Newbery and Caldecott Awards

The 2010 Newbery and Caldecott awards have recently been announced. I must confess: I haven’t read any of them. I have heard great things about them and I’m sure they won’t disappoint, but I prefer to wait until the excitement wanes and then read them at my leisure. This year, however, I was attracted by David Shannon’s cover art on the Newbery Honor book The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick. I have not heard anything about this book, but when I read that Homer and his brother Harold shot each other dead during the battle at Gettysburg and lived to tell the tale, I was very much intrigued. Homer is quite the storyteller and this was a captivating read. I have to thank the Newbery committee for bringing my attention to a book that I might have otherwise overlooked. Perhaps you will feel the same. Here are the medal winners and honor books:

Newbery Medal Winner:




When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
As her mother prepares to be a contestant on the 1980s television game show, "The $20,000 Pyramid," a twelve-year-old New York City girl tries to make sense of a series of mysterious notes received from an anonymous source that seems to defy the laws of time and space.

Newbery Honor Books:

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose
Hoose 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. Colvin’s own recollections are merged seamlessly with the narrative voice, providing a uniquely personal view of Colvin and the Civil Rights Movement.






The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
In central Texas in 1899, eleven-year-old Callie Vee Tate is instructed to be a lady by her mother, learns about love from the older three of her six brothers, and studies the natural world with her grandfather, the latter of which leads to an important discovery.







Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Minli, an adventurous girl from a poor village, buys a magical goldfish, and then joins a dragon who cannot fly on a quest to find the Old Man of the Moon in hopes of bringing life to Fruitless Mountain and freshness to Jade River.







The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick
Twelve-year-old Homer, a poor but clever orphan, has extraordinary adventures after running away from his evil uncle to rescue his brother, who has been sold into service in the Civil War.









Caldecott Medal Winner:




The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
In this wordless retelling of an Aesop fable, an adventuresome mouse proves that even small creatures are capable of great deeds when he rescues the King of the Jungle.









Caldecott Honor Book:


All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Follow a circle of family and friends through the course of a day from morning till night as they discover the importance of all things great and small in our world, from the tiniest shell on the beach, to warm family connections, to the widest sunset sky.






Posted by Sue Ann