Newbery Award 2000-2025 Books I have read

After I read Magnolia Wu unfolds it all I was curious to see which Newbery books (winners and honor titles) I had read and of course the ones I had missed. This week I also revisited Charlotte's Web which was a Newbery honor title in 1953. You can see covers of all the winners from 1922 onwards in this video (I have read 44 of the books she shares - it is odd the way she cannot pronounce so many author names). 

The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contributions to American literature for children". The Newbery and the Caldecott Medal are considered the two most prestigious awards for children's literature in the United States. ... To be eligible, a book must be written by a United States citizen or resident and must be published first or simultaneously in the United States in English during the preceding year. Six authors have won two Newbery Medals each, several have won both a Medal and Honor, while a larger number of authors have won multiple Honors. (Wikipedia)

There is always some controversy about awards - we have our own share of this here in Australia - so I was interested to read this School Library Journal article from 2010 by Anita Silvey. Then ALSC President Pat Scales responded, "the criterion has never been popularity. It is about literary quality. How many adults have read all the Pulitzer Prize-winning books and... liked every one?"

So here are some of the books I have either talked about here on this blog or read in the past (prior to the start of this blog in 2008). This activity reminded me of so many titles I thoroughly enjoyed, but interestingly, I had no idea that many of these were in fact past Newbery awardees. I have added Newbery as a label to this post and when you click that you will find my posts about each of these books (that was quicker than linking every title) although I did link a few extra special ones. 

Newbery 2000-2025 Books I have read ... 

2025 Honor Books:

The wrong way home by Kate O'Shaughnessy

Magnola Wu Unfolds it all by Chanel Miller

2024 Medal Winner: The Eyes and the Impossible, by Dave Eggers 

2024 Honor Books:  

Elf Dog and Owl Head, by M.T. Anderson, illus. by Junyi Wu 

Simon Sort of Says, by Erin Bow

2023 Medal Winner: Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson 

2023 Honor Books:  

The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat 

2022 Medal Winner: The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera 

2021 Honor Books: 

We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly, illustrated by Erin Entrada Kelly and Celia Krampien 

A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat 

2020 Honor Books: 

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga 

2019 Honor Books: 

The Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock, illustrated by Ian Schoenherr 

The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani 

2018 Medal Winner: 

Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly 

2018 Honor Books: 

Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson 

2017 Medal Winner: 

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill 

2017 Honor Books 

Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk 

2016 Medal Winner: 

Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña 

2016 Honor Books 

The War that Saved my Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley  

Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan 

2015 Honor Books: 

El Deafo by Cece Bell 

2014 Medal Winner:  

Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo 

2014 Honor Books:  

The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes

One Came Home by Amy Timberlake 

2013 Medal Winner:  

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate 

2013 Honor Books:  

Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage 

2012 Honor Books:  

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai 

2011 Medal Winner:  

Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool 

2011 Honor Books:  

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia 

2010 Medal Winner:  

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead 

2010 Honor Books:  

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly  

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin 

2009 Medal Winner:  

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, illus. by Dave McKean

2009 Honor Books:  

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt, illus. by David Small 

Savvy by Ingrid Law 

2008 Honor Books:  

Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis   

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt  

Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson 

2007 Honor Books:  

Rules by Cynthia Lord 

2006 Honor Books:  

Whittington by Alan Armstrong, illustrated by S.D. Schindler 

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale  

2005 Medal Winner:  

Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata  

 

2004 Medal Winner:  

The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by 

Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering, 

2004 Honor Books:  

Olive's Ocean by Kevin Henkes 

2003 Medal Winner:  

Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi   

2003 Honor Books:  

Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff   

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen   

A Corner of The Universe by Ann M. Martin 

2002 Medal Winner:  

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park 

2002 Honor Books:  

Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath 

2001 Medal Winner:  

A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck 

 

2001 Honor Books:  

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick Press)  

2000 Medal Winner:  

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis  

And here are some past winners and honor titles I would like to read:

