Juan de Pareja, born into slavery in 17th century Spain, was bequeathed by his kind mistress to her nephew Velazquez, the greatest painter in Spain atJuan de Pareja, born into slavery in 17th century Spain, was bequeathed by his kind mistress to her nephew Velazquez, the greatest painter in Spain at the time. After a harrowing journey from Seville to Madrid, he becomes the famous painter’s assistant. Juan was taught to read by his former mistress and then taught to mix paints, stretch canvases, and keep a painter’s studio in order.
The boy became fascinated with painting. Because it was illegal in Spain for a slave to practice any arts, he secretly taught himself to paint by watching Velazquez create his pictures. He travels with the famous man from the court of King Philip IV to Italy and becomes expert at dealing with both royalty and the models for the paintings.
But he suffers great guilt for his deception and fears for his future. Velazquez demonstrates his friendship for Juan in a surprising gesture, providing for Juan a fulfilling life.
I loved this book so much. The world of a painter and his methods, the historical details of life in Renaissance Spain and Italy, the complex character of Juan, and the humanist message of the tale, all brought together in a story that any enterprising middle grade reader could follow.
Elizabeth Borton de Trevina won the 1966 Newbery Medal for the book. I rarely find a Newbery winner I do not absolutely love and this is one of the very best I have read. ...more
Have you been in a bad mood about life, politics, the world and its wars, the slow approach of Spring? Read this book! It will cheer you up and bring Have you been in a bad mood about life, politics, the world and its wars, the slow approach of Spring? Read this book! It will cheer you up and bring a spring to your step.
The Eyes and the Impossible won the Newbery Award this year. Its hero and narrator is a dog named Johannes. He can run so fast and see so much that he has the job of seeing everything that goes on. His friends are three Bison, a sea gull, a squirrel, a pelican, and a racoon. They live on an island that is their whole world but that seems to be some kind of park for visiting humans. Animal control persons are their only adversary though they also look down on certain creatures, especially the ducks.
Each day Johannes reports to the Bison on what is going on. Those Bison are the wise elders but Johannes feels bad about their captivity and wants to free them from the island and return them to the vast lands from which they came. When an invasive weed takes over some of the island, goats are brought in to eat it and clear the area. Johannes makes friends with a female goat and together they develop a plan to liberate the Bison.
This story is full of humor, pathos and adventure, as any good tale should be. It made me laugh and feel all kinds of feels about the outdoors, the captivity of animals, the urge for freedom and space. Amazing, especially since I prefer cats to dogs. Johannes captured my heart and the ending is perfect. ...more
The Newbery Medal was awarded to this book in 2012. Jack Gantos was born and raised in Norvelt so I assume the book is autobiographical fiction.
NorvelThe Newbery Medal was awarded to this book in 2012. Jack Gantos was born and raised in Norvelt so I assume the book is autobiographical fiction.
Norvelt is a dying midwest town, literally. All the original towns people are aging or dying and no one new is moving in. The time is mid-60s. The town was part of a project created by Eleanor Roosevelt to create towns for disadvantaged, low-income people in the 1940s, I think.
Jack is a 12 year old kid who has been grounded for the summer by his mom, who is pretty mean. Still, he manages to get out of the house occasionally to work for Miss Volker, who writes obits and history bits for the town newspaper. She has bad arthritis in her hands and needs a typist.
The action is nonstop, the antics pile up. There is a mystery behind all the elderly deaths. I liked it OK but would recommend it to reluctant reader boys and tomboys....more
This 2011 Newbery Medal winner is historical fiction and the author's debut. Our heroine is 12 year old Abilene. She has been sent by her father to MaThis 2011 Newbery Medal winner is historical fiction and the author's debut. Our heroine is 12 year old Abilene. She has been sent by her father to Manifest, Kansas in 1936. After a life of riding the rails with him every day, she does not entirely know why he sent here there or where she is now. As she rolls into Manifest on a train she is missing him badly but figures she will just have to make it through the summer.
Abilene is plucky and used to hardship. She has no idea who her mother was. Manifest is a town decimated by the Depression and full of quirky characters and mysteries. She reminded me of Demon Copperhead but also of Harriet, the Spy.
