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NLS Home > Bibliographies > Minibibliographies > Newbery
Award and Honor Books
NLS: That All May Read
Newbery Award and Honor
Books in the NLS Collection
The John Newbery Medal, awarded annually for the most distinguished contribution
to juvenile literature, takes its name from the eighteenth-century British
bookseller who first conceived of publishing books for children. First presented
in 1922 to Hendrick Willem Van Loon for The Story of Mankind, the
medal is awarded each year to an author whose work was published during the
preceding year and who is a United States citizen. Authors of other countries
are eligible only if their books are first published in the U.S. A bronze
medal bearing the inscription "For the most distinguished contribution
to American literature for children" is presented at the annual conference
of the American Library Association. A committee of school and children's librarians
selects the winner. Following is a list of the Newbery Medal winners in the
NLS collections. The list is in chronological order by year; the winning title
is followed by honor titles .
Information about this list
2008 Honor Book
- Feathers
- by Jacqueline Woodson
- Winter 1971. Puzzling over a poem that says "Hope is the thing with feathers," sixth-grader
Frannie sees certain dilemmas in a new light: her classmate nicknamed Jesus Boy who claims
he's not white, her pregnant mother's fears, a bully's anger, and her brother Sean's deafness. For
grades 4-7. 2007.
- RC 65138
2007 winner
- The Higher Power of Lucky
- by Susan Patron
- Hard Pan, California: population forty-three. Convinced that her guardian, Brigitte, wants to
return to France, ten-year-old Lucky Trimble runs away during a sandstorm with her dog, HMS
Beagle. Lucky encounters her five-year-old neighbor Miles, and the three of them have an
adventure. For grades 4-7. 2006.
- RC 63864
- BR 16881, volume 1
2007 Honor Books
- Penny from Heaven
- by Jennifer L. Holm
- New Jersey, 1953. During the summer, eleven-year-old Penny carries her uncle Dominic's lucky
bean, almost loses her arm, reconciles with her mother's beau, and discovers the cause of her
father's death. Best of all, she reunites her feuding family. For grades 5-8. 2006.
- RC 64582
- BR 17369, volume 1
- BR 17369, volume 2
- Hattie Big Sky
- by Kirby Larson
- Montana, 1918. Sixteen-year-old orphan Hattie Inez Brooks arrives at the remote homestead
claim she inherited from an unknown uncle. She expects hard work but does not anticipate the
strong local anti-German prejudice directed at her good neighbors, the Muellers. For grades 6-9
and older readers. 2006.
- RC 64099
- BR 16934, volume 1
- BR 16934, volume 2
- Rules
- by Cynthia Lord
- Sometimes twelve-year-old Catherine resents her autistic brother, David, who breaks rules and
gets all her parents' attention. She meets Jason, a teenage nonverbal paraplegic, at David's
therapy center. As the two become friends, Catherine realizes that accepting differences matters
more than any rules. For grades 5-8. Schneider Family Book Award. 2006.
- RC 62696
- BR 17108, volume 1
2006 winner
- Criss Cross
- by Lynne Rae Perkins
- Debbie—first met in All Alone in the Universe (RC 49604)—wishes something good would
happen to her. She and other young teens in her hometown experience new thoughts and feelings,
question their identities, and connect and disconnect as they search for meaning in life and love.
For grades 6-9.
- RC 61389
- BR 17209, volume 1
- BR 17209, volume 2
2006 Honor books
- Whittington
- by Alan W. Armstrong
- In this tale of talking barnyard animals, a feline descendent of Dick Whittington's cat relates his
ancestor's legend. He further endears himself to the group by ridding the barn of rats. Meanwhile
the animals encourage Abby to teach her dyslexic brother, Ben, to read. For grades 4-7. 2005.
- RC 61516
- BR 17290, volume 1
- BR 17290, volume 2
- Hitler Youth
- by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
- Traces the Hitler Youth movement's development during the period 1926 to 1945, when it
indoctrinated German children and teens in Nazi ideology and loyalty to Hitler. Features personal
accounts of members such as Elisabeth Vetter, who betrayed her own parents for objecting to
Hitler. Violence. For grades 6-9. 2005.
- RC 60814
- BR 17284, volume 1
- Princess Academy
- by Shannon Hale
- When it is decreed that Prince Steffan of Danland will choose a bride from remote Mount Eskel,
Miri and all the village girls—including newly arrived Britta—attend a princess academy to
prepare them for the potential honor. For grades 5-8. 2005.
- RC 63020
- BR 16781, volume 1
- Show Way
- by Jacqueline Woodson
- Sewing has helped the author's family find the road to freedom. This tradition began with
mothers and daughters who made "show ways," patchwork quilts designed to reveal escape
routes from slavery. For grades 2-4 and older readers. 2005.
- BR 16358 (PRINT/BRAILLE)
2005 winner
- Kira-Kira
- by Cynthia Kadohata
- Georgia, 1950s. Katie's close-knit Japanese
American family puts up a brave front when Katie's older
sister Lynn is diagnosed with a terminal illness. The family
even goes into debt to buy a house, hoping Lynn's health will
improve there. For grades 6-9.
- RC 59896
- BR 15996, volume 1
2005 Honor Books
- Al Capone Does My Shirts
- by Gennifer Choldenko
- 1935. Twelve-year-old Moose Flanagan moves to
Alcatraz Island when his father takes a job at the
maximum-security prison there. Moose struggles to make
friends and cares for his older autistic sister while their
mother applies for the girl's acceptance to a special school.
For grades 6-9.
- RC 58456
- BR 15986, volume 1
- BR 15986, volume 2
- The Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for
Equal Rights
- by Russell Freedman
- Recounts the life of African American singer
Marian Anderson and her "once-in-a-hundred-years" voice.
Describes her Philadelphia childhood, intense training,
successful career in Europe, triumphant return to America,
and setbacks caused by racial discrimination. Highlights
Anderson's successful 1939 Lincoln Memorial performance for
75,000 fans. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
- RC 58728
- Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy
- by Gary D. Schmidt
- Set in Maine in 1912 and propelled by a tragic historical event,
Schmidt's powerfully haunting novel probes a forbidden friendship between a
preacher's son and a dark-skinned girl from a nearby island. Steeped in imagery
and laced with surprising humor, Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy explores
powerlessness, possibility and the profound impact individuals can make.
- RC 60079
- BR 17293, volume 1
- BR 17293, volume 2
2004 Winner
- The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess,
Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread
- by Kate DiCamillo
- Despereaux, a small mouse, is condemned to the
dungeon for falling in love with human Princess Pea.
Despereaux meets the rat, Roscuro, while Mig, an upstairs
serving girl, wishes to be a princess, too. All four meet
with near disastrous results. For grades 3-6.
- RC 57805
- BR 15300, volume 1
2004 Honor Books
- Olive's Ocean
- by Kevin Henkes
- After Olive's death, twelve-year-old Martha reads
an excerpt from Olive's journal and mourns her barely known
classmate. Later, at her grandmother's beach house, Martha
experiences loss, love, betrayal, and a renewed connection
to her family. For grades 5-8.
- BR 15265, volume 1
- An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow
Fever Epidemic of 1793
- by Jim Murphy
- Describes the horrific events in Philadelphia in
1793 when citywide illness prevented Congress from convening.
Thousands of people were dying, many unattended, and
physicians of the time were unsure of the cause or treatment
of the yellow-fever outbreak. For grades 6-9.
- RC 57418
2003 Winner
- Crispin: The Cross of Lead
- by Avi
- In 1377 England, the manor steward falsely
accuses a thirteen-year-old orphan of murder. Before he runs
away, the boy learns his name from the village priest. On the
road with Bear, a juggler, Crispin learns who his father
is--and the reason the steward wants him dead. For grades
6-9.
- RC 55295
- BR 14606, volume 1
- BR 14606, volume 2
2003 Honor Books
- The House of the Scorpion
- by Nancy Farmer
- In a future where humans despise clones, Matt has
special privileges as the young clone of El Patrón--the
140-year-old leader of a corrupt drug empire. When Matt gets
a glimpse of his fate, he rebels. Some violence and some
strong language. For junior and senior high readers. National
Book Award.
- RC 55927
- Pictures of Hollis Woods
- by Patricia Reilly Giff
- A troublesome foster child, Hollis loves to draw
pictures on paper and in her mind. Her favorite is one in
which she fits in--with a father, mother, brother, and
herself. Now Hollis lives with an artist, but still longs for
the summer family that wanted to keep her. For grades 5-8.
- RC 56220
- Hoot
- by Carl Hiaasen
- Middle school student Roy has just moved from
Montana to south Florida. He befriends a boy named Mullet
Fingers and his stepsister, who are trying to prevent a
pancake-house chain from building a restaurant over a colony
of burrowing owls. For grades 6-9.
- RC 55550
- A Corner of The Universe
- by Ann M. Martin
- Twelve-year-old Hattie experiences a tragic
summer in 1960 when her young, mentally ill uncle Adam comes
to stay with her grandparents. Hattie befriends him, but no
one knows how to handle his moods, least of all Adam himself.
For grades 6-9.
- RC 55807
- Surviving the Applewhites
- by Stephanie S. Tolan
- Kicked out of several public schools, Jake winds
up being home schooled with an eccentric family of artists
at the Applewhite's Creative Academy. When the whole clan
becomes involved in producing The Sound of Music, Jake
discovers a few positive traits and talents of his own. For
grades 5-8.
- RC 55806
2002 Medal Winner
- A Single Shard
- by Linda Sue Park
- Tree-ear, an orphan in twelfth-century Korea,
spends most of his time foraging for food for himself and
Crane-man, an older companion. Tree-ear takes advantage of
a mishap in master potter Min's yard to become his apprentice,
learning a craft and gaining unforeseen rewards. For grades
5-8.
- BR 14214, volume 1
- RC 53670
2002 Honor Books
- Everything on a Waffle
- by Polly Horvath
- When Primrose's parents are lost at sea off Coal
Harbour in Canada, she is cared for by a series of neighbors
and relatives, including Miss Bowzer, who owns a restaurant
where everything is served on a waffle. For grades 4-7.
- RC 53669
- BRA 19143
- Carver: A Life In Poems
- by Marilyn Nelson
- Award-winning poet's series of poems portraying
incidents in the life of multitalented George Washington
Carver (1864?-1943), the botanist and inventor. Covers his
start as an orphaned slave eager for education, his
friendship with Booker T. Washington, and his career as a
researcher at Tuskegee Institute. For grades 6-9.
- RC 53915
2001 Medal Winner
- A Year Down Yonder
- by Richard Peck
- During the 1937 recession fifteen-year-old Mary
Alice from Chicago is sent to live with feisty Grandma Dowdel
in rural Illinois. There she learns about small-town ways and
grows to love her grandmother. Sequel to A Long Way from
Chicago (RC 50305, BR 12129). For grades 6-9.
