#88 - A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

2002 Medal Winner

This book takes place in 12th century Korea. Tree-Ear is an orphan living in a potter's village with Crane Man, who took him under his wing as a young boy. Tree-Ear is very interested in how pottery is made, and one day while spying on a potter named Min, Tree-Ear accidentally breaks some of Min's pottery. He offers to work off his debt, and Min accepts. After the agreed upon 9 days of work, Tree-Ear begs Min to allow him to keep working for him, hoping that he can possibly learn the trade. Min does allow him to work, without pay, but to Tree-Ear's great disappointment, does not seem interested in teaching him how to throw a pot.

In the meantime, Tree-Ear and Min's wife, develop a bond - much like mother and son. She even asks him to call her "Ajima" which is similar to "auntie". She takes care of the poor boy, making sure he is well fed and clothed, and even taking care of Crane Man.

One day the royal emissary comes to the village looking for a potter to hire on commission - this is the dream of all potters in the village. The emissary is interested in Min's work, but Min is not willing to travel to the palace many towns over to bring his work. But Tree Ear offers to take it for him. It is a long, dangerous journey, and on the way there - the pottery, which took months of hard, detailed work, is destroyed by robbers. Will Tree-Ear return to Min with shame? All he has is one single shard of the work of Min. Will this be enough for the emissary?

As I've mentioned before, I have a hard time with literature that takes place in this time period. It's just hard for me to get into. And I'll admit, I had to alternate between this book, and a "nonNewbery" to get through it. But, overall, the writing was well done, and it did have a good story to it. I loved the relationships between Tree Ear and Ajima, and between Tree Ear and Crane Man. And the ending was very satisfying.

I haven't forgotten...

Just wanted to give an update...yes, I've been a bit neglectful of my project here, but I haven't given up on it! I've been trying to get my review blog and facebook page up and running, and it's been pretty successful! I've already been approached by some authors and publishing companies to review books for them, and I've been getting so many books in the mail, I'm starting to get a little bit buried, lol! I am seriously going to try to finish my goal of 100 Newberys by the end of the year though! *crossing my fingers* I have 13 left. Here is what I plan to read to make it to my goal:

1. A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
2. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
3. Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
4. Penny From Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm
5. Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
6. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham
7. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt
8. Whittington by Alan Armstrong
9. The Wanderer by Sharon Creech
10. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
11. The Underneath by Jean Appelt
12. Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
13. Julie of the Wolves Jean Craighead George

#87 - Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson

2007 Honor Book

"For most of her life, sixteen-year-old Hattie Brooks has been shuttled from one distant relative to another. Tired of being Hattie Here-and-There, she summons the courage to leave Iowa and move all by herself to Vida, Montana , to prove up on her late uncle's homestead claim. "At least now my letters will be more interesting," she writes to her good friend Charlie, who is fighting the Kaiser in France.

Under the big sky, Hattie braves hard weather, hard times, a cantankerous cow, and her own hopeless hand at the cookstove. Her quest to make a home is championed by her new neighbors Perilee Mueller, her German husband, and their children. For the first time in her life, Hattie feels part of a family, finding the strength to stand up against Traft Martin's schemes to buy her out and against increasing pressure to be a "loyal" American at a time when anything - or anyone - German is suspect. Despite daily trials, Hattie continues to work her uncle's claim until an unforeseen tragedy causes her to search her soul for the real meaning of home."

I loved this book - it definitely had a "little house on the prairie" feel to it. Hattie was a very strong, brave, generous, and hardworking girl. I can't imagine what it must have been like to make your own way far from anyone you know, and create a home, and farm with no experience at all. I love that the ending was left open - does she and her long time friend (who have written letters back and forth while he was at war) reunite once he returns home? Do they get married? I would love to see a second book!