So she collects clues, makes a couple of girls her friends and meets a medium named Miss Sadie who knows the old stories from 1918: the flu epidemic, the prejudices against immigrants, bootleggers, mine-workers, etc. Who exactly is her dad and will he come for her?
It is a rich and vibrant tale and I loved it, but I wonder what a middle-grade reader in the 21st century would make of it. I tried to imagine a 12 year old me reading it....more
This was awarded the Newbery Medal in 2010. It is a time travel tale for middle grade readers! Miranda lives with her single mom who has a boyfriend. This was awarded the Newbery Medal in 2010. It is a time travel tale for middle grade readers! Miranda lives with her single mom who has a boyfriend. She has been shunned by her neighbor and childhood best friend after she witnessed him being attacked by another boy on their walk home from school.
The whole book is narrated by Miranda who is a big reader and especially loves A Wrinkle in Time, due to having misplaced her own father. So a somewhat unreliable narrator has to figure out several mysteries while encountering time travel herself.
At first I was as confused as Miranda was. There are possibly a few too many things going on in this story and I would recommend it to a dedicated young reader.
I ended up loving it. It is happily set in a section of New York City where life is gritty for kids. A good thing for suburban kids to read about as well as city kids. Also loved the time travel elements and the ways that contributed to the confusion was handled so very well!...more
Written by Laura Amy Schlitz, a librarian, storyteller and playwright. She wanted to give middle school kids a resourceWon the Newbery Medal in 2007.
Written by Laura Amy Schlitz, a librarian, storyteller and playwright. She wanted to give middle school kids a resource to help them study the Middle Ages.
Twenty two short portraits in story and pictures, some rhyme, some dialogue, show what it was like to be a kid in those times. Wonderful side notes explain some words and customs.
Excellent detailed illustrations by Robert Byrd.
I read one a day and had a fine time while learning a great deal....more
The winner of the Newbery Medal in 2006 features a set of 14 year olds whose paths criss cross in various ways. Small town life in the early 1970s seeThe winner of the Newbery Medal in 2006 features a set of 14 year olds whose paths criss cross in various ways. Small town life in the early 1970s seemed to me a bit unusual for a 21st century Newbery but I found it good, at times entrancing.
In 1973, I had a 3 year old and a new baby. I felt rather stuck at home and like Debbie in the book was wishing something would happen. I surely felt that way in 1961 when I was 14. But I wonder how a young teen in 2006 would relate to a time with no cell phones, no internet, etc.
There is a Buddhist slant to the author's take on growing, change, connections and moving out of one's family into one's own life.
I especially liked the boy who goes to a coffee house and decides to become an acoustic guitar playing songwriter. Maybe that's because I also discovered the guitar at 14 and taught myself to play....more
Here is another Newbery Medal winner I have read. Crispin: The Cross of Lead took the prize in 2003.
For me it was a timely read since I am currently rHere is another Newbery Medal winner I have read. Crispin: The Cross of Lead took the prize in 2003.
For me it was a timely read since I am currently reading The Reformation by Will Durant. Crispin is living in England during the early years of rebellion against both a corrupt, divided Catholic Church and the feudal power of wealthy nobles.
Crispin is a 13 year old in 1377. He and his mother are poor in a way that almost no one is anymore. When the story opens, he does not even have a name but is just called Asta's son. His mother, Asta, will not say anything about his father or why they are outcasts in their small village. When she is killed, he knows he is in deep danger and takes to the road.
By the end of the story, which moves at a breath stopping pace, he has learned who he is, what he is, and gone from thinking he was nothing to knowing his name, his mother's history and his place in the world as a member of the Guild of Free Men.
The author captures so well the hold of religion at the time as well as the tension, the brutality and the passions that inhabit people's souls. Having read Will Durant's The Age of Faith, The Renaissance and the beginning chapters of The Reformation, I can tell that Avi's research for this book is sound.
Crispin, The Cross of Lead is the first of a trilogy and I will be reading the next two books!...more
Another book read in my study of the 21st century Newbery Award winners. Kira-Kira received the award in 2005. It is a wonderful story for middle-gradAnother book read in my study of the 21st century Newbery Award winners. Kira-Kira received the award in 2005. It is a wonderful story for middle-grade 8-12 year old readers.
Katie is the younger sister in her Japanese-American family. She adores her older sister, Lynn, a girl with a sparkling outlook in life who loves anything that glitters. Kira-kira means glittering in Japanese and Lynn proclaims kira-kira whenever she finds it, whether in fields of grain, the sky, a bracelet, or people's eyes.
The family is quite poor and when they move to Georgia, seeking a better life, the results are mixed. Both parents work long hours. Lynn becomes ill and is misdiagnosed.
Tragedy almost destroys the family. I cried hard at that point. But the way this family moved through their loss and the way Katie follows what she learned from Lynn, were both so excellently written about that much was redeemed.
This is a book that could help any child who has experienced loss make some sense of it. Also a book that demonstrated to me how brave and resilient children truly are. Sometimes lately I feel there is too much emphasis on the lingering effects of childhood trauma. For sure trauma happens to children every day but many rise above it in wondrous ways....more
Continuing my Newbery Award winners of the 21st century project. A Single Shard won in 2002. It is great, as have been the others I have read.
In 12th Continuing my Newbery Award winners of the 21st century project. A Single Shard won in 2002. It is great, as have been the others I have read.
In 12th century Korea, an orphan boy named Tree-ear, living under a bridge with his elderly friend Crane-man, foraging in fields and on rubbish heaps to keep them fed, becomes fascinated with a master potter.
Just like that, in a few pages, I too became fascinated with the beautiful Korean pottery called celadon with its stunning green glazes and intricate patterns. I spent time looking at images on the internet.
I also got caught up in Tree-ears's quest to become a potter himself. His apprenticeship is long, hard and full of opportunities to fail. Isn't that the way for artists, no matter the century or location?
A single shard of one broken pot and Tree-ears's unbroken courage could make any middle-grade reader with an artistic bent dream of pursuing such an inclination. A post-middle-age woman could also find answers and understandings about her journey in such a short but wonderful tale....more
I am still enjoying my mini-project to read all the Newbery Award winners of the 21st century. These are books for middle grade readers, 8-12. So far I am still enjoying my mini-project to read all the Newbery Award winners of the 21st century. These are books for middle grade readers, 8-12. So far they have all been quick reads and great stories.
Merci Suarez Changes Gears won in 2019 and features a 6th grade Latina girl attending Seaward Pines Academy on scholarship in Florida. Like any 6th grader, she is thrown in with many kids she does not know well because now they change classrooms for separate subjects. I remember that!
Her lower socio-economic status and her family make her different so she struggles to fit in and make friends. The most popular girl is toxic (aren't they usually?) but Merci is determined to be accepted.
In addition, her beloved grandfather, who lives in the family compound, is falling into dementia. She does not understand what is going on with him and no one will talk about it.
The story has tons of heart and humor. Merci is a heroine worthy of a Judy Blume novel, while her story is set in the truths of our increasingly immigrant filled society....more
It is always a wonderful surprise to find good fantasy. This book won the Newbery Medal in 2017. It is recommended for readers 10 years old and up. I It is always a wonderful surprise to find good fantasy. This book won the Newbery Medal in 2017. It is recommended for readers 10 years old and up. I agree. It could be a stretch for some readers younger than 10.
A village on the edge of a forest, at the foot of a slumbering volcano, is under a perceived curse. Every year the most recently born infant must be offered up and left in the forest to appease a witch, or so they are told by the village leaders.
However, the witch, Xan, is kind and gentle. She rescues these babies and places them with good families in a village on the other side of the forest where they are raised and cherished. One year, Xan accidentally feeds the rescued baby girl on moonlight, filling her with magic. Luna is now the center of the tale.
In truly feminist form, Luna's magic emerges as she nears her 13th birthday. She is destined to break the curse which fills her home village with sorrows. Ah, it is a great story filled with magic, a bit of horror, more than one witch and plenty of adventure.
The plot is just as enthralling for an adult who loves fantasy!...more
It has been a while since I read a middle-grade novel, so on a whim I picked up this 2021 Newbury Award winner and it is stellar!
Eleven year old Lily,It has been a while since I read a middle-grade novel, so on a whim I picked up this 2021 Newbury Award winner and it is stellar!
Eleven year old Lily, her teen sister Sam and her mom have moved from California to Washington State to be with her grandmother, who is ill. The mother is Korean, the sisters are mixed, the grandmother is a well-known healer in her small town. She filled her granddaughters with folk tales about tigers and magic when they were young, so when Lily sees a tiger on the side of the road as they drive into her grandmother's town during a downpour, she believes!
In the story, Lily outgrows her shyness and finds her strengths as she fights to keep her Halmoni alive. Just what many young girls need to do. I loved the magical elements, the sisters' conflicts, the mother's issues and the beauty of Halmoni's spirit. I remembered when my mom was in her last days and her great-granddaughters came to say goodbye. How hard it is to let loved ones go but how important not only to keep their stories but to learn the meanings of them as we grow....more
This is a wonderful story about bullfighting. Though it is not a sport I would ever want to attend, bullfighting is an integral part of the culture inThis is a wonderful story about bullfighting. Though it is not a sport I would ever want to attend, bullfighting is an integral part of the culture in Spain. The book won the Newbery Medal in 1965.
Monolo Oliver is the son of the greatest bullfighter in all of Spain, who lost his life in the ring. It is expected that Monolo will repeat his father's success but the boy definitely does not feel any urge to fight bulls.
Still he tries to find his courage. Some of his father's friends teach him the sport and the day comes when he must face his first bull.
In a vibrant coming of age tale, Manolo figures out how to deal with the pressure and find his own way in the world. Wonderful writing and plot. Lots of info on bullfighting, including a glossary. Immersion into the culture surrounding the sport. ...more
As part of My Big Fat Reading Project, after I have finished reading the top 10 bestsellers of a given year, I go through the award winners. As of 19 As part of My Big Fat Reading Project, after I have finished reading the top 10 bestsellers of a given year, I go through the award winners. As of 1964 there were only six major awards given in the United States. These days there are scores of them.
It's Like This, Cat won the Newbery Award in 1964, given for the best writing for readers aged 8 to 12. Up until 1963 this award favored historical fiction and some rather dull "improving" type stories. 1963 was a breakout year for the Newbery when Madeleine L'Engle received the award for A Wrinkle in Time.
It's Like This, Cat showed promise that the Newbery's hidebound nature had truly changed, though the main character is a bit older than usual. David Mitchell is 14 and the story is set in contemporary times in New York City.
David has a frail mother who suffers from asthma. His father is a somewhat overbearing stuffed shirt. Son and father argue often, setting off the mother's asthma attacks.
I don't know if the city was safer in the mid-1960s than it is today (probably not) but David roams freely with his friends. He gets around by subway, bus, bicycle and his own two feet. These kids think nothing of walking blocks and miles through the city.
Despite David's difficulties with his dad and kids his age, he has an adult friend. Kate is a crazy cat lady who lives alone and rescues cats. She gives one of these to him, a tomcat who becomes his main companion during the course of the story. What a fine cat he is too!
By the end, David has a best friend, a girlfriend, and a better understanding of his father. The story is reminiscent of Beverly Cleary and full of good writing. The author went on to write four more children's books while raising five kids in New York City....more
This classic won the Newbery Award in 1963. I just read it for the third time and discovered new layers to the story.
In 1994, I wrote in my reading This classic won the Newbery Award in 1963. I just read it for the third time and discovered new layers to the story.
In 1994, I wrote in my reading journal: "Three children travel through time and the universe to rescue their father by overcoming evil with love." A slight inaccuracy there is that he was the father of only two of the children, the third one being a friend of the kids.
In 2010, I wrote about the Christian influence being much lighter than that in the Narnia books by C S Lewis and about how Meg, the daughter, was a fine female character right up there with Lara from The Golden Compass. I found both the parents and the children to be more true to life than those in many other Newbery winning books from earlier years.
Each time I read the book, I was enchanted by Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Whosit, and Mrs Which. Who can resist the younger brother Charles Wallace? This time I recognized him as a kid somewhere on the Autism spectrum. Also I was suddenly aware that the father had been involved in the Manhattan Project and the science behind the atom bomb. I can only assume that my reading over the past several years, including both the President Truman and the Oppenheimer biographies, gave me enough knowledge to recognize this as a concern and a manifestation of evil in 1962! And then there is the tesseract!!
I have read and loved four of L'Engle's early novels written for adults. (The Small Rain, A Winter's Love, And Both Were Young, and Camilla.) Her writing for children loses something that is especially wonderful in those novels, though some of that remains. A Wrinkle In Time saved her writing career, dying due to low sales. Even so, this children's novel requires a high reading level for 8-12 year olds.
I hadn't realized that there is a Wrinkle In Time series. I have four more books to look forward to. Then there is the movie coming out next March! ...more
Good but not great. Certainly not as good as The Witch of Blackbird Pond. It is a Jesus story but interesting because the main character is a young ZeGood but not great. Certainly not as good as The Witch of Blackbird Pond. It is a Jesus story but interesting because the main character is a young Zealot. I haven't seen a Zealot sympathetically portrayed very often, especially in a book for kids. In the end though, the plot was too predictable....more
I read this book several times as a kid and it had remained in my memory as a book I loved though I did not remember what it was about. It won the NewI read this book several times as a kid and it had remained in my memory as a book I loved though I did not remember what it was about. It won the Newbery Award in 1959, the year I turned 13.
At that time there was not a separate genre for Young Adult readers. In my library, where my mother took us every week, there was a children's room and the rest was adult. I would go to the children's room and pick out my own books. This one probably spoke out to me because of the cover, with Kit standing in the marshes looking to the river surrounded by cloudy skies all done in shades of bluish-green. I also had a fascination with witches in my pre-teen years.
Reading it again was the strangest combination of familiarity beneath what felt like a first read. I truly did not remember that the story took place amidst Puritans in the 1760s. I surely did not recall that Kit came from Barbados. It is entirely possible that I had never heard of Barbados when I was 12 and might have been only vaguely aware of what constituted a Puritan.
So I realized (again) that kids can read anything that holds their interest while lacking all manner of factual information related to the book. I can't to this day figure out how that can be true, but it is so. When I read The Winthrop Woman last summer, it was probably all the many readings of The Witch of Blackbird Pond which made it feel so familiar.
The other aspect fairly lost on me back in the day was the romance and love story. I see now that Elizabeth George Speare must have known her Jane Austen. This time, it still took me more than half the story to realize that Kit belonged with Nat. I am not usually so dim about romantic intrigue so I can only assume that Ms Speare was a great writer.
I think what I loved about this book as a girl was Kit herself, with all her warm-hearted impulsiveness, her flaws and her bravery. I could identify with the personality type down to the last brightly hued silk gown along with her love for Hannah and Prudence.
If a book written over fifty years ago can still make me cry (and it did, several times) it is a "good novel" for sure and for all time. ...more
This book won the Newbury Award in 1958. It tells the story of Jeff Bussey, a young man from Kansas, who joined the Union Army and served in what was This book won the Newbury Award in 1958. It tells the story of Jeff Bussey, a young man from Kansas, who joined the Union Army and served in what was then the far west: Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and the Indian territories of the Cherokee, Creek and Choctaw nations, which are now Oklahoma. Thus the book covers some lesser known aspects of the Civil War, especially concerning the Native American issues.
Stand Watie was the leader of the Cherokee nation who fought on the Rebel side because his interest was in preserving their rights to live in that territory. Understandably, he was an enemy to the government in Washington after their pernicious dealings with the Indians of Tennessee and Kentucky leading to the Trail of Tears debacle.
Though Jeff Bussey was a Union soldier, he was captured as a spy by the rebels and spent over half the war amongst them. That plot point gave the author the opportunity to show both sides, making the book a great piece of historical fiction for young readers. Jeff is a fine hero in the upstanding tradition of the Newbury Awards.
I was captivated throughout the story. The writing is top notch with plenty of action and great characters. I would recommend it to any middle school students studying the Civil War, but also to boys who are what they call "reluctant readers."...more