Newbery Awards 2011 & 2012 & 2013 & 2014
Great place to start!
2014: Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo
It begins, as the best superhero stories do, with a tragic accident that has unexpected consequences. The squirrel never saw the vacuum cleaner coming, but self-described cynic Flora Belle Buckman, who has read every issue of the comic book Terrible Things Can Happen to You!, is the just the right person to step in and save him. What neither can predict is that Ulysses (the squirrel) has been born anew, with powers of strength, flight, and misspelled poetry — and that Flora will be changed too, as she discovers the possibility of hope and the promise of a capacious heart. From Kate DiCamillo (Because of Wynn-Dixie, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane) comes a laugh-out-loud story filled with eccentric, endearing characters and featuring an exciting new format — a novel with comic-style graphic sequences and full-page illustrations.
2013: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Ivan’s transformative emergence from the “Ape at Exit 8” to “The One and Only Ivan, Mighty Silverback,” comes to life through the gorilla’s own distinct narrative voice, which is filled with wry humor, deep emotion and thought-provoking insights into the nature of friendship, hope and humanity. When a baby elephant comes to join Ivan, Bob the dog and Stella the elephant at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall, Ivan realizes he cannot let Ruby live out her days in this domain. He figures out a solution that seems nearly impossible!
2012: Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
Dead End in Norvelt is a novel about an incredible two months for a kid named Jack Gantos, whose plans for vacation excitement are shot down when he is "grounded for life." But plenty of excitement follows when Jack's mom loans him out to help a fiesty old neighbor with a most unusual chore—typewriting obituaries filled with stories about the people who founded his utopian town. Gantos, the author of the Joey Pigza books, is irreverent and knows his audience, middle schoolers!
2011: Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool.
This is the story of a young girl whose father sends her to Manifest, Kansas during the depression to live with the town preacher Shady. Abilene discovers a hidden cigar box filled with treasures and begins a search to learn more about the owner and the significance of each treasure. This story is reminiscent of Because of Winn-Dixie. A wonderful story of lost and found!
Newbery Honor Books 2014
Paperboy by Vincent Vawter (Mrs. Covell gives this one 4.5 Bats out of 5)
This is a heart warming coming of age book based on the true life experiences of stutterer Vince Vawter. In 1959 he was living in Memphis, TN. and was asked to take over his best friends paper route for a couple of weeks. The paper route poses challenges for a boy with a stutter, but it's a run-in with the neighborhood junkman, a bully and thief, that stirs up real trouble--and puts his life, as well as that of his family's devoted housekeeper, in danger. This seemingly simple story is a powerful look at the challenges faced by a boy with a stutter.
One Came Home by Amy Timberlake
In 1871 Wisconsin, love, betrayal, grief and violence spur 13-year-old Georgie on a gripping adventure full of hardship, heartbreak and terror. As she tries to solve the mystery of her sister’s disappearance, Georgie and her brash, humorous voice pull readers along on her journey of self-discovery. Find out how gets a bullet hole in her skirt and proposes to her sister's former boyfriend, or finds herself face to face with a cougar. Georgia seems to attract trouble like bees
attract honey!
Newbery Honor Books 2013
Splendor and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz
The master puppeteer, Gaspare Grisini, is so expert at manipulating his stringed puppets that they appear alive. Clara Wintermute, the only child of a wealthy doctor, is spellbound by Grisini’s act and invites him to entertain at her birthday party. Lizzie Rose and Parsefall are dazzled by the Wintermute home. Clara seems to have everything they lack — adoring parents, warmth, and plenty to eat. In fact, Clara’s life is shadowed by grief, guilt, and secrets. When Clara vanishes that night, suspicion of kidnapping falls upon the puppeteer and, by association, Lizzie Rose and Parsefall. You will discover Grisini's wicked past just as Lizzie Rose unravels the truth. Will her knowledge save the day or end in tragedy?
Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage Rising sixth grader Miss Moses LoBeau lives in the small town of Tupelo Landing, NC, where everyone's business is fair game and no secret is sacred. She washed ashore in a hurricane eleven years ago, and she's been making waves ever since. When a lawman comes to town asking about a murder, Mo and her best friend Dale Earnhardt Johnson III, set out to uncover the truth in hopes of saving the only family Mo has ever known. Mo has a strong voice and tells a tale that is a real page turner.
Newbery Honor Books 2012
Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Hà and her family flee war-torn Vietnam for the American South. In spare yet vivid verse, she chronicles her year-long struggle to find her place in a new and shifting world.
Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin
On the eve of his induction into the Young Pioneers, Sasha’s world is overturned when his father is arrested by Stalin’s guard. Yelchin deftly crafts a stark and compelling story of a child’s lost idealism.
Newbery Honor Books 2011
Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm
Jobs during the Depression are hard to come by, and Turtle's mother is lucky to find work as a live-in housekeeper. When she learns that her employer can't stand children, she sends her 11-year-old daughter from New Jersey to Key West to live with relatives. Unfortunately, she forgets to let her family know Turtle is coming! Life in Florida is a whole lot different and Turtle learns much about people and herself as she adjusts to the Keys and the changes that follow.
Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus
This historical novel is a swashbuckling adventure of shipwrecks, whaling, and a search for home. The story is based on the true story of a young fisherman believed to be the first Japanese person to visit America, who against all odds, becomes a samurai.
Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Rick Allen
Joyce Sidman has elegantly crafted twelve poems rich in content and varied in format. Along with the poetry, accompanying prose pieces about nocturnal flora and fauna are as magical as the poems. This collection is “a feast of sound and spark.”
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
Set in 1968 Oakland, California this novel tells the story of one crazy summer! The voices of sisters Delphine, Vonetta and Fern sing in three-part harmony in this wonderfully humorous novel. The three girls find adventure when they are sent to meet their poet-mother Cecile, who prints flyers for the politically charged Black Panthers.
Great place to start!
2014: Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo
It begins, as the best superhero stories do, with a tragic accident that has unexpected consequences. The squirrel never saw the vacuum cleaner coming, but self-described cynic Flora Belle Buckman, who has read every issue of the comic book Terrible Things Can Happen to You!, is the just the right person to step in and save him. What neither can predict is that Ulysses (the squirrel) has been born anew, with powers of strength, flight, and misspelled poetry — and that Flora will be changed too, as she discovers the possibility of hope and the promise of a capacious heart. From Kate DiCamillo (Because of Wynn-Dixie, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane) comes a laugh-out-loud story filled with eccentric, endearing characters and featuring an exciting new format — a novel with comic-style graphic sequences and full-page illustrations.
2013: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Ivan’s transformative emergence from the “Ape at Exit 8” to “The One and Only Ivan, Mighty Silverback,” comes to life through the gorilla’s own distinct narrative voice, which is filled with wry humor, deep emotion and thought-provoking insights into the nature of friendship, hope and humanity. When a baby elephant comes to join Ivan, Bob the dog and Stella the elephant at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall, Ivan realizes he cannot let Ruby live out her days in this domain. He figures out a solution that seems nearly impossible!
2012: Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
Dead End in Norvelt is a novel about an incredible two months for a kid named Jack Gantos, whose plans for vacation excitement are shot down when he is "grounded for life." But plenty of excitement follows when Jack's mom loans him out to help a fiesty old neighbor with a most unusual chore—typewriting obituaries filled with stories about the people who founded his utopian town. Gantos, the author of the Joey Pigza books, is irreverent and knows his audience, middle schoolers!
2011: Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool.
This is the story of a young girl whose father sends her to Manifest, Kansas during the depression to live with the town preacher Shady. Abilene discovers a hidden cigar box filled with treasures and begins a search to learn more about the owner and the significance of each treasure. This story is reminiscent of Because of Winn-Dixie. A wonderful story of lost and found!
