Celebrate Newbery Medal Books

Are you trying to get your upper elementary students to read more quality literature? Are they still stuck on Dog Man or My Weird School? Nothing against “popular literature” (if some popular titles can be called “literature”), but do you want to expand their horizons?

Do you include a lesson on Newbery Award books in your library or classroom curriculum? The Newbery Medal was named in honor of 18th century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Services to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. Like its cousin, the Caldecott Medal, one gold Newbery Medal is awarded each year and usually, several silver “Honors.”

Not So Sweet Newbery Medal Books

But, Newbery Medal books have changed. In the past, there were many sweet, innocent stories, such as The Hundred Dresses (1945) by Eleanor Estes, The Voyages of Dr. Doolittle (1923) by Hugh Lofting, Charlotte’s Web (1953 Honor) by E.B. White. But in recent times, Newberys have gotten edgier, even darker. The Graveyard Book (2009), by Neil Gaiman is about a boy who is the only living resident of a graveyard, raised by ghosts and werewolves. You can’t judge books just by your tastes. I always joked that if that were the case, my library would be filled with Anne of Green Gables and Little Women. But you are not 10 years old. Some kids love horror (shudder). In The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer (2003 Honor), kids are slaves of drug lords living in a dystopian society called Opium. Yeah, not Little House on the Prairie, is it?

Newberys at Different Levels

Even though I buy all the Caldecott Medal books for the younger kids, I have backed off routinely buying all the Newberys. I had a student ask me once, “Have you read all the books in this library?” Well no, but I have read a good proportion of them. I usually go to the public library and preview the Newberys before ordering them. Some are suitable for my upper elementaries, others can wait until middle school. There are still a ton of great Newbery Medal books for elementary school students. Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos, is about a kid who is forced to spend his summer helping a cranky neighbor write about the people who inhabit his quirky town. The One and Only Ivan, by Christina Applegate features a gorilla destined to live in a roadside zoo. He is resigned to his future, but when he realizes a baby elephant is suffering the same fate, he needs to do something to save them both. Merci Suárez Changes Gears, by Meg Medina tells the story of a sixth-grade girl who feels out of place as a scholarship student in her new private school. She is also worried about her grandfather, who seems to be forgetting things.

How Can You Promote Newbery Books?

So, how can you promote Newbery books? Kindergarten students just love getting a book with a gold medal on it, but upper elementary and middle school students are tougher customers. I usually create a bulletin board with scanned copies of the book jackets and a replica “medal.” Or, you can cut up a poster from Follett. I put the Newberys on prominent display in the library and do a lesson introducing them. Write a 1-2 sentence synopsis and tape it to the back of the books. Have students circulate around the library and take a book from the tables, then let them read the book summary to the class. Hearing the book “reviews” from peers will carry more weight than always hearing them from me.

Movies, Anyone?

Sometimes I use “reverse psychology” by suggesting that since these books may have more mature themes, some students may not be ready for them, and that’s okay. Nothing like forbidden fruit to entice reluctant readers. A couple of sterling teachers assign a Newbery as one of their monthly book reports. That’s the benefit of teachers and librarians working together. You can also conduct a mock Newbery award contest, where students vote on nominated books. As a reward, you could show a movie of one of the Newbery titles (Holes, Bridge to Terabithia). As always, check the ratings and the district’s policies regarding films. I do warn them not to try and pawn off watching the movie as their assignment. I tell them, “that’s a movie review, not a book report.” It was music to my ears to hear a student parrot one of my lines to a classmate: “Well, you know, the book is always better than the movie.” (YES!)

Games Are Good

Games are another way to engage students’ interest. I created a quiz show style game where a clue about a Newbery book is displayed and students need to guess which book it is. There are two versions of this Newbery PowerPoint guessing game. One has titles suitable for Grades 3-5 such as

Walk Two Moons
Little Town on the Prairie
Ella Enchanted
The Tale of Despereaux
Dear Mr. Henshaw
The One and Only Ivan
A Wrinkle in Time
Charlotte’s Web
The Hundred Dresses
Because of Winn Dixie
Everything on a Waffle
Lily’s Crossing

The other has titles suitable for Grades 4-6 such as

Island of the Blue Dolphins
The Midwife’s Apprentice
Sing Down the Moon
My Side of the Mountain
A Year Down Yonder
True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
A Girl Named Disaster
Number the Stars
Crispin, Cross of Lead
Nothing but the Truth
Bud, Not Buddy
The Bridge to Terabithia
Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind

So, with a bit of creative teaching and book promotion, hopefully you will be able to convince some of your kids to take a chance on something new. And, they will be on the road to becoming gold medal readers!

Get a list of Newbery books from ALA

Celebrate Newbery Medal Books