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

39 Items found Print

Active Filters:

Caleb's Reviews,

Trade Paperback

	And Now Miguel by Joseph Krumgold from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction for 5th-8th grade 1954 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $5.99
	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)
	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) $9.99
	Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi from Hyperion/Madison Press for 4th-8th grade 2003 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99
	Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins from Greenwillow Books for 6th-9th grade 2006 Newbery Medal Winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	Daniel Boone by James Daugherty from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd. for 4th-6th grade 1940 Newbery Medal winner in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Dark Frigate by Charles Boardman Hawes Dover 2018 from Dover Publications Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade 1924 Newbery Medal winner in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.99
	Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos from Square Fish Publishing for 5th-8th grade 2012 Newbery Medal Winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt from Atheneum for 6th-10th grade 1983 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $12.99
	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)
	Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes from Harcourt Realistic Animal Fiction for 2nd-5th grade 1952 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99
	Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz from Candlewick Press for 5th-9th grade 2008 Newbery Medal Winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $12.99
	Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman from HarperCollins for 6th-9th grade 2009 Newbery Medal winner, 2010 Carnegie Medal in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $10.99
	Hatchet by Gary Paulsen from Aladdin Paperbacks for 4th-8th grade 1988 Newbery Honor Book in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $8.99
	Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley Reissue from Puffin Books for 5th-9th grade 1985 Newbery Medal Winner in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $6.99
	High King Prydain Chronicles #5 by Lloyd Alexander from Henry Holt and Company Fantasy for 4th-8th grade 1969 Newbery Medal winner in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $7.99
	Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron from Atheneum for 4th-8th grade 2007 Newbery Medal Winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	Holes Holes Series #1 by Louis Sachar from Yearling for 4th-6th grade 1999 Newbery Medal winner in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $8.99
	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)
	Invincible Louisa The Story of the Author of Little Women by Cornelia Meigs from Little, Brown & Company Biography for 5th-8th grade 1934 Newbery Medal winner in Biographies (Location: BIO) $13.99
	Joyful Noise Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman from HarperCollins for 2nd-6th grade 1989 Newbery Medal winner in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL) $6.99
	Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata from Atheneum for 6th-9th grade 2005 Newbery Medal Winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $8.99
	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)
	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)
	Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool from Yearling for 6th-10th grade 2011 Newbery Medal Winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	Number the Stars by Lois Lowry Reissue from Sandpiper Books for 5th-8th grade 1990 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99
	One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate from HarperCollins for 3rd-7th grade 2013 Newbery Award Winner in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Smoky the Cowhorse by Will James from Aladdin Paperbacks for 5th-8th grade 1927 Newbery Medal winner in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI) $8.99
	Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem Van Loon, updated by John Merriman from W. W. Norton and Co. for 5th-8th grade 1922 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
	Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem Van Loon, updated and introduced by Robert Sullivan from W. W. Norton and Co. for 5th-8th grade 1922 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $18.95
	Tale of Despereaux Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo from Candlewick Press for 3rd-6th grade 2004 Newbery Medal winner in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.99
	Tales from Silver Lands by Charles J. Finger from Dover Publications for 4th-8th grade 1925 Newbery Medal winner in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $12.99
	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)
	Visit to William Blake's Inn by Nancy Willard 1^st edition from Harcourt Children's Books for 1st-4th grade 1982 Newbery Medal, 1982 Caldecott Honor Book in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL) $9.99
	Waterless Mountain by Laura Adams Armer from Dover Publications for 4th-8th grade 1932 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $5.99
	When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead from Yearling for 5th-9th grade 2010 Newbery Medal winner in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI) $7.99
	Wrinkle in Time Wrinkle in Time Series #1 by Madeleine L'Engle from Square Fish Publishing Fantasy for 4th-9th grade 1963 Newbery Medal winner in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.99
	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)

Shop

Support

Hours & Directions

Connect