- BR 12930, volume 1
- RC 51259
2001 Honor Books
- Hope Was Here
- by Joan Bauer
- Sixteen-year-old Hope and her aunt Addie, a
professional waitress/cook team, move to Wisconsin to help
G.T. Stoop run his restaurant. Soon they become involved in
removing the corrupt mayor from office, and Hope finds the
father she needs. For junior and senior high readers.
- BR 12927, volume 1
- BR 12927, volume 2
- RC 54218
- Because of Winn-Dixie
- Kate DiCamillo
- Ten-year-old India Opal and her preacher dad move
to a new town in Florida during the summer. Opal is lonely
until she adopts a big stray dog she names Winn-Dixie. The
two soon make friends with the local librarian, the pet store
manager, and a nearly-blind elderly neighbor. For grades 3-6.
- BR 12917, volume 1
- RC 50679
- Joey Pigza Loses Control
- by Jack Gantos
- In this sequel to Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key (RC 48254)
Joey is spending the summer with his long-absent alcoholic dad,
who convinces Joey to stop wearing his medication patches. Soon wired
again, Joey clashes with his dad's own out-of-control personality. For
grades 5-8.
- RC 51237
- The Wanderer
- by Sharon Creech
- Thirteen-year-old Sophie and her cousin Cody record their
transatlantic voyage by sailboat to visit Bompie, their grandfather in
England. Also on board are three uncles and another cousin. The journey
of discovery for all five becomes especially important for Sophie, who was
adopted into the family only three years ago. For grades 5-8.
- RC 50785
2000 Medal Winner
- Bud, Not Buddy
- by Christopher Paul Curtis
- During the Great Depression, ten-year-old Bud, a motherless
boy, runs away from his latest (bad) foster home in Flint, Michigan.
He sets out for Grand Rapids in search of the man he believes to be his
father--renowned bandleader Herman E. Calloway. For grades 4-7.
- RC 49311
2000 Honor Books
- Getting Near to Baby
- by Audrey Couloumbis
- Still reeling from the sudden death of their baby sister,
Willa Jo and JoAnn (called "Little Sister") are whisked away to an
aunt's house while their mother, Noreen, recovers from depression.
Unhappy with Aunt Patty's bossy ways, Willa Jo and the now mute Little
Sister retreat to the roof. For grades 5-8.
- RC 50374
- Our Only May Amelia
- Jennifer L. Holm
- In 1899, twelve-year-old May Amelia lives with her Finnish
American family in the small Washington community of Nasel. A tomboy with
seven brothers, May becomes anxious about her family's bad luck. Some strong
language. For grades 4-7.
- RC 50217
- 26 Fairmount Avenue
- by Tomie dePaola
- The children's author tells some events from his childhood:
experiencing a hurricane when he was four and seeing Walt Disney's movie
about Snow White. He describes friends and relatives and the building of
his new family home when he was five. A chapter book. For grades 2-4.
- RC 49410
1999 Medal Winner
- Holes
- by Louis Sachar
- Stanley Yelnats IV finds himself in a detention center for possessing
stolen property that he didn't take. While digging holes under the summer
Texas sun, he sees a fellow inmate running away--and follows him. Legends,
loyalty, and buried treasure are revealed as Stanley learns to survive.
For grades 5-8.
- BR 12174, volume 1
- BR 12174, volume 2
- RC 47444
1999 Honor Book
- A Long Way from Chicago
- by Richard Peck
- In eight short stories an old man reminisces about the week each
summer he and his little sister spent with his grandmother. Joey likes
the train ride and his feisty, independent grandmother, who tells
"whoppers," fishes, and shoots a shotgun. For grades 6-9.
- BR 12129, volume 1
- RC 50305
1998 Medal Winner
- Out of the Dust
- by Karen Hesse
- Told in free verse, an account of two years in the life of
Billie Jo Kelby, who at thirteen loses her mother and new baby brother in a
terrible accident for which she is partly to blame. Life in Oklahoma in
the mid-1930s is difficult, and Billie Jo can no longer play the
piano--her one solace in the past. She seeks a way to heal her father
and herself. For grades 6-9.
- BR 11956, volume 1
- RC 46712
1998 Honor Books
- Ella Enchanted
- by Gail Carson Levine
- Ella was cursed at birth by a fairy--who thought she was
bestowing a gift--to always be obedient. After her mother dies,
Ella is at the mercy of two bossy girls and their mother. The
enchantment even puts her love for Prince Charmont at risk, and
Ella is determined to get rid of it. For grades 3-6.
- RC 46186
- Lily's Crossing
- by Patricia Reilly Giff
- In the summer of 1944, Lily goes to Rockaway Beach, New York,
with her grandmother. There Lily meets Albert, a young Hungarian
refugee orphan who fled from the Nazis. When Lily tells lies to
impress Albert, there are unexpected consequences. For grades 5-8.
- RC 45659
- Wringer
- by Jerry Spinelli
- Palmer LaRue dreads turning ten, the age at which
boys become wringers--those who break the necks of wounded
birds at the town's annual pigeon shoot. A pigeon appears at
Palmer's window and becomes his pet, a fact that the boy
conceals until the day of the shoot, when he faces a tough
moral decision. For grades 4-7.
- RC 45801
1997 Medal Winner
- The View from Saturday
- by E.L. Konigsburg
- Mrs. Olinski is hard-pressed to explain how she
selected the four students who will represent the sixth grade
in the Academic Bowl. But her choice of the four calling
themselves "The Souls" was excellent. As the students prepare
and compete, each reveals a reason for being part of the
team. For grades 4-7.
- BR 15490, volume 1
- RC 43549
1997 Honor Books
- A Girl Named Disaster
- by Nancy Farmer
- Eleven-year-old Nhamo flees from her village in
Mozambique to avoid an arranged marriage. Traveling by canoe
to her father's family home in Zimbabwe, Nhamo endures
incredible hardships but has her mother's spirit to guide
her. For grades 6-9.
- RC 45799
- Moorchild
- by Eloise McGraw
- Her father was human and her mother was Folk (a
kingdom of small people who live under the moor), and that
makes Moql an outcast in both groups. The Folk raise Moql
until they realize she is part human. Then they exchange Moql
for a human child in the village. As Moql becomes aware of
her true identity, she wonders how to right the wrong of
being a changeling. For grades 4-7.
- RC 45148
- The Thief
- by Megan Whalen Turner
- Gen, who boasts he can steal anything, is in the
king's prison. He is offered a chance of freedom by joining
the king's scholar in trying to recover the legendary
Hamiathes's Gift Stone. Gen accepts the offer but endures
many psychological and physical dangers. Some strong
language. For junior and senior high readers.
- BR 11285, volume 1
- BR 11285, volume 2
- RC 47183
- Belle Prater's Boy
- by Ruth White
- When twelve-year-old Woodrow Prater's mother,
Belle, mysteriously vanishes from the family's Appalachian
shack, Woodrow moves into town to live with his grandparents.
Beautiful next-door cousin Gypsy first seeks to discover
cross-eyed Woodrow's secret and then comes to respect him for
who he is. For grades 5-8.
- BR 11318, volume 1
- RC 45802
1996 Medal Winner
- The Midwife's Apprentice
- by Karen Cushman
- he only name she has ever known is Brat. She
does not know how old she is--probably twelve or thirteen;
she has no family or home; and she is unwashed, hungry, and
unloved. Brat is discovered sleeping in a dung heap by the
town's midwife, who reluctantly gives her many jobs to do in
return for a piece of dry bread and stale cheese. But Brat
soon determines to become a midwife herself. For grades 6-9.
- BR 15443, volume 1
- RC 40833
1996 Honor Books
- What Jamie Saw
- by Carolyn Coman
- Jamie wasn't sure what woke him up, but the first
thing he saw was his baby sister, Nin, being thrown across
the room by Van. The next thing he saw was his mother, Patty,
catching Nin. Right then, Jamie and his mother and sister
left the house and went to see her long-time friend Earl.
Earl lets them live in his old trailer, and everything seems
fine until Van shows up. Some strong language. For grades
3-6.
- RC 41688
- The Watsons Go to Birmingham: 1963
- by Christopher Paul Curtis
- The whole "Weird Watson" family drives from
Michigan to visit Grandma Sands in Alabama. She is the only
one who can put some sense into the head of Kenny's older
brother, Byron, who acts up just too many times. The kids
have never been to the South, where they experience
segregation and racism. The family's sense of humor helps,
but life there holds serious problems. Some strong language.
For grades 5-8.
- RC 41921
- Yolonda's Genius
- by Carol Fenner
- Big and black and a good student, fifth-grader
Yolanda is often the target of jokes but always has a snappy
answer. When a new friend admiringly calls her a genius, it
dawns on Yolanda who the real genius is. Her little brother,
Andrew, is having trouble learning to read, but he can play
amazing sounds on his harmonica. To lift Andrew's spirits,
Yolanda devises a way to introduce him to Chicago's music
world. For grades 4-7.
- RC 41794
- The Great Fire
- by Jim Murphy
- An account of the conflagration that leveled much
of Chicago in 1871. Chronicles events from the fire's
outbreak and rapid spread to its extinguishment by rain, as
reported by survivors and in documents of the period.
Examines the origins, circumstances, and official failures
that contributed to the disaster. For grades 5-8.
- RC 44868
1995 Medal Winner
- Walk Two Moons
- by Sharon Creech
- A year ago, Sal's grieving mother left Sal and
her father to visit Idaho and never returned. Sal's father
has accepted that his wife is not coming back, but Sal has
not. As she and her grandparents travel to Idaho to find her
mother, Sal tells them "an extensively strange story" about
her new friend Phoebe, whose mother also disappeared. And Sal
gets to walk two moons in her mother's moccasins. For grades
3-6 and older readers.
- BR 10280, volume 1
- BR 10280, volume 2
- RC 39621
1995 Honor Books
- Catherine, Called Birdy
- by Karen Cushman
- Life in the last decade of the thirteenth century
as seen through the eyes of a teenage girl. Birdy, the
daughter of a minor lord and lady in Lincolnshire, has been
ordered by her older brother, a monk, to keep a journal for
one year. She reluctantly agrees. In it Birdy portrays the
tedium of life in the Middle Ages, the unending chores, the
lowly role of women, and the selling of a girl in marriage to
the highest bidder. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
- RC 39832
- The Ear, the Eye and the Arm
- by Nancy Farmer
- Zimbabwe, 2194. Tendai, Rita, and Kuda, the three
children of the general, are kidnapped by the She Elephant's
minions when they venture one day into the dangerous streets
of Harare. The children's worried parents consult a bumbling,
unorthodox, mutated detective trio--the Ear, Eye, and
Arm--and the chase is on, with the detectives always one step
behind the kids, who fall in and out of the She Elephant's
clutches. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
- RC 39386
1994 Medal Winner
- The Giver
- by Lois Lowry
- Jonas lives in a utopia: there is no hunger, no
disease, no fear; the elderly are tenderly cared for, and
every child has attentive parents. The society is uniformly
run. Jonas eagerly awaits the Ceremony of Twelve, when
twelve-year-olds receive assignments for their lifelong
professions. He is selected to be the new Receiver of
Memories. As such he learns of misery and pain, but also of
joy and love. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
- BR 09626, volume 1
- RC 37689
1994 Honor Books
- Crazy Lady
- by Jane Leslie Conly
- Vernon Dibbs, still grieving over the death of his mother and barely
noticed by his overworked father, is about to flunk the seventh grade.
