Newbery Winners

Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata

Newbery Award Winner

Reading Level: 10 & up

Kira-Kira is a story of a little girl Katie and her Japanese-American family, who must learn to adjust to life in Georgia. Katie’s best friend is her older sister Lynn, whom she looks up to, and who teaches her everything she knows. Katie becomes worried when Lynn becomes sick with Lymphoma and she realizes she could die. This story really touched me when I read it. I remember crying my eyes out over it. I also bought a copy of the book for my older sister because the admiration Katie felt for Lynn I could relate to and thought the wording was so nice that I wanted my sister to know I felt that way about her too. This book brings up some tough, and maybe even controversial, subjects such as racism and death. Overall, a great book to read.

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

Newbery Award Honor

Reading Level: Grade 4 & up

Recommended grades: 4-7, Reading level: 9 and up

Delphine and her sisters, Vonetta and Fern, are on their way to California for the summer to meet their mother that abandoned them when they were babies. They don’t know anything about their mother really and think that this trip will bring them some answers, or at least allow them to get to know their absentee mother, Cecile. What they get instead is “one crazy summer”. I liked this book and thought the political-movement parts are a great way to discuss history with students. I enjoyed Williams-Garcia writing style and the way she wrote the words the way the character would say them; in an Ebonics-sort of way.

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

Newbery Award Winner

Recommended Reading Level: 5^th grade and up

This book discusses the time period when the middle states of the United States had drastic weather conditions such as dust storms and drought, known as the ‘Dust Bowl’ years. The main character, Billie Jo, endures many struggles in her short life as well as the Dust Bowl, such as the tragic death of her mother and brother. Billie Jo and her dad’s relationship is also strained. I felt this was a sad book, but realistic. It made me curious to look up information on the Dust Bowl years (which I did). This would be a good book to tie in with social studies when learning about the Dust Bowl. I also think that the author’s writing style (diary-like entries, free verse, and poetry) is intriguing to young readers.

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis

Newbery Award Winner

Reading Level: Ages 9-12

This Newbery Award Winner is about an orphan who has grown up in several foster homes and an orphanage and is seeking his birth father. All he has left from his biological mother is a bag of rocks, a photograph of his mom as a child, and some fliers of a man Herman Calloway and his jazz band. Bud pursues these fliers and thinks that there is a connection between his father and jazz, and predicts Herman to be his father. The book takes you on Bud’s journey to find out this connection and the reader will be surprised to see how Herman is related to Bud. I remember reading this as a young kid and thinking that Herman was Bud’s dad because the clues were indicating so and that’s what most books and movies as a child were: predictable. But this ending is a little different. Bud, Not Buddy is sad, but also written with humor.

Holes by Louis Sachar

Newbery Award Winner

Reading Level: 9 & up

Holes is another book I can remember reading for a school assignment and enjoying very much. The main character Stanley Yelnats is wrongly accused of stealing and as his punishment is sent to Camp Green Lake, a boys’ juvenile detention center. At Camp Green Lake, the Warden is cruel and forces the boys to dig big, deep holes in the dirt everyday in search of a buried treasure. The boys do not know of the treasure at first nor know that is why they are digging holes. Stanley and another character’s families, “crimes”, and the treasure all tie in together at the end interestingly. Sachar’s writing style for this book is perfect to keep the interest of the reader; entertaining and funny.

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

Newbery Award Winner

Interest Level: Grades 4-7

Thirteen year old Salamanca’s mother has left her. Sal is traveling with her Gram and Gramps from Kentucky to Idaho, hoping to see why her mother has left her and her father. Along the way she tells her grandparents the story of her friend Phoebe, who has a very similar story to herself; such as her mom disappearing. We find out at the end of the story that the reason why Salamanca’s mother will not be returning is because she has passed. Also, Gram dies along the way! It is a sad book for students to read, but it is realistic and can spark conversations and emotions dealing with death and grief.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Newbery Award Winner

Reading Level: 4^th grade & up

Personally, I think that The Giver is an amazing book. I remember reading it long ago and although I may not have fully understood all of it, it did make me think a lot about our world and society and if things like this really occur. Jonas is a 12 year old boy who lives in a world where everyone’s life is predetermined and basically set-up for them. The community in which this takes place strives for “sameness”; all people being void of emotion, color, love, and knowledge. When a child turns 12 they are assigned their life-long job. Jonas is assigned “Receiver of Memory” and needs to store all the past memories prior to “Sameness”. The previous Receiver of Memory was The Giver, who is full of knowledge not available in the community. Very cool point-of-view book and makes the reader wonder and think a lot. I loved it!

Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary

Newbery Award Winner

Reading Level: 9 & up

This Newbery Award Winner is written in diary-format. The main character, Leigh, writes to his favorite author, Mr. Henshaw, for a school assignment. Mr. Henshaw answers him back and asks him some questions. Leigh continues to write down his personal feelings and struggles he endures such as his parents’ divorce and being the new kid in town. The wording is so cute. For example in one letter he signs his name the way it should be pronounced: Leigh (Lēē). I could see why kids would like to read this book and how they can easily relate to Leigh’s thoughts and feelings.