Favorite Newbery Award Winners, pre-2000
There was a period of my reading life when my goal was to read every book ever awarded the Newbery. I had great fun working through the list, though I never did get to some, including Gay-Neck, The Story of a Pigeon by Dhan Mukerji, which won in 1928. Sometimes I found books that I read and reread with delight. Below are some of my favorites from the history of the award.
Roller States by Ruth Sawyer (1936), received 1937 Newbery
My friend Liz introduced me to Roller Skates when we lived in New York together. I love books set in the Big Apple, and this coming of age story about a girl who explores the city on skates is a delight. Set in the 1890s, the book centers on Lucinda who is cared for by the Misses Peters while her parents travel to Italy for a year.
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankwiler by E.L. Konigsburg (1967), received 1968 Newbery
Another glorious book set in New York! Konigsburg acts out the universal dream to live somewhere off limits — in this case, the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Claudia saves up her money and runs away from home, with her little brother in tow. Claudia encounters an artistic mystery and is determined to solve it, even if it means going back home.
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (1978), received the 1979 Newbery
Readers of the blog already know that I am a big fan of The Westing Game. Raskin’s book about a tycoon’s heirs and the mystery they must solve to inherit is a gem. An ensemble cast makes the story lively and complex, and I always try to solve along with them as the clues are revealed.
Dicey’s Song by Cynthia Voigt (1982), received the 1983 Newbery
I read everything by Cynthia Voigt that I could get my hands on when I was a kid. Dicey’s Song is the second book is a series about the Tillerman family. Actually, the one exception was Homecoming, the first in the series — I found the abandonment of the kids too intense for young me, and had to wait until I was older to read it. But I loved Dicey’s Song, in which the same characters settle in to life with their grandmother. Now that Dicey doesn’t have to be responsible for her siblings, she’s relieved but not sure what her role should be.
Holes by Louis Sachar (1998), received the 1999 Newbury
The hilarious Sachar hit gold with this winner in the late 1990s. I love the story of Stanley Yelnats, whose family is cursed. The curse lands him at a rehabilitation camp for juvenile delinquents, where the kids spend their days digging for treasure. Little does Stanley know that the Yelnats family has a connection to the treasure.