Archive for the ‘Award Winners’ Category
The Hobbit – Reviewing Classics
George Allen & Unwin, 1937
Fantasy
ISBN: 0618968636
320 pages
Synopsis
Bilbo Baggins, the hobbit, is a peaceful sort of cozy hole in the Shire, a place where adventures are uncommon and rather unwanted. So when the wizard Gandalf whisks him away on a treasure hunting expedition with a troop of rowdy dwarves, he’s not entirely thrilled. Encountering ruthless trolls, beastly orcs, gigantic spiders, and hungry wolves, Bilbo discovers within himself astonishing strength and courage. And at the ultimate confrontation with the fearsome dragon Smaug, the hobbit will brave the dangers of dark and dragon fire alone and unaided. …
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Bog Child
David Fickling Books, 2008
Historical Fiction
ISBN: 0385751699
336 pages
Carnegie Medal
Synopsis
Fergus is recently 18, and on what should be a normal run to get peat to sell to the locals, he discovers a child in the bog—the child that time forgot. Unbelievably well preserved, she becomes the focal point of many theories about who she was, where she came from, and why she ended up there. Riddled with dreams about the child he’s found, Fergus must negotiate the complex world around him as Northern Ireland fights for its independence from England. …
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Story of a Girl
Little, Brown Young Readers, 2007
Fiction
ISBN: 0316014532
208 pages
National Book Award Nominee
Synopsis
Caught having sex with an older boy in the backseat of his car by her father, thirteen-year-old Deanna quickly becomes branded a slut. Three years later, Deanna is still dealing with her reputation, a father who can’t look her in the eye, and her personal struggle with her identity and self-perception. Through a series of seemingly mundane events, Deanna decides to begin pursuing a path that will ultimately lead her to become the person she wants to be. …
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The Blacker the Berry
Amistad, 2008
Poetry
ISBN: 0060253754
32 Pages
ALA Notable Children’s Books. Middle Readers
Coretta Scott King Award (Illustrator)
Coretta Scott King Honor (Author)
Synopsis
Written and beautifully illustrated for a younger audience, likely grades 1-4, this book seeks to broaden the worldview of American children that it is necessary to see a wider range of representation in skin tone for African Americans than simply light or dark. There are many variations given ethnic background and heritage, and Thomas’s poetry, along with Cooper’s art shows this by utilizing the common phrase, “The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice,” by comparing the color of skin tone to various berries that can be found throughout the wild. …
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The Surrender Tree
Henry Holt and Co, 2008
Poetry
ISBN: 0805086749
176 pages
Newbery Honor Book
Synopsis
Taking place over the several wars that Cuba had with Spain in order to gain independence, the story centers on Rosa, a young slave girl who is eventually freed by her master when he revolts against Spain and becomes the most renowned healer throughout Cuba. …
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Savvy
Dial, 2008
Fantasy
ISBN: 0803733062
352 pages
Newbery Honor Book
Synopsis
The Beaumont family has a special secret. Every time one of them turns thirteen, a special power emerges that gives them the ability to do something extraordinary. When Mississippi’s (Mibs) older brother Fish turned thirteen, a powerful hurricane swept onto the coast and obliterated much of the property near their home. Now Mibs is twelve, and she’s about to turn thirteen, but her father gets into a terrible accident and is placed in a hospital in Salina. Mibs’s mother and oldest brother drive down to see him, leaving Mibs home without parents during what will be one of the most important days of her life. …
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I Am The Darker Brother – Reviewing Classics
Simon Pulse, (reprint edition) 1997
Genre
ISBN: 0689808690
192 pages
Synopsis
A collection of African American poetry from the 20th century originally compiled in the late 60s, I Am The Darker Brother is one of the few anthologies of African American poetry amassed specifically for younger readers. From cover to cover, each poet leaves a legacy about life in America as ‘the other’. This edition adds more current writers that carved out a career post 1968, like Maya Angelou, Rita Dove, and Ishmael Reed. …
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