In his poor Baltimore neighborhood, he joins his friends in harassing Maxine,
an alcoholic dubbed the "crazy lady," and her son, who is mentally retarded.
But in exchange for tutoring from a retired teacher, Vernon begins to help
and to grow fond of Maxine and Ronald. For grades 5-8 and older readers.
- RC 37956
- Dragon's Gate
- by Laurence Yep
- China, 1865. Fourteen-year-old Otter eagerly sails to California
to join his father and his legendary uncle, Foxfire, as a laborer on the
transcontinental railroad. Joining outcasts headed by Uncle Foxfire, a
dreamer battling defeat by American racism and the fears of his Chinese
companions, Otter begins a harrowing journey towards self-knowledge.
Companion to Mountain Light (RC 26541), and Serpent's Children (RC 26540).
For grades 6-9 and older readers.
- BR 09550, volume 1
- BR 09550, volume 2
- RC 38610
- Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery
- by Russell Freedman
- A portrait of one of the most influential women of the twentieth
century, told partly through her own words. Eleanor Roosevelt, the
wife of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, overcame both an unhappy childhood
(her parents separated and had died by the time that she was ten) and
a timid nature to become a vigorous, outspoken social activist and the
first first lady with a public life and a career. For grades 5-8 and
older readers.
- RC 38664
1993 Medal Winner
- Missing May
- by Cynthia Rylant
- Orphaned at six and raised by an elderly West
Virginia aunt and uncle with more devotion than money, Summer
is twelve years old when Aunt May dies. While Summer's grief
is profound, Uncle Ob seems absolutely unable to go on living
without his beloved May--that is, until he decides her
presence lingers nearby and that somehow he can contact her.
Disappointed in his efforts, Uncle Ob comes to choose living
over mourning. For grades 5-8.
- BR 9884, volume 1
- RC 36384
1993 Honor Books
- What Hearts
- by Bruce Brooks
- Rushing home to show off his report card on the
last day of first grade, Asa is told of his parents'
impending divorce. Soon thereafter he is introduced to Dave,
his stepfather-to-be. Dave does not like Asa, who is smart
and precocious. His mother becomes increasingly depressed,
and objects only mildly to Dave's negative attitude towards
her son. Slowly, Dave and Asa forge a relationship. For
grades 5-8 and older readers.
- RC 37415
- The Dark-thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural
- by Patricia McKissack
- The author invites readers to gather in the
"dark-thirty"--the eerie half hour just before dark, for ten
tales inspired by African-American folklore and history. In
We Organized a cruel owner is forced by magic to free his
slaves; in Justice a KKK lynching victim returns to haunt;
and in The 11:59 a porter knows when his time is up.
For grades 5-8 and older readers.
- RC 36183
- Somewhere in the Darkness
- by Walter Dean Myers
- "I'm your father," the man tells Jimmy Little in
the dimly lit hall of his New York City tenement. They don't
know each other. Crab, the father, has been in jail for nine
years. Seriously ill, he has escaped from prison in an
attempt to clear his name and win his son's respect. As they
drive to Chicago, then to Crab's hometown in Arkansas, the
police close in, and Jimmy sees the failure of his father's
dreams. For junior and senior high and older readers.
- RC 36958
1992 Medal Winner
- Shiloh
- by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
- Sequel to Shiloh Season (RC44980). When Judd
Travers appears to be mending his mean and angry ways, his
young friend Marty is encouraged, despite rumors of Judd's
involvement in criminal activities. Judd repays Marty's
confidence by rescuing Marty's dog, Shiloh, from drowning.
For grades 4-7.
- BR 12872, volume 1
- RC 46647
1992 Honor Books
- Nothing But The Truth: a Documentary Novel
- by Avi
- Ninth grader Philip Malloy is barred from the
track team because of a poor grade in English. Convinced that
his teacher dislikes him, he concocts a scheme to get
transferred from her homeroom. Instead of standing "at
respectful, silent attention" during the national anthem,
Philip hums. The issue is perceived to be one of patriotism,
and the conflict explodes. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
- BR 9114, volume 1
- BR 9114, volume 2
- RC 35549
- The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane
- by Russell Freedman
- Although four years apart, Wilbur and Orville
Wright were inseparable throughout their lives. From their
bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio, the two set out to prove the
possibility of powered, controlled, human flight. They
succeeded in 1903, and, with dogged determination, were also
successful in promoting their new flying machine and
overcoming the government's lack of interest. For grades 5-8
and older readers.
- RC 34862
1991 Medal Winner
- Maniac Magee
- by Jerry Spinelli
- Part tall tale and part realistic fiction, this
novel weaves together issues of homelessness, racial
prejudice, and illiteracy. Orphaned at three, Jeffrey Magee,
after eight unhappy years with relatives, takes off running
one day. A year later he ends up 200 miles away in Two Mills,
a highly segregated community. Magee, who is white, lives
alternately with blacks and whites, proving the shared
humanity of both. For grades 5-8.
- BR 13320, volume 1
- RC 33527
1991 Honor Book
- The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
- by Avi
- An exciting seafaring adventure, set in 1832.
Charlotte Doyle, thirteen, returning from school in England
to join her family in Rhode Island, is deposited on a seedy
ship with a ruthless, mad captain and a mutinous crew.
Refusing to heed warnings about Captain Jaggery, Charlotte
seeks his guidance and approval only to become his victim, a
pariah to the entire crew, and a convicted murderer. For
grades 5-8.
- BR 13299, volume 1
- BR 13299, volume 2
- RC 33473
1990 Medal Winner
- Number the Stars
- by Lois Lowry
- For ten-year-old Annemarie, life in occupied
Copenhagen in 1943 is not much changed by the war--until the
Nazi persecution of Danish Jews begins. Annemarie's family
helps a Jewish friend by having her pose as Annemarie's dead
sister. When a packet must be taken to the captain of a ship
smuggling Jews to Sweden, Annemarie learns that being brave
means "not thinking-about the dangers. Just thinking about
what you must do." For grades 3-6.
- BR 12658, volume 1
- RC 31580
1990 Honor Books
- Afternoon of the Elves
- by Janet Taylor Lisle
- Nine-year-old Hillary lives in a nice,
comfortable house with her parents. In the shabby house
behind lives tough, independent Sara-Kate. Her father's gone,
her sick mother hides, she dresses like an urchin, and is
despised and teased at school. However, Hillary stumbles on
Sara-Kate's secret; she tends a tiny village in her
weed-filled backyard--a village where she says elves live.
For grades 4-7.
- RC 31277
- Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind
- by Suzanne Fisher Staples
- Eleven-year-old Shabanu, the daughter of a nomad,
lives in the Cholistan Desert of present-day Pakistan. She
helps her father with the camel herd on which the family's
fortunes rest. When Shabanu is pledged in marriage to an
older man whose money will bring prestige to the family, she
must either accept the marriage or risk the consequences of
defying her father's wishes. For junior and senior high
readers.
- BR 8312, volume 1
- BR 8312, volume 2
- RC 32145
- The Winter Room
- by Gary Paulsen
- Young Eldon describes his farm as it passes
through the four seasons, plunging the reader into the
sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures of his rural
experience. Although set in the thirties, this view of life
on a remote northern Minnesota farm bears the flavor of a
much older era because of the folk tales and memories shared
by the elderly men who live and work with Eldon and his
family. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
- BR 8380, volume 1
- RC 31556
1989 Medal Winner
- Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices
- by Paul Fleischman
- A collection of poems describing the activities
and characteristics of grasshoppers, mayflies, cicadas, and
other insects. For grades 3-6 and older readers.
- BR 7812, volume 1
- RC 28922
1989 Honor Books
- In The Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World
- by Virginia Hamilton
- Twenty-five myths from around the globe describe
the creation of the world. Includes First Man, First Woman
from the Bible, Bursting from the Hen's Egg from China, and
An Endless Sea of Mud from Africa. For junior and senior
high readers.
- BR 7829, volume 1
- RC 57850
- Scorpions
- by Walter Dean Myers
- Jamal, twelve, lives in Harlem. His older brother
Randy is in prison for robbery, and the family is obsessed
with finding money for an appeal. Randy wants Jamal to take
his place as gang leader of the Scorpions, but Jamal resists.
Troubles in school, a need for the appeal money, and a
fascination with the gun Randy's friend gives him work
together to influence him. Strong language. For junior and
senior high readers.
- RC 28940
1988 Medal Winner
- Lincoln: A Photobiography
- by Russell Freedman
- A biography of the sixteenth president of the
United States. Beginning life as a poor, backwoods farm boy
in Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois, Lincoln became a
self-educated lawyer and Illinois state representative. He
was elected president in 1860, and led the nation through the
Civil War. He was assassinated in 1865. For grades 4-7 and
older readers.
- BR 07349
- BR 15711 INPROCESS
- RC 27881
- RC 58762 INPROCESS
1988 Honor Books
- After The Rain
- by Norma Fox Mazer
- Fifteen-year-old Rachel is the youngest member of
her family, and half the age of her youngest brother. When
her acerbic grandfather, Izzy, is discovered to have cancer,
she reluctantly decides to spend time with him each day after
school. They grow quite fond of each other and when he is
hospitalized she refuses to leave his side. For junior and
senior high readers.
- RC 28762
- Hatchet
- by Gary Paulsen
- Brian, thirteen and troubled by his parents'
divorce, is flying in a single-engine plane to visit his
father. As Brian is the only passenger, the pilot casually
shows him how to fly the plane. When the pilot has a heart
attack and dies, Brian must take control. After the plane
crashes in the Canadian wilderness, Brian has only the
hatchet attached to his belt to help him survive. For grades
6-9 and older readers.
- BR 11525, volume 1
- BR 08059
- RC 30535
1987 Medal Winner
- The Whipping Boy
- by Sid Fleischman
- The arrogant and spiteful Prince Brat decides to
run away from the castle, and he makes his whipping boy Jemmy
go along. They get into trouble right away, but Jemmy's good
sense manages to save the day. For grades 4-6.
- BR 8237, volume 1
- RC 25778
1987 Honor Books
- A Fine White Dust
- by Cynthia Rylant
- Unlike his parents or Rufus, his "hard-nosed
atheist" best friend, Pete Cassidy has been an ardent
churchgoer for years. When a traveling Preacher Man named
Carson arrives in their small North Carolina town, Pete is
swept up in a tide of devotion and discipleship. For grades
6-9.
- BR 6809
- RC 37796
- On My Honor
- by Marion Dane Bauer
- Joel's best friend Tony goads him into a bike
trek to the bluffs at the state park, and to Joel's dismay
his father consents to the trip. Halfway there, Tony becomes
fascinated by the dangerous Vermillion River, and convinces
Joel to swim despite warnings not to go near the river. The
boys race, and Tony disappears in the water. With the help of
his father, Joel begins to come to grips with his guilt and
sorrow, and to understand the power of choice. For grades
5-8.
