Skip to main content

Newbery Medal books

Lately, I have been going back and reading some Newbery medal books that I somehow missed before. The books are in the Young Adult category, but I enjoy reading them as much as I love adult books.



The oldest one I have read is The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare, which won in 1959. I never tire of reading about colonial times and how their thinking was so different from ours.


My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George was also published in 1959. It is a Newbery Honor book.


Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson won the medal in 1978, but most children today have heard about it because it was recently made into a movie. The book surprised me with its ending.




In his 2001 award winner, A Year Down Yonder, Richard Peck manages to write a delightful book about a Chicago teenager spending a year with her Grandmother in the south without being derogatory to the southern way of life.



Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis won the medal in 2000. This book is my favorite....it made me laugh out loud and cry, something that is hard for a book to do.

My goal is to read all the Newbery Award winners. They have been given out since 1922, so I have a lot of catching up to do.

I'm so thankful that I have the time and ability to read.


I'll be at the library.

Comments

  1. Amy @ Hope Is the WordOctober 11, 2011 at 6:18 AM

    You know I LOVE this post! Witch of Blackbird Pond is one I read numerous times as a child. The Bronze Bow and The Door in the Wall are two of my favorites. Did you think A Year Foan Yonder was hilarious? You need to read A Long Way from Chicago (either it's sequel or prequel, I can't remember which).

    Oh, I could go on and on! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amy @ Hope Is the WordOctober 11, 2011 at 6:20 AM

    Sorry for all the errors--typing on my iPod

    ReplyDelete
  3. lil red henOctober 11, 2011 at 3:52 PM

    Wonderful books! Don't forget Abel's Island and Across Five Aprils (it was a runner-up winner). My oldest daughter is a big fan of young adult fiction. You might enjoy her blog:
    http://musingreader.blogspot.com where she writes about books, etc.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Amish in Stantonville, Tennessee

Last week, my sis and her hub went with us to the Amish community near Stantonville, Tennessee.  It was a beautiful day, and we love driving to new places and finding new treasures.  We enjoy these mini-trips we take together, where we giggle a lot and get caught up on everything.  Also, the squirrels ate all our tomatoes, so we needed to find some to buy. You know the food you are buying is fresh when they bring it from the field while you are standing there waiting for it. Here is part of what we brought home, and it was all delicious. Stantonville is located in McNairy County, Tennessee, northwest of Shiloh National Military Park.
Post a Comment
Read more

Holy Smoke Pie

I think it was in the late seventies that I first had Holy Smoke Pie.  It was at a party at Debra Morris Harville's house.  After we ate, Debra had to give the recipe to everyone there.  I came home and made it for my family, and it has been a favorite since then.  I always make it at holiday dinners, because I believe tradition is important.  It has become a favorite of our granddaughters. I've heard it called Chocolate Delight, Four-Layer Chocolate Dessert, and other odd things.  We call it Holy Smoke.  Here is how I make it: Chop us a cup of pecans; set aside. Add a stick of softened butter (NOT margarine) to one cup of self-rising flour. Cut the butter into the flour. Add the chopped pecans, and work it all together. Save two tablespoons of the pecans to sprinkle on top. Pour into a 9" x 12" pan that has been sprayed with cooking oil. Spread it over the bottom of the pan.  It helps to use your hands (o...
Post a Comment
Read more

Cedar Trees in Cemeteries

If you ever wander in old cemeteries, and I know many of you do, you are bound to see some cedar trees. The tradition goes back to the early days of the United States and even earlier  in Europe.  Cedar trees were not always used, but some type of evergreen trees were planted because they were a symbol of everlasting life.  Some  Cherokees believed that cedars contained powerful spirits, including the spirits of the departed buried beneath them. Perhaps because they are known as burial trees, there are many superstitions that surround cedars.  My grandmother told us in no uncertain terms that if we planted a cedar tree, we would die when it was large enough to shade our graves. Some others are: Never transplant a cedar tree; it will bring bad luck. If you transplant a cedar and it dies, you will die shortly. Planting a cedar tree in your yard welcomes poverty. Some say Christ was crucified on a cedar tree, and wil...
1 comment
Read more