Sorry for the lack of posts.

I made a sudden and rather random decision to move to upstate NY and then life just got in the way of getting posts up on this blog. I will get back on some sort of schedule soon. I might not get 2 a week right away, but at least once a week, and to make things a little easier, I'll move away from the Caldecott and Newberry Medal books for a little while too.

Later this week, look for my post about some book that I haven't chosen yet.

Do you have any suggestions?

The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron and illustrated by Matt Phelan (2007 Newberry Medal Winner)

The last decade of Newberry medal winners has seen several stories about young girls with nontraditional families. (Look at When You Reach Me, and Moon Over Manifest) Fortunately, each of those books brings something different to the mix, so it doesn't matter that they have that in common.

Lucky's mother has died, and since her father can't handle the pressure of raising his daughter alone, he calls his first wife, Brigitte, to come all the way from France to Hard Pan, California (population 43) to take care of Lucky. Lucky always worries that Brigitte will leave her too, but she isn't sure this will happen.

At the age of 10, Lucky has a job cleaning up the town hall after all of the 12-step meetings. She likes to listen to the tales told by the members of the various groups, and Lucky is also in search of her own Higher Power, just like she heats about in the meetings. She has two good friends, a boy named Linclon, who is an avid knot tier who also has aspirations of becoming President, and Miles, a 5-year-old boy who loves the book Are You My Mother? by P. D. Eastman.

The book has illustrations of various knots that are fun, and the relationship between Lucky and Brigitte is strange and fun. It makes for interesting reading.

Lucky's search for her Higher Power leads her to run away from home, but will that actually take her where she wants to be? Lucky has plenty of problems sorting out her life, and her adventures are worth the read.

So let's make some suggestions about uses in the classroom:

• Talk about what makes a family.
• Talk about what it would be like to live in a town as small as Hard Pan.
• Read Are You My Mother to the class and talk about why Miles likes the book so much. (You can talk about it throughout the whole book so you can see the changing perspective of the book.
• Experiment with tying knots.

There are plenty of other ideas you can explore. Why don't you share some of them below in the comments?

Miss Hickory by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey (1947 Newberry Medal Winner)

Normally, I would avoid giving away the ending of a book, but you need to know all about this story in order for it to make sense. So you've been warned.

So Miss Hickory is a doll that is made from an apple branch that looks like a body, and a hickory nut that happens to be shaped like a face. Miss Hickory is very set in her ways and a bit rude at times too.

During the nicer times of year, she lives outside in a doll house, and during the winter months she is moved inside, but this year things are different. The family is going away for the winter, and Miss Hickory has been forcefully evicted from her home by a chipmunk. A crow helps her find a robin's nest to live in during the winter, but she balks at the idea even though she agrees to live there in the end.

Her new home is above the hole of a squirrel. Miss Hickory does not treat this squirrel very well, and insults him all the time. That will come back to haunt her.

Miss Hickory has many adventures over her winter. She helps a group of pheasant hens to band together into a women's society to stand up to the male pheasants. She rescues an old frog that has gotten trapped in the ice. She also learns a lot. She changes her wardrobe frequently using the natural world around her for materials.

There are some strange chapters, especially when Miss Hickory goes to a "party" at the barn that is attended by every animal you can find in the world. I can't explain where they come from or how they get there, but I liked it.

So, I mentioned that I would talk about the ending, so here it goes. When spring arrives, the robins that lived in her nest returns and kicks her out. Desperate for a place to go, Miss Hickory visits her neighbor the squirrel, who being hungry after the long winter, eats Miss Hickory's head. This is actually a liberating experience. It frees her of being so hard headed, and even without her head, she is able to feel her way into the tree and sets herself into an open space int the tree and becomes a grafted branch.

Yes, this story is strange, but if you are into unique takes on the world, then this book might be for you.

Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes (1952 Newberry Medal Winner)

Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes

This book makes me mad. 1952 was the year when another, much more deserving book, was also eligible to win the Newberry Medal, but it was given to Ginger Pye instead. It may seem like a small detail, but the one of the honor books that year was Charlotte's Web. Even if you haven't had a lot of exposure to children's literature, you must have heard of this story, but who has heard anything of the adventures of Ginger Pye in the years since that book won the medal?

