My Favorite Newbery Award Winners
Of the 95 Newbery winners, these are my 15 favorite Newbery award winners chosen by a committee of librarians as the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children for the previous year
I meant this list of my favorite Newbery winners to only have 10 books on it. But then it was just impossible for me to get it that low.
Since 1922, 95 books have won the Newbery Medal and I’ve read 66 of them, so narrowing it to 15 seems fairly reasonable in my mind.
(When I did my favorite Caldecott books, I picked twelve. Apparently I love novels more than I love picture books).
My 15 favorite Newbery award Winners
- The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (2013). I pretty much don’t care for animals (I know) and I STILL think this is one of the best kids books ever, Newbery winner or not. When a book is this sweet, funny, and well-written, who cares if it’s narrated by a gorilla? Not me. (Full review here)
- Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool (2011). I thought this was just a ridiculously fine piece of historical fiction. Funny, clever, surprising, and smart. (Full review here)
- A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park (2002). I didn’t know I had any interest in 12th century Korea until I read this. Then I made everyone I know read it. (Full Review here)
- A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck (2001). Do you wish to laugh your head off? This is the book for you. (Full review here)
- Holes by Louis Sachar (1999). I seriously think this book is just the cleverest, weirdest book ever. I’m not a fan of most of his books (Wayside School is not for me), but this one is fantastic every time I read it.
- The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg (1997). This is one of the first books I ever remember reading where I thought, “Whoa, this is a well-written book.” And just fun.
- Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech (1995). Road trip books and quirky books are both not my things. But this book is terrific. (Full review here)
- The Giver by Lois Lowry (1994). I didn’t read this Newbery winner until I was an adult, and then I immediately read the entire thing aloud to Bart. Can’t wait to see the movie!
- Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (1990). This was one of the first chapter books I read on my own (apparently my mom didn’t believe I actually had understood any of it and then I recapped the entire book for her).
- Dicey’s Song by Cynthia Voigt (1983). I’d heard of this for years, but didn’t get around to reading it until I checked the first book, Homecoming, and then this one out from the library on audio when my library was going to be closed for a month and I had plenty of time to get through some 25 CDs. It was one of the most delightful listening experiences of my life.
- Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (1978). This was another one I read as an adult and it’s one of my all-time favorites now. Heart-breaking and 100% perfect. (Full review here)
- Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor (1977). I read this as a kid and then I reread it in grad school and sobbed my stupid eyes out.
- Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien (1972). I remember the crazy excitement I felt reading it as a kid and watching the entire plot unfold.
- The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare (1962). When I was really trying to make progress through the Newbery award winners a few years ago, I was prepared to suffer through this. And then I just LOVED every second of it.
- Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink (1936). I love Little House on the Prairie and I really love this book too. (Full review here)
And if you’d like a printable copy of this list that you can take to your library or screenshot on your phone for easy access, just pop in your email address below and it’ll come right to your inbox!
Not that you asked for my two cents, but since you liked Dicey's Song I think you need to read the other books in the Tillerman series. They are wonderful.
Do you have a sure fire way to help me remember Caldacott from Newberry? Hoping for a quick way to remember.
Thank you
I remember using the alphabet. So C for Caldecott comes first (picture books)
Then N for Neberry (books for older kids)
“The Newbery Medal honors the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The Caldecott Medal honors the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.” (According to Google,) So they have nothing to do with age/reading level.
I have read 63 too! I think I have read everything from 1980 forward – those early years are somewhat painful, plus my library doesn't even have Daniel Boone, so I may never actually accomplish my goal of reading them all. I am with you in having gone into The Bronze Bow thinking it would be awful and totally loving it.
Other favorites: The High King (you do have to read the first 4 books to appreciate this one though – kind of a negative), The Twenty One Balloons, and Island of the Blue Dolphins.
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH is really the first book I remember sobbing over as a kid. Also, what gives people the right to make such awesome books into such stupid movies?
I have to say that Out of the Dust is one of my favorite books of all time, so I'm a little heartbroken it didn't make the list.
I was just thinking about Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh. I own a copy and was fascinated by the book as a child. I want to go back and read it, but I'm kind of afraid that it won't be as magical as it was when I was younger.
It will be a different magic.
True. I’ve re-read many of these books as an adult and have experienced a new perspective each time.
