Finished and Favorites

 

 I finally finished reading ALL the Newbery Award winners. And not being someone who can do two things an once, I didn't make time to tell you about them along the way. But I'm here now to tell you about the ones I loved. I'll return often to tell you about the rest. 

My boys and I just finished rereading my all time favorite book and winner of the 1968 award:

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg.

If Mrs. Konigsburg was still living, I would write her and tell her how much I enjoy this book. I would tell her about the time I was interviewed to be a Children's librarian at my local public library and the director asked me who my favorite author was. Of course I said E. L. Konigsburg because she writes stories full of intelligent, determined children; especially girls. I was especially thinking of Claudia from this book. I'm pretty sure she is the reason I got the job.

Years later, I still love this book every time I read it, especially when I read it out loud. My boys (8 and 4) were a little young for this one. I would recommend this book for 3th grade and older just because the children are older and their situation requires some complicated imagination to grasp. But m 8 year old who is a deep thinker followed along well and asked good questions when he didn't understand.

A few of my other favorites from the past 100 years are:

2011 winner Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

1993 winner Missing May by Cynthia Rylant

1983 winner Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt

1977 winner Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

1955 winner The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong

1949 winner King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry

1939 winner Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright

Most of these are historic or realistic fiction. That's my jam, but the award has been given to many different genres of children's literature from the historical 1922 winner to this years SciFi winner The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera. What is your favorite genre? Do you have a favorite Newbery Award winner? Please share it will me.