1990 Newbery Award Winner - Number the Stars

This story is set in Germany in 1943 during the time of the Nazi attacks on the Jews. It tells of a young Jewish girl named Annemarie Johansen whose family has to leave and she moves in with her friend Emily Rosen's family. This book tells the stories of men sneaking around delivering papers that inform residents what the Nazis are doing. There are food shortages and Jews are being relocated from Copenhagen.

The Rosen's and Annemarie have to go to the lake where Annemarie must participate in a dangerous mission to save her friend Emily and her own family.

Lowry, Lois. (1989). Number the Stars. New York: Houghton, Mifflin Company.

Lowry, Lois. (1989). Retrieved on March 1, 2009 from Web site http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=number%20the%20stars%20by%20lois%20lowry&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

1990 Newbery Award Winner - Holes

Stanley Yelnats is accused of stealing a pair of shoes he said fell out of the sky. So when he is sentenced to Camp Green Lake, he thinks he has it made because he is innocent anyway. But Camp Green Lake is like no other camp, it is not green, there is no lake, and it is definitely not a camp. It used to hold "the largest lake in Texas," but now it is a scorching desert full of holes dug by the boys who live at the camp.

At Camp Green Lake, the warden makes the boys spend all day digging holes that are five feed deep and five feed wide to "build character". Stanley realizes that there's more than character building going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something, and before long Stanley begins his own search—for the truth. Stanley makes friends together, they work to learn all the secrets of the lake and find a way out.

This is a really good book. My son turned me on to this book when he was in elementary school. This was long after is won the Newbery Award. My students like this book, but they have seen the movie and this makes them want to read the book.

Sachar, Louis. (2000). Holes. New York: Random House Children's Books.

Sachar, Louis. (2000). Retrieved March 1, 2009 from Web site http://images.google.com/images?gbv=2&hl=en&q=Holes&btnG=Search+Images

1994 Newbery Award Winner - The Giver

This book is a somewhat strange but interesting book about a perfect future society. Once a year, stages are celebrated with all children celebrating on the same day. There are groups of nines, tens, twelves, all ages from one to twelve are celebrated on the same day. There are no set birthdays. The nines receive bicycles, which are the only way for transportation, but the twelves are the most celebrated of the stages. When a child turns twelve, he or she receives her life assignment as determined by the Elders of the community.

Jonas is given a special assignment, he is named as the Receiver. Jonas is to receive all the memories from many generations ago given to him by the Giver. This is perceived by his people to be a special assignment, but as Jonas finds out from the Giver, it is really a burden. By becoming the Receiver, Jonas is finding out that his "perfect" community is lacking so many things he was never aware of. There is no color, no pain, no past, no weather changes, no choices to be made, and no real feeling of love or grandparents. The memories Jonas is given are of snowfalls, sledding, Christmas presents, and families where children and older people are always cherished.

The most horrible thing for Jonas is finding out the truth about his father's job as Nurturer. He finds that when a baby is released, he is actually killed by injection. This is done by the Nurturer. He then learns the same thing happens to older people when they are released. When Jonas finds out that the child who has been staying with his family for a long period of time is going to be released, he takes the child and leaves his community in the middle of night.

Jonas keeps the infant alive in the cold and snow by giving the baby his own memories of sunlight and warmth. The community sends people out looking for Jonas and the baby, but they are not found, instead, Jonas and the baby find the life of color, music, sunlight, and happy people, while those in the perfect community are having to deal with the memories Jonas left behind.

I did not think I would like this book, because science fiction is not usually in my forte', but I loved it. It was the first of many Lois Lowry books I have read. One of my 4th grade students tried reading the book, but it was a little too "out there" for him. It would probably be better for an older child.

Lowry, Lois. (1993). The Giver. New York: Houghton, Mifflin Company.

Lowry, Lois. (1993). Retrieved on March 1, 2009 from Web site http://images.google.com/images?gbv=2&hl=en&q=The+Giver&btnG=Search+Images

1977 Newbery Awared Winner - Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

This book is the first in a series of books centered around the Logan family. This particular book is about the black family's struggles in the South. This family owns land at a time when blacks are not looked at by whites as equals. Black families endured night riders and burnings, they were tarred and feathered, and Cassie, the Logan's daughter was humiliated by a white girl just because she is black. They can not go to the same school as white children, they do not have buses, and the only books they have are handed down from the white schools. The children learn in this book how important the land they own is to them and why. They learn that no matter what anyone does or says to them, they have one thing by owning land that no one can take away.

This book should move anyone who reads it. It is very well written by an author who uses her own family history to write. Mildred Taylor is by far one of the best African American authors.

Taylor, Mildred. (1997). Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. New York: Penguin Books.

Taylor, Midlred. (1997). Retrieved March 1, 2009 from Web site http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Roll+of+Thunder%2C+Hear+My+Cry&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2

1976 Caldecott Winner - Strega Nona

This book is about a curious boy and a magic pot. Strega Nona warns Big Anthony not to ever touch her magic pasta pot. One day, Big Anthony sees Strega Nona sing to it and suddenly the pot fills with spaghetti. What Anthony does not see are the three kisses Strega Nona gives the pot to make it stop producing spaghetti. When Strega Nona leaves Anthony alone for the day, he excitedly uses the pot to feed the entire town. Anthony sings to the pot and it magically starts making spaghetti, but he can not get it to stop. Spaghetti flows all over town. When Strega Nona returns, she stops the pot and punishes Anthony by giving him a fork.

This is a funny book that will be enjoyed by all. The illustrations use a minimum of color, but are outlined with thick black lines. This is just one of the books using these two characters.

dePaola, Tomie. (1979). Strega Nona. New York: Simon & Schuster Children's.

dePaola, Tomie. (1979). Retrieved March 1, 2009 from Web Site http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Strega+Nona&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=IiqrSa3YOte4tweJqfHbDw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title