Newbery Books - Exodus Books

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Click here for a complete list of Newbery Medalists, organized by year with ratings, FLAWS, and links to book reviews.

Once upon a time there was a bookseller. His name was Frederic G. Melcher, and he knew in his heart that books for children were just as important as books for adults, if not more so. Why, he wondered, are they so often ignored? He thought and thought, and decided in the end that it didn't matter why; what mattered was that he did something to change all that.

He did. In 1921, he proposed the Newbery Award to the American Library Association, a prize named for 18th-century English bookseller John Newbery to be given to the most distinguished American children's book published the previous year. The Association's Executive Board approved the idea, much to the joy of children's librarians everywhere, and the first Newbery Award was given in 1922.

The express purpose of the medal was "To encourage original creative work in the field of books for children. To emphasize to the public that contributions to the literature for children deserve similar recognition to poetry, plays, or novels. To give those librarians, who make it their life work to serve children's reading interests, an opportunity to encourage good writing in this field."

Melcher's brainchild was the first children's book award in the world, and remains the measure of all the others. He went on to initiate the Caldecott Award for best illustrated children's book, and together the Newbery and the Caldecott provide an important standard for evaluating children's books in the United States and beyond.

Between 2012-2014, our friend Caleb undertook the project of reviewing ALL the medalists, which he completed (he wrote a sad summary of his journey here). While that is essentially done (we haven't managed to keep it up), we're now gathering information to compile reviews for the honor books! If you'd like to be a part of that process, we invite you to join us at the Facebook group "The Newbery Books Discussion Group."

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	All Sail Set by Armstrong Sperry from David R. Godine Nautical Fiction for 4th-8th grade 1936 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $14.95 $10.00 (2 in stock)
	Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo from Candlewick Press Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade 2001 Newbery Honor Book in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo from Scholastic Inc. Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade 2001 Newbery Honor Book in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare from Houghton Mifflin Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade 1962 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
	Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis from Yearling Realistic Fiction for 4th-6th grade 2000 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $8.99 $5.00 (3 in stock)
	Claudette Colvin Twice Toward Justice by Philip Hoose from Square Fish Publishing for 6th-9th grade 2010 Newbery Honor Book, 2010 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book, National Book Award in Biographies (Location: BIO) $7.50 (1 in stock)
	Commodore Perry in the Land of the Shogun by Rhoda Blumberg from HarperCollins Historical Non-Fiction for 4th-8th grade 1986 Newbery Honor Book in Japan (Location: HISMC-JAP) $9.99 $7.00 (2 in stock)
	Dark Frigate by Charles Boardman Hawes from Little, Brown & Company Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade 1924 Newbery Medal winner in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.50 (1 in stock)
	Down Ryton Water by E.R. Gaggin from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd. for 4th-6th grade 1942 Newbery Honor in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.50 (2 in stock)
	Eleanor Roosevelt A Life of Discovery by Russell Freedman from Clarion Books Biography for 4th-6th grade 1994 Newbery Honor Book in Biographies (Location: BIO) $11.95 $7.50 (1 in stock)
	Elijah Of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis from Scholastic Inc. for 4th-6th grade 2008 Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner, 2008 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl from Firebird Press for 7th-9th grade 1971 Newbery Honor Book in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI) $8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Flora & Ulysses The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo Reprint from Candlewick Press for 3rd-6th grade 2014 Newbery Medal winner in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Forgotten Daughter by Caroline Dale Snedeker from American Home-School Publishing for 7th-10th grade 1934 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Getting Near to Baby by Audrey Couloumbis from Scholastic Inc. for 4th-8th grade 2000 Newbery Honor Book in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Golden Fleece And the Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles by Padraic Colum & Willy Pogany from Aladdin Paperbacks Greek Mythology for 3rd-8th grade 1922 Newbery Honor Book in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $10.99 $6.00 (2 in stock)
	Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson from HarperCollins for 5th-8th grade. 1979 Newbery Honor Book in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $4.00 (2 in stock)
	Great Wheel by Robert Lawson from Walker and Company Realistic fiction for 4th-8th grade 1958 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99 $6.00 (2 in stock)
	Homesick: My Own Story by Jean Fritz from PaperStar Books Autobiography for 4th-8th grade 1983 Newbery Honor Book in Biographies (Location: BIO) $7.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
	Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer from Penguin Putnam for 4th-6th grade 2001 Newbery Honor Book in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer Reprint from Atheneum for 8th-Adult 2003 Newbery Honor Book; 2003 National Book Award for Young People's Literature in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI) $12.99 $7.00 (1 in stock)
	I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Treviño from Square Fish Publishing Realistic Fiction/Slavery for 5th-8th grade 1966 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99 $4.50 (3 in stock)
	I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Treviño from Farrar, Straus and Giroux Realistic Fiction/Slavery for 5th-8th grade 1966 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.00 (2 in stock)
	In the Beginning Creation Stories from Around the World by Virginia Hamilton, Illustrated by Barry Moser from Houghton Mifflin for 3rd-8th grade 1989 Newbery Honor Book in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $20.00 $11.00 (1 in stock)
	Incident at Hawk's Hill by Allan W. Eckert from Little, Brown & Company Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade 1972 Newbery Honor Book in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $8.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai Reprint from HarperCollins Narrative Poetry / Novel-In-Verse for 4th-8th grade 2012 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Kildee House by Rutherford G. Montgomery from Walker and Company for 4th-6th grade 1950 Newbery Honor Book in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $4.00 (2 in stock)
	Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman from Houghton Mifflin Biography for 5th-9th grade 1988 Newbery Medal winner in Biographies (Location: BIO) $12.99 $7.50 (5 in stock)
	M. C. Higgins, the Great by Virginia Hamilton from Aladdin Paperbacks for 6th-10th grade 1975 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $2.00 (1 in stock)
	Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen, illustrated by Beth & Joe Krush 2003 edition from Harcourt Family Stories for 4th-7th grade 1957 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99 $5.00 (4 in stock)
	Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick from Scholastic Press for 3rd-6th grade 2010 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope from Scholastic Inc. Historical Fantasy for 5th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Sing Down the Moon by Scott O'Dell from HMH Books for Young Readers for 6th-8th grade 1971 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
	String in the Harp by Nancy Bond from Puffin Books for 4th-8th grade 1977 Newbery Honor Book in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Swift Rivers by Cornelia Meigs from Bloomsbury Publishing Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade 1933 Newbery Honor Book in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $9.99 $6.00 (2 in stock)
	Swift Rivers by Cornelia Meigs from Walker and Company Historical Fiction for 3rd-7th grade 1933 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.50 (1 in stock)
	True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi from Scholastic Press for 3rd-7th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $9.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine from HarperCollins for 4th-7th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine from HarperCollins for 4th-7th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	View From Saturday by E. L. Konigsburg from Aladdin Paperbacks for 5th-9th grade 1997 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99 $4.50 (3 in stock)
	Volcano The Eruption and Healing of Mount St. Helens by Patricia Lauber from Simon and Schuster for 3rd-6th grade 1987 Newbery Honor Book in Natural Disasters: Earthquakes & Volcanoes (Location: SCI-EARVO) $9.99 $6.00 (4 in stock)
	Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk from Puffin Books for 6th-10th grade 2017 Newbery Honor Book in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck from Puffin Books Humorous Family Stories for 5th-9th grade 2001 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)

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