NLS Kids Zone
Newbery Medal and Honor Books
Every year since 1922 judges have voted on outstanding books by American authors. The first place winner receives the Newbery Medal. The close runners-up are the Newbery Honor Books. These books are so well written that they are good reads any year.
2010
2010 Medal
When You Reach Me
by Rebecca Stead
New York City, 1979. Twelve-year-old Miranda helps her mother prepare to be on a television game show. Meanwhile Miranda tries to understand why her best friend Sal doesn't want to hang out anymore--and why someone is sending Miranda tiny notes from the future. For grades 5-8. 2009.
DB/RC 69837
2010 Honor Books
Claudette Colvin: Twice toward Justice
by Phillip Hoose
Uses interviews to provide a firsthand account of fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin’s arrest for refusing to give her bus seat to a white woman in 1955 Alabama. Explains the era’s racial segregation policy and the consequences of Claudette’s demand for her constitutional rights. Some strong language. For grades 5-8. 2009.
BR 18681 2 vols. in process
DB/RC 68732
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
by Jacqueline Kelly
Texas, 1899. Being the only girl in the middle of six brothers, it is deemed odd that eleven-year-old Calpurnia Virginia Tate (Callie Vee) does not prefer knitting socks and learning cookery with her mother to roaming outdoors with her naturalist grandfather. For grades 5-8. 2009.
BR 18654 2 vols. in process
DB/RC 69280
The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg
by Rodman Philbrick
After his evil uncle sells his brother Harold to be a soldier in the Civil War, twelve-year-old Homer, a poor but clever orphan, runs away from his home in Maine. Homer has extraordinary adventures en route to Gettysburg as he searches for Harold. For grades 4-7. 2009.
BR in process 11/12/10
DB/RC 70652 in process 11/12/10
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
by Grace Lin
Minli, an adventurous girl, lives in a poor Chinese village near Fruitless Mountain. Inspired by her father’s stories, Minli sets out to find the Old Man of the Moon to restore the mountain’s bounty. Along the way, Minli encounters magical creatures, including a helpful dragon. For grades 3-6. 2009.
BR 18712 2 vols. in process
DB/RC 70391 in process
2009
2009 Medal
The Graveyard Book
by Neil Gaiman
A toddler enters a cemetery pursued by the knife-wielding stranger who just murdered his family. Resident ghosts Mr. and Mrs. Owens protect and adopt the child, naming him Nobody “Bod” Owens. Bod's graveyard upbringing serves him well, but why was his family targeted? For grades 5-8 and older readers. 2008.
DB/RC 68027
2009 Honor Books
The Underneath
by Kathi Appelt
In the alligator-filled bayous between Texas and Louisiana, long-suffering hound dog Ranger welcomes a stray, pregnant calico cat underneath his rundown porch. When his cruel owner Gar Face dispatches the mother cat, Ranger and the calico's two kittens form an unlikely family. For grades 4-7 and older readers. 2008.
DB/RC 67889
The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom
by Margarita Engle
Recounts the history of Cuba from 1850 to 1899 in free verse. Various voices reveal the troubled lives of slaves, rebels, nurses, and soldiers in the unending cycle of war. For grades 6-9 and older readers. 2008.
DB/RC 68702
Savvy
by Ingrid Law
Thirteenth birthdays in the Beaumont family reveal a magical power unique to the honoree. After Fish learns to cause hurricanes and Rocket to make electricity, Mibs eagerly awaits her turn. But Poppa has a terrible accident and all Mibs wants is to save him. For grades 4-7. 2008.
DB 69819
After Tupac and D Foster
by Jacqueline Woodson
Eleven-year-olds Neeka and her best friend meet newcomer “D Foster” and the three girls become a team. When their hero, rapper Tupac, is shot, they decide to have a “big purpose” as Tupac did and stay friends forever--but D's mom returns. For grades 6-9 and older readers. 2008.
DB/RC 66700
2008
2008 Medal
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village
by Laura Amy Schlitz
Nineteen monologues and two dialogues about the ten- to fifteen- year-old sons and daughters of nobility and paupers living near an English manor in 1255. Interspersed between dramatic readings are background pieces on medieval customs and events, such as farming, falconry, the Crusades, and pilgrimages. For grades 5-8.
RC 65935
DB 65935
2008 Honor Books
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.
DB/RC 65138
Elijah of Buxton
by Christopher Paul Curtis
Buxton, Canada; 1860. Born free in a settlement for runaway slaves, eleven-year-old Elijah Freeman discovers the horrors of slavery when he accompanies Mr. Leroy to Michigan. They track a thief who stole the money Mr. Leroy saved to buy his family’s freedom. For grades 4-7. Coretta Scott King Award. 2007.
DB/RC 66054
Wednesday Wars
by Gary D. Schmidt
Long Island, 1967. Seventh-grader Holling Hoodhood knows that Mrs. Baker “hates his guts” because she would have Wednesday afternoons free if he went to catechism or Hebrew school like his classmates. Mrs. Baker worries about her husband in Vietnam and introduces a reluctant Holling to Shakespeare. For grades 5-8. 2007.
DB 65788
2007
2007 Medal
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 then encounters her five-year-old neighbor Miles, and the three of them have an adventure.
RC 63864
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.
RC 64582
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 anti-German prejudice directed at her good neighbors, the Muellers. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
RC 64099
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.
RC 62696
2006
2006 Medal
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
2006 Honor Books
Whittington
by Alan 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.
RC 61516
Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow
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. For grades 6-9.
RC 60814
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.
DB 63020
RC 63020
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 grade 2-4 and older readers. 2005.
BR 16358 PRINT/BRAILLE
2005
2005 Medal
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
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. 2004.