The Wanderer by Sharon Creech

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D Schmidt

After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson

Dead end in Norvelt by Jack Gantos

Paperboy by Vince Vawter

Genesis begins again by Alicia D Williams

When you trap a tiger by Tae Keller

Looking further back at the Newbery lists I also spied other books I loved such as A Cricket in Times Square; On the Banks of Plum Creek; The Hundred dresses; My Father's Dragon; From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler; Summer of the Swans; Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH; The Upstairs Room; The Dark Is Rising; Bridge to Terabithia; The Great Gilly Hopkins; Dicey's Song; Sarah, Plain and Tall; The Whipping Boy; Hatchet; Number the Stars; Shiloh; Missing May; The Giver; Walk Two Moons; Catherine, Called Birdy; The Midwife's Apprentice; The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963; The View from Saturday; Out of the Dust; Lily's Crossing; Ella Enchanted; and Wringer.

The Great Phoenix of London by Lindsay Galvin

"We already mentioned that many sources agree that the phoenix is very old, and there can only be one of them at a time. The myth links to Egypt and Arabia, and is tied to beliefs about the sun god, expecialy in Greek and Egyptian myth. The theory that it arises from its own ashes, or that of the parent bird, are agreed. So it is everlasting."

The Great Fire of London is a topic studied in UK schools and so this is a perfect book for those students because it is a story which combines history with magical realism. Children here in Australia will be unfamiliar with this historical event but the action in this story is sure to make them curious to know more. This book could also be a terrific one to share in a family if you are planning a family holiday in London - you are sure to want to visit St Paul's cathedral after experiencing the gripping scenes at the end of The Great Phoenix of London. The maps in this book are also splendid.

Read more about the Great Fire:

• Kids' Britannica
• History for Kids
• BBC Bitesize
• National Geographic for Kids

In this video Lindsay Galvin talks about her books (one hour).

Lindsay Galvin offers a most exciting, brilliantly researched and presented historically based novel. It’s full of wonder, drama and excitement so that we can scent the embers, feel the fear and realise the destruction. Book Wagon

Among the many things I loved about this book were the illustrations, including maps showing the fire’s spread each day and descriptions of Guild members descending on St Paul’s cathedral to store belongings in what they hoped was the safety of the stone crypt. Bucket chains were formed to throw water from the Thames onto the fire, and there was frantic digging to uncover the underground Fleet River for another water source. The latter two failed, of course. The ending is emotional and stunning. Historical Novel Society

This well-known period in history has never before been brought to life in such an engaging way. Familiar names and places weave their way through the pages pulling together the strands of the story in a manner that makes sense. The Great Fire of London will no longer be just something that happened, but rather, something that happened to real people. Readers will begin to empathise with those who lost their homes and businesses. They’ll see the impact this tragedy had on everyday lives and how communities reacted in fear and disbelief. King Charles II, the Duke of York, the Mayor of London and Samuel Pepys himself highlight the difference between the social classes and how London was so unprepared for such a challenge. Scope for Imagination

The School Reading list (a UK resource) has an excellent detailed plot summary with text examples and discussion questions for The Great Phoenix of London. You can read a book extract on the Chicken House web page. 

I previously really enjoyed this book by Lindsay Galvin:

My Friend the Octopus

Charlotte's Web by EB White illustrated by Garth Williams

“Attention, please!” he said in a loud, firm voice. “Will the party who addressed me at bedtime last night kindly make himself or herself known by giving an appropriate sign or signal!”

Wilbur has been wishing, out loud, for a friend. Charlotte quietly says she will be his friend, and she tells Wilbur she will meet him the morning. The lines above are from Wilbur - and yes it is the next morning. He wants to find the owner of the voice from last night. Wilbur is about to meet the most special friend - a spider named Charlotte. 

You are sure to remember the classic opening lines of Charlotte's Web:

Where's Papa going with that ax?” said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast. “Out to the hoghouse,” replied Mrs. Arable. “Some pigs were born last night.” “I don’t see why he needs an ax,” continued Fern, who was only eight. “Well,” said her mother, “one of the pigs is a runt. It’s very small and weak, and it will never amount to anything. So your father has decided to do away with it.” “Do away with it?” shrieked Fern. “You mean kill it? Just because it’s smaller than the others?”

