My Life in Newbery

I borrowed this great idea from Kelly Butcher of the Lemme Library.  I thought it would fit really well with my Newbery reading theme this month.  It’s a list of books that have won the Newbery Medal during my lifetime.

The year I was born: 1977

Newbery Medal Winner: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

I’ve actually read this one a couple of times – once on my own and once for a children’s lit class.  Great historical fiction.

The year I started kindergarten: 1982

Newbery Medal Winner: A Visit to William Blake’s Inn by Nancy Willard

I’ve actually never read this one.  I’ll put it on my list for this month!

The year I turned 10: 1987

Newbery Medal Winner: The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman

I think I’ve actually read this one about three times, including as a a kid around the time it came out.  Humor, adventure, great for boys and one of the few Newbery winners that you can suggest for younger readers.

The year I started high school: 1990

Newbery Medal Winner: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

I know I’ve read this one a couple of times, too.  One of my all-time favorites.  Historical fiction about the Danish Resistance in World War II, and a great story of friendship.

The year I graduated from high school: 1995

Newbery Medal Winner: Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

A great title about growing up and family.

The year I graduated from college: 1999

Newbery Medal Winner: Holes by Louis Sachar

One of those Newbery Medal winners that is actually really popular with kids as well.  A fun, fun read.

The year I received my Master’s Degree: 2003

Newbery Medal Winner: Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi

I just read this one a couple of years ago, and I really liked it – more than I thought I would actually.  It’s not a time period I generally read about, but another good historical fiction title.  I really need to get around to the other titles in this series!

The year Little L was born: 2010

Newbery Medal Winner: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

I was very proud of myself for having read this title before it was named the Medalist.  A time-travel book that’s really about friendship and family.  While maybe not as popular as Holes, another title that kids really seem to like.

I’m pretty impressed with myself that there’s only one book on this list I haven’t read yet.  I wonder what this year’s winner will be?  We’ll find out tomorrow morning!

Reading with Little L: Two Years Old

I can’t believe how the time has flown by.  Little L turns two today!

I’ve loved watching him grow and learn – even though I’ve worked with children most of my life, it is truly different having a child of your own.

He’s also my little guinea pig when it comes to trying out books for toddlers.  It’s been fascinating, and even perplexing at times,  to see what books he’s drawn to and which ones he doesn’t have an interest in at all.  I know I can’t judge a book solely by his opinion, but his “insight” can be a valuable additional piece of information.

Here’s a sample of his favorite books these days:

Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney; illustrated by author

I first read this to Little L because it was the selection for Jumpstart’s Read for the Record program this year.  It quickly became one of his favorites, and now he loves the whole series.  He even went to bed holding one of the Llama Llama books last night (although he calls the title character “Mama Jama”).

Thomas’ Big Storybook by Rev. W. Awdry

Little L has become fairly obsessed with Thomas  and his engine friends these days.   Thanks to two older male cousins and some generous friends he already has multiple DVD’s, toys, and an impressive library of Thomas books.  This particular title was given to us by one of my mom’s coworkers whose son had outgrown it.  It has about twenty or so stories, and we’ve probably read each of them at least a dozen times.  I will say, at least it gives me some variety when I’m reading rather than having to read the same book over and over!

How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Mark Teague

We actually also  received a couple of the books in this series from the same coworker of my mom’s who gave us the Thomas books.   Little L really fell in love with the series though when we checked out one of the new Playaway Views from our library that had a couple of the stories on it along with other dinosaur stories.  He’s been in love ever since!  (As a little side note, we are loving the Views at our library.  As a parent, I can say that we’ve been glad to have a View with us on a long car trip and at other outings when we’ve needed to keep Little L occupied.  My favorite feature is that you can lock the player so that little fingers can’t mess anything up by pushing buttons.  As a librarian, it’s been nice to see such a positive response from our patrons since we started carrying them.)