Next week I'll talk about what makes the honor book so great, but for now, let's talk about Ginger Pye.

My biggest problem with this book is that it cannot decide who the story is going to be about. When it starts, it seems like it will be the story of how Jerry Pye saves the money to get a dog that he really wants, but that part of the story ends very quickly. Maybe it will be the story of what a great dog Ginger Pye is. Or perhaps it is a mystery about where Ginger Pye has been taken.

This book is almost all of these story, but still none of them. In fact, it never really figures out what it is trying to do. There only a few moments that I really enjoyed while I was reading, but there were even more confusing moments.

Confusing/pointless moments?

• The kids go swimming at the quarry, and there is one boy that engages in "vertical swimming." What is vertical swimming? Well, you might think that this boy likes to dive down as far as he can go, but no, vertical swimming means that he likes to swim under water. This is a huge deal for some reason. The boy also loses swimming races because even though he is the fastest swimmer, you can't win if you go underwater. This has no purpose in the rest of the story.
• Ginger is abducted after Thanksgiving dinner because the dog is put outside, but the children are the only ones that are interested in doing anything about finding Ginger.
• The story is filled with the children trying to find Ginger, but they never really do anything to solve the mystery. All they know is that the culprit might wear a yellow hat. They find a yellow hat in the woods one day and make a crayon mark inside the hat. (Big deal.)
• At the beginning of the book Jerry's biggest dilemma is if the cat will be upset if the family gets a dog.

Good points?

• There is an entire chapter devoted to Ginger trying to figure out where Jerry goes during the day. Ginger manages to track Jerry by following his nose and even finds Jerry's pencil that was dropped while hanging in a tree. Once Ginger finds the school he also manages to climb the fire escape to the classroom window. This chapter is great because we get inside Ginger's head. We get to follow the dog and get inside its mind. Why couldn't the entire book be like this?
• When Jerry is trying to raise money to get his dog, he takes a job cleaning the church pews, and the brother, sister, and toddler uncle figure out how to shuttle the uncle across the pews to clean them quickly.
• Um, that's honestly all I have.

So, I don't think there is a lot of mystery about my feelings on this book. I can't conceive of using it for a class of students, so I won't give a list of ways to use it with your students. Next weekend I'll talk about one of the 1952 honor books, Charlotte's Web, a much better book.

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (1979 Newberry Winner)

I enjoy a good mystery novel, and this one certainly pays off with lots of twists and turns, but it just wasn't as engaging as I would have liked.

A mysterious man, Sam Westing, who is also the man behind the Westing Paper fortune, returns from his self-imposed exile only to be killed on the night he returns.

The next day a group of 16 people are assembled to hear the will of Sam Westing. What's most strange about these 16 people is that they recently moved into a new apartment complex called Sunset Towers. In fact, it seems that they were specifically chosen and enticed to rent the apartments where they live. This group of heirs is very diverse and don't seem to have many connections, but they are now a part of the Westing Game.

The 16 people are broken into pairs and given a check for $10,000, but it is only valid if each person partakes in the game. The goal of the game is to find the man or woman that killed Sam Westing. They are given clues that are part of a complete clue that is broken up. The winners of the game will inherit the complete $200 million dollar fortune, and the Paper Factory.

There are plenty of twists and misdirections, but it really didn't draw me into the mystery. Sure we are told that Westing was killed and that the killer may kill all of the heirs, but I never felt that anyone's life was in danger. The characters, and the interactions are very good though, and the ending is worth reading the entire book.

How can you use it in your classroom?

You can talk about how to solve a mystery/riddle/challenge.
You can explore how the characters interact in the story.
You can ask about the whys of the story. (Why does this happen or that?)

If you're looking for a good book, this is a good place to look. Don't be worried about it not catching my attention as much as I would have liked. It's still a great read.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIHM by Robert C. O'Brien (1972 Newberry Medal Winner)

This is one of the books that I had always wanted to read, but for some reason, I was never able to do more than pick up a copy. I had tried at least half a dozen times, but I never even got past the cover on most of those attempts. I don't know what was causing the block, but I'm glad that I got over it because this is a great book.