Think about the fact that Fern is eight years old. When she confronts her father about the new baby pig she sure does use some sophisticated and persuasive language:

“But it’s unfair,” cried Fern. “The pig couldn’t help being born small, could it? If I had been very small at birth, would you have killed me?” Mr. Arable smiled. “Certainly not,” he said, looking down at his daughter with love. “But this is different. A little girl is one thing, a little runty pig is another.” “I see no difference,” replied Fern, still hanging on to the ax. “This is the most terrible case of injustice I ever heard of.”

Fern is also a farm kid. She goes inside and mum has breakfast ready and one of the offerings is bacon! I guess only adults will see this as a little ironic.

EB White is a master of sensory descriptions - take a look at this example:

It smelled of hay and it smelled of manure. It smelled of the perspiration of tired horses and the wonderful sweet breath of patient cows. It often had a sort of peaceful smell—as though nothing bad could happen ever again in the world. It smelled of grain and of harness dressing and of axle grease and of rubber boots and of new rope. And whenever the cat was given a fish-head to eat, the barn would smell of fish. But mostly it smelled of hay, for there was always hay in the great loft up overhead.

You could also talk to your writing group about the way EB White makes use of lists in this story:

it was full of all sorts of things that you find in barns: ladders, grindstones, pitch forks, monkey wrenches, scythes, lawn mowers, snow shovels, ax handles, milk pails, water buckets, empty grain sacks, and rusty rat traps.

Flies, bugs, grasshoppers, choice beetles, moths, butterflies, tasty cockroaches, gnats, midges, daddy longlegs, centipedes, mosquitoes, crickets—anything that is careless enough to get caught in my web. I have to live, don’t I?

It was a delicious meal—skim milk, wheat middlings, leftover pancakes, half a doughnut, the rind of a summer squash, two pieces of stale toast, a third of a gingersnap, a fish tail, one orange peel, several noodles from a noodle soup, the scum off a cup of cocoa, an ancient jelly roll, a strip of paper from the lining of the garbage pail, and a spoonful of raspberry jello.

Here, in a small clearing hidden by young alders and wild raspberry bushes, was an astonishing pile of old bottles and empty tin cans and dirty rags and bits of metal and broken bottles and broken hinges and broken springs and dead batteries and last month’s magazines and old discarded dishmops and tattered overalls and rusty spikes and leaky pails and forgotten stoppers and useless junk of all kinds, including a wrong-size crank for a broken ice-cream freezer.

I participate in a children's book club on Facebook and the book for June was Charlotte's Web. I'm fairly sure I didn't read this 1952 book as a child - I think I probably first read it in the 1980s. Today, in preparation for participating in the discussion I re-read Charlotte's Web on my bus trip into the city and then finished the final half this afternoon.

I was very surprised about the parts of the story that I had forgotten, and I was also surprised that I didn't have my expected emotional reaction to the death of beautiful Charlotte. This might be my third reading of this classic book. I did talk about Charlotte's Web here on this blog back in 2012. In that past post I shared some text quotes. Today I read this book on my Kindle so I was easily able to highlight passages that resonated with me - and they are quite different from the ones in my previous post. 

There are some rich words used in this book such as these examples: endure, objectionable, meekly, salutations, a jubilee time, sincere, scruples, compunctions, gullible, forsake, and untenable.

And also some words that are sure to be unfamiliar to young Australian children - wheat middlings, popover, midway, hominy, provender, timothy (it's a type of grass used for hay), and Crackerjack.

I had also forgotten the maths references - money given to the children at the fair and the exact number of eggs in Charlotte's egg sack.

Here is another quote that resonated with me:

Wilbur was modest; fame did not spoil him. He still worried some about the future, as he could hardly believe that a mere spider would be able to save his life. Sometimes at night he would have a bad dream. He would dream that men were coming to get him with knives and guns. But that was only a dream. In the daytime, Wilbur usually felt happy and confident. No pig ever had truer friends, and he realized that friendship is one of the most satisfying things in the world.

