Newbery 1989

Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices
Author: Paul Fleichman
Genre: Poetry
Plot: This is a collection of animal poems designed to be read by two people
Verdict: Great fun
My rating: 4 stars


In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World
Author: Virginia Hamilton
Genre: Folk Fantasy
Plot: This is a collection of creation stories from different cultures.
Verdict: Interesting read
My rating: 3 stars


Scorpions
Author: Walter Dean Myers
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Plot: Jamal's brother Randy is in jail and Jamal is not sure if he should join the Scorpions gang.
Verdict: Not my type of read
My rating: 2 stars

The first two books from this year are excellent for a teacher to have in his or her classroom.  Joyful Noise would make an awesome addition to a poetry unit or for reader's theater.  In the Beginning would work well in a folk tale unit and provides the students and opportunity to compare and contrast different stories about the same subject (the creation of the world/man). 

Scorpions was a bit of a disappointment for me.  I had heard great things about Walter Dean Myers but I just couldn't get into the plot.  It's probably a cultural thing but I really don't like literature with gangs and such.  I will definitely try reading another of Myers' books because the writing itself was excellent but this plot really didn't appeal to me.

Newbery 1977

Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry
Author: Mildred D. Taylor
Genre: Historical Fiction
Plot: Cassie and her family face racism because they are black and own their own land.
Verdict: Intense
My rating: 4 stars


Abel's Island
Author: William Steig
Genre: Animal Fantasy
Plot: Abel, a mouse, gets marooned on an island after he is swept away in a storm.
Verdict: Love the ending
My rating: 3 stars


A String in the Harp
Author: Nancy Bond
Genre: Fantasy
Plot: Peter finds a key that shows him Taliesen.
Verdict: Too whiney
My rating: 1 star

First, we have Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, which often finds itself on banned book list because it dares to talk about racism.  It seems that if you use the "n" word in a book, it automatically gets the book banned.  It was a very intense portrait of the effects of racism in the deep South.  I could not put the book down.  It was also very readable, which was a plus.  It would be interesting to pair it with Sounder.

Second, there's Abel's Island by William Steig, who is one of the few authors to get honored on both the Caldecott and Newbery sides.  This is actually a novella but it has frequent illustrations.  It is a very cute story about a gentleman mouse who is swept off while retrieving his wife's scarf and ends up on an island from which he cannot escape.

Finally, we have A String in the Harp which I did not like at all.  I thought Peter was too whiney and the bit with the key was a bit convoluted. 

Newbery 2005

Kira-Kira
Author: Cynthia Kadohata
Genre: Historical Fiction
Plot: Katie and her family move to the south and her sister Lynn is sick.
Verdict: A bit ploddy
My rating: 2 starso


Al Capone Does My Shirts
Author: Gennifer Choldenko
Genre: Historical Fiction
Plot: Moose must look after his Autistic sister Natalie after his family moves to Alcatraz Island.
Verdict: Darker than expected
My rating: 3 stars


The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marion Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights
Author: Russell Freedman
Genre: Nonfiction
Plot: Marion Anderson was a famous African American contralto who struggled with the Jim Crowe laws.
Verdict: Interesting bit of history I didn't know about
My rating: 4 stars


Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy
Author: Gary D. Schmidt
Genre: Historical Fiction
Plot: Turner moves to Maine when his father becomes the new pastor and stirs up trouble when he befriends Lizzie of Malaga Island.
Verdict: So sad at the end
My rating: 3 stars

Four different aspects of history were explored this year. Kira-Kira did not impress me that much.  Al Capone Does My Shirts, however, was a bit of surprise.  The title is a it witty so I thought the book would be more humorous.  However, it is extremely serious and we had a bit of a discussion in my book group about whether or not the mother was right in expecting Moose to look after Natalie.  I found that I did not know as much as I thought I did about the Civil Rights Movement when I read The Voice that Challenged a Nation.  Marion Anderson was a famous African American singer who faced problems when singing in the South due to the Jim Crowe laws and segratation.  I am glad that Freedman decided to write this book.  Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy starts a bit slow.  Much of what happens to Turner is definitely tongue and cheek but the ending is very sad.  It is a story set within actual historical events.