- BR 6959
- RC 26123
- Volcano: The Eruption and Healing of Mount St. Helens
- by Patricia Lauber
- The May 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption was one of
the most destructive volcanic activities in U.S. history.
Tremors were felt for hundreds of miles, and mud flows
leveled whole forests, leaving behind a barren land. The
author discusses how and why Mount St. Helens erupted, then
provides an account of the gradual return of plant, insect,
and animal life to the devastated area. For grades 4-7.
- BR 7293
1986 Medal Winner
- Sarah, Plain and Tall
- by Patricia MacLachlan
- Anna and Caleb have lived alone with their father
since their mother died. When Sarah comes to live with them
in response to their father's newspaper advertisement, the
whole family falls in love with her. But they fear that
Sarah's homesickness for the Maine coast will keep her from
staying with them in their prairie home. For grades 3-6.
- BR 9531, volume 1
- RC 23524
1986 Honor Books
- Commodore Perry In the Land of the Shogun
- by Rhoda Blumberg
- A well-researched chronicle of the story of
Commodore Perry's mission in 1853 to open Japan to American
trade and whaling ports. Told with awareness of the cultural
differences between the Japanese and the Americans. For
grades 4-7 and older readers.
- BR 6429
- RC 23821
- Dogsong
- by Gary Paulsen
- The only dogsled left in fourteen-year-old Russel
Susskit's village belongs to Oogruk, an older Eskimo who
keeps it as a remembrance. After listening to stories from
Oogruk about the traditional way of life, Russel takes the
dogsled on a 1400-mile journey across the tundra and
mountains to learn how to survive by the age-old methods. For
junior and senior high readers.
- BR 6535
- RC 24450
1985 Medal Winner
- The Hero and the Crown
- by Robin McKinley
- With the guidance of a wizard and the help of the
blue sword, Aerin fights for the birthrights due her as the
daughter of both a king and a witchwoman of the mysterious,
demon-haunted north. Followed by "The Blue Sword." For grades
6-9 and older readers
- BR 8273
- BR 15580 INPROCESS
- RC 25926
1985 Honor Books
- Like Jake and Me
- by Mavis Jukes
- A funny story about Jake and his new stepfather
who have lots of trouble getting along until a fuzzy spider
brings them together. For grades K-3.
- RC 23104
- The Moves Make the Man
- by Bruce Brooks
- Jerome, the "Jayfox," a brilliant black student
and top-notch basketball player, reaches out to an
emotionally troubled white boy. As Jerome attempts to help
the boy through basketball, a special friendship develops
between the two. Strong language and some scenes of racial
bigotry. For junior and senior high readers.
- RC 23531
- One-Eyed Cat
- by Paula Fox
- Disobeying his father, Ned shoots his new Daisy
rifle only once as he aims at a shadow, and he sighs with
relief when no one punishes him. Soon, though, a wild,
one-eyed cat appears and seems to be searching for someone.
For grades 5-8.
- RC 22756
1984 Medal Winner
- Dear Mr. Henshaw
- by Beverly Cleary
- Leigh, a troubled sixth-grade boy, begins writing
letters to his favorite author, Mr. Henshaw, as part of a
school assignment. Leigh soon discovers he likes writing,
especially when Mr. Henshaw responds. The author's surprising
answers to Leigh's questions change the boy's life forever.
For grades 4-7.
- BR 15447, volume 1
- BR 5629
- RC 21309
1984 Honor Books
- The Sign of the Beaver
- by Elizabeth George Speare
- Left alone for months to guard his family's
wilderness home in eighteenth-century Maine, Matt doubts that
he can survive until a resourceful Indian boy befriends him
and teaches him how to live in the forest. For grades 5-8 and
older readers.
- BR 9513, volume 1
- BR 5697
- RC 21639
- A Solitary Blue
- by Cynthia Voigt
- Jeff Greene was seven when his mother, Melody,
left him and his professor-father for good. Years later
Melody, whom Jeff adores, unwittingly betrays his love for
her. Jeff breaks down completely before reaching out to his
father and to Dicey Tillerman, the girl whose friendship has
become so important to him. Companion book to Dicey's Song
(BR 5473). For high school and adult readers.
- BR 5755
- RC 22123
- The Wish Giver: Three Tales of Coven Tree
- by Bill Brittain
- When a peculiar little man appears at the Coven
Tree Church social, promising to give people exactly what
they ask for, three young believers-in-magic make wishes that
come disastrously true. Sequel to Devil's Donkey (BR 5172).
For grades 4-7.
- BR 9967, volume 1
- RC 21758
1983 Medal Winner
- Dicey's Song
- by Cynthia Voigt
- After their ordeals in Homecoming (BR 13290),
Dicey is looking forward to settling in with her eccentric
grandmother near the Chesapeake Bay and hopes her brothers
and sister will be happy there. But building new ties takes
more time and effort than Dicey anticipated. For grades 5-8.
- BR 13291, volume 1
- BR 13292, volume 2
- BR 5473
- RC 21617
1983 Honor Books
- The Blue Sword
- by Robin McKinley
- Bored with her sheltered life in the remote
colony of Daria, Harry discovers magic in herself when she is
kidnapped by a native king with mysterious powers. Sequel to
The Hero and the Crown. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
- BR 8274
- BR 15581 INPROCESS
- RC 23523
- Doctor De Soto
- by William Steig
- A kind mouse dentist and his shrewd wife outfox a
dangerous patient who wants to try out his new gold teeth on
them. A sly story for grades K-3.
- BR 5462 in print/braille
- Graven Images
- by Paul Fleischman
- Three short stories about people whose lives are
influenced by chiseled figures. The stories are filled with
mystery, comic mishaps, and chilling secrets. For grades 6-9
and older readers.
- RC 22181
- Homesick: My Own Story
- by Jean Fritz
- The author's vivid, fictionalized version of her
childhood in China in the 1920s. Although she loved China,
where her parents worked and she was born, she longed to be
in America with her grandmother, rollerskating and helping
with the chickens on the family farm that she had never seen.
For grades 6-9 and older readers.
- RC 19266
- Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush
- by Virginia Hamilton
- Fourteen-year-old Tree falls in love with a ghost
who she knows will change her life, though she can't dream
how. The handsome ghost draws Tree into a fascinating
exploration of her family, leading her to an understanding of
herself and her mother and of the power of love. A poetic
novel for junior and senior high and adult readers.
- RC 19388
1982 Medal Winner
- A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers
- by Nancy Willard
- A collection of magical poems about life at an
imaginary inn staffed by two dragons, two angels, and a
rabbit who shows to their rooms many curious visitors,
including a man in a marmalade hat and the king of cats. For
grades 2-4 and older readers.
- BR 15718 INPROCESS
- BR 5501
- RC 58664
- RC 19591
1982 Honor Books
- Ramona Quimby, Age 8
- by Beverly Cleary
- As Ramona enters third grade, her father returns
to college to become an art teacher. Having a working mother
and a student father is tough on the family, but the Quimbys
stick together through good times and bad. For grades 3-6.
- BR 11491, volume 1
- BR 9427, volume 1
- BR 5155
- RC 19685
- Upon the Head of the Goat: A Childhood in Hungary 1939-1944
- by Aranka Siegal
- At age nine, during Hitler's rise to power, Piri
is trapped in the Ukraine because of fighting along the
Hungarian border. Upon her return to Hungary, Piri finds that
her family has been placed under restrictions. Eventually,
they are forced to move to an Auschwitz ghetto. Some strong
language. For junior and senior high and adult readers.
- BR 6524
1981 Medal Winner
- Jacob Have I Loved
- by Katherine Paterson
- Louise has always lived in the shadow of her
beautiful twin sister on a tiny Chesapeake Bay Island. Tomboy
Louise grows up hating delicate Caroline, who robs her of her
friends, her hopes for schooling, and even the boy she loves.
For junior and senior high readers.
- BR 15613, volume 1
- BR 15613, volume 2
- BR 6264
- RC 59388 INPROCESS
- RC 17690
1981 Honor Books
- The Fledgling
- by Jane Langton
- The most amazing thing about eight-year-old
Georgie Dorian is that she can fly, first on the back of a
Canadian goose, who came to her window one night, and then
with the goose at her side. But her community is opposed to
Georgie's flying, and they organize a Georgie Protection
Society to keep her from such a crazy thing as flying. For
grades 5-7.
- BR 6681
- RC 53197
- A Ring of Endless Light
- by Madeleine L'Engle
- During her sixteenth summer, Vicky Austin faces
questions about love and the fact of death. The fourth book
about the Austin family. For grades 6-9.
- BR 4975
- RC 18375
1980 Medal Winner
- A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-1832
- by Joan W. Blos
- Thirteen-year-old Catherine Hall, a New Hampshire
farm girl, keeps a journal of everyday events such as
quilting, berrying, and sugaring. She talks of her new
stepmother from faraway Boston and reflects on her own daring
to help a runaway slave. For grades 5-8 and older readers.
- BR 15774 INPROCESS
- BR 4546
- RC 59476 INPROCESS
- RC 16844
1980 Honor Book
- The Road from Home: The Story of an Armenian Girl
- by David Kherdian
- A biography of the author's mother, whose courage
and hope enabled her to survive the holocaust the Turks
inflicted upon the Armenians living in Turkey in 1915.
Uprooted from her close-knit family and community, she
endured incredible suffering until, at the age of sixteen,
she left for America as a mail-order bride. For junior and
senior high and adult readers.
- RC 16607
1979 Medal Winner
- The Westing Game
- by Ellen Raskin
- An unlikely assortment of friends, relatives, and
enemies gathers for the reading of eccentric millionaire
Samuel Westing's will after he's murdered in his mansion.
Before the heirs can claim their inheritance, however, they
must uncover Westing's killer among them. For grades 5-8.
- BR 15600 INPROCESS
- BR 6285
- RC 58350
- RC 12787
1979 Honor Book
- The Great Gilly Hopkins
- by Katherine Paterson
- Gilly Hopkins is nobody's real kid. Because she
keeps hoping to find her real mother, a beautiful woman who
deserted her at birth, Gilly schemes against almost everyone
who tries to love her along the way. For grades 5-8.
- BR 9968, volume 1
- RC 51866
- RC 12172
1978 Medal Winner
- Bridge to Terabithia
- by Katherine Paterson
- Jess finds his biggest rival and best friend in
Leslie, a girl who moves to his rural Virginia community from
the city. Together they create Terabithia, a secret kingdom
in the woods where they reign supreme--until tragedy strikes.
For grades 5-8.
- BR 10864,. volume 1
- BR 8361, volume 1
- RC 48732
- RC 12343
1978 Honor Books
- Ramona and Her Father
- by Beverly Cleary
- When Ramona Quimby's father loses his job, gutsy
Ramona, now a second-grader, takes matters into her own
hands. For grades 3-6.
