# The Newbery Book Club **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [February 12, 2017, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674 "2017-02-12T19:41:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/21 "2017-02-19T21:31:42Z")
I just finished **The Westing Game** , but I’m so confused by it that I suspect I’ll want to get into a back and forth; rather than hijacking this thread with lots of my questions, [I started a new one](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=819574). I’m reading **The Girl Who Drank the Moon** to my 8yo as her bedtime book. It’ll probably take us a couple months to finish, since we only read 5-20 minutes a night depending on the night; I’ll let y’all know what I think. So far it feels like bog-standard fantasy to me, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. ---
**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 20, 2017, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/22 "2017-02-20T16:37:45Z")
_Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices_ (1989), by Paul Fleischman. This is the first Newbery-winning poetry collection I’ve read. It’s pretty charming, with wit and a couple of laugh out loud lines. But only one of the poems really takes advantage of the “two voices” conceit in a memorable way. I liked very much that it was focused on that “unpoetic” topic of insects. The poems, though, felt slight. Not bad in the least, but wispy. ETA: I forgot one that struck me as deeper and more profound. **Recommendation:** Well, I love poetry, and this is almost certainly the shortest book on the list (it took me about 20 minutes to read, even though I was doing it aloud) so I’m going to recommend everyone read it. I don’t think there’s anything there to hate, and it’s accessible and has some whimsy without being doggerel. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/23 "2017-02-20T18:13:41Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > **Recommendation:** Well, I love poetry, and this is almost certainly the shortest book on the list (it took me about 20 minutes to read, even though I was doing it aloud) so I’m going to recommend everyone read it. I don’t think there’s anything there to hate, and it’s accessible and has some whimsy without being doggerel. I liked **Joyful Noise** too, and I think another Newbery poetry collection, Nancy Willard’s **A Visit to William Blake’s Inn** , is even better. It’s one of the few Newbery books I own. Be sure to read the introduction. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/24 "2017-02-23T22:02:06Z")
Just started **Moon Over Manifest** by Clare Vanderpool. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/25 "2017-02-24T01:28:54Z")
Do we want to limit to winners, or include honors books? ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/26 "2017-02-24T05:00:52Z")
The “project” as per the OP is focused on the winners, but I don’t see any reason why we couldn’t discuss notable honors books too. Incidentally, your thread inspired me to re-read The Westing Game yet again. 🙂 ---
**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 25, 2017, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/27 "2017-02-25T02:18:41Z")
_Ginger Pye_ isn’t a terrible book, but boy has it ended my momentum! ---
**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 25, 2017, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/28 "2017-02-25T22:49:14Z")
_Ginger Pye_ (1952), by Eleanor Estes. I’m struggling with what to say about this book. I think it’s something some kids might like quite a bit. It beat out _Charlotte’s Web_ for the Newbery. It made me laugh at times and made me yawn at others. **Recommendation:** I can’t see really recommending this one to an adult reader. It’s not terrible. But it’s strangely empty. There is some humor in the kids’ doings, and in the dog’s doings, and the writing is fine. But the whole thing added up to something rather flat for this adult. Completists only, for the most part. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/29 "2017-02-26T04:10:56Z")
**Bud, Not Buddy** (2000) I am actually only halfway, but I have a huge recommendation for people reading this book. \*\*Get the audiobook read by James Avery. Wow. \*\* James Avery absolutely has made this book a great book for me. He really did a great job recording it. He sells the earnest-sounding voice of the “Bud” character, who is narrating the entire book. He really did just an amazing job. I think it’s my favorite thing from James Avery, actually. He was a great actor and he delivered big time. Worth it, if only to hear the great performance by James Avery. The book is really good as well. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/30 "2017-02-26T12:12:27Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > **Bud, Not Buddy** (2000) > > I am actually only halfway, but I have a huge recommendation for people reading this book. > > \*\*Get the audiobook read by James Avery. Wow. \*\* > > James Avery absolutely has made this book a great book for me. He really did a great job recording it. He sells the earnest-sounding voice of the “Bud” character, who is narrating the entire book. He really did just an amazing job. I think it’s my favorite thing from James Avery, actually. He was a great actor and he delivered big time. > > Worth it, if only to hear the great performance by James Avery. The book is really good as well. Good to know! I read it every year to my students, and could probably pick up some good ideas about how to read it. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/31 "2017-02-26T14:43:26Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Good to know! I read it every year to my students, and could probably pick up some good ideas about how to read it. Even though he is an adult, he just does a great job voicing Bud. Honestly, you could have convinced me he memorized the book and was reciting it. It transported me. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/32 "2017-03-02T14:56:48Z")
Just finished **Moon over Manifest** by Clare Vanderpool. Not bad. Feels a lot like **Addie Pray** (which was filmed as **Paper Mo** on.) 1930’s setting in Kansas, with flashbacks to the same area during WWI. The main character often speaks of “universals”, things and people she’s seen all over the country. We call them tropes, and there are lots of them in this book. Various characters have “dead meat” written all over them, and sure enough, that’s what happens. Just put **The One and Only Ivan** by Katherine Applegate on reserve. ---
**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:** [March 2, 2017, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/33 "2017-03-02T15:23:09Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > Strawberry Girl (1946) > This was a surprise delight. It was another story of a girl growing up on the frontier, but it wasn’t the usual “frontier” - it was set in Florida. The story was based on real anecdotes and the author did a boatload of research, resulting in a story that did have a strong sense of realism. > Recommendation: Worth a read - it’s short and gives you a peek into a world you may not have read about before. I just read _Strawberry Girl_. Gah! The accent! I hate when authors spell out accents. When it started I was dismayed, but it was much better and more readable than I thought initially. It felt like Lenski painted herself into a bit of a corner with the relationships, so the ending felt odd to me. **Recommendation:** It’s short, and as Green Bean says, it’s showing a different side of Florida. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/34 "2017-03-02T16:51:31Z")
As mentioned earlier, I’m reading **The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle** to my students. I’d forgotten how horrific the violence becomes: this week, I’ve read two scenes where I had to edit out gore, and even then one student told me it made his stomach hurt to listen to it. The kids are totally enthralled, though, and the merest suggestion I put it away is met with a chorus of protests. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/35 "2017-03-02T23:32:38Z")
Around ten years ago I took a good look at the list, and was surprised to see that though I was in my 50s I’d only read seven of them. (There were around 85 at the time.) So I set out to read the lot of them. It took a couple of years, as I was reading a lot of other books, too, but I finally finished reading them - including rereads of the seven. Since then I’ve read a few, though not all, of the new ones. I highly recommend both _Dicey’s Song_ (Cynthia Voigt, 1983) and _When You Reach Me_ (Rebecca Stead, 2010). When I saw that _Dicey_ was the second book in a series I decided to read the prequel first – and I liked the two of them so much that I went on to read three of the other books in the series. _Moon Over Manifest_ (Clare Vanderpool, 2011) was also excellent. ---
**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:** [March 2, 2017, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/36 "2017-03-02T23:37:23Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > I highly recommend both _Dicey’s Song_ (Cynthia Voigt, 1983) and _When You Reach Me_ (Rebecca Stead, 2010). When I saw that _Dicey_ was the second book in a series I decided to read the prequel first – and I liked the two of them so much that I went on to read three of the other books in the series. I picked Dicey’s Song as my favorite in the “name your favorite Newbery winner” thread. Though if The Runner had been an option, I would have picked that. That book is a kick in the gut. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/37 "2017-03-03T00:23:19Z")
Slightly off-topic, I’d also like to rcommend _Time of Trial_ (Hester Burton) and _Tamar_ (Mal Peet), recipients of the Carnegie Medal, the British equivalent to the Newbery. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/38 "2017-03-03T00:53:15Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > I picked Dicey’s Song as my favorite in the “name your favorite Newbery winner” thread. Though if The Runner had been an option, I would have picked that. That book is a kick in the gut. _The Runner_ and _Sons from Afar_ were the two I didn’t read. ---
**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:** [March 5, 2017, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/39 "2017-03-05T13:58:47Z")
So far, I pretty much hate _MC Higgins, the Great_. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/40 "2017-03-05T22:52:58Z")
I finished **Bud, Not Buddy**. It’s a really good book. Again, made a lot better by James Avery’s incredible audio recording. Still, it works very well on its own and is a nice book. I was pleasantly surprised and satisfied with the ending, which I won’t spoil here. I kind of figured, as an adult reader, that I knew what to expect. I didn’t and it was a nice little way to wrap things up. Note: Even liking it, it is nowhere near as good as The Westing Game or The Giver. Not in the same league at all. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674.md?page=3)