Newbery List

One of my lifetime goals is to read all of the Newbery Award winners. I love printing off the list of titles and highlight each book I've read. Unfortunately, I also keep losing the list. The book blog seems like a pretty good place to keep track of where I am on my goal. Naturally, this post will be updated as new titles are read or added. 35 down.

Newbery Winners:

2009: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, illus. by Dave McKean
2008: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz
2007: The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron, illus. by Matt Phelan
2006: Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins
2005: Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata
2004: The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo
2003: Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi
2002: A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
2001: A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck
2000: Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
1999: Holes by Louis Sachar
1998: Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
1997: The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg
1996: The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman
1995: Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
1994: The Giver by Lois Lowry
1993: Missing May by Cynthia Rylant
1992: Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
1991: Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
1990: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
1989: Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman
1988: Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman
1987: The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
1986: Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
1985: The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
1984: Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary
1983: Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt
1982: A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers by Nancy Willard
1981: Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson
1980: A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-1832 by Joan W. Blos
1979: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
1978: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
1977: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
1976: The Grey King by Susan Cooper
1975: M. C. Higgins, the Great by Virginia Hamilton
1974: The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox
1973: Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
1972: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
1971: Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars
1970: Sounder by William H. Armstrong
1969: The High King by Lloyd Alexander
1968: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
1967: Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt
1966: I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino
1965: Shadow of a Bull by Maia Wojciechowska
1964: It's Like This, Cat by Emily Neville
1963: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
1962: The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
1961: Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
1960: Onion John by Joseph Krumgold
1959: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
1958: Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith
1957: Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen
1956: Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham
1955: The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong
1954: ...And Now Miguel by Joseph Krumgold
1953: Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark
1952: Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes
1951: Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates
1950: The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli
1949: King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry
1948: The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pène du Bois
1947: Miss Hickory by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey
1946: Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski
1945: Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson
1944: Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
1943: Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray
1942: The Matchlock Gun by Walter Edmonds
1941: Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry
1940: Daniel Boone by James Daugherty
1939: Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright
1938: The White Stag by Kate Seredy
1936: Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink
1935: Dobry by Monica Shannon

1934: Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women by Cornelia Meigs

1933: Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze by Elizabeth Lewis
1932: Waterless Mountain by Laura Adams Armer
1931: The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth
1930: Hitty, Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field
1929: The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly
1928: Gay Neck, the Story of a Pigeon by Dhan Gopal Mukerji
1927: Smoky, the Cowhorse by Will James
1926: Shen of the Sea by Arthur Bowie Chrisman
1925: Tales from Silver Lands by Charles Finger
1924: The Dark Frigate by Charles Hawes
1923: The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting
1922: The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem van Loon

In America

I was desperate for a book last week and in a time crunch at the library. I actually clicked on one of those handy links the librarians made and browsed through the National Book Award winners. That list is what narrowed my focus down on In America by Susan Sontag. When the little blurb mentioned the word "commune" I was racing to get my library card to the check out desk before lights out (literally, they start turning out the lights on you!).

I've always been fascinated by communes and the people who choose to live communally. It completely amazes me that although communes always fail, groups of people are constantly setting out to create their own little utopia. It's what I think of when I hear the Rocky Votolato lyric, "there's a holy grail of a simple life led somewhere." Personally, I love the idyllic nature of communes although I think I'm far too independent to happily live in one.

Oh, but I was telling you about In America...

To boil it down, Maryna is a very successful Polish actress in search of the "simple life." At first she's complacent to nestle up in a small mountain village on a seasonal basis. However, her fame popularizes the village and it ceases to be a charming natural locale. Still craving a new life, Maryna and friends travel from Poland to Southern California to live simply on a winery. Like all communal experiments, it doesn't last long. The financial failure of the endeavor drives Maryna to the America stage where she is elevated to megastar status.

Perhaps it was my eagerness to get to the commune that made reading Chapter 0 such a chore. I did a lot of eye rolling and mouthed a few "What are you talking about?"-s. Luckily, once you hit the actual story the characters begin to show hints of their future worthiness. Without a doubt my favorite section of the plot took place on the commune. Sontag could have rattled on for pages about that and I would have gladly read on. In fact, if I had my wish, I would replace the chapter of Maryna's long long long stream of conscious hysterics and just talk more about the change in relationships, identity, and needs brought on by the living experiment. I would have even liked to know more about their menu. But really, I've never been one for histrionic female leads in the first place.

Recommendation: It won the National Book Award for Fiction so you have to at least give it a shot starting at Chapter 1.

The Awful Truths

I noticed The Awful Truths: Famous Myths, Hilariously Debunked by Brian Thomsen at Powell's the other day and thought it might be a nice quick summer read. It was ok.

Some of the "myths" I wasn't even aware of... so their debunking wasn't all that "hilarious" ... or I wasn't familiar with the famous people involved.

An example: "The Awful Truth is that these famous cartoon characters...Tigger and Dick Dastardly were voiced by Paul Winchell (inventor of the artificial heart)."

My reaction to some of these was, "Oh, that's neat."

And I do have to point out one mistake in the book. In a chapter devoted to explaining how many teen movies were actually based on older works of literature (I didn't think that was a secret), Thomsen states that the movie 10 Things I Hate About You (based on The Taming of the Shrew) takes place in a "Califorian 90210 high school." Anyone who grew up in the Pacific Northwest knows that the movie actually took place in Seattle... and the high school in question is located in Tacoma.

Recommendation: More of a browser.