#86 - After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson

2009 Honor Book

"When D Foster walks into Neeka and her best friend's lives, their world opens up. D doesn't have a "real" mom constantly telling her what to do, and the girls envy her independance. But D wants nothing more than to feel connected, and the three girls form a tight bond - and a passion for the music of Tupac Shakur. D's the only one who understand Tupac's songs best, and through her, his lyrics become more personal for all of them.

After Tupac is shot the first time, the girls are awed by how he comes back stronger than ever. And seeing how Tupac keeps on keeping on helps when Neeka's brother is wrongly sent to jail and D's absent mom keeps disappointing. But by the time Tupac is shot again, the girls have turned thirteen and everything's changed, except their belief in finding their Big Purpose."

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the bonds between the three girls and the bonds of family illustrated in this book. The story also illustrates how strongly music can affect one's life.

Neeka's brother, who was wrongly accused of a crime and imprisoned, is openly gay and it was nice to see how, although his family may not have approved of his lifestyle, they still accepted him for who he was, and showed him unconditional love.

#85 - A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers by Nancy Willard

1982 Medal Winner

'Tyger, Tyger, burning bright
In the forests of the night
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

The author of these much-quoted lines is William Blake, who painted and wrote his marvelous books nearly 200 years ago. Inspired by Blake's work, Nancy Willard has written a book of magical poems about life at an imaginary inn, run by none other than William Blake himself.

The inn is staffed by two mighty dragons that brew and bake, two angels that wash and shake the featherbeds, and a rabbit who shows visitors to their rooms. Among the remarkable guests are the Man in the Marmalade Hat, the King of Cats who writes his wife not to 'grow fat like a common kitchen hat,' and two sunflowers who demand a room with a view."

Sigh. Another poetry book. I'm going to be brutally honest here. When books like this win the Newbery medal, it is just proof that it is adults that choose the winning book, and not the children who the book is targeted towards. I don't imagine books like this making the best seller list.

If you are a fan of poetry, you might like it...but for me, it was boring.

#84 - Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman

1989 Medal Winner

"In this remarkable volume of poetry for two voices, a companion to I Am Phoenix, Paul Fleischman verbally recreates the "Booming/boisterous/joyful noise" of insects. The poems resound with the pulse of the cicada and the drone of the honeybee. Eric Beddows's vibrant drawings send each insect soaring, spinning, or creeping off the page in its own unique way."

This book was meant to read aloud by 2 people, some parts in unison, so it was hard to just read through. And if you've read my other posts, you know that I am not a big fan of poetry. Yawn.

#83 - Crispin: the Cross of Lead by Avi

2003 Medal Winner

" 'Asta's son' is all he's ever been called. The lack of name is appropriate, because he and his mother are but poor peasants in fourteenth-century medieval England. But this thirteen-year-old boy who thought he had little to lose soon finds himself with even less - no home, family, or possessions. Accused of a crime he didn't commit, he has been declared a 'wolf's head.' That means he may be killed on sight, by anyone. If he wishes to remain alive, he must flee his tiny village. All the boy takes with him is a newly revealed name - Crispin - and his mother's cross of lead.

His journey through the English countryside is puzzling, amazing, and terrifying. Especially difficult is his encounter with the juggler named Bear. A huge, and possibly even mad, man. Bear forces the boy to become his servant. Bear, however, is a strange master, for he encourages Crispin to think for himself.

Though Bear promises to protect Crispin, it becomes clear that the boy is being relentlessly pursued. Why are his enemies so determined to kill him? Crispin is gradually drawn right into his enemies' fortress, where - in a riveting climax - he must become a different person if he is to save Bear's life and his own."

Ok. See, I posted on facebook yesterday that I dreaded reading this book (which was true), and that I disliked reading medieval period stories (also generally true). Well...guess what? I liked this book! I should've known with Avi being the author (I like many of his other works). It was well written, and very exciting! My favorite character was Bear, although I truly disliked him at first. He ended up being a loving "father figure" and protector for Crispin.

This is one of the great things about this project. I am being "forced" to read books that I wouldn't normally choose to read, and it is making me much more open to other genres!

#82 - 26 Fairmount Avenue by Tomie dePaola

2000 Honor Book

"The 'Big Hurricane of 1938' roars into town...the first day of school takes an unexpected turn for Tomie...so does Mr. Walt Disney's Snow White, the movie everyone had been waiting to see.

All of these events (and more) happened to young Tomie dePaola during the year his family went through the ups-and-downs of building their house at 26 Fairmount Avenue. Adventures with the neighborhood kids and his wonderfully funny extended family will have young readers ready for a first chapter book racing from one episode to the next..."

This was a short, but sweet, book that is a true story of the author's childhood. When you read it, it feels like he is right there telling you his story. My favorite part was when he talked about how he took some "chocolates" from his downstairs Nana and shared them with his upstairs Nana...they weren't chocolate - they were laxatives! lol

#81 - The View From Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg

1997 Medal Winner

"Meet the Souls:

Noah, who quite by accident was best man at the wedding of Ethan's grandmother and Nadia's grandfather

Nadia, a hybrid with a halo of red hair, a dog that's a genius, and a fondness for baby turtles

Ethan, the silent second son of one of Epiphany's oldest families, who discovers he likes halos

Julian, the strangest person on the school bus, who starts everything by inviting the others to a tea party

How did Mrs. Olinski, returning to teaching ten years after being paralyzed in an automobile accident, choose these four to be her sixth grade Academic Bowl team? And how did this unlikely foursome become even unlikelier champions, in far more than just the state middle school competition? The View From Saturday is a rich and rewarding journey that answers these questions and raises many more."

I really liked all the characters in this book; they were very colorful. The story was good, but the writing was rather disjointed. It didn't flow very well, in my opinion. I don't know, there was just something missing. I was a little disappointed because Konigsberg's From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler was one of my childhood favorites.

#80 - Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

1977 Newbery Medal

"With the land to hold them together, nothing can tear the Logans apart. Why is the land so important to Cassie's family? It takes the events of one turbulent year - the year of the night riders and the burnings, the year a white girl humiliates Cassie in public simply because she is black - to show Cassie that having a place of their own is the Logan family's lifeblood. It is the land that gives the Logans their courage and pride - no matter how others may degrade them, the Logans possess something no one can take away."

I really, really enjoyed this book. Reading about how black people were treated years ago always makes me sad and angry, but the way that families, like the Logans, handled it - with strength, grace, and determination - is extremely inspiring.

#79 - Nothing but the Truth by Avi

1992 Honor Book

"Ninth grader Philip Malloy has one thing on his mind: running. When a failing English grade keeps him from joining the track team, he believes his teacher, Miss Narwin, has it in for him. One morning during announcements, he disregards the school's policy of observing "The Star Spangled Banner" in respectful silence and hums along, hoping to get transferred out of her class. Little does he know that his minor infraction will make him the subject of national media attention. What truly happened that morning in Miss Narwin's class? Examine the events and reach your own conclusion. But - can you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth."

This book was written with the purpose of having the reader examine every side of this story from a legal viewpoint and decide what really happened and whose case would win if brought to court. My 7th grade daughter said that her class did this, and she enjoyed it. I think it is a really interesting idea for a book. This would be MY conclusion: I think that Philip did what he did not out of patriotism, but with the purpose of annoying his teacher so that he could get out of her class. When things didn't go the way he planned, he claimed that his rights to express patriotism were violated. Things kind of blew up from there. What happened on the very last page of this book puzzled me though, and I truly don't understand how it fits into the story...

I do recommend this book - very interesting!

#78 - Abel's Island by William Steig

1977 Honor Book

"With inimitable style, Steig tells the story of a mouse, Abelard Hassam di Chirico Flint, who gets swept away in a driving rainstorm while rescuing his wife's scarf and winds up stranded on a river island for a year. Abel isn't just any mouse. He's a fastidious Edwardian dandy whose inherited wealth ensures the leisurely comforts he takes such pleasure in. But Abel's high-toned life of leisure conceals a soul full of true grit: once faced with the necessity of surviving. Abel rises to the challenge."