Unlike some of the earlier Newberry Medal books that have animals that live and act like people, the characters in this book seem genuine. I can believe in these animals.

Mrs. Frisby is the widow of Johnathan Frisby. She has a very nice winter home in a mostly buried cement block in a field owned by Mr. Fitzgibbons. Her youngest child, Timothy is sick, and the spring is coming soon. It is very likely that Timothy will not survive the cold trip to their summer home.

Mrs. Frisby obtains medicine from an old friend of her husband, Mr. Ages. On the way home, she is saves the life of a crow named Jeremy from Mr. Fitzgibbon's cat, Dragon. Jeremy suggests she visit a wise old owl for advice and even offers to take her there.

After seeing Timothy again, Mrs. Frisby works up the nerve to visit the owl in his home. It is a dangerous endeavor to visit a predator in its own home, but after the owl learns that her husband was Johnathn Frisby, he advises her to go and visit the rats that live near the rose bush and ask them to move her house a safe location.

Mrs. Frisby is more nervous about going to the rats since mice and rats are natural enemies, but since she doesn't have a better plan, she decides to risk that as well. Once again, the name of Johnathan Frisby sparks recognition and gains her aid she didn't really expect.

The rats formulate a plan to pull the block out of the ground using a pulley system and then use sticks to create a crude wheel system. Mrs. Frisby is amazed at the intelligence of the rats, and the world they have created under the rose bush.

This story has two stories to tell which adds to the interest. You see the rats were part of an experiment ran by an organization simply known as NIHM. They were seeing if they could increase the intelligence of mice and rats, but the experiment worked better than they expected, because the animals organized an escape. Only two mice managed to escape, Mr. Ages and Johnathan Frisby. The rats had several adventures and learned much before arriving at Mr. Fitzgibbon's farm where they have been stealing electricity to create their rat utopia.

The rats also have a plan to break free of dependence on stealing from the farm. They want to see if it is possible to create their own society that doesn't depend on being rats any more. They have grown beyond that lifestyle.

I won't tell you if the plans succeed, because you should read the book for yourself. Don Bluth made an animated movie in the 80's that is entertaining, although not completely faithful to the book. Both are worth a look.

So what can you do with this book in the classroom? Let's look at the differences between mice and rats. what about considering predators vs prey. You can also look at the technology that the rats use, and how it works.

This book has plenty of applications to the classroom, and would be a great fit for your students.

Lincoln-a Photo Biography by Russell Freedman (1988 Newberry Medal Winner)

You may think that you know about the life and times of Abraham Lincoln, but he was a complex man with a life full of complications and even the thorough examination prepared by Russell Freedman doesn't give us everything we could know. That really isn't possible, but he does manage to give a very clear, and impartial picture of Mr. Lincoln's life.

You probably have a good idea about the story of Abraham Lincoln. You may not know about his difficulties in becoming the President, and the challenges he faced while he was in office, but I won't get into those right now.

Let's talk about all of the ways you can use this book in your setting (whatever it might be.)

• As a photo biography, this book is loaded with photographs from the time of Lincoln, so you can see actual images of the times and places that were significant in Lincoln's life.
• Discuss the differences between the time of the Civil War and today.
• Talk about the reasons that Lincoln freed the slaves.
• Discuss why the Southern states were willing to fight.
• How does someone become President?

I'm sure you can come up with plenty of other ideas for this book as well. Enjoy!

Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes (1944)

You may not have read this book, but I'm fairly certain that some teacher asked you to at some point. Johnny Tremain is a standard book that ties into a curriculum of English teachers to explore American history and American literature.

Johnny Tremain is a promising apprentice of silver smith Ephraim Lapham. Johnny loses his apprenticeship due to an accident while working on a big order for merchant, John Hancock. Johnny burns his hand and will never be able to do the delicate artistry needed for being a silver smith. The rest of the story follows Johnny as he struggles to make a living, and find a profession that will work for him.

It sounds fairly simple as a story, but its importance comes more from the historical setting. Readers get to meet some figures from the period around the Revolutionary War, and discover the political situation of the era.

This is an era when Democrats and Republicans are not even an idea yet. Instead, you have the arguments of the Whigs and Tories.

Who do you get to meet?

• Samuel Adams
• John Hancock
• Paul Revere
• many others who aren't so well known

This book is a great tool for the historical setting, and conversations about why the American colonies decided to rebel from England. You can also look at the apprenticeship system and how it is designed.

Johnny Tremain has long been a tool for teachers. Don't miss your chance to use it in your classroom.

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool (2010)

Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool (2010 Newberry Medal Winner)

Against her better judgement, Abilene Tucker has been sent to the small town of Manifest, Kansas by her father who has found work in a train yard, and he has convinced her that it would be better if, this one time, she didn't travel with him.  It comes as a surprise, and she isn't completely happy about it, but there is one reason for Abilene to be excited about this move-she will have a chance to place her father in all of the stories that she has heard from him about the town of Manifest. In all of her stories, he hasn't had a place.

Manifest is a poor town trying to survive the Great Depression and the loss of the coal mine that was the only business that really kept it afloat.

Abilene is leaving with Shady, a man that works as the interim preacher for a number of years of a Baptist church that burned down many years ago. He runs poorly attended meetings and Abilene wonders about the bottle of booze that sits in what passes for his kitchen.

Abilene finds a box filled with letters from a WWI soldier to a boy named Jinx. Through a strange mishap, Abilene starts working for Miss Sadie, a woman that the people in the town think might be a witch, and a fortune teller. Miss Sadie has the compass that Abilene got from her father.

Miss Sadie tells the story of Jinx and his time in Manifest. How he came to town running from a past that wasn't his fault, and becomes a part of the struggling community. Most of the people of Manifest suffer because the owner of the mine oppresses them and makes them work long hours for little pay with only on store in town owned by the mine.

Will Jinx be able to help the people of Manifest get out from under the thumb of the mine? Will Abilene be able to find where her father fits into the story of Manifest?

This story is great for discussions of history. The story of Jinx happens during the time of World War II. It also faces the issues of racism and bigotry. Abilene's story happens during the Great Depression and during a time when the railroad was an important part of making America happen.

There is also opportunity to talk about the importance of stories, and the stories of family.

Holes by Louis Sachar

Holes by Louis Sachar (1999 Newberry Medal Winner)

There isn't much in life that Stanley Yelnats can enjoy. The only cool thing about his name is that is spells the same backwards as it does forwards. He's over weight and unpopular. His father stinks up the house with his attempts to find the cure for stinky feet. Worse than that, Stanley's whole family is cursed by an old gypsy woman because the original Stanley Yelnats broke a promise to her.

How does Stanley know they are cursed? Bad things just keep happening. They may seem good at first, but something always goes wrong. Take for example the day when Stanly was walking down the street, and a really nice pair of sneakers fell on his head. They were really nice, and they looked like they might even fit his feet, but very soon after he found them, the police were arresting him for stealing them.

It turns out the shoes were a donation from a famous athlete to help raise money for needy kids. No one accepts Stanley's reasons why he has the shoes, and even worse, the judge decides to sentence him to either go to jail or Camp Green Lake.

Stanley is pretty excited to learn that he will be spending his time at Camp Green Lake. When Stanley gets to the camp, he discovers that it is a strange work camp where boys who are trying to avoid jail are forced to dig hole in an area that used to be a lake, but is now a dried-up pit in the ground. Their job consists of digging a hole each day. Each hole has to be 3 feet long by 3 feet wide by 3 feet deep.

Stanley's new bunk mates give him the nickname Caveman probably because of his large size, and Stanley struggles every day under the hot sun.

So why are these boys digging holes every day? Is it a way to help them rehabilitate and make better choices about their futures? No, it turns out when this hole in the ground was still a lake, a treasure was lost in a sinking boat. The woman who runs the camp, and her ancestors, have been searching for years for that treasure.

Along with this, there are some other interesting plot points that I won't get into in case you haven't read this book. (If you haven't read it, then shame on you.) Let's just say that Louis Sachar can weave together a story with multiple layers that will leave you wondering what will happen next.