A Reenchanted World

I heard the author, James William Gibson, of A Reenchanted World: The Quest for a New Kinship with Nature speak on a podcast of To The Best of Our Knowledge a week or two ago. The topic was radical gardening. Gibson's words about reconnecting to the natural world convinced me to find his latest book at the library.

A Reenchanted World makes the case that as a society we need to rediscover the vital connection between humans and nature while nature still exists. Gibson explains how many key players in environmental activism came to value nature. In many instances, the person encountered a large mammal be it whale, wolf, or bear... and suddenly realized the awe of nature, the power of nature, the importance of nature.

My favorite section of the book is entitled "Troubles in Paradise." It details the ways in which humans "love nature to death" ... for example, enthusiasts for off-road vehicles love nature so much they tear it up and often refuse to stay out of protected areas. Another chapter describes imitation wilderness like zoos or wildlife parks. Also fascinating was the look at some Native American casinos... did you know that some tribes have found loopholes in their treaties that allow them to trade their sacred land for land better suited to casino profits? (Wow, I can't even count the number of issues involved there...)

The book ends with these words: "The reenchantment of nature-- if coupled with the political courage to act-- offers a chance to remake the world." Gosh.

Recommendation: It's always interesting to hear about successes and failures of the environmental movement. Plenty of inspiration between the pages.

Peter Pan

So, Peter Pan is kind of an asshole. There's actually another word I'd like to call him, but it doesn't seem very blog appropriate. My mom's been making the case for years that Peter Pan is just a little brat, but I wasn't fully convinced (suspected, yes) until I actually read James M. Barrie's story.

The story, I'm sure you know. Peter lures Wendy, John, and Micheal to Neverland so that Wendy can be a mother to the Lost Boys. After a surprisingly long flight, the children arrive and set up a happy little home until the Pirates, lead by Captain James Hook, decide that Wendy should be their mother instead. You already know who saves the day.

So here's the thing: Peter is supposed to be the personification of youth... cocky, selfish, defiant... but Barrie neglects to weave in the genuine kindness that children also possess. For me, Peter was downright unlikeable. Few redeeming qualities. He forgets Wendy, John, and Michael on the flight to Neverland and only runs into them again by chance. He refuses for the Lost Boys to know things he does not or even eat if he's not in the mood. The entire island exhales when he travels away.

I also despise the compromise between Peter, Wendy, and Mrs. Darling. It is agreed that Wendy will go with Peter to Neverland every spring so that she can do Peter's spring cleaning. Really? And I'm not sure if it makes it any better that Peter actually forgets to come for Wendy, his maid...

All of that being said, I did enjoy Barrie's writing style. It is well suited to fantastical adventures. He adds little details to the main plotline, like adding a little nook to the story. My favorite is the description of the tree trying to grow in the children's underground house. They chop it down to make space for playing but it grows just enough to then serve as a table for supper.

Recommendation: If you can suspend all notions of political correctness, feminism, and ignore Peter, it really is an otherwise charming story

On Subbing

I first noticed On Subbing: The First Four Years by Dave Roche back in November while browsing at a satellite Powell's store. I sort of put it in the back corner of my mind and didn't think much about it again until this past weekend. Some friends in town suggested we stop in at Microcosm, an independent publisher. Sitting outside the door waiting for me was the latest copy of On Subbing.

This book is crush inducing. Compiled from the zines that were compiled from journal entries, Dave shares with us his experiences as a sub in Portland public schools from 2000-2004. Having moved from Los Angeles to Portland, Dave decided to try out substitute teaching... except in Oregon he wasn't qualified to sub in general education classrooms. He could, however, sub as an Educational Assistant in special education rooms... so that is what he did. Through Dave's journal entries you witness his growth as an advocate for children with severe disablities and/or behavioral challenges. It's clear that Dave wants to connect with students and let them know he's an ally. Of course, Dave's punk so he does it in his own (often hilarious) way.

I loved picturing a vegan, punk, straightedge guy walking into elementary schools and sitting down to work with kindergarteners. I also loved his anecdotes about trying to convince students' he was the dad of various kids who look nothing like him, ie: African Americans. But my favorite parts were when Dave would describe how his jokes and little signs of respect really registered with the students.

Unfortunately, a lawyer for the district came across some of his zines and asserted that Dave didn't enjoy working with the students. Dave eventually moved on from Portland.

Recommendation: If you've ever subbed in any capacity, you'll love this little collection.

The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman... meh. Wasn't into it. I know, I know... it's the 2009 Newbery recipient which automatically means it's amazing... except, not really. And despite all the amazing reviews I keep reading, I know I'm not alone.

The plot is as follows: Toddler's family is gruesomely murdered for an inadequately explained reason you don't learn of until the last few pages. Toddler is lucky enough to escape into a nearby graveyard because for some reason he felt the need to toddle out the front door that murderous night. The ghosts of the graveyard agree to take in the child and keep him safe until adulthood. Then there are some random trips into Hell and a pawnshop. Time moves forward. An all too obvious character shows up and the you-know-what hits the fan.

Honestly, I only managed to finish this book because it was due back to the library (yesterday actually, oops. Don't tell my students I have an overdue book!).

I do like the cover of the book, which I just realized after reading a review features Nobody's silouette. I do like that Gaiman drew inspiration from The Jungle Book. I don't like the book.

Recommendation: If you like the macabre, sure. If you want to read all the Newbery's, sure. If you want a book to dive into, this wasn't it for me.