- BR 3913
- RC 12425
- Anpao: An American Indian Odyssey
- by Jamake Highwater
- Traditional tales from North American Indian
tribes are woven into one story. A boy grows to manhood and
makes a long odyssey through many lands and dangers in his
quest to the sun. For junior and senior high readers.
- RC 12093
1977 Medal Winner
- Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
- by Mildred D. Taylor
- A turbulent year in Mississippi during the Great
Depression--a year of night riders, burnings, and threats.
Cassie Logan, a young black girl, tells the story of her
family's struggle to survive with their dignity and
independence intact. For grades 6-9.
- BR 11509, volume 1
- BR 11509, volume 2
- BR 6283
- BR 11509, volume 1
- RC 50326
- RC 10893
1977 Honor Books
- Abel's Island
- by William Steig
- A Robinson Crusoe-like tale about the adventures
of the gallant mouse, Abelard Hassam di Chirico Flint, who is
swept away from his wife's side in a torrential storm and
marooned on a desert island for a year. For grades 3-5.
- RC 10693
- RCF 4992, Spanish language
- A String in the Harp
- by Nancy Bond
- The spell-binding experiences of an American
family, unwillingly transplanted to Wales for a year, where
one of them finds an ancient harp-tuning key that takes him
back to the sixth century and the great poet Taliesen. For
junior and senior high readers.
- BR 6788
- RC 15269
1976 Medal Winner
- The Grey King
- by Susan Cooper
- Will Stanton, visiting in Wales, is swept into a
desperate quest to find the golden harp and to awaken the
ancient sleepers. The fourth book of the Dark Is Rising
fantasies. Sequel to "Greenwitch". For grades 6-9.
- BR 13423, volume 1
- BR 13423, volume 2
- BR 8334, volume 1
- BR 8334, volume 2
- RC 50442
- RC 9196
1976 Honor Books
- The Hundred Penny Box
- by Sharon Bell Mathis
- Aunt Dew's most prized possession is a big, old
wooden box containing one hundred pennies, one for each year
of her life. Michael loves playing with the pennies and tries
hard to save the old box when his mother decides to replace
it with a new one. For grades 3-6.
- RC 10920
- Dragonwings
- by Laurence Yep
- Moon Shadow sails from China in 1903 to join his
father in San Francisco's Chinatown. The father is obsessed
with the dream of making a flying machine, and he and Moon
Shadow endure poverty and ridicule to make the dream come
true. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
- BR 9550, volume 1
- BR 9550, volume 2
- RC 9784
1975 Medal Winner
- M. C. Higgins, the Great
- by Virginia Hamilton
- Fifteen-year-old African American Mayo Cornelius
Higgins hopes a visiting folklorist will make his mother a
recording star so that he and his family can escape the
menacing relic of a strip mine threatening their Ohio hills
home. For grades 6-9.
- BR 15697 INPROCESS
- BR 2749
- RC 36699
- RD 7696
1975 Honor Books
- Figgs & Phantoms
- by Ellen Raskin
- Preposterous fantasy chronicling the adventures
of the Figg family after they leave show business and settle
in the town of Pineapple. For grades 5-8.
- BRA 13769
- My Brother Sam is Dead
- by James Lincoln Collier
- As the Revolutionary War tragically divides the
Meeker family, Tim finds himself caught between his father's
loyalty to the king and his brother's fierce support of the
rebel cause. For grades 6-9.
- RC 38902
- RD 8094
- The Perilous Gard
- by Elizabeth Marie Pope
- Imprisoned in a remote castle in 1558 Kate Sutton
finds herself struggling for a young man's life against the
power of the Queen of the faery folk. For grades 5-8.
- RC 8842
- Philip Hall Likes Me, I Reckon Maybe
- by Bette Greene
- African American schoolgirl Beth Lambert loves
Philip Hall, the cutest, smartest boy in class, but feels
confused when he doesn't invite her to his birthday party.
During a run-in with turkey thieves and other adventures on
her family's Arkansas farm, Beth tries to understand Philip's
friendship. For grades 5-8.
- BRA 4124
- RC 59552
1974 Medal Winner
- The Slave Dancer
- by Paula Fox
- 1840. Kidnapped from his home in New Orleans,
thirteen-year-old Jessie Bollier is forced to serve on a
slave ship. Every day he must play his fife while the
shackled slaves "dance" for exercise. For grades 5-8 and
older readers.
- BR 2653
- RC 58319 INPROCESS
- RC 8551
1974 Honor Book
- The Dark Is Rising
- by Susan Cooper
- Will Stanton, eleven, learns that he is the last
of the Old Ones--immortals dedicated to controlling the
forces of evil. Will's quest is to find the Signs of Light to
defeat the Dark. Sequel to Over Sea, under Stone (BR 13419).
For grades 4-7 and older readers.
- BR 13420, volume 1
- BR 13420, volume 2
- RC 50256
- RC 8054
1973 Medal Winner
- Julie of the Wolves
- by Jean Craighead
- Julie, a thirteen-year-old Eskimo girl, runs away
rather than agree to an arranged marriage. Lost and starving
on the barren tundra, she makes friends with a pack of wolves
who save her life. For grades 5-8.
- BR 8738, volume 1
- BRA 13071
- RD 6776
- RC 34451
1973 Honor Books
- Frog and Toad Together
- by Arnold Lobel
- Five adventures of two best friends as they share
cookies, plant a garden, and test their bravery. For
preschool-grade 2.
- BR 8192
- RC 37079
- The Upstairs Room
- by Johanna Reiss
- Based on the author's experience as a Jewish
child in Holland during World War II. After being separated
from their parents, she and her sister hid from the Nazis in
the upstairs room of a farmers's home for more than two
years. The story shows the constant friction between the two
pent-up sisters and the nervous courage of the family that
hid them. For grades 6-9 and older readers. Followed by The
Journey Back.
- BR 8399, volume 1
- BR 8399, volume 2
- RD 16930
- The Witches of Worm
- by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
- Twelve-year-old Jessica is angry that her mother
goes out all the time and that her two best friends have left
her for other people. Sulking in her secret cave with a book
on witchcraft, Jessica finds a tiny newborn kitten. Her
cat-loving neighbor tells Jessica how to care for the kitten,
but Jessica hates cats, and this one looks like a worm. Then
she begins getting messages from Worm, who says he's a
witch's cat. For grades 5-8.
- RC 41124
- RD 6168
1972 Medal Winner
- Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
- Robert C. O'Brien
- Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mother mouse with housing
problems, is advised to seek the help of a colony of rats.
She discovers the rats, who are super-intelligent laboratory
specimens, have developed a sophisticated civilization that
includes computers. For grades 4-7.
- BR 8598
- BRA12967
- RC 23562
1972 Honor Books
- Incident At Hawk's Hill
- by Allan W. Eckert
- After a small boy wanders off one summer and
loses himself on the vast prairie near his home, he is
adopted by a female badger who takes care of him for two
months. Based on an incident reported in Saskatchewan,
Canada, in 1870. For grades 5-8.
- BR 1771
- RC 38913
- The Planet of Junior Brown
- by Virginia Hamilton
- Eighth graders Junior Brown, a 262-pound musical
prodigy with an overprotective mother, and Buddy Clark, who
has no family, skip school and spend their days with a former
teacher who has built a ten-planet solar system in the
basement. The extra planet is named for Junior. For grades
5-8.
- RC 52366
- Annie and the Old One
- by Miska Miles
- Annie is a Navajo girl who is devoted to her
grandmother. Upon learning her grandmother's life will soon
end, Annie does everything she can to postpone the Old One's
death. For grades 3-5.
- BR 2228
- The Headless Cupid
- Zilpha Keatley Snyder
- Davis is afraid of Amanda, his new stepsister,
even before she arrives. And his fear is confirmed when he
discovers soon after she moves in that Amanda practices
witchcraft. For grades 4-7.
- BRA 13679
- RC 24224
1971 Medal Winner
- Summer of the Swans
- by Betsy Byars
- When a mentally retarded boy becomes lost in the
mountains, his fourteen-year-old sister forgets her own
teenage problems, and gains new insight into herself and her
family. For grades 4-7.
- BR 9560, volume 1
- RC 23118
1971 Honor Books
- Knee Knock Rise
- by Natalie Babbitt
- The village of Instep is famous for Megrimum, the
mysterious monster that lives atop Kneeknock Rise and moans
when it's raining. When Egan's cousin Ada goads him into
climbing the Rise to look for the creature, Egan discovers a
mystery of human nature. For grades 3-6.
- RC 50866
- Enchantress From the Stars
- by Sylvia Louise Engdahl
- When young Elana unexpectedly joins the team
leaving the spaceship to study the planet Andrecia, she
becomes an integral part of an adventure involving three very
different civilizations, each one centered on the third
planet from the star in its own solar system. For grades 6-9
and older readers.
- RC 52616
- Sing Down the Moon
- by Scott O'Dell
- An historical novel narrated by a Navaho girl and
based on the tragedy of the 300-mile forced march of the
Navahos to Fort Sumner in 1864. She is soon to marry a
handsome warrior, and although she is surrounded by enemies,
Spaniards, American soldiers, and the Utes, she is unafraid.
For grades 6-9.
- RC 25275
1970 Medal Winner
- Sounder
- by William H. Armstrong
- The mother and son of a black sharecropper family
in the South struggle for survival when the sheriff arrests
the father for stealing and shoots their devoted coon dog.
For grades 5-8.
- BR 9764, volume 1
- BR 6227
- RC 22898
1969 Medal Winner
- The High King
- by Lloyd Alexander
- Taran leads his companions on a last great quest
against evil when the enchanted sword Dyrnwyn falls into the
hands of Arawn, Lord of the Land of Death. Sequel to Taran
Wanderer (BR 15456). For grades 5-8.
- BR 15457, volume 1
- BR 15457, volume 2
- BR 8891
- RC 27715
1969 Honor Books
- To Be a Slave
- by Julius Lester
- Assembled from the words of slaves and united by
the author's commentary. These excerpts from original
material are arranged chronologically to record the history
of black bondage from capture to auction, from servitude to
freedom. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
- BR 7247
- RC 27538
- When Shlemiel Went to Warsaw and Other Stories
- by Isaac Bashevis Singer
- Eight stories based on traditional Jewish themes
from Eastern Europe. For grades 4-7.
- BR 954
1968 Medal Winner
- From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
- by E. L. Konigsburg
- Claudia, feeling misunderstood at home, takes her
younger brother and runs away to New York City where she sets
up housekeeping in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. For grades
4-6.
- BR 9549, volume 1
- RC 22914
1968 Honor Books
- Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth
- by E. L. Konigsburg
- On Halloween night, Elizabeth, a lonely new
student at William McKinley Elementary School, meets
Jennifer, who claims to be a master witch. The two girls
become friends, practice chants and spells, but have a
falling-out when Jennifer wants to put their pet toad in a
potion. For grades 4-7.
- RC 44792
- The Black Pearl
- by Scott O'Dell
- An adventure story in which 16-year-old Ramon
Salazar is determined to return a valuable black pearl to the
sea. But first he must battle an unscrupulous pearl diver and
a monster devilfish. For junior and senior high readers.
- BR 764
- The Egypt Game
- by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
- A group of children entranced by the study of
Egypt play their own Egypt game with secret meetings, rites,
and ceremonies in an abandoned yard behind the antique shop.
The game helps an unhappy eleven-year-old solve her personal
problems and leads to the identification of the lurking
stranger. For grades 4-7.
- BR 9393, volume 1
- RC 37531
1967 Medal Winner
- Up a Road Slowly
- by Irene Hunt
- With clear recall, Julie recounts growing up
motherless from age seven to high school graduation. She
relates the pains and high moments and describes her
relationships, both happy and disappointing. For grades 6-9
and older readers.
- BR 9381, volume 1
- BR 9381, volume 2
- RC 22915
1967 Honor Books
- Zlateh The Goat and Other Stories
- by Isaac Bashevis Singer
- Seven tales recreating a world of early
twentieth-century middle-European rural Jewish life. For
grades 4-7.
- RC 25902
- The Jazz Man
- by Mary Hays Weik
- Lame and lonely, isolated because he lives on the
top floor of a Harlem tenement, young Zeke loves listening to
the jazz pianist in a neighboring apartment. But when Zeke's
real troubles begin, not even the Jazz Man or his musical
dreams can help. For grades 3-6.
- RC 19127
1966 Medal Winner
- I, Juan de Pareja
- by Elizabeth Borton de Treviño
- Velazquez, the great Spanish painter of the early
seventeenth century, owned a black slave, Juan de Pareja, who
narrates this story. The period forms a background for an
array of characters, from a humble dwarf to famous artists
and King Philip himself. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
- BR 8421, volume 1
- RC 23338
1966 Honor Books
- The Black Cauldron
- by Lloyd Alexander
- In this sequel to The Book of Three (BR 15453)
Taran and his companions vow to destroy the cauldron that is
the source of power for Arawn, Lord of the Land of Death. For
grades 5-8.
- BR 15454, volume 1
- BR 15454, volume 2
- BR 8830
- RC 25014
- The Animal Family
- by Randall Jarrell
- A poet's story of a lonely hunter who adopts a
mermaid and then expands his family with a lynx, a bear, and
a young boy. For grades 4-6.
- BR 7865, volume 1
- RC 25834
- The Noonday Friends
- by Mary Stolz
- Unlike other eleven-year-olds, Franny and her
best friend Simone don't have time to play. Franny's father
can't hold a job, and her mother must work hard to keep the
family together. Franny must do the housework and care for
her younger siblings. Simone must do the same to help her
family, so the two friends share only their lunchtimes
together. For grades 5-8.
- BR 279
- RC 37435
1965 Medal Winner
- Shadow of a Bull
- by Maia Wojciechowska
- Everyone expects Manolo to become a great
bullfighter like his father. But as he prepares to fight his
first bull, Manolo realizes that he is afraid, and he begins
to think that perhaps he does not want to be a matador at
all. For grades 5-8.
- BR 8256, volume 1
- RC 23786
1965 Honor Book
- Across Five Aprils
- by Irene Hunt
- The story of a nine-year-old boy who must take
over running his family's farm during the Civil War after his
brothers leave to fight and his father has a heart attack.
Based on stories and records from the author's own family.
For grades 6-9.
- RC 26336
1964 Honor Books
- Rascal: A Memoir of a Better Era
- by Sterling North
- Although his life is full with a Saint Bernard, a
family of skunks, a raucous crow, and an unfinished canoe,
Sterling is captivated by a tiny raccoon kit he names Rascal.
The ingenious animal quickly takes over the house and
Sterling's heart but also makes enemies by stealing corn and
raiding chicken coops. Until he gets too big, Rascal shares
many adventures with Sterling in the Wisconsin countryside.
For grades 4-7.
- RD 7202
- The Loner
- by Ester Wier
- An underfed, uncared-for boy without family,
friends, or even a name follows the crops as a migrant worker
until a strong old woman takes him in and teaches him to be a
sheepherder. For grades 6-9.
- BR 33
- RC 59016 INPROCESS
1963 Medal Winner
- A Wrinkle in Time
- by Madeleine L'Engle
- Meg Murry, her younger brother Charles Wallace,
and her neighbor Calvin are transported to the planet
Camazotz as they search for Meg's lost father, a scientist
studying time travel. Prequel to A Wind in the Door (RC
41596, BR 7884). For grades 5-8.
- BR 9403, volume 1
- BR 9403, volume 2
- BR 1546
- RC 9768
- RC 48972
1963 Honor Book
- Men of Athens
- by Olivia Coolidge
- A series of separate stories relates the various
stages of Greek history: the twenty-year war with Persia, the
Golden Age, and the defeat of Athens in the Peloponnesian War
that brought the Golden Age to an end. Includes fictionalized
portraits of such great Athenians as Pericles, Euripides, and
Socrates. For grades 6-9.
1962 Medal Winner
- The Bronze Bow
- by Elizabeth George Speare
- A young Jew joins a brutal band of outlaws to
seek revenge against the Roman soldiers who killed his
parents and destroyed his home. The boy's consuming hatred
orders his life until he meets a rabbi from Capernaum named
Jesus. For junior and senior high readers.
- BR 9149, volume 1
- BR 9149, volume 2
- RC 17367
1962 Honor Books
- The Golden Goblet
- by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
- An Egyptian boy who dreams of being a goldsmith
is instead apprenticed as a stonecutter to his cruel half
brother. When he proves his brother is a tomb robber, the boy
is free to follow his dream. For grades 5-8.
- RC 27542
- Belling The Tiger
- by Mary Stolz
- The house mice get together and decide to bell
the house cat (not realizing that many mice have tried this
and failed). They pick small twin mice, Bob and Ozzie, to be
the heroes. The brothers find a cat collar with a bell, but
before they can complete their mission, they are chased onto
a ship and sail away. In a faraway land, Bob and Ozzie find
the biggest cat they've ever seen--and decide to bell it. For
grades 3-6.
- RC 41941
1961 Medal Winner
- The Island of the Blue Dolphins
- When her tribe moved, a Native American girl was
accidentally left behind on an island off the California
coast. She tells about the eighteen years that she managed to
survive and to find comfort, beauty, and, at times, joy in
her solitude. For grades 6-9.
- BR 14785, volume 1
- BR 6230
- RC 22397
1961 Honor Books
- The Cricket In Times Square
- by George Selden
- Lost in New York City, musical country cricket
Chester befriends a cat, a streetwise mouse, and young Mario,
whose father owns a newsstand in the Times Square subway
station. While dreaming of home Chester turns the stand into
a concert hall to help the family business. For grades 3-6.
- BR 5850
- BR 15680 INPROCESS
- RC 16458
- RC 58857 INPROCESS
- RCF 4993 (Spanish language)
1960 Medal Winner
- Onion John
- by Joseph Krumgold
- Andy Rusch befriends Onion John, the town's old
odd-job man who lives near the city dump. Andy's father
cannot understand Andy's affection for Onion John, and
conflict develops when Mr. Rusch tries to reform Onion John.
For grades 5-8 and older readers.
- BR 9631, volume 1
- BR 9631, volume 2
- RC 18347
1960 Honor Books
- My Side of the Mountain
- by Jean Craighead George
- Sam Gribley relates his adventures during the
year he lives alone in the Catskill Mountains. He describes
his struggle for survival, his dependence on nature, his
animal friends, and his ultimate realization that he needs
human companionship. For grades 5-8.
- BR 15070, volume 1
- BR 7885
- RC 9825
- RC 50211
1959 Medal Winner
- The Witch of Blackbird Pond
- by Elizabeth George Speare
- When sixteen-year-old Kit Tyler helps a woman
accused of witchcraft in colonial New England, she too is
brought to trial as a suspect. Kit's friend Prudence, and
Nat, a sailor who has fallen in love with Kit, come to her
defense. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
- BR 14849, volume 1
- BR 14849, volume 2
- BR 1427
- RC 22927
1959 Honor Book
- The Family Under The Bridge
- by Natalie Savage Carlson
- Armand, an adventurous old hobo, lives under a
bridge in Paris. One December day he arrives there to
discover three redheaded children and a dog. Armand cares for
the young Calcets while their mother works. During one of
their escapades around the city, they tell Santa Claus they
want a real home. For grades 3-6.
- BR 12223, volume 1
- RC 48442
- RC 18427
1958 Medal Winner
- Rifles for Watie
- by Harold Keith
- A carefree boy learns the cruelty and savagery of
war when he is sent as a Union scout to spy on a Cherokee
Indian regiment and find the source of their rifles. To his
astonishment, he makes good friends among the enemy and falls
in love with a beautiful part-Cherokee girl. For grades 6-9.
- BR 10834, volume 1
- BR 10834, volume 2
- BR 10834, volume 3
- RC 16572
1958 Honor Books
- Gone-Away Lake
- by Elizabeth Enright
- On the edge of a swamp, three children discover a
row of summer houses half in ruins and the two
company-loving, old recluses who live in the apparently
deserted houses. For grades 4-7.
- RC 10042
1957 Honor Books
- Old Yeller
- by Fred Gipson
- 1860s Texas. Fourteen-year-old Travis at first
resents the big, yellow stray dog that hangs around his home,
but he comes to love and depend on him. With his father away
on a cattle drive, Travis is the man of the house and looks
to Old Yeller for help and protection. For grades 5-8.
- BR 11976, volume 1
- BR 7798
- RC 15325
- RC 47404
- The House of Sixty Fathers
- by Meindert DeJong
- A small Chinese boy is separated from his family
in wartime as their sampan breaks loose from its moorings and
rushes down the river. When the sampan finally drifts ashore,
the little boy finds himself in enemy territory with only his
pet pig for comfort. A realistic story based on the author's
experience in China during World War II. For grades 5-8.
- RC 16612
1956 Medal Winner
- Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
- by Jean Lee Latham
- A fictionalized biography of Nathaniel Bowditch,
the American sailor who taught himself mathematics and
astronomy and discovered a new method of celestial navigation
that saved the lives of many seamen. Historical details are
coupled with the romance and adventure of old Salem. For
grades 6-9 and older readers.
- BR 9180, volume 1
- BR 9180, volume 2
- RC 17659
1956 Honor Book
- The Secret River
- by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
- When hard times come to a Florida forest, a
little girl sets out with her dog to find a secret river that
a wise old woman tells her is filled with fish. For grades
2-4.
- RC 11956
1955 Medal Winner
- The Wheel on the School
- by Meindert DeJong
- Long ago, the little Dutch village of Shora was
full of friendly, luck-bringing storks. But fierce storms
drove the storks away, and they never returned. Six
schoolchildren, with the help of their teacher, set out to
bring the storks back to their village. For grades 4-7.
- BR 9525, volume 1
- BR 9525, volume 2
- RC 23202
1955 Honor Books
- Courage of Sarah Noble
- by Alice Dalgliesh
- A brave little eight-year-old and her father take
a perilous journey to the wilderness of Connecticut, where
the new family home is to be built. For grades 2-4.