Companion books:

Aranea

Some Writer

Here are the famous Charlotte's Web quotes that you are sure to recognise:

“You have been my friend,” replied Charlotte. “That in itself is a tremendous thing. I wove my webs for you because I liked you. After all, what’s a life, anyway? We’re born, we live a little while, we die. A spider’s life can’t help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone’s life can stand a little of that.”

It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.

I know how to draw an owl by Hilary Horder Hippely illustrated by Matt James

Charlotte Zolotow Award for outstanding writing in a picture book 2025

Winner of 2025 Boston Globe Horn Book Award

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Winner of the Frostburg State University CLC Book Award

Nominated for the Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award

I don't normally share books that I have not physically seen but this book has just won two very major awards so I wanted to mention it here. My friend and I hope this book will shortly become readily available in Australia. Sadly, picture books, even award winners like this, do not always make it into our bookstores or library - an example of this is a book I keep looking out for - Watercress by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin a Caldecott winner!

Here is the blurb for I know how to draw an owl: Belle and her mother used to have a house, a table, and chairs, a home like any of Belle’s classmates’. But things changed. Now, they curl up each night in a blanket nest in their old blue car, with their things packed in around them.  The first night was hard, but they’ve never been alone: their friend the owl has always been nearby, hooting in its tree, looking out for them. Belle longs to catch sight of it, and one night, she finally does. That’s how she learned to draw an owl. No one knows that story. But when a new boy comes to school, a boy whose car looks like Belle’s, a boy who looks lost and scared, it’s Belle’s turn to watch over someone. 

Watch this video about The Boston Globe Horn Book Award which started in 1967.

Here is the Horn Book review in full:

In this quietly affecting and beautifully illustrated book, young Belle's drawing of an owl draws praise from her teacher, but the child doesn't want to reveal why it's so good. Belle once had a home but now lives with her mother in their car. Every night in the wooded park where they sleep, Belle hears the hooting of an owl, but it stays out of sight. Then one night it appears; comforted, Belle thinks the owl is saying, "I like sharing my home with you." And just as the owl helped her, when a new boy arrives at school whose circumstances are similar to hers, Belle offers him friendship and reassurance. Atmospheric paintings, with their almost palpable thick brushstrokes and deep, cool colors, memorably depict the ethereal nighttime woods and the majestic owl.

Hippely’s lyrical, empathetic text complements James’ mesmerizing, at times haunting acrylic illustrations depicting vast landscapes dotted with houses and secluded natural scenes rendered with thick brush strokes in comforting dark blues and greens. Wordless double-page spreads throughout allow readers to assume Belle’s perspective and take in the child’s day-to-day feelings of uncertainty, fostering empathy along the way. Kirkus Star review

The challenges of being unhoused are gently revealed in this empathetic picture book, exquisitely enhanced by superb illustrations. Shelf Awareness

Today over lunch my friend and I search for more information about Hilary Horder Hippely (I do love her name).  Nearly all of her books are now out of print and I do not imagine any will be held in libraries here in Australia but here are two of her titles.

And here are some books illustrated by Canadian Matt James (you are more likely to find a few of his books here in Australia):

Past winners of the Boston Globe Horn Book Award:

The Mona Lisa Vanishes; Fungi Grow

Krout & Elmore Children’s Book Award for Best Portrayal of Aging

2009 Elementary Award winner

2025 Winner of the Krout and Elmore Award

Krout & Elmore Children’s Book Award for Best Portrayal of Aging

The Krout & Elmore Children’s Book Award for Best Portrayal of Aging from the Gerontological Society of America is awarded each year to recognize realistic portrayals of older adults in picture books for children.

We use the Caldecott Medal definition: “A ‘picture book for children,’'as distinguished from other books with illustrations, is one that essentially provides the child with a visual experience. A picture book has a collective unity of storyline, theme, or concept developed through the series of pictures of which the book is comprised. A ‘picture book for children’ is one for which children are an intended potential audience. The book displays respect for children’s understanding, abilities, and appreciation. Children are defined as persons of ages up to and including fourteen, and picture books for this entire age range are to be considered.” Read more here.