Yawn....another survival story...seems this is a popular theme for Newberys. Some of them, like Hatchet, I really like because they are written in an engaging way. This one...not so much. Although I was able to start and finish it on the same day, I found it very hard to stay focused on it.

There was a part in this book that really amused me. Hee hee, ok, so it's really immature...but, here goes...

"This time he proceeded to methodically, not in nervous haste. He went first to defecate, behind a rock, though no one was watching."

Hee hee, defecate. First, the word is funny....especially in a kids book. We all know it means poop - yet he uses the word defecate. Second, it just kinda comes out of nowhere - not something necessary to the story line. Lol, stuff like this stands out to me when I find the story boring, I guess.

Kids who love animal stories might enjoy this book - my ten year old for example - but I'm not a big fan.

#77 - Getting Near to Baby by Audrey Coloumbis

2000 Honor Book

"Willa Jo is up on the roof at Aunt Patty's house. She went up there to see the sunrise, and Little Sister followed her, like she always does. But by mid-morning, Willa Jo is still up on that roof, and she knows it wasn't just the sunrise that brought her there.

The trouble is, once she climbs up, Willa Jo can't seem to come down. Coming down would mean she'd have to explain. And how can she explain?"

This was a really sad, but good, book about grief. Willa Jo, Little Sister (JoAnne), and their mom are grieving over the loss of Joy, otherwise known as Baby, Willa Jo's baby sister. Their mom is so overcome with grief that she can't properly care for Willa Jo and Little Sister. So, their Aunt Patty takes them in. Aunt Patty means well, but does not understand their ways of coping.

Although it was sad, it was also very sweet. And the ending is one that warms your heart. Highly recommend this one!

#76 - Magic Maize by Mary and Conrad Buff

1954 Honor Book

"Fabian, and Indian boy of Guatemala, grew up in the old Mayan beliefs. He shared his father's fear of the new, and the ways of the gringo (white man).

Every spring, he and his father spent the entire night praying to their Gods of Nature before burning last year's dry brush from their field. Every spring before planting seed, they offered hot corn mush to their Gods hoping their field might become fruitful. So did many other Indians in Guatemala.

Yet, this boy had the courage to secretly plant twenty kernels of maize (corn) which his brother had given him. It was a new maize, developed by the feared gringo.

While planting, Fabian uncovers a rare jade earplug of the Ancients. On his way home he is frightened as he watches the moon go into an eclipse, thinking the Gods are angry at him for his deed.

But the earplug and the magic maize lead to adventures so unusual that even Fabian's stubborn father is convinced the old and the new can live in peace."

I really don't have much to say about this book. It was nicely written, but didn't really hold my interest.

#75 - Honk the Moose by Phil Stong

1936 Honor book

"Two small boys had been huntingon the outskirts of a little Minnesota town one cold winter's day. They skied back to the livery stable where Ivar's father boarded horses and mules, and Waino pinged his air rifle at a fence. 'I wish,' he said dreamily, 'that had been a good old moose I shot.' Ivar then fired his air gun down the corridor between the stalls to show what he would have done. All at once there was a very sad sound. It went 'Haawwnnk-hawnk-hawnk-haawwnnkk!' The two boys dropped everything.

'What do you think that is?' Ivar asked. 'Maybe it was a moose,' Waino replied softly.

And it was a moose - though it was a while before Ivar's father or Mr. Ryan, the policeman, or the Mayor or any of the townspeople believed it.But what do you do with a moose?What can you do with a moose? Honk was hungry. He ate about a ton of Ivar's father's expensive hay. Then he went to sleep. Something had to be done, but Honk was naturally such a sad moose, you couldn't help feeling sorry for him."

