# All-Time Best Newbery Medal Book, In Your Opinion? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 2, 2017, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-time-best-newbery-medal-book-in-your-opinion/778836 "2017-02-02T17:52:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2017, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-time-best-newbery-medal-book-in-your-opinion/778836/21 "2017-02-02T20:55:22Z")
Too hard to pick. I also stopped around the mid 70s. I read almost all before that. Johnny Tremain was the one that came to mind, but Mrs. Frisby, Basil E., The High King, The Grey King (part of the very spooky and fantastic The Dark is Rising series), It’s Like This, Cat… no way I could pick. Got chills over here remembering those old friends. ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2017, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-time-best-newbery-medal-book-in-your-opinion/778836/22 "2017-02-02T20:57:07Z")
Aaargh! How could I forget Rabbit Hill?!?!?! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2017, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-time-best-newbery-medal-book-in-your-opinion/778836/23 "2017-02-02T21:03:12Z")
Of those that I’ve read, my favorite is definitely _A Wrinkle in Time_, which probably had a greater influence on me than any other book I’ve read. But I don’t know if that makes it the best overall, or just the best for me. And I see a lot of folks praising _The Giver_. While it shows extreme mastery of the craft of writing (seldom have I ever seen such an excellent example of “show don’t tell”), there are just too many holes in the world-building for me to rate it that highly. The math just doesn’t work out. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2017, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-time-best-newbery-medal-book-in-your-opinion/778836/24 "2017-02-02T21:07:32Z")
I’ve read all of 4 of them, so **A Wrinkle In Time** gets the nod. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2017, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-time-best-newbery-medal-book-in-your-opinion/778836/25 "2017-02-02T21:09:11Z")
And another vote for _A Wrinkle In Time_. “Wild nights are my glory.” ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2017, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-time-best-newbery-medal-book-in-your-opinion/778836/26 "2017-02-02T21:37:21Z")
So many good ones to choose from, but my favorites are probably Maniac Magee and Shiloh. Someone also mentioned The Witch of Blackbird Pond. I recall enjoying that one a lot too. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2017, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-time-best-newbery-medal-book-in-your-opinion/778836/27 "2017-02-02T21:49:08Z")
> [@Wednesday\_Evening](#): > > I’ve read 24 of them. While my personal favorites are _The Hero and The Crown_ and _The Westing Game_, for all-time best I think I would have to go with _A Wrinkle in Time_. It is very good, but imho the series didnt hold up, unlike the The Dark is Rising sequence. ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2017, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-time-best-newbery-medal-book-in-your-opinion/778836/28 "2017-02-02T22:14:51Z")
> [@peedin](#): > > I’m the lone hater of A Wrinkle in Time. IMHO the best is From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. I don’t buy many fiction books, but that one has a place of honor on my shelves. Not the lone hater of it, I just read it aloud to my children a couple of years back. I am convinced that nobody proofread or edited it in any way. It was okay for its time but would have sold 10 copies if written today. Not a good book. I am going to put forward Holes as being the best- good character development, good appealing to young person angst, distrust of adults, good motivations, and also a fun read! ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2017, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-time-best-newbery-medal-book-in-your-opinion/778836/29 "2017-02-02T22:21:37Z")
i think this is subjective because everyone has different favorite eras … but i loved the westing game and still think dear mr henshaw is one of the worst kids books ever … ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2017, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-time-best-newbery-medal-book-in-your-opinion/778836/30 "2017-02-02T22:30:15Z")
oh and I just realized i loved johnny Tremaine and rabbit hill i think we still have an original copy around here … sad thing is the “reading rots the mind” chapter fit so much of my family … ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2017, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-time-best-newbery-medal-book-in-your-opinion/778836/31 "2017-02-02T22:35:54Z")
I liked _A Wrinkle in Time_ as a child. As an adult, I find it heavy-handed. ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2017, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-time-best-newbery-medal-book-in-your-opinion/778836/32 "2017-02-02T22:50:33Z")
I remember loving _Carry On, Mr. Bowditch_ as a child, but haven’t revisited it since. It’s either that or _The Grey King_. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2017, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-time-best-newbery-medal-book-in-your-opinion/778836/33 "2017-02-02T23:05:07Z")
I loved _… Mixed-Up Files …_ but also this one, not yet mentioned: _ **Julie of the Wolves** _ by Jean Craighead George (Harper), 1973 I remember crying at the end (and I’ve never been that much of a crier). ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2017, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-time-best-newbery-medal-book-in-your-opinion/778836/34 "2017-02-02T23:06:26Z")
