Newbery Books - Exodus Books

Store Location

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."

Did you find this review helpful?

Parent Categories

Fiction & Literature

Award-Winning Books

Newbery Books

45 Items found Print

Active Filters:

Historical Fiction,

Used Books & Materials

	Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt from Berkley Books Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade 1965 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.49 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt from Berkley Books Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade 1965 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.49 $3.60 (1 in stock)
	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) $12.71 $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin from Square Fish Publishing for 4th-7th grade 2012 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.64 $4.00 (2 in stock)
	Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham from Houghton Mifflin Biography for 5th-9th grade 1956 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $13.59 $7.20 (1 in stock)
	Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham from Scholastic Inc. Biography for 5th-9th grade 1956 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $2.00 (1 in stock)
	Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham, illustrated by John O'Hara Cosgrave II from Houghton Mifflin Biography for 5th-9th grade 1956 Newbery Medal winner in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $16.00 (1 in stock)
	Cedric the Forester by Bernard Marshall from CreateSpace for 6th-8th grade 1922 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Codfish Musket by Agnes Hewes, illustrated by Armstrong Sperry from Doubleday, Doran & Company Inc. for 8th-12th grade 1937 Newbery Honor Book in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $45.00 (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) $3.60 (2 in stock)
	Downright Dencey by Caroline Dale Snedeker, illustrated by Maginel Wright Barney from Doubleday & Company Realistic Fiction for 6th-9th grade 1928 Newbery Honor Book in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $17.60 (1 in stock)
	Dragonwings Golden Mountain Chronicles: 1903 by Laurence Yep from HarperCollins Historical fiction for 5th-8th grade 1976 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.79 $3.60 (2 in stock)
	Dragonwings Golden Mountain Chronicles: 1903 by Laurence Yep from Scholastic Inc. Historical fiction for 5th-8th grade 1976 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $3.20 (1 in stock)
	Elijah Of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis from Scholastic Inc. Nursery Rhymes for 4th-6th grade 2008 Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner, 2008 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.20 (2 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) $8.00 (1 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) $8.49 $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell from Houghton Mifflin Realistic Fictio for 5th-8th grade 1961 Newbery Medal Winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.60 (1 in stock)
	Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell Anv from Sandpiper Books Realistic Fiction for 5th-8th grade 1961 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.49 $4.00 (2 in stock)
	Jazz Man by Mary Hays Weik 2^nd edition from Aladdin Paperbacks for 3rd-6th grade Newbery Honor Book 1967 in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $5.94 $3.20 (1 in stock)
	Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes from Yearling Historical Fiction/Adventure for 3rd-10th grade 1944 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.50 (2 in stock)
	Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt from Scholastic Inc. for 7th-9th grade 2005 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.40 (1 in stock)
	Matchlock Gun by Walter Edmonds from PaperStar Books Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade 1942 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.64 $3.60 (3 in stock)
	Moccasin Trail Puffin Newbery Library by Eloise J. McGraw from Puffin Books Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade 1953 Newbery Honor Book in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.64 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Moccasin Trail Puffin Newbery Library by Eloise J. McGraw 9th impression from Coward McCann Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade 1953 Newbery Honor Book in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $28.00 (1 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) $7.64 $4.00 (2 in stock)
	Moved-Outers by Florence Crannell Means from Walker and Company for 4th-6th grade 1946 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	My Brother Sam Is Dead by James & Christopher Collier from Four Winds Press Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade 1975 Newbery Honor Book in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $7.20 (1 in stock)
	Nothing But the Truth A Documentary Novel by Avi from Orchard Books for 3rd-6th grade 1992 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $5.60 (1 in stock)
	One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia Reprint from Amistad Press for 4th-7th grade 2011 Newbery Honor Book, National Book Award, Coretta Scott King Award, Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.49 $4.00 (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)
	Pran of Albania by Elizabeth Miller, illustrated by Maud & Miska Petersham 1930s printing from Doubleday, Doran & Company Inc. for 6th-10th grade 1930 Newbery Honor Book in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $92.00 (1 in stock)
	Road from Home by David Kherdian from Greenwillow Books for 7th-9th grade 1980 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.64 $4.80 (2 in stock)
	Road from Home by David Kherdian from Greenwillow Books for 7th-9th grade 1980 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare from Yearling Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade 1984 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $2.80 (1 in stock)
	Slave Dancer by Paula Fox from Laurel-Leaf Books Historical Fiction for 6th-8th grade 1974 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $5.53 $2.40 (1 in stock)
	Slave Dancer by Paula Fox from Simon and Schuster Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade 1974 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $6.40 (2 in stock)
	Slave Dancer by Paula Fox from Simon and Schuster Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade 1974 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $6.40 (1 in stock)
	Slave Dancer by Paula Fox from Bradbury Press Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade 1974 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Slave Dancer by Paula Fox, illustrated by Eros Keith from Bradbury Press Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade 1974 Newbery Medal winner in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $9.60 (1 in stock)
	Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem Van Loon Black & Gold Updated Edition from LiveRight for 5th-8th grade 1922 Newbery Medal winner in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $7.20 (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) $8.49 $4.80 (1 in stock)
	To Be a Slave Puffin Modern Classics by Julius Lester, illustrated by Tom Feelings from Puffin Books Historical Non-fiction for 6th-10th grade 1969 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $3.60 (1 in stock)
	Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss from HarperCollins for 3rd-6th grade 1973 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $2.00 (1 in stock)
	Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare Reissue from Sandpiper Books Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade 1959 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.49 $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Young Mac of Fort Vancouver by Mary Jane Carr, illustrated by Richard Holberg from Thomas Y. Crowell & Co. for 5th-8th grade 1941 Newbery Honor Book in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.00 (1 in stock)

Shop

Support

Hours & Directions

Connect