Annotated Book List of Newbery Award Winners

   

     Back in Spring 2010, when I took the class Methods of Teaching Language Arts at my university, I was assigned to a list of Newbery Award Winning books between 1956 to 1966. My assignment was to read at least five books from a list of choices between the given year-range and write an annotated bibliography detailing a synopsis of the books and my opinion of the books. Though the following books are over 50 years old, they still have decent qualities relevant to today's readings...even if there may have been one or two books that weren't my favorite. I definitely feel that just because a book is old doesn't mean it is outdated and can't entertain today's youth. Certainly, if a story is told in such a way that it can still impact readers after 50 years, then it deserves to stay alive in the hearts of new readers! The following were my five choices.

1.      Carlson, N.S. (1958). The Family Under the Bridge. USA: Harper & Row Publishers.

     Set in Paris, France, the story of The Family Under the Bridge is about an old tramp, named Armand, who discovers that a mother (Madame Calcet), her three children (Suzy, Paul, and Evelyne), and their stray dog (Jojo) are living under the bridge he usually visits. Armand becomes attached to the family and takes the children (while the mother is at work) on a tour around Paris to see all of the Christmas sights, and to beg people for money. As Christmas approaches, what the kids long for the most is for a warm, stable home to live in with no worries of being separated from their mother and their newly inducted grandfather (Armand). Therefore, it is up to Armand to make sure that the kids will not be disappointed by their wish.

     The Family Under the Bridge is a heartwarming story that has likeable characters and sends a message of love and honor. The story even has Christian undertones that even a secular reader would not mind being present. I would definitely have this book in my classroom library, and while I think it could be appropriate for all levels, I will tag this book as a great 3^rd grade novel.

2.      Enright, E. (1957). Gone-Away Lake. USA: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers.

     Gone-Away Lake is about a young girl (Portia Blake) and her brother (Foster) traveling to her cousin (Julian Jarman)’s house for the summer and embarking on a strange discovery. Portia and Julian go exploring in the woods one day when they come across a swamp surrounded by crumbled houses. It turns out that an elderly brother and sister of old time still live in two of the run-down houses and informs the kids that the swamp use to be a beautiful lake inhabited by several families. Intrigued by the swamp’s unique characteristics and the discovery of two very unique acquaintances, Portia and Julian agree to keep their new discovery a fun little secret until Foster becomes suspicious and chooses to follow them one day.

     Gone-Away Lake is a fascinating story that is very well written and has characters whom any reader will immediately want to become invested into. I definitely would consider having this novel in my classroom library. I tag this book appropriate for children between grades 4^th and 5^th.

3.      Gipson, F. (1956). Old Yeller. New York: Harper Trophy.

     Old Yeller is a frontier story about a boy who learns to love a dog at a terrible price. While Papa is away, young Travis has to become the man of the house and watch after his baby brother and mother while doing the chores. One morning he discovers that a thief has stolen his family’s pig meat, only to discover that a yellow-looking dog was the culprit. Unimpressed by the dog (and originally against his inclusion into the family), Travis eventually learns to accept the dog and value him as a loyal friend and protector. However, the dog’s loyalty and bravery leads to Travis having to make a hard decision when a rabid wolf endangers the family and Old Yeller is left injured from his battle wounds.

     You. Will. Cry. This age-old classic is notably famous for its final chapters, which will tear the reader’s heart to pieces after spending the entire story seeing the relationship between Travis and Old Yeller form and grow. The novel is a great source to use when teaching a social studies lesson of the frontier life, and it is a great source to admire the simplicity of the language used in the story (for that reason, I recommend teachers read in a southern accent). I definitely will try to have this in my classroom library, and I think it is most appropriate (because of the themes and content) for 5^th through 7^th grade students.

4.      L’Engle, M. (1962). A Wrinkle in Time. USA: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.

     A Wrinkle in Time is a science fiction novel about a girl (Meg Murray), her younger brother (Charles Wallace), and a friend (Calvin O’Keefe) joining three strange beings (disguised as Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which) on a cosmic search for her father. While traveling through time and space, and venturing onto strange planets and worlds, the three children discover that Meg’s father is being held captive by a dark, evil force that plans to engulf their own planet (earth). Though Meg has insecurities, she must face them in order to save her father, but more importantly, also save Charles Wallace from the evil entity known as IT.

     A Wrinkle in Time has interesting characters that invites the reader to become invested in them, and the story has a nice flow in structure. However, I  personally did not like the reference in the story that seemed to include all of the other religions on the same scale as Jesus and Christianity – it seemed to mold them all together in an accepting manner. With that said, I tag this book appropriate for the 5^th to 8^th grade level.

5.      Wojciechowska, M. (1964). Shadow of a Bull. New York: Atheneum Macmillan Publishing Company.

     Shadow of a Bull is about a young boy (Manolo Olivar) who lives under his late father’s shadow. The whole town of Arcangel expects Manolo to become a great bullfighter like his father was, and he instantly becomes the town hero, though all he wants to be is a normal boy who has no fears. Though he agrees to enter a bullfighting contest, he soon discovers that his destiny probably lies outside of the bullfighting ring, and worries that he will end up disappointing his mother and townspeople by failing at what his father was best known for – being the best bullfighter around.

     Shadow of a Bull is a great novel to have in a classroom library, and I hope to have it in mine. The story was great, and the characters were all top-notch. From the very beginning, the reader cares for Manolo and hopes he succeeds in whatever he wants to do. I tag this novel as being appropriate for children in grades 4^th and 5^th.