Newbery 1990

Number the Stars
Author: Lois Lowry
Genre: Historical Fiction
Plot: Annemarie and her family hide Ellen, who is a Jew, in WWII Denmark.
Verdict: Not my favorite Lowry book
My rating: 3 stars


Afternoon of the Elves
Author: Janet Taylor Lisle
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Plot: Hilary gets involved with her strange neighbor Sara-Kate and her "elf" village.
Verdict: Not what it seems to be
My rating: 2 stars


Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind
Author:
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Plot: Shabanu and her family raise camels and prepare for her sister's wedding
Verdict: A bit graphic in parts
My rating: 3 stars


The Winter Room
Author: Gary Paulsen
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Plot: Eldon passes the winter by listening to his uncle's stories.
Verdict: Short and sweet
My rating: 3 stars

None of the books from this year really stand out for me.  I love Lois Lowry's writing but Number the Stars is actually not one of my favorites from her.  I can see why it won the medal because of it's ties to the Holocaust and everything but in my opinion, she's written better.  She is one of the few, two-time medal winners, winning again in 1994 for The Giver (which is my favorite book).

Afternoon of the Elves sets itself up to be like Bridge to Terebithia with a potential door to another world which never appears.  What is actually going on with Sara-Kate is really dark and does not come out until the very end.  Shabanu is also very dark.  I was very surprised that is not on the challenged list because parts of it are a bit graphic for a children's book (there's an attempted rape).  It is one of the few books that deals with Islam in more than a passing sense on the Newbery list.  I read that it has been criticized by Muslims for not being an accurate portrayal of modern marriage customs.   I put off reading The Winter Room because I am not a fan of Gary Paulsen but this book was not bad.  It is extremely short.