Newbery Medal Reading Challenge

Since 1922, 89 Newbery Medals have been awarded. Of these, I have read 16 of them. However, I only really remember 8 of them. 8! Can you believe it? And as an elementary school teacher, I feel like my number should be a lot higher than that! No, the Newbery Medal is not the be-all, end-all of what makes a good book. I sometimes read a book and get frustrated that it is such an awesome book and yet received no recognition. On the other hand, sometimes I read a book that has won a prestigious award and I hate it. But no one can argue that on the whole, Newbery books are awesome books for intermediate children and as an intermediate teacher, I feel I should definitely make an effort to read more of them.

So what am I going to do? My goal is to read 12 NB books a year until I catch up. That's an average of just one a month! Totally do-able, right? And at that rate, I will catch up by... sometime in 2017. 2017?!? Hmm, not quite as soon as I thought. Oh well. Maybe I will really get on a roll and knock them out much sooner than that!

Here are the Newbery Medal Winners that I have read (and remember well enough for them to count!):

1. 2009 The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (04/30/10)
2. 2008 Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz (04/15/10)
3. 1999 - Holes by Louis Sachar (BeforeChallenge)
4. 1994 - The Giver by Lois Lowry (BC)
5. 1991 - Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (BC)
6. 1990 - Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (04/22/10)
7. 1989 - Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman (03/31/10)
8. 1986 - Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (BC)
9. 1984 - Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary (BC)
10. 1982 - A Journey to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers by Nancy Willard (03/31/10)
11. 1978 - Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Patterson (BC)
12. 1968 - From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by EL Konigsburg (BC)
13. 1963 - A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (BC)

2010 Total: 5

Next up - 1988's Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman

~Wish Me Luck!!~