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Newbery Medals
Best of the Best
Newbery Medals
  • The Great Quest; A Romance of 1826, Wher... (by )
  • The Old Tobacco Shop : A True Account of... (by )
  • Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (by )
  • The Windy Hill (by )
  • The Story of Mankind (by )
  • Cedric, the Forester (by )
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In 1921, Frederic G. Melcher proposed an award to recognize the authors of “the most distinguished contribution to American Literature for children.” The award refers to the name of 18th century British bookseller John Newbery.  

Since it was first awarded in 1922, the medal, designed by Rene Paul Chambellan, has become recognized as the most prestigious award for children’s literature in the United States, alongside the equally coveted Caldecott Medal. 

Managed by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association, the Newbery Award is given to one book a year. Just one. Other titles may receive the nearly-as-prestigious appellation of “honor books,” runners-up that the annual selection committees also regard as worthy contenders. The Newbery Medal for 2017 has already been awarded to The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill. 
These worthy titles tackle the weighty issues children face in a manner that engages their young audience. Hollywood has certainly taken notice. Many Newbery Medal winners and honored books have been made into films:
  • The Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
  • Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink
  • Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry
  • From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
  • Holes by Louis Sachar
  • Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
  • Jacob I Have Loved by Katherine Paterson
  • Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
  • King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry
  • Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
  • Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien (Movie title: The Secret of NIMH)
  • Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
  • Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
  • Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
  • Smoky, the Cowhorse by Will James
  • Sounder by William H. Armstrong
  • The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willen van Loon
  • The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo
  • The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting
  • The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
  • A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle
The World Library’s virtual bookshelves contain the original Newbery Medal winning titles, each worthy of your children’s or students’ attention:
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