Read as a child: _A Wrinkle In Time_, followed by _The High King_. I’d love to see another attempt cinematic attempt at the Prydain books. I wonder if Disney still has the rights, or can someone else (please, please Laika oh please) take a shot. Read as an adult when my kids had to pick a Newberry Winner for book reports (this was a requirement at least once per semester all the way from 4th-8th grade): _The Graveyard Book_, followed by _The Giver_. My youngest son loved _The Grey King_, which inspired him to read the rest of the Dark Is Rising series (out of order). We gave him the boxed set for Christmas that year, and he tracked down Susan Cooper’s mailing address and asked us to help him pack it up and mail it with prepaid return postage to be signed. She signed each volume individually with a personalized message and included a very nice personal note on her own stationery. I still haven’t gotten around to reading the sequence because my son won’t let me touch the books. “Get them from the library! Don’t mess up my copies!” I haven’t picked up _A Wrinkle In Time_ in decades. Some of the comments here, along with my older son’s lukewarm response (I got the feeling he didn’t like it at all, but went with “It’s OK” after I had talked it up so much), make me wonder if it’s dated. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2017, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-time-best-newbery-medal-book-in-your-opinion/778836/35 "2017-02-02T23:08:39Z")
[QUOTE=ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness;19972206 My youngest son loved _The Grey King_, which inspired him to read the rest of the Dark Is Rising series (out of order). We gave him the boxed set for Christmas that year, and he tracked down Susan Cooper’s mailing address and asked us to help him pack it up and mail it with prepaid return postage to be signed. She signed each volume individually with a personalized message and included a very nice personal note on her own stationery. I still haven’t gotten around to reading the sequence because my son won’t let me touch the books. “Get them from the library! Don’t mess up my copies!”.[/QUOTE] Great series, and Ms Cooper is wonderful. Too bad the film was just “meh”. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2017, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-time-best-newbery-medal-book-in-your-opinion/778836/36 "2017-02-02T23:10:16Z")
Based on the series, maybe the High King but I think I like one of the previous books in the series better. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2017, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-time-best-newbery-medal-book-in-your-opinion/778836/37 "2017-02-02T23:15:55Z")
I haven’t been able to finish _The Dark is Rising_ series. _Over Sea, Under Stone_ was excellent, but _The Dark is Rising_ seemed too “easy” to me: The main character is magical because he just is, and every single aspect of the quest is just handed to him on a silver (or wooden or other metal) platter just for existing. He never had to actually try for anything. Similarly for _Greenwitch_, which can be summarized as “Give us the MacGuffin” “No.” “Pretty please?” “Well, OK then.”. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2017, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-time-best-newbery-medal-book-in-your-opinion/778836/38 "2017-02-03T01:36:33Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > …I see a lot of folks praising _The Giver_. While it shows extreme mastery of the craft of writing (seldom have I ever seen such an excellent example of “show don’t tell”), there are just too many holes in the world-building for me to rate it that highly. The math just doesn’t work out. I didn’t mind that too much. To properly enjoy fantasy, I skip over the parts that don’t make any sense. Wow…can’t believe my eyes zipped right past FROM THE MIXED UP FILES. I _devoured_ all of Konigsburg’s novels as a kid. MIXED UP wouldn’t replace THE GIVER for me, but it would be in my top five. I bought THE WESTING GAME for my daughter when she was young, but didn’t read it myself. I was already a college boy when it was published. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2017, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-time-best-newbery-medal-book-in-your-opinion/778836/39 "2017-02-03T01:44:55Z")
Kind of shocking to me that neither THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH (1961) nor BLESS THE BEASTS AND CHILDREN (1970) won the award for their years. Ah, well, awards are awards. Both _Sunset Boulevard_ and _All About Eve_ lost out on the 1950 Best Picture Oscar to _Born Yesterday._ ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2017, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-time-best-newbery-medal-book-in-your-opinion/778836/40 "2017-02-03T01:47:00Z")
“The Westing Game” is the type of “clever” book I loved as a kid. I suspect now I’d prefer “Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH”. I absolutely, positively could not stand “I, Juan de Pareja”. It was s-o-o-o-o-o boring, but I was forced to read it in elementary school; I think we were each arbitrarily assigned a Newberry book to read and I got stuck with that one. Maybe I’d appreciate it more now that I’ve developed more tolerance to slow-moving books. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-time-best-newbery-medal-book-in-your-opinion/778836.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-time-best-newbery-medal-book-in-your-opinion/778836.md?page=3)