Newbery Award Winning Books

I guess it should be no surprise that I've liked almost all of the Newbery Award winning books that I've read, but it's true. The only exception that I've come across is The Westing Game.

The Westing Game was written by Ellen Raskin and originally published in 1978 and it won the Newbery award in 1979. While the plot was intriguing I was completely lost some of the time because I couldn't figure out who was saying what. The novel is about a very wealthy man Samuel Westing whose death brings together 16 unlikely people to hear the reading of his will. The will pairs people together to play a game of who dun it to discover who murdered Samuel Westing. I think that this novel would have been so much better had the dialogue been easier to follow.

Holes is an absolutely amazing book written by Louis Sachar and originally published in 1998. It won the Newbery Award in 1999. This book so well liked, that it was not only turned into a movie, but also earned a spot on the Publisher's Weekly Bestseller List and won a Christopher Award for Juvenile Fiction.
This novel follows Stanley Yelnats as he is transported to Camp Green Lake where he will serve 18 months for stealing a pair of shoes. Camp Green Lake is no camp of fun and games. It's a camp where young adults are supposed to work in place of going to jail or a juvenile detention center. Stanley didn't actually steal any shoes, he just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. This could be the result of his no good pig stealing great great grandfather, but no one can be sure. While we follow Stanley through this hard time in his life we also follow the story behind the curse of his great great grandfather. Though Stanley has a hard time adjusting to his time at Camp Green Lake by the time he leaves for home he discovers that the Camp has actually transformed him into someone he can respect.

A Year Down Yonder is written by Richard Peck and was published in 2000 and won the Newbery Award in 2001. It's the sequel to A Long Way from Chicago though it's great as a stand alone book too.
In this novel Mary Alice has to go live with her grandmother because the setting is shortly after the great depression when times are tight for everyone. Mary Alice's father is out of work and there are just too many mouths to feed so Mary Alice is sent south to live with her grandmother for a year, until her father gets back on his feet again. Though Mary Alice is used to spending time with her grandmother's house in the Summers, she is not altogether pleased with having to stay there a whole year. She feels like and outsider in a place where everyone knows everyone else, but she comes to find that she likes living with her grandmother and actually is uncomfortable with the idea of having to leave her after the year is up.
I enjoyed reading A Year Down Yonder in an unexpected way. I thought the book may remind me of a Little House on the Prairie type book (not that there is anything wrong with Little House on the prairie), but I was pleasantly surprised. The wholesomeness to this book is well balanced with the brazen who gives a shit attitude of the protagonist's grandmother. I loved the solutions that the grandmother came up with for everyday problems, like putting butter on the paws of a cat when a cat first moves to a new place. This story made me giggle and really gave a good impression of what it must have been like during the time period.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman was the Newbery Award winner for 2009. The Newbery Award isn't the only Award given to Gaiman's work. He has won many awards for several of his books including his Sandman series of which number 19 won a World Fantasy Award, as well as  Endless Nights and The Dream Hunters won the Bram Stoker Award for Best Illustrated Narrative. His work, Coraline, was awarded the Hugo Award for Best Novella, the Nebula Award for Best Novella, and the Bram Stoker Award for Best Work for Young Readers. Needless to say his writing speaks to people in a profound way.
I thought The Graveyard Book would be a morbid downer and I'm happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised. The book follows Nobody Owens as he escapes a murder as a toddler by toddling into a graveyard. As a result the ghosts of the graveyard take him in and promise the ghost of his mother that they will take care of him. He is given a unique education by the inhabitants of the graveyard until he is old enough to find closure to his murdered family and take care of himself. Though the book is somber, I found the characters and setting comforting and the final pages were touching and heart wrenching at the same time.

When You Reach Me is written by Rebecca Stead and won the Newbery Award in 2010. Though Stead has only written a few books, the books that she has written come with glowing reviews, award nominations and a few awards. Stead is definitely an author to keep an eye on in the future.
When You Reach Me is a book about a girl who grows up with a single mother in New York City. She begins getting these letters asking her to do things and so the story is her writing a letter in response the her mystery pen pal. She comes to find that the letters must be written by someone who has gone back in time to stop something terrible from happening, but she can't tell anyone about it because they will think that she's crazy. Though this book sounds like a Sci-fi book, it's actually more of a realistic fiction with time travel playing just a small part in the overall plot.

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village is written by Laura Amy Schlitz and illustrated by Robert Byrd. This book was a Non-fiction Newbery Award winner in 2008. This book gives a depiction of what it was like living in the Medieval Ages from various perspectives. Often these depictions are through verse and contain wonderful pencil and ink illustrations that reinforce the verse's sentiments. I've seen it said that the line between education and entertainment is a fine one and I see this illustrated in this book. It is a quick and easy read that creates a picture of the Medieval ages while also entertaining by giving the people stories.

Amos Fortune: Free man was written by Elizabeth Yates and published in 1950. It won the Newbery Medal in 1951 and has certainly touched my heart. This book is a biography of a man named Amos who was born a prince and destined to be king before his father was murdered and he taking into captivity to be sold as a slave in America. Though Amos longed to break free and save his people, he was unable to. He was sold as a slave, but was given the name fortune because he was fortunate enough to have been bought by a man who treated him as family and was willing to set Amos free. Unfortunately his master died before being able to set Amos free and so he was sold again to a man who agreed to have Amos live with him and learn a trade in order to buy his freedom. After working hard and learning a trade he was able to earn what should have been his all along. He was a skilled tanner who sought out on his own and became a pillar of his community setting people free whenever he could. Amos was an amazing man with tenacity and kindness in abundance and forgiveness beyond what I could muster. I flipped the final page with a sigh of sadness at knowing I will never get to meet this extraordinary individual who could have surely taught me a thing or two about life.