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Books I’m Actually Recommending from the first 75 Newberies

Posted on November 15, 2020June 7, 2022 by Amy Rogers Hays

I’m 75% through the Newbery Award winning books! Here’s a quick look at # 1-25 and 26-50. For this batch (#51-75) from 1972 to 1996, some of my very favorite books of all time I got to re-read (again!). These are books I have returned to and re-read over and over: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIHM, The Midwife’s Apprentice, Sarah Plain and Tall, The Whipping Boy

And in addition to four of my all time favoriters, then there are books that I consider some of the most important of my childhood. Even if I wouldn’t put them on a comfort, re-read list, they absolutely shaped my late elementary school literary soul: Bridge to Terabithia, Shiloh, The Giver, Julie of the Wolves, Missing May, Jacob Have I Loved, and Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry. And there are a few books that I’m sure had I encountered them from when I was 10 to 12 would have made that list, like Number the Stars.

While not every book is one I’d recommend, most from this time period were very, very good (like the wonderful A Gathering of Days, Walk Two Moons, Maniac Magee, Dicey’s Song, Dear Mr. Henshaw, The Westing Game, and The Hero and Crown). This abundance of riches is in stark contrast to the first quarter century of Newberies where there were a lot of…um…duds. Like all the years of the Newberies, some are written for a variety of audiences, some would work for family read-alouds with little ears, and others are firmly for young teens. I tried to note that in the recommendations below.

# 75 The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman (1996) *5 stars *

A nameless young medieval girl becomes apprentice to the village midwife, finding a place, a name, and a calling, learning herbs, letters and the practical skills of a midwife.

Recommended? Yes! Especially to girls 10+, but everyone would enjoy this historical book.

# 74 Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech (1995) *4 1/2 stars *

Grieving, Sal goes looking for answers about why her mother left in this part road trip tale of a girl and her grandparents, part mystery story told along the way.

Recommended? Yes. Beautiful and sad. Some darker and harder things might be too much for a sensitive and young reader, but they are handled skillfully.

#73 The Giver by Lois Lowry (1994) *4 1/2 stars *

Young Jonas lives in a future world without pain or suffering, but when he is chosen to become the keeper of the society’s painful memories, he realizes the cost and deception that has stolen the color and true joy from the world.

Recommended? Yes. Thought-provoking and artful. Some darker and harder things might be too much for a sensitive and young reader, but they are handled skillfully.

#72 Missing May by Cynthia Rylant (1993) *4 1/2 stars *

12 year-old Summer and her remaining guardian, Uncle Ob, who are mourning the recent death of his beloved wife, Aunt May, befriend her odd classmate Cletus Underwood who may have a way to bring them some answers.

Recommended? Yes, I thought it was sensitive and lovely, but it doesn’t present a particularly orthodox Christian view of life after death in the details of communicating with spirits, although the general coming to terms with death and an afterlife is very moving.

#71 Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (1992) *4 stars *

 11 year-old Marty Preston discovers and secretly begins caring for an abused beagle in the woods near the old Shiloh schoolhouse, even though he knows the cruel owner Judd Travers is looking for his lost dog.

Recommended? Yes, especially if you are looking for a book where (spoiler!) the dog does NOT die. The bad guy is pretty bad, so a really sensitive, young reader might struggle with that, but because the ending is happy it helps.

#70 Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (1991) *4 1/2 stars *

A parable-like tale of race and family about the crazy fast, incredibly athletic, kind, and lonely Jeffrey Lionel Magee who runs into town, and outruns, out-catches, out-reads, and out-unentangles everyone in Two Mills. 

Recommended? Yes, I thought this book was so lovely. It does deal with hard things, and it is in a style that might be a new experience for young readers, but it’s great.

#69 Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (1990) *5 stars *

10-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her family help her Jewish friend Ellen Rosen in 1943 Copenhagen after the Nazis have taken over Denmark.

Recommended? Yes! It’s a beautiful book that manages to be suspenseful and authentic for such an intense topic, while still being a good first book gentle enough to begin teaching children about the horrors of the Holocaust and WWII.

#68 Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman (1989) *4 stars *

A short book of poetry that conjures up the noise of summertime insects. Each page has two columns of text, one for each voice with alternative, unison, and occasionally clashing parts.

Recommended? Maybe? It’s a quick, light read, especially for listening to summer insects and having poems two people read at once.

#67 Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman (1988). *4 stars *

A great, short, readable biography (with lots of photographs) of 16th President Abraham Lincoln.

Recommended? Yes, if you are in the mood for a biography, it is a solid one. It’s not flashy, but it is very readable and well done.

#66 The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman (1987) *5 stars *

Spoiled medieval Prince Horace (Prince Brat by his subjects behind his back) has a servant for everything, including taking his whippings. But things change when he runs away, and takes his whipping boy, Jemmy, with him.

Recommended? Yes! I think this is such a great book! It’s funny and well-researched, moving and entertaining. A treasure!

#65 Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (1986) *5 stars *

Set in the 1800s, 10-year-old Anna and her younger brother Caleb await the woman who answered the advertisement for a mail-order bride their father had placed. Will Sarah want to stay on their prairie farm?

Recommended? Yes! This little book is a delight! (Also the rest of series and the movies are great.) Especially recommend for fans of Laura Ingles Wilder.

#64 The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley (1985) *4 1/2 stars *

In a high fantasy tale, Princess Aerin finds a recipe for an ointment that protects the wearer from dragon fire, and becomes a dragon slayer astride her father’s old warhorse Talat.