If You See a Kitten by John Butler; illustrated by author

This has always been one of my favorite books to read aloud in baby and toddler storytimes.  It has such beautiful illustrations, and is a great interactive book.  If you’re not familiar with it, on each page an animal is introduced (kitten, elephant, crocodile, etc.) and the text suggests sounds to make when you see that particular animal (“ahhh”, “wow”, “help!”, respectively).  I love the reaction that you can get from kids when you read this book – laughter, surprise – and nothing has been better than the belly laughs and echoes of the sounds I’ve gotten from Little L.  He especially loves the picture of the crocodile at the end.  Sometimes he growls when he sees it and other times he’ll echo my “Help!” or even just scream.  So hilarious!

Recent Read: Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie

Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie by Julie Sternberg; illustrated by Matthew Cordell

In addition to just being a sweet story, this book is a great title for those kids just beginning to move from easy readers to chapter books.  The chapters are short, and there are illustrations throughout the book.

Young Eleanor is dealing with several transitions and having a rather difficult time of it.  Her beloved babysitter Bibi has moved away, leaving Eleanor feeling very alone.  She is also on the cusp of a new school year, something that brings anxiety to many a child.  Now she must learn how to cope with such stress in the absence of Bibi.  Can her new babysitter Natalie help?

This is a great, realistic story that many children can relate to.  Even though Eleanor is a little sad and anxious during the story, both author and illustrator add in bits of humor and hope for readers along the way.

Recent Read: Pie

Pie by Sarah Weeks

This book was a nice change from the more intense The Dead and the Gone.

Set in the small town of Ipswitch in 1955, Sarah Weeks has created a scrumptious (sorry, couldn’t help it) tale with Pie.  When Alice’s beloved Aunt Polly passes away, Alice is devastated and just wants Polly back, but the rest of the town can’t wait to get their hands on Polly’s award-winning piecrust recipe.  Polly has been the recipient of the “Blueberry Medal” numerous times, and now everyone else wants a crack at the title.

It seems Polly had other ideas though.  She has left her piecrust recipe to her enormous cat Lardo, and Lardo is now under Alice’s care.   When Lardo disappears and other myterious occurrences take place, Alice and her friend Charlie begin to investigate.

This fun read does deal with the mystery of Aunt Polly’s missing piecrust recipe, but it’s more importantly a story about family, dealing with loss, and even developing your individual talents.  Just for added fun, Weeks has included pie recipes at the beginning of each chapter for the reader to try.  Simply delicious!

Recent Listen: The Dead and the Gone

The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer

This is the second book in Pfeffer’s “The Last Survivors” trilogy, which began with Life As We Knew It.  Both books describe the aftermath of a terrible disaster in which the moon is struck by a meteor and knocked out of its orbit.  When the moon shifts, terrible events begin taking place on Earth, from giant tsunamis, to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

In Life As We Knew It, the action follows a teen named Miranda and her family in rural Pennsylvania as they deal with the disaster and its various consequences, such as lack of communication, sporadic electricity, and outbreaks of illness.  In The Dead and The Gone the action moves to New York City, where high school junior Alex Morales and his family must deal with these same issues, but in a very different environment.  Alex and his two sisters have been separated from the rest of their family by the catastrophe – their mother, a nurse, was called in to work following the disaster and never returned, and their father was stranded (or possibly killed) by a tsunami in Puerto Rico where he had gone to attend a funeral.

Now Alex must take responsibility for his sisters, twelve-year-old Julie and fourteen-year-old Bri, as resources in the city begin to dwindle and humanity crumbles around them.  It becomes more and more clear that Alex must find a way out of the city before it is too late for his family.

Pfeffer has begun this series with a fascinating premise, but what makes the books such page-turners are the realistic characters she places in this extraordinary situation.  The reader quickly identifies with Miranda and Alex and wants to see them survive.  It’s also interesting to read how different people react to such an earth-shattering event in such different ways.

I’m looking forward to reading (or listening) to the final book in the trilogy, This World We Live In, which will tie the two previous stories together.  I listened to both of the first two books on audio.  It was strange to be walking or driving in the sunshine while listening to stories in which the characters are dealing with frigid temperatures and little or no heat, but the audio versions were both well done.