2024

• Primary Reader: Grandad's Pride by Harry Woodgate; Published 2023, Little Bee Books
• Honorable Mention: Dancing in Thatha’s Footsteps by Srividhya Venkat and illustrated by Kavita Ramchandran; Published 2021, Yali Books
• Elementary Reader: Abuelita and Me by Leonarda Carranza and illustrated by Rafail Mayani; Published 2022, Annick Press
• Honorable Mention: Just Like Grandma by Kim Rogers and illustrated by Julie Flett; Published 2023, Heartdrum

2022

• Recipient: On the Trapline by David A. Robertson and illustrated by Julie Flett; Published 2021, Tundra Books
• Honorable Mention: Coffee, Rabbit, Snowdrop, Lost by Betina Birkjaer and illustrated by Anna Margrethe Kjærgaard; Published 2021, Enchanted Lion

2020

• Older Readers: Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina; Published 2018, Candlewick
• Younger Readers: A Gift from Abuela by Cecelia Ruiz; Published 2018, Candlewick  

2018

• Primary Reader: It’s Just Aging by Eliah Takushi, Carly Tan, and Colby Takeda; Published 2015, Mutual Pub Co
• Elementary Reader: Hour of the Bees by Lindsay Eagar; Published 2016, Walker Books 

2016

• Primary Reader: Papa Chagall, Tell Us a Story by Laurence Anholt; Published 2015, Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
• Elementary Reader: The Turtle of Oman by Naomi Shihab Nye; Published 2016, Greenwillow Books 
• Honorable Mention: Nana in the City by Lauren Castillo; Published 2014, Clarion Books 

2014

• Primary Reader: Shoebox Sam by Mary Brigid Barrett and illustrated by Frank Morrison; Published 2011, Zonderkidz
• Elementary Reader: Marching with Aunt Susan: Susan B. Anthony and the Fight for Women's Suffrage by Claire Rudolph Murphy and illustrated by Stacey Schuett; Published 2011, Peachtree

2011

• Primary Reader: Sometimes It's Grandmas and Grandpas: Not Mommies and Daddies by Gayle Byrne and illustrated by Mary Haverfield; Published 2009, Abbeville Kids

2010

• Primary Reader: Niwechihaw/I Help by Caitlin Dale Nicholson; Published 2008, Groundwood Books
• Elementary Reader: Ain't Nobody A Stranger to Me by Ann Grifalconi and illustrated by Jerry Pickney; Published 2007, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

2009

• Primary Reader: Rock, Brock and the Savings Shock by Sheila Bair and illustrated by Barry Gott; Published 2006, Albert Whitman & Company
• Elementary Reader: The Golden Rule by Ilene Cooper and illustrated by Gabi Swiatowska; Published 2007, Abrams Books for Young Readers 

2025 winner and shortlisted titles

Books for Topics: A resource from the UK

 

Books for Topics

This is an amazing resource which is so useful for Teacher-Librarians both in the UK and here in Australia.

Here are a few screen shots to show you the range of things available on this site:

I have previously talked about the Inclusive Book awards; and the Brandford Boase Award

So, let's try a real-life example. A grandparent asked me this week for a book to read with her Grade 3 grandson - they have been reading a very old book - Professor Brainstorm. The grandparent said the boy was enjoying this series but since they were published in the 1930s, they do feel very dated. He has a scientific mind and enjoys books about inventions. All of the 13 Storey Treehouse books have been firm favourites.  So, I put Inventors into the search function on the Books for Topics site and found these:

This one is out of print but might be in a library

This second book was published in 2016 and is available.

Recently on a Facebook forum someone asked for books set in London for their Primary school aged readers who were about to travel there. I suggested The Great Stink by Colleen Paeff illustrated by Nancy Carpenter which is a fabulous non fiction biography; and The Night Bus Hero by Onjali Q Rauf. I wanted to also suggest a wonderful book which would be SO perfect called Duck for Danger by Ann Grocott but it is so very very old I am sure it would be impossible to find. 

Books for topics listed 161 books about London for ages 5-11. You can see this list here. By chance I am currently reading this one:

One more example. On the forum I mentioned above parents often ask for books set during World War II for ages 10+. There are lots of books that fit this criteria but here are a few screen shots of the Books for Topics suggestions: