The Newbery Medal
This has been awarded annually by the American Library Association since 1922 "to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children." There is a medal winner and usually from one to five honor books. Sometimes referred to as the "Newbery award," the Newbery Medal is the oldest and most prestigious children's book award given in the United States.
Links to book titles go to the book's page on Amazon; other links in the listings or below them go to other resources.
Newbery Medal winners:
- 2012: Dead End in Norvelt, by Jack Gantos. (Also a Scott O'Dell Award winner).
- 2011: Moon Over Manifest, by Clare Vanderpool.
- 2010: When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead.
- 2009: The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman.
- Neil Gaiman blogs about his reaction to winning
- Neil Gaiman interview on The Colbert Report
- 2008: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village, by Laura Amy Schlitz.
- 2007: The Higher Power of Lucky, by Susan Patron.
- 2006: Criss Cross, by Lynne Rae Perkins.
- 2005: Kira-Kira, by Cynthia Kadohata.
- 2004: The Tale of Despereaux, by Kate DiCamillo.
- 2003: Crispin: The Cross of Lead, by Avi.
- 2002: A Single Shard, by Linda Sue Park.
Newbery Honor books:
- 2012:
- Breaking Stalin's Nose, by Eugene Yelchin.
- Inside Out and Back Again, by Thanhha Lai.
- 2011:
- Turtle in Paradise, by Jennifer L. Holm.
- Heart of a Samurai, by Margi Preus.
- Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night, by Joyce Sidman.
- One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams-Garcia (also the Coretta Scott King Author Award winner).
- 2010:
- Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice, by Phillip Hoose (also a Sibert Honor book).
- The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelly.
- Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin.
- The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg, by Rodman Philbrick.
- 2009:
- The Underneath, by Kathi Appelt.
- The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom, by Margarita Engle (also a Belpré Author Award winner).
- Savvy, by Ingrid Law.
- After Tupac & D Foster, by Jacqueline Woodson.
- 2008:
- Elijah of Buxton, by Christopher Paul Curtis.
- The Wednesday Wars, by Gary D. Schmidt.
- Feathers, by Jacqueline Woodson.
-
2007:
- Penny from Heaven, by Jennifer L. Holm.
- Hattie Big Sky, by Kirby Larson.
- Rules, by Cynthia Lord.
-
2006:
-
Whittington written by Alan Armstrong, illustrated by S. D. Schindler.
-
Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti.
-
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale.
-
Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson with illustrations by Hudson Talbott.
-
-
2005:
-
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko.
-
The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson... by Russell Freedman.
-
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt.
-
-
2004:
-
Olive's Ocean by Kevin Henkes
-
-
2003:
-
The House of the Scorpion, by Nancy Farmer: also the National Book Award winner.
-
Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
-
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
-
A Corner of the Universe by Ann M. Martin
-
Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan
-
-
2002:
More information:
-
To buy: Newbery winners and Honor Books: this link leads to a list of those available for purchase at Amazon.com.
-
To buy: Newbery books available at BookCloseouts.com: these are discontinued or otherwise discounted titles (50% or more off list price).
-
More information about the Newbery Medal: this link leads to the official site for the Newbery, which includes a complete list of past winners.
- The Newbery Awards, by Elizabeth Cosgriff: A good background article.
- Newbery, Caldecott, and Printz by Gender, by Elizabeth Bluemle: An interesting analysis. new
- Has the Newbery Lost Its Way? by Anita Silvey: A controversial article by a respected critic.
- Washington Post coverage of the debate kicked off by Silvey.
- Secrecy and the Newbery Medal by K.T. Horning.
Children's Book Awards Index page
Caldecott
Medal | Coretta Scott King Award
| Lifetime Achievement Awards
| Young Adult Awards
Sibert Informational Book Award | Pura
Belpré Award | Scott O'Dell Award