Newbery Award Winners
The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle Hugh Lofting (1924) Doctor who can talk to animals.
The Dark Frigate Charles Hawes (1924) Swashbuckling adventure story.
Hitty, Her First Hundred Years (1930) Rachel Field. Life of a doll.
Dobry Monica Shannon (1935) Child growing up in Bulgaria. Xmas; some religious content.
Roller Skates Ruth Sawyer (1937) Involves a death of young friend.
Mr. Popper’s Penguins Richard and Florence Atwater (1939)
Thimble Summer Elizabeth Enright (1939)
By the Shores of Silver Lake Laura Ingalls Wilder (1940) Xmas; some hymns. Part of classic series (see listings below).
The Long Winter Laura Ingalls Wilder (1941)
Little Town on the Prairie Laura Ingalls Wilder (1942)
The Middle Moffat Eleanor Estes (1943) Part of series.
Rufus M. Eleanor Estes (1944)
These Happy Golden Years Laura Ingalls Wilder (1944) Some mature material. Older readers.
Johnny Tremain Esther Forbes(1944) Revolutionary War. Older readers.
The Hundred Dresses Eleanor Estes (1945) Suitable for younger readers.
Strawberry Girl Lois Lenski (1946)
Justin Morgan had a Horse Marguerite Henry (1946)
The Avion My Uncle Flew Cyrus Fisher (1947)
Misty of Chincoteague Marguerite Henry (1948) Horse story.
The Twenty-One Balloons William Pene du Bois (1948)
My Father’s Dragon Ruth S. Gannet(1949) Fantasy.
King of the Wind Marguerite Henry (1949)Horse story.
Ginger Pye Eleanor Estes (1952)
Charlotte’s Web E.B. White (1953) Talking animals.
The Wheel on the School Meindert Dejong(1955)
The House of Sixty Fathers Meindert Dejong (1957) Child lost in war-torn China. Happy ending.
Miracles on Maple Hill Virginia Sorensen (1957)
Gone-Away Lake Elizabeth Enright (1958) Sequel is Return to Gone-Away.
The Cricket in Times Square George Selden (1961) Talking animals.
Island of the Blue Dolphins Scott O’Dell (1961) Older readers.
A Wrinkle in Time Madeleine L’Engle (1963) Fantasy. Older readers.
Across Five Aprils Irene Hunt (1965) War story.
The Noonday Friends Mary Stoltz (1966) Friends growing apart due to family issues (job loss, poverty).
The Egypt Game Zilpha Keatley Snyder (1968) Potentially frightening episode of criminal attempting to attack a young character.
Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth E. L. Konigsberg (1968) Two children become friends and play at witchcraft.
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. FRankweiler E.L. Konigsberg (1968)Siblings run away to Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Knee-Knock Rise Natalie Babbit (1971) Allegory.
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH Robert C. O’Brien (1972) Intelligent rats escape from lab.
Incident at Hawk’s Hill Allan W. Eckert (1972) Small boy gets lost and is cared for by a badger. Scary and/or gory at times.
Frog and Toad Together Arnold Lobel (1973) Beginning readers.
The Upstairs Room Johanna Reiss (1973) Holocaust story; older readers.
The Dark is Rising Susan Cooper (1974) Begins a fantasy series. Implied religious content which children will certainly miss.
My Brother Sam is Dead Collier (1975) American Revolution. Older readers.
Dragonwings Laurence Yep (1976) Chinese father and son immigrants in California; building of transcontinental railroad. Some indirect mention of inappropriate topics (prostitution).
A String in the Harp Nancy Bond (1977) Fantasy set in Wales, where family goes to recover from death of a parent.
Abel’s Island William Steig (1977) Mouse stranded on desert island.
Ramona and her Father Beverly Cleary (1978) Part of series. Father loses job; nativity scene.
Bridge to Terabithia Katherine Paterson (1978) Death of child. Mild language. Platonic friendship.
The Great Gilly Hopkins Katherine Paterson (1979) Orphan story.
The Westing Game Ellen Raskin (1979) Puzzle mystery. Older readers.
Ramona Quimby, Age 8 Beverly Cleary (1982) Family has financial worries.
Doctor Desoto William Steig (1983) Younger readers. Animal dentist.
Dear Mr. Henshaw Beverly Cleary (1984) Boy with divorced parents. Diary form.
Sarah, Plain and Tall Patricia MacLachlan (1986) Prairie family gets new mother.
On My Honor Marion Dane Bauer (1987) Boy makes bad decision. Friend dies accidentally as a result. Boy has to live with himself. Dreadfully sad, but clean.
The Whipping Boy Sid Fleischman (1987)
The Winter Room Gary Paulsen (1990) Animal slaughter scenes at a farm. Older readers.
Number the Stars Lois Lowry (1990) WWII, Denmark. Non-religious Jewish characters.
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle Avi (1991) Young lady amidst a ship’s mutiny. Some violence. Older readers.
Maniac Magee Jerry Spinelli (1991)
Missing May Cynthia Rylant (1993) Mild language. Sad.
Belle Prater’s Boy Ruth White (1997) Involves a suicide in the past. Older readers.
Wringer Jerry Spinelli (1998) Gruesome topic (pigeon killing); peer pressure issues.
Lily’s Crossing Patricia Reilly Giff (1998) WWII refugee in U.S.
Ella Enchanted Gail Carson Levine (1998) Fairy-tale type romance.
Holes Louis Sachar (1999) Camp for delinquents. Some frightening scenes.
Because of Winn-Dixie Kate DiCamillo (2001) Girl and dog.
A Year Down Yonder Richard Peck (2001) Girl goes to live with grandmother in a hick town. Depression era. Older readers.
The Wanderer Sharon Creech (2001) Family goes on sailing trip across the Atlantic Ocean. One reference to girls as “babes.” Older readers.
Our Only May Amelia Jennifer L. Holm (2000) Only girl growing up in a farming family. Older readers.
Surviving the Applewhites Stephanie S. Tolan (2003) Delinquent comes to stay with home-schooling artsy family. Mild language. Older readers.
Pictures of Hollis Woods Patricia Reilly Giff (2003) Orphan finds a home.
The Tale of Despereaux Kate DiCamillo (2004) Talking mouse befriends princess.
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy Gary D. Schmidt (2005) Interracial platonic friendship. Some hymns; some mild “cussing.”
Whittington Alan Armstrong (2006) Cat tells story.
Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow Susan Campbell (2006) Non-fiction. Some disturbing material – recommended for older readers, even though there are pictures and an intermediate reading level.
Penny from Heaven Jennifer L. Holm (2007) Post-WWII. Girl discovers how her father died. Older readers.
Rules Cynthia Lord (2007) Girl with autistic brother befriends boy in wheelchair who cannot speak. Older readers.
Elijah of Buxton Christopher Paul Curtis (2008) Historical fiction. Free-born black boy involved with runaway slaves.
The Wednesday Wars Gary D. Schmidt (2008) Boy-girl relationship, rather tame. Shakespearean profanity.
