# 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:** 7
**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:** [June 30, 2017, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/121 "2017-06-30T23:45:12Z")
You people who don’t like the Westing Game should be evaluated for psychiatric help. OK, it’s not that amazing, but still! It’s a lot of fun. I had the privilege to read it with a group of advanced middle school readers and each kid played a part, reading the dialogue for their character. You can see how that would make it awesome. ---
**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:** [July 1, 2017, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/122 "2017-07-01T21:59:02Z")
_The Midwife’s Apprentice_ (1996), by Karen Cushman. It’s rather a bit of fluff, but enjoyable, quick-reading fluff. Cushman doesn’t try to make the medieval setting or the state of medicaid knowledge at the time glamorous in the slightest. It felt a little short. **Recommendation:** One of the easier reads on the list, I think, so easy to recommend. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2017, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/123 "2017-07-04T02:04:10Z")
I just read\* Inside Out & Back Again\* by Thanhha Lai, one of the Honor books from 2012, the year that _Dead End in Norvelt_ won. And for all of us here who were underwhelmed by _Dead End in Norvelt_, take a look at _Inside Out & Back Again_ and see if you agree with me that it was robbed. It’s a verse novel, so a quick read. My feeling about it is that the plot, characters, language and evocation of its settings are outstanding. Here’s a sample: [https://www.harpercollins.com/web-sampler/9780062069726](https://www.harpercollins.com/web-sampler/9780062069726) And for those of us who weren’t big fans of _The Girl who Drank the Moon_, a review that reflects on the book’s strengths and weaknesses: [http://www.uta.edu/english/tim/lection/170131.html](http://www.uta.edu/english/tim/lection/170131.html) ---
**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:** [July 4, 2017, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/124 "2017-07-04T02:37:39Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > I just read\* Inside Out & Back Again\* by Thanhha Lai, one of the Honor books from 2012, the year that _Dead End in Norvelt_ won. And for all of us here who were underwhelmed by _Dead End in Norvelt_, take a look at _Inside Out & Back Again_ and see if you agree with me that it was robbed. It’s a verse novel, so a quick read. My feeling about it is that the plot, characters, language and evocation of its settings are outstanding. > Here’s a sample: > [https://www.harpercollins.com/web-sampler/9780062069726](https://www.harpercollins.com/web-sampler/9780062069726) > > And for those of us who weren’t big fans of _The Girl who Drank the Moon_, a review that reflects on the book’s strengths and weaknesses: [http://www.uta.edu/english/tim/lection/170131.html](http://www.uta.edu/english/tim/lection/170131.html) I’ll have to check out Inside Out & Back Again, having hated Norvelt. As for that review–yikes. Harsh. I don’t have unmitigated praise for the book, but I clearly liked it better than that reviewer. A bit of cutting of the ruminations in it would have turned it into a great book, IMO: there’s a lot to love about it, including some of the most evocative magic I’ve seen in a children’s book. ---
**Author:** ![crafter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/77aa72/32.png) [@crafter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crafter)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2017, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/125 "2017-07-05T21:38:31Z")
have been a student or teacher all my life. when in college, took curse everybody referred to as “kiddie lit” on going project was developing a 3x5 card file on EVERY Newbery and Caldecott award winning book. one i’m sure i would enjoy reading now would be From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler unappreciated/spoiled & adventurous girl (tween) and her younger brother (who has some “money”) decide to run away… from burbs to NYC… and end up hiding out in the metropolitan art museum. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/126 "2017-07-06T03:03:09Z")
This afternoon I looked at our library’s book sale cart, where they get rid of books that haven’t been borrowed for a while, and was surprised to see a book with a Newbery Medal sticker–but guess what, it was Avi’s _Crispin and the Cross of Lead_, mentioned upthread as possibly the worst of the modern medalists. ---
**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:** [July 18, 2017, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/127 "2017-07-18T03:00:36Z")
_Missing May_ (1993), by Cynthia Rylant. This one was very weepy for me. Beautifully written, quite funny at times, and quietly heartbreaking, but I wasn’t as hurt as I was by _The One and Only Ivan_. _Recommendation:_ It’s sad, but sad within normal parameters. And it’s short. I recommend it. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2017, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/128 "2017-07-19T01:09:08Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I read it all on Sunday. Well-written and fast-paced, and it makes me realize what a genre “Newbery-bait” is. Early in the book you meet the protagonist’s twin brother and middle-aged dad, and the only question once you meet these characters is > > Which is gonna die by the end of the book? > > Even that question gets answered pretty soon. > > I enjoyed it, but I’m not sure how much I respect the plot. I just finished _The Crossover_ and probably the way to look at it is as more character-driven than plot-driven. About the mom, if I were her I would have marched the dad off to the doctor immediately, the moment he started having symptoms. ---
**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:** [July 19, 2017, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/129 "2017-07-19T03:24:25Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > I just finished _The Crossover_ and probably the way to look at it is as more character-driven than plot-driven. > > About the mom, if I were her I would have > > marched the dad off to the doctor immediately, the moment he started having symptoms. With you on both counts. ---
**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:** [July 22, 2017, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/130 "2017-07-22T00:41:01Z")
_Sounder_ (1970), by William H Armstrong. Black sharecroppers and a Newbery award winning book named after a dog. You know it’s going to be tragic. It is. But it feels like it went in directions I wasn’t expecting. I’ll admit to being tired of crying while reading. I’m glad it’s short. The author chose not to give anyone names except the dog, which works really well rhetorically but is slightly irritating readorically. **Recommendation:** Yeah, adults can get something from this despite knowing you’re in for a rough ride. ---
**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:** [July 22, 2017, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/131 "2017-07-22T00:43:25Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > I glanced at this post and was thinking, what a coincidence, I just read that one too, and then took a closer look and realized–oops–it’s _Sounder_ (1969) by William Armstrong that I just read. Another dog story, and a boy in the rural South. > > I read _Shiloh_ around 8 years ago and liked it, but my impression is that _Sounder_ is for an older audience; it’s darker and more painful. If I’d been writing this 25 years ago I would have stated unhesitatingly that it’s an excellent book. However, today with all the debate about cultural appropriation, the viewpoint that people of another race aren’t the most authentic storytellers when it comes to telling the story of a minority culture does need to be acknowledged. > > Recommended with caveats. And not just the race aspect–it has some violence as well, not for anyone with a weak stomach. Yes, it’s not an easy read. I think the choice to leave the characters unnamed is almost a claim that the author has captured something that goes beyond individual character into universality. That’s not where I would be comfortable placing myself if I were writing about another race. Huh. Or my own. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2017, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/132 "2017-08-01T03:09:53Z")
I just finished Shadow of a Bull by Maia Wojciechowska (1964). If you like Hemingway’s Death in the Afternoon and don’t have a problem with the animal cruelty issues of bullfighting, then you may be able to handle this book. The blurb says “Ernest Hemingway . . . once thought that Maia Wojciechowska knew more about bullfighting than any woman. Certainly she has studied the subject, in books and in the arena, and once, she even fought a bull.” The book has strong description and characterization but many readers will be turned off by the fact that the book portrays bullfighting positively. It’s one of the many early Newbery winners with an international background. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2017, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/133 "2017-08-07T02:22:22Z")
I just finished _The Hero and the Crown_ by Robin Mckinley, 1985. I’d never heard of it before the “All-Time Best Newbery Medal Book, In Your Opinion” thread so thought it was definitely worth a look. The opening was tough going for me–I almost gave up, partly out of irritation with the author’s not explaining a number of facts about the fantasy universe. To give just one example, the heroine, Arien, keeps feeding herself and her horse “mik bars”, whatever these are. I mean, when in Lord of the Rings they eat lembas/waybread it’s described and explained. Maybe there was a description that I missed, but I don’t think so. Things like this had me so annoyed that at first I just kept asking, how could this have won the Newbery Medal? However I stuck with it and I’m glad I did–it improved and by the end I did agree with the judges. For those who like sword and sorcery with a strong female protagonist it’s a must-read. BTW it’s the highest rated Newbery winner on [goodreads.com](http://goodreads.com) as far as I can see–a 4.21 compared to 4.13 for Charlotte’s Web, 4.13 for Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, 4.03 for A Wrinkle in Time, 4.04 for The Westing Game, 4.0 for The Tale of Despereaux, 3.98 for Bridge to Terabithia, 3.94 for Dicey’s Song, just to mention a few. If anyone spots a higher rated Newbery I’d be interested–not that those ratings mean too much anyway, but I was just a bit surprised at its popularity. For those of you wondering earlier about how Dead End in Norvelt won, I mentioned upthread that I thought that one of the Honor books from that year, Inside Out and Back Again, by Thanhha Lai, was robbed. I also read the other Honor book from that year, Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin, which IMHO is also better than Norvelt–better paced, more focused, more emotionally involving. ---