The Grey King by Susan Cooper

The Grey King by Susan Cooper (1976 Newberry Medal Winner)

This is a book that I wasn't expecting to find on the list. Sure I've seen books from a series, but all of the ones that I recognized were the first book in th the series. The Grey King is the fourth book in The Dark is Rising series. Susan Cooper, along with Madeline L'Engle, are both authors that I was disappointed not to see multiple times on the list as well. All mock bitterness aside, let's talk about this wonderful book.

Before we can get into the actual story, we have three books of background to address. I'll try to keep it short, but I definitely have to explain the major characters.

Will Stanton

We meet young Will in the pages of The Dark is Rising. On his eleventh birthday, he notices some very strange things in his neighborhood. He discovers that this is because he is the seventh son of a seventh son, and because of this he is actually part of a group called the Old Ones.

As the youngest of the Old Ones, it is Will's responsibility to prepare for the final battle with the Dark. In all but the first book of the series, Will is the person resposible for most of the action of the last four books. As an Old One, Will can travel to different times that are important to the Old Ones, freeze time, and an assortment of impossible things.

Will is guided by the first of the Old Ones, a man called Merry Lyons.

Merry Lyons

He was the first Old One and has been involved in all of the battles against the Dark. I won't say anything more to avoid giving away too much.

The Book

After suffering a major illness, Will is sent to Wales to recuperate. While he is there, he is also searching for the Sleepers who are being watched by a Dark agent, the Grey King.

Will meets a strange young boy named Bran, and the two of them join forces to solve the mystery in the verses that Will discovered in the previous books.

The book is filled with Welsh, problem solving, and a look into the past. This is a great book for anyone that enjoys adventure stories filled with Fantasy elements. You can also talk with young readers about the friendship as it develops between Will and Bran, as well as making judgements about people that you meet.

I expect that I will come back to talk about the other books in this series if I ever get through the Caldecott and Newberry books.

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo (2004 Newberry Medal Winner)

I'm not really a good person to compare movies with the books from which they take their stories. I spent most of the time I was reading Despereaux thinking about everything that the movie got wrong. I do the same thing with every movie/book combination. I can't think of a single movie that I thought was better than the book.

One of the biggest differences is that Despereaux isn't brave. He does act bravely, but he isn't a brave mouse. In the movie, we see Despereaux carrying his sword from the beginning and stealing cheese from traps and not being bothered by the cat. This isn't the mouse we get in the book. In the book, Despereaux doesn't act like a frightened mouse not because of his bravery, but because of his wonder with the world around him.

Despereaux follows his wonder to reading the book in the library with the tale of a knight that fills his mind. His wonder also leads him to follow the music of the King. It also brings him into the presence of the Princess, with whom he falls in love.

These are some reasons why I enjoyed the book more than the movie. Let's talk about the book on its own though.

Despereaux is born as the last and smallest member of his littler of mice. He lives in a French castle, and his mother and father a dismayed at how unusual of a mouse he is. His is so small for a mouse. He doesn't tremble. He even opens his eyes and looks at the sun, which no mouse baby has ever been known to do. I mentioned the acts that get him banished from the mouse community because of his unmouselike behavior.

Meanwhile in the dungeon, there is a rat that becomes obsessed with the light of the world, but because he lives in the dungeon, he cannot share in the light. He travels to the banquet room of the castle and accidentally scares the queen to death when he lands in her bowl of beloved soup. He vows revenge.

There is also Miggery Sow to consider. Mig is a young girl whose father sold her to another man for a red table cloth, and a handful of cigarettes. Mig finds herself living and working in the castle which takes her one stop closer to her dream of becoming a Princess, but this makes her a bigger target for a certain rat.

Things get complicated, and I don't want to give too much away even if you have seen the movie. (Things progress differently than the movie suggests.) The important thing to know is that this story hinges on Despereaux overcoming his fears and becoming the hero he found in his books.

This is an important lesson for students to discover and can provide a great amount of discussion with your children.

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech (1995 Newberry Medal Winner)

I've know about Sharon Creech for several years. I first encountered her from reading Love that Dog, a collection of poetry written by a young boy learning about poetry in school, and followed closely by Hate that Cat a continuation of that tale. I also stumbled upon Heartbeat, the story of a young girl who loves to run, but doesn't want to be a runner, also told in poems.

