On January 23rd the winners of the prestigious Newbery and Caldecott Medals were announced. The Newbery is awarded to the author of the most distinguished book for young readers by an American author, and the Caldecott goes to the illustrator of the most distinguished picture book. In addition to the Medal winner, two or three honor books are chosen, the number being up to the award panel.
The year the Newbery Medal was won by Jack Gantos for Dead End in Norvelt.
Partly true and partly fictional, it’s the story of two months for a boy named “Jack Gantos,” whose plans for vacation adventure are suddenly ruined when he is grounded by his feuding parents for what seems like forever.
The Caldecott Medal was won by Chris Raschka for A Ball for Daisy,
a wordless story of loss and discovery for a little dog and her favorite ball.
I always follow the lead-up to the medal announcements with great anticipation, and I try to read some of the books that are favored to win before the prize is announced. This year I had already purchased A Ball for Daisy for the library, and had Dead End in Norvelt on order, so I did pretty well in the guessing game. I haven’t read Dead End yet, but I’m looking forward to a fun and exciting read.
Both books, plus most of the honor books, are now available in the Orland Free Library. We also have most, if not all, of the previous years’ winners of the Newbery and Caldecott Medals, so pay us a visit and pick up a winner!
Posted by Nancy, who is currently reading The Whipping Boy, by Sid Flesichman (1987 Newbery winner)