**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:** [August 7, 2017, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/134 "2017-08-07T13:53:13Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > BTW it’s the highest rated Newbery winner on [goodreads.com](http://goodreads.com) as far as I can see–a 4.21 compared to 4.13 for Charlotte’s Web, 4.13 for Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, 4.03 for A Wrinkle in Time, 4.04 for The Westing Game, 4.0 for The Tale of Despereaux, 3.98 for Bridge to Terabithia, 3.94 for Dicey’s Song, just to mention a few. If anyone spots a higher rated Newbery I’d be interested–not that those ratings mean too much anyway, but I was just a bit surprised at its popularity. I see three rated higher (_The High King_, _Last Stop on Market Street_, _The One and Only Ivan_) and one tie (_The Crossover_). (I have all of the books on a shelf, so it’s easy to sort by rating.) ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/135 "2017-08-08T01:13:15Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > I just finished _The Hero and the Crown_ by Robin Mckinley, 1985. I’d never heard of it before the “All-Time Best Newbery Medal Book, In Your Opinion” thread so thought it was definitely worth a look. > > The opening was tough going for me–I almost gave up, partly out of irritation with the author’s not explaining a number of facts about the fantasy universe. To give just one example, the heroine, Arien, keeps feeding herself and her horse “mik bars”, whatever these are. I mean, when in Lord of the Rings they eat lembas/waybread it’s described and explained. Maybe there was a description that I missed, but I don’t think so. Things like this had me so annoyed that at first I just kept asking, how could this have won the Newbery Medal? > > However I stuck with it and I’m glad I did–it improved and by the end I did agree with the judges. For those who like sword and sorcery with a strong female protagonist it’s a must-read. I may have to give this one a try after all, then. I’d intended to read it after seeing it mentioned in the other thread, but figured I’d start with McKinley’s _The Blue Sword_ (a Newberry Honor winner) since _The Hero and the Crown_ is a prequel to that. However, I found _The Blue Sword_ to be something of a slog. It wasn’t completely awful, but it was badly paced and McKinley repeatedly wasted time on things that weren’t important and largely skipped over things that were. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2017, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/136 "2017-08-27T06:14:06Z")
I finished _Carry On, Mr. Bowditch_ by Jean Lee Latham a few days ago. I liked it well enough–I’m a fan of historicals and Nathaniel Bowditch is a remarkable real-life character who certainly deserves to be remembered. However the book is uneven–my feeling is that it starts out strong but after the first third or half, there are just too many incidents and people, and not enough depth or description. I wish that the book had focused on fewer events and hadn’t tried to cover as much of Bowditch’s life as it did. The book has very positive reviews on Goodreads, 4.13 out of 5, and Amazon, 4.7, so it looks like I’m in a minority in giving it 3 stars at most. ---
**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:** [September 4, 2017, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/137 "2017-09-04T14:57:52Z")
_The Westing Game_ (1979), by Ellen Raskin. This is a reread. How I loved this book as a kid! I loved that it challenged me to keep the people straight, to guess at clues and answers, and it felt very profound. I’m not sure it stands up to all of that now, but I still really liked it. And I like that it is not a giant paper pile of grimness. **Recommendation:** An entertaining read for an adult, but it lacks the profundity it seemed to have when I was a kid. _A Year Down Yonder_ (2001), by Richard Peck. Quite funny, though I felt that the main character is less realized than the grandma. The grandma becomes sympathetic without becoming some sort of noble savage living in the boondocks. Not an incessant downer, which is a nice change. **Recommendation:** Enjoyable for an adult. _Kira-Kira_ (2005), by Cynthia Kadohata. Much different perspective than many Newberys, but with the same sort of “take your medicine, kid” ultimate outcome. I don’t feel uplifted. It’s written well, but I don’t feel like I really gained anything from it. It’s a good book that has flashes of brilliance (befitting the title) and is ultimately fairly run-of-the-Newbery-mill. **Recommendation:** Eh. I didn’t really want to keep reading, so I can’t recommend that you start. ---
**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:** [September 4, 2017, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/138 "2017-09-04T14:59:39Z")
I’m at the halfway point in my Newbery reads, and frankly I’m sick of the constant dying. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2017, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/139 "2017-09-07T04:47:47Z")
If you’re tired of characters dying, don’t read _Carry On, Mr Bowditch_. OTOH only one of the deaths was really emotional; the others who died were all walk-on characters like the majority of characters in the book. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2017, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674/140 "2017-09-21T04:06:26Z")
Here’s a sweet and charming winner where nobody dies: _A Visit to William Blake’s Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers_, by Nancy Willard. And it’s beautifully illustrated, the first book to win both the Newbery and the Caldecott (as a runner-up). The poems are whimsical, magical and evocative; I felt a real sense of loss that I didn’t know of this book when my kids were growing up and wish that I had had the chance to read it to them. Recommended, especially for poetry lovers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newbery-book-club/779674.md?page=8)