It is interesting to me the changes throughout the years of what makes an award winning book. More recent award winners tackle a lot of really tough topics. But books like this were so simple and innocent! Cute story. My son actually read it before me, and he really liked it too! I guess the simple books can still appeal to today's kids!

#74 - One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

2011 Honor book

"Eleven year old Delphine has it together. Even though her mother, Cecile, abandoned here and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, seven years ago. Even though her father and Big Ma will send them from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to stay with Cecile for the summer. And even though Delphine will have to take care of her sisters, as usual, and learn the truth about the missing pieces of the past.

When the girls arrive in Oakland in the summer of 1968, Cecile wants nothing to do with them. She makes them eat Chinese takeout dinners, forbids them to enter her kitchen, and never explains the strange visitors with Afros and black berets who knock on her door. Rather than spend time with them, Cecile sends Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern to a summer camp sponsored by a revolutionary group, the Black Panthers, where the girls get a radical new education."

I really enjoyed this book, from start to finish. The protagonist, Delphine, is very likeable, and the story was so well-written. I was angry at how Cecile treated her own daughters...but the ending was very nice. I definitely recommend this book!

#73 - The Fairy Circus by Dorothy Lathrop

1932 Newbery Honor

The copy of the book that I got from my library, was a VERY old copy. This edition was printed in 1931. The pages were brittle, taped together in many places. I couldn't help but wonder exactly how many little hands had held that book and liked it.

The story itself....meh. A bunch of fairies gather animals of the meadow to put on their own circus, after the real one leaves. They run into some troubles but it all comes out okay.

It's a cute story, but it might be difficult to get a child of this generation to read it.

#72 - Millions of Cats by Wanda Ga'g

1929 Newbery Honor

This is an unusual choice for the Newbery as it is actually a picture book. Part of me wonders, "why the Newbery, why not the Caldecott?" Maybe because choices were fewer in the 1920's? Who knows. It is a cute story though. An old man and his wife are lonely, so the wife suggests they get a cat. The man goes out and comes across a hill that is covered by "hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats." He can't decide which one he wants, so he brings them ALL home! Obviously, they can't feed all those cats, so they ask the cats which one of them is the prettiest. Well, they all think that they are the prettiest, and pretty soon they are all fighting. Eventually, they are all gone - except for one scrawny, homely little kitten who was ignored by the others. She becomes the couple's pet, and becomes the prettiest cat they've ever seen.

Willow by Julia Hoban

This is not a Newbery book, but its psychological themes caught my attention...

"Seven months ago on a rainy March night, Willow's parents drank too much wine at dinner and asked her to drive them home. But they never made it - Willow lost control of the car, and both of her parents were killed.

Now seventeen, Willow is living with her older brother, who can barely speak to her. She has left behind her old home, friends, and school. But Willow has found a way to survive, to numb the new reality of her life: She is secretly cutting herself.

And then she meets Guy, a boy as sensitive and complicated as she is. When Guy discovers Willow's secret, he pulls her out of the solitary world she's created for herself, and into a difficult, intense, and potentially life-changing relationship."

Overall, this was a good book. However, I found it painfully slow in some parts, and awkward in others. But then, dealing with this kind of topic with a person that you truly barely know, yet have feelings for, would have to be kind of awkward.

#71 - Holes by Louis Sachar

1999 Medal Winner

"Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnats. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys' detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the boys build character by spending all day, every day, digging holes exactly five feet wide and five feet deep. There is no lake at Camp Green Lake. But there are an awful lot of holes.

It doesn't take long for Stanley to realize there's more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. But what could be buried under a dried-up lake? Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment - and redemption."

This book was completely unexpected to me. I had heard about the movie and knew a LITTLE about the plot based on movie trailers. But it was not what I expected at all! It was a great book with many plot twists that kept me turning the pages. Lots of fun! I am going to have to watch the movie now and hope that it stays true to the book!