Newbery 1991

Maniac Magee
Author: Jerry Spinelli
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Plot: Maniac Magee is a homeless white boy who finds himself in an extremely segregated town.
Verdict: Interesting tale
My rating: 3 stars


The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
Author: Avi
Genre: Historical Fiction
Plot: Charlotte Doyle is a young lady who travels to America on a cargo ship.  During the voyager there is a mutiny and Charlotte joins the crew
Verdict: Not realistic at all
My rating: 3 stars

Both of these books are a little odd.  Maniac Magee is written like "the true story" of a legend.  The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle is exquisitely crafted and well written but I find it very hard to believe the premise. 

Newbery 1988

Lincoln: A Photobiography
Author: Russell Freedman
Genre: Non-fiction
Plot:  The story of President Abraham Lincoln from birth to assassination.
Verdict:  Interestingly written biography
My rating: 3 stars


After the Rain
Author: Norma Fox Mazer
Genre: Contemporary realistic fiction
Plot: Rachel deals with the fact that her grandfather is slowly dying of mesothelioma.
Verdict:  Heart wrenching story
My rating: 3 stars


Hatchet
Author: Gary Paulsen
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Plot: Brian finds himself stranded in the Canadian wilderness after a plane crash with only his hatchet to help him survive.
Verdict:  Boring with an abrupt ending
My rating: 1 star

Let me honest and say that I had a terrible experience with Hatchet during seventh grade.  It was assigned reading my teacher basically ruined the book.  I wasn't into the survival genre either and I was extremely disappointed by the ending. 

After the Rain could be very useful for a student who has a dying relative and it struck a cord with me because I have lost many close relatives.  However, the rest of the plot of the book did not spark my interest so I could not rate it higher than 3 stars. 

I remember being assigned Lincoln during my children's lit course and I enjoyed it.  It has lots of pictures (so it really is a "photobiography") and gives an interesting account of the life of Lincoln.  It was definitely my favorite of the three.

Newbery 2013

The One and Only Ivan
Author: Katherine Applegate
Genre: Animal Fantasy
Plot: Ivan is a gorilla who lives at a shopping mall with his friends that include an elephant and a dog.
Verdict: First Person Gorilla
My rating: 4 stars


Splendors and Glooms
Author: Laura Amy Schultz
Genre: Fantasy
Plot: Lizzie Rose and Parse travel with their guardian, puppet master Grisini.  After they perform at rich girl Clara's party, Clara goes missing and the two children must unravel the mystery
Verdict: Extremely creepy
My rating: 4 stars


Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon
Author: Steve Sheinkin
Genre: Nonfiction
Plot: The stories behind the scientists, politicians and spies involved in the race to build the atomic bomb.
Verdict: Excellently written
My rating: 4 stars






Three Times Lucky
Author: Sheila Turnage
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Plot: Mo and Dale become amateur detectives after their neighbor turns up dead.
Verdict: Spellbinding mystery
My rating: 4 stars

I felt all the books this year deserved to be on the list.  They were each unique in their own way.  I probably would have given Three Times Lucky the medal but I understand that Ivan, with it's unique writing style from the perspective of a gorilla, had extra medal appeal.  Splendors and Glooms was extremely creepy.  I'm not sure I would use it as a read a loud.