Recommended? Yes, it’s a great fantasy, but it does have a touch of, shall we say “un-chasteness,” which makes it more of a (very tame) YA (Young-Adult) than middle grade novel. I’d say it’s really a book for teenagers. You could easily censor/skip the most obvious references that are in a couple paragraphs towards the end of the book.

#63 Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary (1984) *4 1/2 stars *

Epistolary novel starring Leigh Botts writing letters to his favorite author Mr. Henshaw, what starts as fan mail and a school assignment turns into honest reflections about divorce and moving and finding a friend.

Recommended? Yes, it’s fun and a great example of Beverly Cleary’s work. It’s an especially gentle read for a child dealing with a divorce.

#62 Dicey’s Song by Cynthia Voigt (1983) *4 1/2 stars *

The four Tillerman siblings have made it to Crisfield, Maryland after their epic adventures in book one of the series, and now that they are at their Grandmother’s, have the task of becoming a family. 

Recommended? Yes! I liked Homecoming the first book a lot, and I would recommend reading that first. It is a little heavy for young readers, so I’d say 10+.

#61 A Visit to William Blake’s Inn by Nancy Willard (1982) *4 stars *

The first book of poetry to win the Newbery, and first Newbery to simultaneously win a Caldecott Honor, written in the style of William Blake poems about a little boy who travels to Poet’s Inn, where animals are guests and staff.

Recommended? Maybe? If you were doing a unit of William Blake’s poetry, it would be a great companion.

#60 Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson (1981) *4 stars *

Sara Louise, or Wheeze as her beautiful twin sister Caroline dubbs her, navigates high school during WWII on a fishing and crabbing island in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay. She always feels over-shadowed and slighted by her sister. 

Recommended? Yes, as an adult I wonder if a book that has such a reflective tone is more for adults than kids, but I remember loving the book as a middle schooler, so I think that the young adolescent angst resonates with the middle school population.

#59 A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl’s Journal 1830-1832 by Joan Blos (1980). *4 stars *

In her diary, Catherine chronicles two years of going to school, tending house, caring for her little sister, dealing with her father’s remarriage, the death of her best friend, and helping a runaway slave in the middle of winter.

Recommended? Yes, especially for fans of Little Women and Laura Ingles Wilder.

#58 The Westing Game Ellen Raskin (1979) *5 stars *

16 people move into an apartment complex and are each invited to prove that he or she is the true heir to their wealthy neighbor by solving the clues (and word puzzles) to successfully identify his murderer.

Recommended? Yes, it’s a fun who-done-it puzzle that comes together in the end with a bang!

#57 Bridge to Terabithia Katherine Paterson (1978) *4 1/2 stars *

10 year-old Jess Aarons befriends his new neighbor Leslie Burke. Together they escape to their private woods across a creek bed where they pretend to rule as King and Queen of the Imaginary Land of Terabithia before tragedy strikes.

Recommended? Yes, it’s very good, BUT it has an unexpected death, which is often the first literary experience of a main character dying, which endears and enrages young readers. Most people remember this book as one that either made them weep or irate.

#56 Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor (1977) *5 stars *

9 year-old Cassie Logan is the only sister in her 1930s black Mississippi farming family that helps their community survive lynchings and burnings, and work to stand up to injustice and give hope to their sharecropping neighbors.

Recommended? Yes! This is such a great book tackling difficult issues of race, poverty, land ownership, and sharecropping in the 1930s South with a lot of heart and insight.

#55 The Grey King by Susan Cooper (1976) *4 stars *

In the 4th book of a modern-set, high-fantasy series, Will (without remembering he’s a magical Old One) recuperates in Wales from hepatitis, striking up a friendship with Bran Davis, and together they battle for the light against the Grey King.

Recommended? Maybe? It’s one of the better books of the series, so if you liked other Dark is Rising books or love high fantasy, you’d enjoy this one. If not, pass.

#54 M. C. Higgins, the Great by Virginia Hamilton (1975) *3 stars *

In the mountains of West Virginia, a boy loves to sit, think, and dream, on a 40-foot pool looking into the forest with his back to a mining skid pile that might bury his home.

Recommended? No. It’s very confusing and dream-like and I didn’t enjoy it. But it gets high ratings and received many awards, so other people enjoy that style. The characters and the plot were interesting, but I couldn’t get past the style.

#53 The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox (1974) *3 stars *

New Orleans teen musician, Jessie Bollier, is forced onto an illegal 1840s slave ship to make the slaves “dance” during the exercise time on their way back from Africa.

Recommended? No. It’s brutal and nearly hopeless. Of course learning about the slave trade is really important, but that would be the only reason to read this book. (A valid reason to read it, but be aware, it’s rough.)

#52 Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George (1973) *4 stars *

Inuit (Eskimo) girl, Miyax (Julie is her English name) is stranded one summer in the Alaskan tundra, and needs to become a member of a wolf pack to survive.

Recommended? Yes. It’s a classic for a reason, learning about the wolves is so interesting, and this book stands the test of time.

#51 Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien (1972) *5 stars *

Mrs. Frisby is a mouse who needs to save her sick son with help from a mysterious group of rats whose story is wrapped up with that of her late husband.

Recommended? Yes!!! It’s one of my favorite books. It’s amazing.

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I'm so glad you're here! I'm Amy - Anglican, mother of two, lover of trees, coffee, & fairy tales. Here's where I write about making space for creativity and filling our days with long walks, good food, morning prayers, and the reading and writing of good books. Drop me a line at AmyRogersHays (at) gmail.com.

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