When I saw her name on the list of Newberry Medals, I half expected to find a book of poetry, but instead we get the tale of Salamanca Tree Hiddle as she travels with her grandparents telling them the story of her friend Phoebe and her mother. This story helps to illuminate Sal's own troubles with her mother leaving their family.

Sal and her father have moved from Bybanks, Kentucky to Euclid, Ohio to be near a woman, Mrs. Margaret Cadaver with whom her father has become attached. Sal hates leaving her home and the connection that home has with the mother she loved so dearly.

Sal believes that if she can arrive in Lewiston, Idaho by her mother's birthday, then Sal will be able to bring her home. Sal knows that this is a foolish belief, but that doesn't stop her from wanting it to be true. She is travelling with her grandparents on her father's side. They are an odd duo, and they love listening to the story of Peeby (the name they use for Phoebe) and Sal's part in that story.

Phoebe is a fun character to read about although I'm not sure that I would actually want to spend much time with her. Her first reaction to most situations is to come up with a horrible explanation. What happened to Mrs. Cadaver's husband? She killed him and buried him in the back yard. Why did her mother disappear? A lunatic took her away.

Phoebe is the perfect foil to unravel the story of Sal's mother's disappearance. Both girls have similar stories about mothers that leave, and we get to understand Sal much better because of this parallel.

Oh, I should talk a little bit about Sal. She is an only child although her parents had wanted to have a large family. She loves the outdoors, especially the outdoors of her home in Bybanks, Kentucky. She misses her mother, and can't let go of the past because of that love.

This is a fun adventure. I especially enjoy getting to know Sal's grandparents. They also have a fun story to experience. Even several days after finishing the book, I still find myself saying, "Huzzah, huzzah."

Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson (1945)

Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson (1945 Newberry Medal Winner)

It's hard to believe that this is the book that started off the Newberry Medal. It is much shorted and less complicated than modern winners, but more importantly, it follows a very strange format and story. This story is similar to the ending of The Big Snow because it seems to be about people being responsible for providing for the needs of animals.

All the animals of Rabbit Hill are excited because there are New Folk comin' to the old house. Lots of other human characters get names, but even after we learn the couple's names, they are still called New Folk. The main conflict seems to be whether the New Folk are also Nice Folk and Planting Folk but not Trap-Setting Folk or Hunting Folk.

The 'adventures' are weak and the characters are shallow. Mother is always afraid, and Father is obsessed with Kentucky Blue Grass. In one moment, the animals act like they can't do anything without humans and the next they are decrying humans for trying to take care of what the humans have worked to produce.

The New Folk are just confusing. How do they hear a field mouse fall into a rain barrel and call for help? What is their motivation for doing nice things for animals besides following the model of Francis of Assisi?

The best comparison I can find is think about the Redwall books. What if there were humans, and the animals of the Abbey decided not to do any work and let the humans take care of everything instead? Redwallers get stuff done, and even when times are hard, they work to find a way through the problems. The animals in Rabbit Hill do not.

I do want to make on quick comment on Little Georgie's song. Why is everyone singing it? How do the humans pick up on it? What is the point aside from adding a chapter to the book? It's just "New Folks comin', oh my!" over and over again. Is this where pop songs came from?

Look, Rabbit Hill is an important book since it was the first book to win the Newberry Medal, but that doesn't mean it has continued to be a good book after all this time. Animals can fend for themselves most of the time, and it's a shame to see them brought so low.

Although this blog is called Excellent Children's books, I wouldn't recommend that you check this one out of the library, and certainly don't spend money on it.

A Wrinkle in Time (1963 Newberry Medal Winner)

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (1963)

I love this book. I am disappointed to learn that L'Engle never won another medal for her other books. In fact, That is the reason that I thought for a long time that you could only win the medal once. She did win several Honor Medals, but this is her only Newberry Medal winning book.

I discovered this book when I was in Fifth grade. we were doing book reports, and my teacher suggested this book to me. I loved the characters and the story. It was my first introduction to a fully-rounded female character. Meg was brilliantly constructed, and it made me want more of those kinds of characters.