RC 58456
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. 2004.
RC 58728
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy
by Gary D. Schmidt
In 1911 Turner Buckminster hates being the son of the new minister in Phippsburg, Maine. Things improve for awhile when he meets Lizzie Bright Griffin, a girl from the poor, nearby Malaga Island community founded by former slaves. For grades 6-9 and older readers. Newbery Honor, Printz Honor. 2004.
RC 60079
2004
2004 Medal
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. 2003.
RC 57805
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. 2003.
RC 63636
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. 2003. For grades 6-9.
RC 57418
2003
2003 Medal
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
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. 2002.
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. 2002.
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. 2002.
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. 2002.
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. 2002.
RC 55806
2002
2002 Medal
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.
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
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
2001 Medal
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.
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.
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.
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
2000 Medal
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
1999 Medal
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.
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.
RC 50305
1998
1998 Medal
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.
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
1997 Medal
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.
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.
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.
RC 45802
1996
1996 Medal
The Midwife's Apprentice
by Karen Cushman
The 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.
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
1995 Medal
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.
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
1994 Medal
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.
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.
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
1993 Medal
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.
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
1992 Medal
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.
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.
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
1991 Medal
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.
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.
RC 33473
1990
1990 Medal
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.
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.
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.
RC 31556
1989
1989 Medal
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.
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.
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
1988 Medal
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.
RC 58762
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 08059
RC 30535
1987
1987 Medal
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.
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
1986 Medal
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.
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
1985 Medal
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
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
1984 Medal
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.
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.
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.
RC 21758
1983
1983 Medal
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.
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
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
RC 39061
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
1982 Medal
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.
RC 58664
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.
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
1981 Medal
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.
RC 59388
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
1980 Medal
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.
RC 59476
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
1979 Medal
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 6285
RC 58350
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.
RC 51866
1978
1978 Medal
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.
RC 48732
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
1977 Medal
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.
RC 50326
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
1976 Medal
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.
RC 50442
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.
RC 9784
1975
1975 Medal
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.
RC 36699
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
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. 1974.
RC 59552
1974
1974 Medal
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
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.
RC 50256
1973
1973 Medal
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.
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.
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
1972
1972 Medal
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
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
The Tombs of Atuan
by Ursula K. LeGuin
Arha is taken from her parents to be trained as high priestess to the Old Ones in the Atuan tombs. She endures her bleak captivity until a trespasser violates her domain in his search for the tombs’ greatest treasure. Sequel to A Wizard of Earthsea (BR 7742). For grades 6-9.
RC 24584
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.
RC 24224
1971
1971 Medal
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.
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
1970 Medal
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.
RC 22898
1969
1969 Medal
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.
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
1968 Medal
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.
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.
RC 37531
1967
1967 Medal
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.
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
1966 Medal
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.
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.
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.
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
1965 Medal
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.
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
1964 Medal
It's Like This, Cat
by Emily Neville
The story of a fourteen-year-old New York boy and his relationships with a stray tomcat, an eccentric old woman, a troubled older boy, his first female friend, and his father. For grades 5-8.
RC 22850
1964 Honor Books
Rascal
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.
RC 41995
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.
RC 59016
1963
1963 Medal
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.
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.
RC 34824
1962
1962 Medal
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.
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
1961 Medal
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.
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.
RC 58857
RCF 4993 (Spanish language)
1960
1960 Medal
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.
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.
RC 50211
1959
1959 Medal
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.
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.
RC 48442
1958
1958 Medal
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.
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
1957 Medal
- Miracles on Maple Hill
- by Virginia Sorenson
- As a newly returned POW, a father experiences difficulty in adjusting to his old way of life. When the family moves into a country farmhouse, his ten-year-old daughter sees magic in the changing seasons, and eventually in the changes in her father. For grades 4-7.
- RC 23479
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.
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
1956 Medal
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.
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
1955 Medal
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.
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.
RC 18958
1954
1954 Medal
...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.
RC 23489
1953
1953 Medal
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.
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.
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.
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.
RC 40773
1952
1952 Medal
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.
RC 58399
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
1951 Medal
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.
RC 23596
1950
1950 Medal
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.
RC 22885
1949
1949 Medal
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.
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
1948
1948 Medal
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.
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.
RC 25353
1947
1947 Medal
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.
RC 22824
1946
1946 Medal
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.
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
1945 Medal
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.
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.
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
1944 Medal
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.
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.
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
1943 Medal
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.
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
1942 Medal
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.
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.
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
1941 Medal
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.
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.
RC 21198
1940
1940 Medal
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.
RC 21197
1939
1939 Medal
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.
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.
RC 23301
1938
1938 Medal
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.
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.
RC 21196
1937
1937 Medal
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.
RC 23119
1936
1936 Medal
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.
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
1935 Medal
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.
RC 23168
1934
1934 Medal
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.
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
1933 Medal
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.
RC 23364
1932
1932 Medal
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.
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
1931 Medal
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.
RC 58398
1930
1930 Medal
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.
RC 58360
1929
1929 Medal
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.
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.
RC 43117
1928
1928 Medal
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
1927 Medal
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.
RC 23452
1926
1926 Medal
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.
RC 58412
1925
1925 Medal
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.
RC 24830
1924
1924 Medal
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.
RC 23407
1923
1923 Medal
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 16371 Volume
1
BR 16371 Volume 2
RC 28256
1922
1922 Medal
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.
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
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 alphabetical order by title; the date accompanying each title is that of the Newbery Medal award.
Electronic braille versions of books in this list are available to registered Web-Braille readers and 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 cassette (RC) are available to readers registered at a cooperating library.