Megan's comments
(member since Jan 25, 2009)
Megan's comments from the The Newbery Award Book Club group.
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Kristen wrote: "Caren wrote: "I have read all of the Newbery Winners, and there are some really bad choices out there. Two of the worst, in my opinion, are: "M.C. Higgins The Great", and "Smokey the Cowhorse". ..."
I've heard really good things about The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate and am hoping I can find it at my library next week. Also, I've been thinking that even though I haven't enjoyed every Newbery I've read, I have found the majority well worth my time. So in part it's a matter of taste, and out of hundreds of books chosen over the years no one could be expected to like them all.
I sort of rely on the Newbery committee for my children's lit reading list. Mostly because I don't have enough time to search out and create my own. Overall, this has worked pretty well for me and I'm always open to suggestions of non-newberys. Despite recent disapointments, I think I will continue with optimism in my quest to read all the past Newbery books, and look forward with interest to see what is chosen in the future.
Holly wrote: "Here are a few of my favorite non-Newberys. I left out many classics and the first two Little House books which are my all time favorites, so that the list would be a little shorter.
I enjoy this ..."
This looks like a great list. I've only read a few of them so I'll definitely be checking these out.
I just finished (I am grateful for the extra reading time I can find during Thanksgiving break, even if I should be doing homework instead). I really liked it. I agree that the beginning was a little slow, but I think as a younger child I would have appreciated the funny anecdotes about San Francisco's preparations for the speach more.
The Krakatoan society annoyed me at first, until I remembered to take off my English-major glasses, and just read for fun. Once I quit analyzing all the inherent problems in their little society I absolutely loved the story of the island. The way they name the months, the different cuisines, the culturally specific houses with all their nifty inventions.
I finished The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper last month, I think two of which are Newbery books. It was certainly worth reading all of them. Greenwitch was my least favorite, though I still really liked it, and the last two (The Grey King and Silver On The Tree) were spectacular.
We all know that the Newbery medal isn't the first or last word in good children's literature, but I do rely on the list of winners and honor books as a handy guide of what to read next. Of course, this neglects a wealth of excellent books written for children. I hope we can use this discussion to share with each other our own lists of favorite children's books we've found outside the "Newbery club."
Here's my own list of 30 favorite non-newberys:
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Redwall by Brian Jacques
So Far from the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Watkins
The Sword and the Circle King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table by Rosemary Sutcliffe
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
The Hobbit Or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien
Clockwork by Philip Pullman
Time Cat The Remarkable Journeys of Jason and Gareth by Lloyd Alexander
Seven Daughters and Seven Sons by Barbara Cohen
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry
The Golden Age by Kenneth Grahame
Five Children and It by E. Nesbit
Coraline by Neil Gaiman (much better than the Graveyard Book, I thought)
The Seer and the Sword by Victoria Hanley
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Alphabet of Dreams by Susan Fletcher
Mimus by Lilli Thal
Anne of Green Gables Lt by L.M. Montgomery
The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Birth of the Firebringer by Meredith Anne Pierce
The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
Drums, Girls, And Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick
Lyddie by Katherine Paterson
Holly wrote: "I have read around 130 Newberys. Here are 20 of my favorites.
The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Carlson
Young Mac of Fort Vancouver by M.J. Carr
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Elijah of B..."
Wow, I've only read seven of your twenty. That's encouraging, I mean that there are still plenty of really good ones out there waiting for me.
I've put up a new discussion in the extra-curricular folder where I hope you'll all give us a list of some of your favorites.
I always love a good list! Please use this discussion to share with us your favorite Newberys, honors or award winners.
Twenty of my favorites, in no particular order:
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
Holes by Louis Sachar
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levin
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
A Visit to William Blake's Inn Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers by Nancy Willard
A String in the Harp by Nancy Bond
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brian
Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson
The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper
Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl
The High King by Lloyd Alexander
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry
The White Stag by Kate Seredy
The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Caren wrote: "I have read all of the Newbery Winners, and there are some really bad choices out there. Two of the worst, in my opinion, are: "M.C. Higgins The Great", and "Smokey the Cowhorse". No kid will ch..."
I am really impressed that you have read all the Newbery's!
I agree with a lot of what you said about the recent choices (though I haven't read anywhere close to all of them). I have been pretty let down by a couple that I have read recently, including Penny from Heaven. It just wasn't a fun read. And isn't that what kids are looking for in a book, fun? Hopefully the committee can break from its current perceived pattern and choose books that kids actually enjoy.
The House of the Scorpion is one of my ultimate favorite books, too! I didn't feel like there was as much at stake in this book, but that's not a bad thing--and it is still pretty potent, especially the ending, which I think I'm going to reread right now.
I definitely agree that the fallibility of the characters is a plus. It's the future, there's all sorts of technology and advancement, and even "super-powers", but people are still people, prone to human emotions, mistakes, and ignorance.
Discuss The Twenty-One Balloons here!
I picked up a second-hand copy of this a couple years ago, but still haven't read it. Now I have motivation!
Discuss The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm here!
I read this last December and loved it! I'm going to pick it back up and read my favorite bits over again, if not the whole thing.
Shaundell wrote: "Hello group! I have been reading your posts and am excited to join this group! My name is Shaundell and I currently teach junior high school English and business. One of my goals has always been t..."
Welcome, Shaundell! Sharon Creech has been a favorite of mine since I first read Walk Two Moons in third grade.
Well, the votes have been counted. In November the group books will be The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm by Nancy Farmer, and The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene Du Bois.
Karen wrote: "I'm at the beginning of this, but am having a hard time getting interested. I'll keep trying; I love the other books by Holm that I've read (especially Penny from Heaven). I don't know why this one..."
It's been a while since I read this, but I remember struggling through the beginning as well. Eventually, I felt emotionally connected to the story, but it took a while.
Cheryl wrote: "I thoroughly enjoyed reading Maniac Magee! At first, I struggled with having to suspend belief regarding how so much was not really believable. However, I came to understand that I needed to look..."
Cheryl, your comments are always so insightful, I'm so glad you share. When I first read Maniac Magee a few years ago, I loved it, for a lot of the things you described. But I realized when it won the poll, that it is not a book I am interested in re-reading. I think the points the book makes are really excellent, but as a story it doesn't entice me--all the things I love in a book, the style of prose, the characters, the scenes and situations, become flat and dull for me when they are standing in as a symbol or a part of a message. I want what I read to be breathing and moving and real. Life is full of messages, but I want to find them for myself.
Haha, that's how I felt with Penny from Heaven. The mystery about her dad seemed to be the point, but it kept getting shoved aside and forgotten. With Amelia, I mostly remember Amy dying and that it was all about learning and growing from that experience.
I read this a couple of years ago, and remember liking it well enough. I do remember crying. I should probably re-read though, as most of the plot has entirely slipped my mind.
The Newbery Award Book Club