Let's talk about the basic story. Meg Murray is the oldest of four kids in her family. There are the twins, Sandy and Denny, and Charles Wallace. Her parents are both genius scientists. At the moment, they have been missing their father for several years. He went to work on a research project for the government. At first the whole family was with him, then the project required them to be away, then he just stopped sending messages at all.

This has made things very hard for Meg. First the Murrays live in a small town where there is lots of gossip. Second, Meg is very smart about things like mathematics and science, but she has her own tricks for doing the problems, so the teachers don't appreciate her. Third, Charles Wallace is considered to be a bit on the slow side by the town since he didn't start to speak until he was three, and then he just started speaking in complete, and rather loquacious language.

So that is the background of the story. Let's get into the exciting part.

Meg meets three mysterious women through Charles Wallace-Mrs. Which, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Whatsit. The women inform Charles Wallace and Meg that their father is used a tesseract to jump to another place in the universe, and he is in trouble. Only Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O'Keefe can save him. (I forgot about Calvin. He's a boy a bit older than Meg that Meg and Charles Wallace meet on the way to an old house where the three ladies are living. Calvin is like Meg because he is smarter than most people, and like the twins because he is athletic, and like Charles Wallace because he has the ability to understand people.)

Anyway, the ladies take the three children to a variety of places in their attempt to find Dr. Murray. There is a two-dimensional universe, and a planet with large hairy creatures that don't have eyes, but are wonderful and caring. Eventually, though, they find the planet with It.

I won't say anything more for fear of giving away too much, but this is the book that got me to try to memorize the periodic table of elements (which I gave up on later) and to work on my mathematics. It is also the book that got me hooked on Science Fiction.

This is also the 50th anniversary of A Wrinkle in Time, so it is the perfect time to check it out for the first time or the hundredth.

Dead End in Norvelt (2012 Newberry Medal Winner)

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos (2012)

Jack Gantos has a big problem standing in the way of his summer vacation plans-his mother.

It's 1964 and Jack lives in a small community called Norvelt. It was established by former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in an attempt to help impoverished people develop a new home and community where they could work together. Only a handful of the original Norvelters, as they are called, are still alive and living in town.

In the opening scenes of the books we find Jack using a pair of binoculars this father had claimed during the World War II from an abandoned Japanese bunker. Jack also has his father's Japanese rifle. Jack is using the binoculars to watch an war film at the drive-in miles away. Since it is just a movie miles away and the rifle isn't loaded, Jack pretends to shoot the enemy soldiers. The only problem is that the gun is actually loaded and goes off.

Several things happen at that point. First Jack's nose starts to bleed like a fountain, which happens everything something disturbing happens. Next his mother runs out and starts shouting at him. Next he wonders what happened with the bullet. Maybe it made it all the way to the drive-in or accidentally his one of his neighbors.

With a promise not to tell his father, Jack is grounded for the rest of the summer. This keeps him from hanging out with friends and playing with the player deficient little league team. The only thing that Jack will be allowed to do is help old Miss Volker, one of the few remaning original Norvelters, and the woman that Mrs. Roosevelt entrusted with keeping Norvelt healthy, and keeping track of all the original Norvelters. It is her duty to declare deaths, and write obituaries. Unfortunately, her hands are so arthritic that even with a hot-wax bath, she can hardly write anything. Jack is taken as her secretary.

There are lots of mysterious deaths in the community as original Norvelters die at a frightening rate. There is also the mysterious death of a Hells Angel that bought one of the old houses. This leads to some arson attempts by his biking brothers.

Many of the characters face feelings of being trapped in Norvelt. Jack's father wants to move to a more prosperous area. Miss Volker feels trapped while she waits for the rest of the Norvelters to die. Jack feels trapped by being grounded.

Will any of these characters manage to escape a dead end in Norvelt?

There are 69 Newberry Medal books and even more Caldecott Medal books.

I've read some in each category, but I've never read them all. However, I've always wanted to try it, so why not make a blog about it to make it a little harder to give up? I recently read Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos, and in a day or two I'll have a review ready, but not quite yet. I also have several Caldecott books handy.

My plan with all of this is to read and review all of these books (133 I think) I will probably add in some other reviews of books that I would recommend.