My SIL and I were just talking about Homecoming the other day. Mostly about how I had to read it for school and I hated it with a passion.
Have you read the other books in the Giver series? The last one came out late 2012 and was just a fantastic conclusion.
I can't pick one from the list but Number The Stars and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry are both up there.
Dicey's Song . . . That perfect book. And then to follow it up with A Solitary Blue. I adore the entire series.
All so good. I also loved The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. I loved reading it, but I loved listening to him read it even more. It was fantastic!
Way off subject. But did you hear author LA Meyer passed away last week? Very sad
I love a lot of the books you put on your list! I've actually read several Newbery Medal and Honor books in the past few months– not to my kids but to myself! I did read with my kids this summer and neither of us liked it. We didn't hate it and we all wanted to finish it, but it never grabbed us. 🙁
I was surprised by how many of these I'd read. (Eight!) And a few of those of those I've read multiple times, so maybe that makes up for not reading the other ones? At any rate, I'll add them to my list. (A few of them are ones I'd been interested in when you wrote about them before.)
I love this list! Walk Two Moons is incredible. Everything Cynthia Voigt has written is awesome, but living in MD – this series has a special place in my heart. But I think that From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg is slightly better than The View From Saturday (maybe not better in the literary sense… but I still fantasize about moving into a museum). Have you read that one? If not, check it out, it is SO worth the time!
I'm way behind on summer blog reading, so I'm glad this one caught my eye. I'm going to pin this to make suggestions to my sons. I've read a number of them, but I'd like to read them again.
Thank you!
I honestly don't remember Bridge to Terabithia but I want to read it now. I'm thinking of starting to read the Chronicles of Narnia to Henry – I continue to dislike reading aloud but he loves for me to read to him. We're working on it.
Thank you so much for this post! Now I know what my son and I will be reading together this year 🙂 sadly, I was not a reader as a young person, so I'm making up time now and reading great juvenile fiction. BTW…The Bronze Bow is simply magnificent! My 14 year old loved it. He did it as a novel study, and could hardly put it down.
Walk Two Moons is one of my favorite books ever. Glad it made your list! Have you read Hello, Universe yet? I just finished it and can’t stop thinking about it.
Walk Two Moons is one of my favorite books ever! Glad it made your list. Have you read Hello, Universe yet? I just finished it and I can’t stop thinking about it.
I haven’t read it yet but it’s on my list!
I’ve read 9 of the ones you’ve mentioned here, plus several others. I love all the ones on your list that I have read, but my all-time favorite has to be The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. I loved the book to begin with but what really clinched it (weird as this might sound) was reading his Newbery acceptance speech for it. Big. Fat. Tears. Every. Time. I still keep a copy of that speech because the speech and book together are just wonderful.
If we’re including Honor books, Ella Enhanted would also be at the verrrry top of my list.
I loved The Bronze Bow!
This post made me feel nostalgic in the BEST way! I think it’s time for me to re-read the Tillerman kids series.
Our lists are similar! I am not a huge animal lover either but I absolutely loved The One and Only Ivan. I’d have to add the Tale of Desperaux – that is one of my favorites.
I’ve read all of these, and the only one I didn’t like was The One and Only Ivan. My experience with The Bronze Bow was similar to yours. I did not expect to like it at all, and really loved it in the end!
I am working my way through all of the Newbery books as well. There are some amazing stories on there! ❤️📚
When I was getting my masters degree I read Newberry winners since I was mostly too busy to read heavier/harder books. It was wonderful. My favorite of all time is The Giver. I read it every few years and it always makes me see something new and cry. Both of my girls loved it, Holes, and The One and Only Ivan.
I had my love-to-read light turned on when my fifth grade teacher read aloud to us the book, “Carry on, Mr. Bowditch.” It’s an old one but I gave it to my six children to read at different times and they all loved it! I recommend it highly!!
I agree!! I loved Carry on, Mr. Bowditch!
I’m in Canada, so many of the award authors are greeted by blank looks and a who? But as a librarian, and a life-long reader, I checked out the list in curiosity to see if I had any of the novels listed on the reference you mentioned. To my gobsmacked shock I found I have 70 of the listed winners and Honorary winners on my shelves…! Guess that this will be my project this winter (of 2024/2025) to reread the ones I have and try to find the rest. Thanks!