- RC 26124
- Banner In The Sky
- by James Ullman
- The people of the Alpine villages say that no one
will ever conquer the greatest mountain in Switzerland.
Nevertheless, young Rudi Matt, whose father lost his life to
the peak, joins an expedition to do what no one else has ever
done. An authentic adventure based on the original ascent of
the Matterhorn. For grades 5-8.
- BR 9203, volume 1
- BR 9203, volume 2
- RC 18958
1954 Medal Winner
- ...And Now Miguel
- by Joseph Krumgold
- An introspective New Mexico youth tells of his
great longing to accompany the men and sheep to summer
pasture. Neither child nor man, he feels the need to be
recognized as a maturing individual. For grades 5-8.
- BR 9200, volume 1
- BR 9200, volume 2
1953 Medal Winner
- Secret of the Andes
- by Ann Nolan Clark
- High up in a hidden valley in the Andes, an Inca
boy whose identity is a mystery is chosen to know the secret
of two ancient Inca treasures. For grades 5-8.
- BR 9563, volume 1
- RC 11319
1953 Honor Books
- Charlotte's Web
- by E. B. White
- A little girl who can talk to animals is devoted
to both Wilbur, the foolishly smug pig, and Charlotte, the
beautiful gray spider who saves Wilbur's life. This sensitive
story is a delight for children of all ages as well as
adults. For grades 3-6.
- BR 9405, volume 1
- BR 1318
- RC 7107
- RC 8723
- RC 46839
- Moccasin Trail
- by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
- 1844, Oregon territory. Missouri farmboy Jim
Keath ran away nine years earlier and lived for six of those
years as a Crow Indian. Now, learning that his siblings are
journeying west to take up land, Jim joins them on the
dangerous trek. For grades 4-7 and older readers. Newbery
Honor. 1952.
- BR 13807, volume 1
- BR 13807, volume 2
- The Bears on Hemlock Mountain
- by Alice Dalgliesh
- Jonathan's mother has invited twenty members of
the family for dinner, and she needs to borrow a big iron pot
from Aunt Emma, who lives on the other side of Hemlock
Mountain. Although his mother says there are no bears on
Hemlock Mountain, Jonathan is not sure he wants to go over
the mountain alone to get the pot. When darkness falls and
the animals come out of the forest, Jonathan learns to be
brave. For grades 2-4.
- BR 10057, volume 1
- RC 40773
1952 Medal Winner
- Ginger Pye
- by Eleanor Estes
- Ten-year-old Jerry Pye and his younger sister
Rachel get a new puppy and name him Ginger. When Ginger
disappears, the adventurous children set out to find him.
They suspect the little dog has been spirited away by a
mysterious stranger wearing a yellow hat. For grades 3-6.
- BR 15556, volume 1
- BR 15556, volume 2
- BR 6295
- BR 5962
- RC 58399
- RC 10861
- RC 10550
1952 Honor Books
- Minn of the Mississippi
- by Holling C. Holling
- The adventures of a tough snapping turtle who
takes a 2,500-mile trip from the headwaters of the
Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. Minn's life and the
life of the river are closely interwoven in this account of
his 25-year-long journey. For grades 4-7.
- BR 1848
- The Apple and the Arrow
- by Mary & Conrad Buff
- This legendary tale features the great bowman
William Tell and his brave son Walter during Switzerland's
1291 fight for freedom. For grades 3-6.
- RC 54290
1951 Medal Winner
- Amos Fortune, Free Man
- by Elizabeth Yates
- Born an African prince, Amos Fortune is captured
by slave traders when he is fifteen. He is sold in Boston,
where he learns the tanner's trade. At age sixty, Fortune is
able to purchase his freedom, and he begins to save money for
the freedom of other slaves. For grades 4-7 and older
readers.
- BR 9130, volume 1
- RC 23596
1950 Medal Winner
- The Door in the Wall
- by Marguerite de Angeli
- Just before ten-year-old Robin is about to begin
his duties as a page, he is stricken with an illness that
leaves him unable to walk. Both his parents are away, and the
servants, fearing the plague that has devastated London,
leave him all alone. Then, Brother Luke takes Robin to St.
Mark's hospice, where he learns new skills and the patience
that will allow him to become a hero. For grades 4-7 and
older readers.
- BR 9243, volume 1
- RC 22885
1949 Medal Winner
- King of the Wind
- by Marguerite Henry
- The story of Sham, a magnificent Arabian
stallion, and Agba, the stable boy who cares for him
faithfully as they cross the seas from Morocco to England and
France. When King Louis XV of France rejects the gift of this
stallion, he does not know that the horse will become the
founder of a strain of thoroughbreds, one of which will be
Man o' War. For grades 4-7 and older readers.
- BR 9058, volume 1
- RC 16570
1949 Honor Books
- Seabird
- by Holling C. Holling
- An ivory gull carved by young Ezra Brown on a
whaling ship in 1832 brings luck to him and his descendants
as they journey the seven seas. For grades 4-7.
- RC 10317
- My Father's Dragon
- by Ruth S. Gannett
- When Elmer Elevator befriends an old alley cat,
he hears the story of the captive baby dragon on Wild Island
and decides to rescue him. For grades 4-7.
- RC 25589
- RC 46345, with Elmar and the dragon and The dragons of
Blueland
1948 Medal Winner
- The Twenty-One Balloons
- by William Pène du Bois
- rofessor Sherman sets off on a flight across the
Pacific in a giant balloon, and three weeks later he is over
the wrong ocean with too many balloons. The adventure is
narrated by the professor with hilarious solemnity. For
grades 4-7.
- BR 9116, volume 1
- RC 23467
1948 Honor Books
- Li Lun, Lad of Courage
- by Carolyn Treffinger
- A Chinese boy refuses to become a fisherman
because he is afraid of the sea, but later proves his courage
by completing the almost impossible task which his angry
father sets for him. For grades 4-7.
- BR 1782
- The Cow-Tail Switch, and Other West African Stories
- by Harold Courlander
- A classic collection of seventeen tales from West
Africa "...about clever people and stupid people, about good
ones and bad ones, about how things and animals got to be how
they are." Included are "Anansi and Nothing Go Hunting for
Wives," "How Soko Brought Debt to Ashanti," and "Don't Shake
Hands with Everybody." For grades 4-7 and older readers.
- RC 27932
- Misty of Chincoteague
- by Marguerite Henry
- The adventures of Maureen and Paul Beebe, who
want to own the freedom-loving mare Phantom and her colt,
Misty--wild ponies from the islands along Virginia's Atlantic
coast. For grades 3-6.
- BR 12918, volume 1
- RC 25353
1947 Medal Winner
- Miss Hickory
- by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey
- The adventures of Miss Hickory, a country doll
made of an applewood twig with a hickory nut for a head, and
her unusual neighbors. Left behind when her owner goes to
school in Boston, Miss Hickory must spend the long New
Hampshire winter alone. For grades 3-6.
- BR 9056, volume 1
- RC 22824
1946 Medal Winner
- Strawberry Girl
- by Lois Lenski
- This regional story contrasts the lives of an
industrious family of Florida Crackers struggling to make a
living from their strawberry patch, and the shiftless family
who lives on the adjoining farm. For grades 4-7.
- BR 9585, volume 1
- RC 15118
1946 Honor Book
- Justin Morgan Had a Horse
- by Marguerite Henry
- A hardy little Vermont work horse becomes the
sire of the famous breed of Morgan horses and is ridden by
President James Monroe. For grades 4-7.
- RC 10772
1945 Medal Winner
- Rabbit Hill
- by Robert Lawson
- When a new family moves into a big house that has
been standing empty, they start an extra-large garden. The
small animals rejoice because they really miss the garden
they once depended on. For grades 3-6.
- BR 9570, volume 1
- RC 23114
1945 Honor Books
- The Hundred Dresses
- by Eleanor Estes
- Although Wanda Petronski comes to school each day
in a faded blue dress, she tells the other girls that she has
a hundred dresses lined up in her closet. Popular Peggy
thinks this is hilarious and teases Wanda about it. Peggy's
best friend, Maddie, is uneasy about the teasing and feels
horrible when Wanda stops coming to school. For grades 3-6.
- BR 1416
- RC 42016
- Abraham Lincoln's World
- by Genevieve Foster
- Episodes from Lincoln's life are related to
events taking place in other parts of the world, such as the
unification of Germany, the freeing of serfs in Russia, and
Commodore Perry's opening of Japan. For grades 6-9.
- RC 14602
1944 Medal Winner
- Johnny Tremain
- by Esther Forbes
- After injuring his right hand, fourteen-year-old
Johnny, a silversmith's apprentice, becomes a messenger for
the Sons of Liberty in the days before the American
Revolution. He meets Massachusetts patriots and becomes
involved in events leading to the Boston Tea Party and the
Battle of Lexington. For grades 5-8.
- BR 15252, volume 1
- BR 15252, volume 2
- BR 6225
- RC 22808
1944 Honor Books
- These Happy Golden Years
- by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- Laura Ingalls and Almanzo Wilder, the town's most
eligible bachelor, enjoy a delightful romance while Laura
teaches school. When her last term ends, they marry and look
forward to a long and happy life together. Sequel to Little
Town on the Prairie (BR 11326). For grades 5-8 and older
readers.
- BR 11327, volume 1
- BR 11327, volume 2
- BR 4443
- RC 21200
- Rufus M.
- by Eleanor Estes
- Rufus Moffat, aged seven, takes center stage as a
self-reliant and inventive boy. He wants to do everything
that his older brother and sisters can do, and he doesn't let
his being younger, smaller, or left-handed stop him for one
minute. Sequel to The Middle Moffat (BR 5937). For grades
4-7.
- BR 6069
- RC 22091
1943 Medal Winner
- Adam of the Road
- by Elizabeth Janet Gray
- Tale of a minstrel boy, Adam, who wanders through
southeastern England in the thirteenth century. Adam's
adventures in search of his beloved father and his lost dog
lead him to London, Winchester, and Oxford. For grades 4-7.
- BR 9192, volume 1
- BR 9192, volume 2
- RC 23486
1943 Honor Book
- The Middle Moffat
- by Eleanor Estes
- Although ten-year-old Janie is just the
unremarkable middle member of the Moffat family, she lives a
very rich and mysterious life in the privacy of her own
imagination. For grades 4-7.
- BR 5937
- RC 22557
1942 Medal Winner
- The Matchlock Gun
- by Walter Edmonds
- While his father is away fighting during the
French and Indian War in 1756, ten-year-old Edward Van
Alstyne helps his mother ward off an Indian attack by firing
an ancient Spanish musket. For grades 3-6.
- BR 15077, volume 1
- BR 6718
- RC 57031
1942 Honor Books
- Little Town on the Prairie
- by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- In 1881 Mary, who is blind, is finally able to
leave for college, and Laura gets a job in town helping a
seamstress. She also continues her schooling so she can
receive her teaching certificate. Sequel to The Long Winter
(BR 11325). For grades 4-7.
