Great Reads: The Newbery Medal

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Picking the winner of the Newbery Medal takes hundreds of hours of reading, notetaking, discussing, and organizing. After all of that was one of the greatest pleasures of my career: Making the phone call to the winner.

An electric thrill ran through me as I dialed Rebecca Stead’s phone number. I was about to inform a novelist that she created the most distinguished writing for children by an American author in 2009. After she answered the phone and I told her who I was, there was a silence on the line.

“Rebecca, your life is about to change,” my voice cracked. After I said the magic words, “You are the winner of the John Newbery Award,” I couldn’t help but to break into relieved tears. On the other end of the phone, Rebecca did the same. It was a quiet call with two overwhelmed women weeping with joy on either end.

Now that the weeping is over, it’s time to celebrate! And wow, there is a lot to celebrate. When You Reach Me, Rebecca Stead’s winning title, published by Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, is a highly original, brilliantly crafted book full big ideas, important scenes, and unforgettable characters.

Sixth-grader Miranda tells readers on the first page that she’s receiving mysterious letters from someone who wants to be saved. At the same time, she’s dealing with rejection by her best friend and navigating the waters of adolescent relationships. Throughout the story, the author explores family and friendly relationships with authenticity. 

But this is not just a book about emotions. The tightly packed plot will leave you gasping for breath at the gripping and satisfying end.

The 2010 Newbery Committee also named four honor books:

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose, published by Melanie Kroupa Books, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, reveals the true story of an unsung hero of the Montgomery bus boycott. Hoose’s work stands out for its creative approach to narrative biography as he brings to light a key player in history.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly, published by Henry Holt and Company, features 11-year-old Calpurnia, who awakens to new possibilities at the dawn of the 20th Century, and through her evolving relationship with her naturalist grandfather, learns to think like a scientist. 

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin, published by Little, Brown and Company Books for Young Readers, is a rich tapestry of stories, both original and traditional, that transports readers to a fantastic world where Dragon joins Minli on a fortune-changing quest.

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick, published by The Blue Sky Press, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc., is a rollicking yarn, presented through the voice of 12-year-old Homer, uses humor and pluck to mitigate the horrors of the Civil War.

Visit your local public or school library for these and other wonderful books to read for fun, information, or inspiration.

Katie O’Dell is the School-Age Services Manager for Multnomah County Library and served as the ALA/ALSC 2010 Newbery Medal Committee Chair. She spends much of her public and private life talking about books. She is currently serving as the ALA/ALSC Notable Children’s Book Chair.