The Newbery Award

Looking through children’s books you might have encountered a few that had medals on their covers. To those that are familiar with children’s books, these medals mean that the book in their hands has stood out and deserves their attention. The medal could be for best illustrations – the Caldecott Medal. Or the medal could be for an extremely creative piece of children’s literature – the Newbery Medal.

In 1922, the very first Newbery Medal was awarded. Named after a renowned bookseller from the 1700’s, this medal was created to encourage creative children’s works such as poetry, stories, or other pieces of literature. Since that day, the American Library Association has handed out the medal to one book and acknowledged others for their outstanding works.

A Newbery Medal tells you that the work you hold is of high quality and creativity. These books grab a reader’s attention. It is a mark of superb children’s literature.

The following is a list of the Newbery Medal winners from the first one in 1922 all the way through the current year. If you have not read any of these, you are missing something wonderful. This is a great way to also build a library your child(ren) will love.

1922 - The Storyof Mankind by Hendrik Willem van Loon

1923 - TheVoyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting

1924 - The DarkFrigate by Charles Hawes

1925 - Tales fromSilver Lands by Charles Finger

1926 - Shen ofthe Sea by Arthur Bowie Chrisman

1927 - Smoky, theCowhorse by Will James

1928 - Gay Neck,the Story of a Pigeon by Dhan Gopal Mukerji 

1929 - TheTrumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly

1930 - Hitty, HerFirst Hundred Years by Rachel Field

1931 - The CatWho Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth

1932 - WaterlessMountain by Laura Adams Armer

1933 - Young Fuof the Upper Yangtze by Elizabeth Lewis

1934 - InvincibleLouisa - The Story of the Author of Little Women by Cornelia Meigs

1935 - Dobry by Monica Shannon

1936 - CaddieWoodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink

1937 - RollerSkates by Ruth Sawyer

1938 - The WhiteStag by Kate Seredy

1939 - ThimbleSummer by Elizabeth Enright

1940 - DanielBoone by James Daugherty

1941 - Call ItCourage by Armstrong Sperry

1942 - TheMatchlock Gun by Walter Edmonds

1943 - Adam ofthe Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray

1944 - JohnnyTremain by Esther Forbes

1945 - RabbitHill by Robert Lawson

1946 - StrawberryGirl by Lois Lenski

1947 - MissHickory by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey

1948 - TheTwenty-One Balloons by William Pène du Bois

1949 - King ofthe Wind by Marguerite Henry

1950 - The Doorin the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli

1951 - AmosFortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates

1952 - Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes

1953 - Secret ofthe Andes by Ann Nolan Clark

1954 - ...And NowMiguel by Joseph Krumgold

1955 - The Wheelon the School by Meindert DeJong

1956 - Carry On,Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham

1957 - Miracleson Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen

1958 - Rifles forWatie by Harold Keith

1959 - The Witchof Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare 

1960 - Onion John by Joseph Krumgold

1961 - Island ofthe Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

1962 - The BronzeBow by Elizabeth George Speare

1963 - A Wrinklein Time by Madeleine L'Engle

1964 - It's LikeThis, Cat by Emily Neville

1965 - Shadow of a Bull by Maia Wojciechowska

1966 - I, Juan dePareja by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino

1967 - Up a RoadSlowly by Irene Hunt

1968 - From theMixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

1969 - The HighKing by Lloyd Alexander

1970 - Sounder by William H. Armstrong

1971 - Summer ofthe Swans by Betsy Byars

1972 - Mrs.Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien

1973 - Julie ofthe Wolves by Jean Craighead George

1974 - The SlaveDancer by Paula Fox

1975 - M. C.Higgins, the Great by Virginia Hamilton

1976 - The GreyKing by Susan Cooper

1977 - Roll ofThunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

1978 - Bridge toTerabithia by Katherine Paterson

1979 - TheWesting Game by Ellen Raskin

1980 - AGathering of Days - A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-1832 by Joan W. Blos

1981 - Jacob HaveI Loved by Katherine Paterson

1982 - A Visit toWilliam Blake's Inn - Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers by Nancy Willard

1983 - Dicey'sSong by Cynthia Voigt

1984 - Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary

1985 - The Heroand the Crown by Robin McKinley

1986 - Sarah,Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

1987 - TheWhipping Boy by Sid Fleischman

1988 - Lincoln -A Photobiography by Russell Freedman

1989 - JoyfulNoise - Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman

1990 - Number theStars by Lois Lowry

1991 - ManiacMagee by Jerry Spinelli

1992 - Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

1993 - MissingMay by Cynthia Rylant

1994 - The Giver by Lois Lowry

1995 - Walk TwoMoons by Sharon Creech

1996 - TheMidwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman

1997 - The Viewfrom Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg

1998 - Out of theDust by Karen Hesse

1999 - Holes by Louis Sachar

2000 - Bud, NotBuddy by Christopher Paul Curtis

2001 - A YearDown Yonder by Richard Peck

2002 - A SingleShard by Linda Sue Park

2003 - Crispin -The Cross of Lead by Avi

2004 - The Taleof Despereaux - Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spoolof Thread by Kate DiCamillo

2005 - Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata

2006 - CrissCross by Lynne Rae Perkins

2007 - The HigherPower of Lucky by Susan Patron

2008 - GoodMasters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz

2009 - TheGraveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
2010 - When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

2011 – Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool