reach Me, and one of things I’d read was that the girl protagonist in the book is a great fan of A Wrinkle in Time. Any friend of Madeleine L’Engle is a friend of mine.
However, as I began reading the book, I began to think that maybe my expectations were too high. I stayed confused about three-fourths of the way through the book, but I was willing to hang on because of Madeleine and and because it looked as if there might be some light at the end of the tunnel. I could sort of, kind of, see where the book was going, but on the other hand, it was really confusing. Of course, as you might have guessed, there’s time travel involved. And where there is time travel there is bound to be mind-bending confusion. What you need to know going into When You Reach Me is that:
a) it’s not as good as A Wrinkle in Time, but it’s pretty good. Definitely worth your time.
b) you need to keep reading even if you don’t understand what’s going or exactly when you are. All will become (mostly) clear.
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
By: Phillip Hoose
Honor
Reviewed by: Deanna Knoll
This is a powerful book that I couldn't put down. Her story of courage in the face of real danger is inspiring. I also appreciate understanding the back story to the Montgomery Bus Boycott from a different perspective than Rosa Parks.
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
By: Jacqueline Kelly
Honor
Reviewed by: Sherry Early
Many reviews of this book are quite positive. The book felt preachy to me and sort of generationally snobbish. We are soooooo enlightened nowadays, whereas back in 1899 girls could only become housewives and no one believed in Darwinian evolution. I know there was a time, not so long ago, when well-bred young ladies didn't study science, at least not in depth, and when nobody who wasn't heathen read Darwin. But in this novel, I felt as if the messages that 'girls can become anything they want" and that "science is vitally important" got in the way of the story. I wanted to better understand Grandfather, Calpurnia's mentor in scientific studies, and see what motivated him. I wanted a little more humor in the story. I don't know what I wanted, exactly, but I do think mostly I just expected too much. And dare I use the B-word? Some parts of the book just dragged with very little action and a whole lot of exposition.
The setting itself was just right, though. Ms. Kelly begins the novel by describing the Texas heat, and she even gives a few methods for beating the heat back in 1899. My father-in-law, who was a boy back in the early 1900's in West Texas, said that they used to haul their bedding outside and sleep out under the shade trees. Of course, if a rain storm came up, everyone had to high-tail it back inside. Calpurnia's observations as an amateur naturalist are sprinkled throughout the book, and these passages are some of the most fascinating reading in the book.
Read full review
The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg
By: Rodman Philbrick
Honor
NOT REVIEWED
A dramatic, witty Civil War tale from bestselling author Rodman Philbrick. With the lighthearted voice yet serious content of Mark Twain's best fiction, master storyteller Rodman Philbrick takes readers on a colorful journey as young Homer P. Figg, an orphan, sets off to follow his only brother into the thick of the Civil War. Through a series of fascinating events, Homer's older brother has been illegally sold to the Union army. It is up to Homer to find him and save him. Along the way, he encounters many strange but real people of that era who will engage and educate young readers about our nation's past in one of the most decisive moments of American history. In Homer's inspiring fight to track down his brother, Philbrick brings us another groundbreaking novel that is both entertaining and profound.
From the publisher
★
REVIEW TEAM FAVORITE
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
By: Grace Lin
Illustrated by: Grace Lin
Honor
Reviewed by: Terri Shown
Also read and recommended by: Deanna Knoll, Liv Conroy, Sandy Hall, Sherry Early
This book has soared to my top 10 books for read alouds. Grace Lin enchants us on a hero's journey through an enchanted Chinese flavored fairytale. The experience is enhanced with detailed and colorful illustrations done by the author. It provided all the feels, excitement and drama one would hope to find in a fairy tale book and uses descriptive language that captures the imagination of modern day children.
