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.