- BR 11326, volume 1
- BR 11326, volume 2
- BR 4237
- RC 21199
- George Washington's World
- by Genevieve Foster
- A panoramic account of George Washington's life
describes important events happening in other parts of the
world at the same time. Gives glimpses into the lives of
other famous people of the time including Catherine the Great
of Russia, Napoleon, and the composer Mozart, showing how
they lived as children and the part each played in the
history of the world. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
- RC 15696
- Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison
- by Lois Lenski
- In 1758, a white child was captured by Indians
and taken to a Seneca village in what is now New York. This
story describes her early years in captivity and details the
Seneca way of life in the eighteenth century. For grades
5-8.
- RC 42017
1941 Medal Winner
- Call It Courage
- by Armstrong Sperry
- Mafatu is the son of a great chief of a
Polynesian island, where courage is a man's most respected
quality. But Mafatu is afraid of the sea. For grades 4-7.
- BR 9146, volume 1
- RC 22825
1941 Honor Book
- The Long Winter
- by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- The Ingalls family moves from their stake on the
Dakota prairie to their store in town to escape the severe
winter. One blizzard follows another until trains stop
running and the community, isolated for months, faces
starvation. Sequel to By the Shores of Silver Lake (BR
11324). For grades 4-7.
- BR 11325, volume 1
- BR 11325, volume 2
- BR 4445
- RC 21198
1940 Medal Winner
- Daniel Boone
- by James Daugherty
- Biography of the legendary frontiersman born in
1734. Describes the call of the west that led Daniel Boone to
Kentucky and eventually to Missouri. Discusses his enjoyment
of the wilderness, the company of Indians, and pioneering
experiences. For grades 4-7 and older readers.
- RC INPROCESS
1940 Honor Book
- By the Shores of Silver Lake
- by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- The Ingalls family moves westward once more, this
time to the Dakota territory, where Pa finds a job in a
railroad camp and the family takes up a homestead. Sequel to
On the Banks of Plum Creek (BR 11323). For grades 4-7 and
older readers.
- BR 11324, volume 1
- BR 11324, volume 2
- BR 4444
- RC 21197
1939 Medal Winner
- Thimble Summer
- by Elizabeth Enright
- One scorching day in the middle of a drought,
Garnet Linden finds a silver thimble which she believes to be
magic. Good luck begins that night with a rainfall that saves
her father's crops. For grades 4-7.
- BR 9158, volume 1
- RC 23207
1939 Honor Book
- Mr. Popper's Penguins
- by Richard & Florence Atwater
- When his pet penguin, "Captain Cook," becomes
lonely, Mr. Popper gets another penguin to keep him company.
Before long, there are ten more penguins in the Popper
household and things are never quite the same again. For
grades 3-6.
- BR 11424, volume 1
- RC 23301
1938 Medal Winner
- The White Stag
- by Kate Seredy
- The legendary story of Attila the Hun and the
founding of Hungary--of a white stag and red eagle leading a
people to their promised land. For grades 5-8.
- BR 9174, volume 1
- RC 23270
1938 Honor Book
- On the Banks of Plum Creek
- by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- The pioneering Ingalls family leaves the prairie
for a farm and a primitive sod hut in Minnesota, where they
must battle a flood, a blizzard, and a devastating plague of
grasshoppers. Sequel to Little House on the Prairie (BR
10510). For grades 4-7 and older readers.
- BR 11323, volume 1
- BR 11323, volume 2
- RC 21196
1937 Medal Winner
- Roller Skates
- by Ruth Sawyer
- Lucinda is a lively, happy ten-year-old who
spends her spare time exploring New York on roller skates.
Her happy personality wins many friends, and her adventures
reveal a picture of city life in 1890. For grades 4-7 and
older readers.
- BR 9691, volume 1
- BR 9691, volume 2
- RC 23119
1937 Honor Books
1936 Medal Winner
- Caddie Woodlawn
- by Carol Ryrie Brink
- Life is difficult for the Woodlawn family after
they leave New England for the Wisconsin frontier in the
1860s, but eleven-year-old Caddie loves the challenge of
adjusting to pioneer life and making friends with the nearby
Indians. For grade 4-7.
- BR 7669, volume 1
- BR 7669, volume 2
- RC 22917
1936 Honor Book
- The Good Master
- by Kate Seredy
- A story about the escapades of a lively girl from
Budapest, on her uncle's farm before the First World War. For
grades 4-7.
- RC 25471
1935 Medal Winner
- Dobry
- by Monica Shannon
- The author's memories of childhood in Bulgaria
enhance this story of a young peasant boy who wants to be a
sculptor. He is discouraged by his mother's opposition but
nourished by his grandfather's support. For grades 4-7 and
older readers.
- BR 9611, volume 1
- RC 23168
1934 Medal Winner
- Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women
- by Cornelia Meigs
- A vivid portrait of Little Women (BR 11778)
author Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888), who based the story of
Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy on her own family: her hardworking
mother, idealistic father, and three sisters. For grades 4-7
and older readers.
- BR 15766 INPROCESS
- BR 6305
- RC 23477
1934 Honor Book
- ABC Bunny
- by Wanda Gág
- An alphabet book which tells of a little rabbit's
adventures. For preschool-grade 2.
- RC 30798
1933 Medal Winner
- Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze
- by Elizabeth Lewis
- Rogues and bandits seem to rule China during the
turbulent 1920s. But Young Fu has moved from his country home
to the city, and he is determined to be an honest,
hardworking coppersmith's apprentice. For grades 5-8.
- BR 9155, volume 1
- BR 9155, volume 2
- RC 23364
1932 Medal Winner
- Waterless Mountain
- by Laura Adams Armer
- Eight-year-old Younger Brother loves the beauty
of the dawn, the sky, the rainbow, and the clouds. When the
boy sees the Deer People in a vision, his uncle knows that
Younger Brother can learn the songs of his Navajo people to
become a powerful medicine man. Younger Brother finds
adventures in nature around him, new encounters with whites,
and his role as Little Singer. For grades 5-8.
- BR 10589, volume 1
- BR 10589, volume 2
- RC 16608
1932 Honor Book
- Calico Bush
- by Rachel Field
- A brave French girl "bound out" to a pioneer
family travels with them from Massachusetts to a new
settlement in Maine, where the pioneers face loneliness, hard
work, Indian raids, and death. For grades 3-6.
- RC 35410
1931 Medal Winner
- The Cat Who Went to Heaven
- by Elizabeth Coatsworth
- Soon after adopting a lucky three-colored cat, a
poor Japanese artist is hired to paint a masterpiece. The
devoted pet watches patiently as the man draws the animals
Buddha has blessed. At last he draws a cat and earns a
special miracle. For grades 4-7.
- BR 15444, volume 1
- BR 6277
- RC 58398
- RC 10555
1930 Medal Winner
- Hitty, Her First Hundred Years
- by Rachel Field
- Hitty, no ordinary doll, was carved from a block
of wood for Phoebe, a little girl who took her toy
everywhere. Hitty, now securely perched in a window of an
antiques shop, recalls her adventuresome life on land and
sea. For grades 4-7 and older readers.
- BR 15452, volume 1
- BR 15452, volume 2
- BR 6224
- RC 58360
- RC 11649
1929 Medal Winner
- The Trumpeter of Krakow
- by Eric P. Kelly
- The commemoration of an act of bravery and
self-sacrifice in Krakow, Poland, saves the lives of a family
two centuries later. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
- BR 8341, volume 1
- BR 8341, volume 2
- RC 22916
1929 Honor Book
- Millions of Cats
- by Wanda Gág
- Once upon a time a very old man set out to find a
pretty cat for his lonely wife. Unable to choose only one, he
comes home with hundreds and thousands and millions and
billions and trillions of cats. But she still wants only one.
For grades K-3.
- BR 13322, volume 1
- BR 1738
- RC 43117
1928 Medal Winner
- Gay Neck, the Story of a Pigeon
- by Dhan Gopal Mukerji
- A carrier-pigeon, raised by an Indian boy, is
taught to fly messages for the Allies in France during World
War I. Based on the author's own experiences as a boy in
India. For grades 4-7 and older readers.
- RC 32318
1927 Medal Winner
- Smoky, the Cowhorse
- by Will James
- The life of a spirited smoke-colored horse told
in the cowboy vernacular. Follows Smoky's experiences from
his birth on the open range and his capture by humans to
working as an outlaw rodeo star and saddle horse. For grades
6-9.
- BR 15744 INPROCESS
- RC 23452
1926 Medal Winner
- Shen of the Sea
- by Arthur Bowie Chrisman
- Sixteen humorous stories capturing the spirit of
Chinese culture and wisdom. In the title piece, a child
learns of an ancient king who tried to save his city from
flood by outsmarting the water demons. Other tales depict
chopstick origins and more. For grades 5-8 and older readers.
- BR 15509, volume 1
- BR 6324
- RC 58412
- RC 16323
1925 Medal Winner
- Tales from Silver Lands
- by Charles Finger
- The folk magic of a land of silver cascades,
mist-shrouded mountains, and wide pampas fills these nineteen
South American stories. For grades 4-7.
- BR 9160, volume 1
- BR 9160, volume 2
- RC 24830
1924 Medal Winner
- The Dark Frigate
- by Charles Hawes
- The English frigate on which Philip Marsham is
training rescues twelve men from a sinking ship, but within
three days the rescued men have murdered the captain, seized
the ship, and sailed for the Caribbean in hope of plunder and
booty. Some violence. For grades 5-8.
- BR 8340, volume 1
- BR 8340, volume 2
- RC 23407
1923 Medal Winner
- The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle
- by Hugh Lofting
- Nine-and-a-half-year-old Tommy Stubbins of
Puddleby-on-the-Marsh tells about Doctor Dolittle's
adventures as he voyages to Spidermonkey Island and struggles
to learn shellfish language. For grades 4-7.
- BR INPROCESS
- BR 4017
- RC 28256
1922 Medal Winner
- The Story of Mankind
- by Hendrik Willem van Loon
- An account of man's history revealed through
movements and ideas, from prehistoric times to the present.
For junior and senior high readers. Newbery Medal.
- BR 1626
- RC 17628 [updated to 1970]
1922 Honor Book
- The Golden Fleece and The Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles
- by Padraic Colum
- The strange and wondrous adventures of Jason and
his brave Argonauts, who sought the famous Golden Fleece.
Interwoven with their adventures are the mythical tales of
Orpheus, Atalanta, Theseus, and Pandora and her secret box.
For grades 5-8 and older interested readers.
- RC 14881
Information
This list of Newbery award and honor titles includes only those that are in the
NLS national collection. The full Newbery Award list is available at the
American Library Association's website
www.ala.org
Electronic braille versions available to registered Web-Braille readers are listed
as links. They, along with other braille versions that are not linked, are also available
to registered braille readers as embossed braille from cooperating network libraries.
Audio versions in recorded cassetted (RC) or rigid disc (RD) are available to readers
registered at a cooperating library.
Posted on 2008-09-22