Newbery Honor Books 2014
Paperboy by Vincent Vawter (Mrs. Covell gives this one 4.5 Bats out of 5)
This is a heart warming coming of age book based on the true life experiences of stutterer Vince Vawter. In 1959 he was living in Memphis, TN. and was asked to take over his best friends paper route for a couple of weeks. The paper route poses challenges for a boy with a stutter, but it's a run-in with the neighborhood junkman, a bully and thief, that stirs up real trouble--and puts his life, as well as that of his family's devoted housekeeper, in danger. This seemingly simple story is a powerful look at the challenges faced by a boy with a stutter.
One Came Home by Amy Timberlake
In 1871 Wisconsin, love, betrayal, grief and violence spur 13-year-old Georgie on a gripping adventure full of hardship, heartbreak and terror. As she tries to solve the mystery of her sister’s disappearance, Georgie and her brash, humorous voice pull readers along on her journey of self-discovery. Find out how gets a bullet hole in her skirt and proposes to her sister's former boyfriend, or finds herself face to face with a cougar. Georgia seems to attract trouble like bees
attract honey!
Newbery Honor Books 2013
Splendor and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz
The master puppeteer, Gaspare Grisini, is so expert at manipulating his stringed puppets that they appear alive. Clara Wintermute, the only child of a wealthy doctor, is spellbound by Grisini’s act and invites him to entertain at her birthday party. Lizzie Rose and Parsefall are dazzled by the Wintermute home. Clara seems to have everything they lack — adoring parents, warmth, and plenty to eat. In fact, Clara’s life is shadowed by grief, guilt, and secrets. When Clara vanishes that night, suspicion of kidnapping falls upon the puppeteer and, by association, Lizzie Rose and Parsefall. You will discover Grisini's wicked past just as Lizzie Rose unravels the truth. Will her knowledge save the day or end in tragedy?
Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage Rising sixth grader Miss Moses LoBeau lives in the small town of Tupelo Landing, NC, where everyone's business is fair game and no secret is sacred. She washed ashore in a hurricane eleven years ago, and she's been making waves ever since. When a lawman comes to town asking about a murder, Mo and her best friend Dale Earnhardt Johnson III, set out to uncover the truth in hopes of saving the only family Mo has ever known. Mo has a strong voice and tells a tale that is a real page turner.
Newbery Honor Books 2012
Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Hà and her family flee war-torn Vietnam for the American South. In spare yet vivid verse, she chronicles her year-long struggle to find her place in a new and shifting world.
Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin
On the eve of his induction into the Young Pioneers, Sasha’s world is overturned when his father is arrested by Stalin’s guard. Yelchin deftly crafts a stark and compelling story of a child’s lost idealism.
Newbery Honor Books 2011
Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm
Jobs during the Depression are hard to come by, and Turtle's mother is lucky to find work as a live-in housekeeper. When she learns that her employer can't stand children, she sends her 11-year-old daughter from New Jersey to Key West to live with relatives. Unfortunately, she forgets to let her family know Turtle is coming! Life in Florida is a whole lot different and Turtle learns much about people and herself as she adjusts to the Keys and the changes that follow.
Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus
This historical novel is a swashbuckling adventure of shipwrecks, whaling, and a search for home. The story is based on the true story of a young fisherman believed to be the first Japanese person to visit America, who against all odds, becomes a samurai.
Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Rick Allen
Joyce Sidman has elegantly crafted twelve poems rich in content and varied in format. Along with the poetry, accompanying prose pieces about nocturnal flora and fauna are as magical as the poems. This collection is “a feast of sound and spark.”
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
Set in 1968 Oakland, California this novel tells the story of one crazy summer! The voices of sisters Delphine, Vonetta and Fern sing in three-part harmony in this wonderfully humorous novel. The three girls find adventure when they are sent to meet their poet-mother Cecile, who prints flyers for the politically charged Black Panthers.