Newbery Medal Winners, 1950-1959
At the beginning of this decade, children's books were still fairly simplistic, but by the end, we're favored with an outstanding historical novel, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, that sets a precedent for the increased quality of children's books in the years to come.
Not to say there aren't some fine "simplistic" books in this list. Some of my favorites were honor books rather than Newbery Medal winners.
What you'll find here:
- 1959 Newbery Medal Winner - The Witch of Blackbird Pond
- 1958 Newbery Medal Winner - Rifles for Watie
- 1957 Newbery Medal Winner - Miracles on Maple Hill
- 1956 Newbery Medal Winner - Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
- 1955 Newbery Medal Winner - Wheel on the School
- 1954 Newbery Medal Winner - ... And Now Miguel
- 1953 Newbery Medal Winner - Secret of the Andes
- 1952 Newbery Medal Winner - Ginger Pye
- 1951 Newbery Medal Winner - Amos Fortune, Free Man
- 1950 Newbery Medal Winner - The Door in the Wall
1959 Newbery Medal Winner - The Witch of Blackbird Pond
by Elizabeth George Speare
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Amazon Price: (as of 12/09/2009)
A teenage girl must move into her unwelcoming uncle's Puritan household in Connecticut in the 1600s. Her wealthy, privileged upbringing didn't prepare her for the austere, hard-working life of a Puritan. When she makes friends with a suspected witch, she's in for trouble!
A Guide for Using The Witch of Blackbird Pond in the Classroom
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 12/09/2009)
The Witch of Blackbird Pond Study Guide
Amazon Price: $14.99 (as of 12/09/2009)
1959 Newbery Honor Books
Along Came a Dog (Harper Trophy Books)
A touching story of the friendship between a dog and a handicapped hen, appropriate for the younger middle grade children.
Amazon Price: $5.95 (as of 12/09/2009)
Chucaro: Wild Pony of the Pampa (Newbery Honor Roll)
The story takes place in Argentina where Pedro falls in love with a wild horse, Chucaro. Unfortunately the estancerio's son wants the same horse.
Amazon Price: (as of 12/09/2009)
The Family Under the Bridge
Armand, the hobo meets three homeless children and their mother. It isn't love at first sight but they eventually warm up to each other. A good book for younger middle grade children.
Amazon Price: $5.99 (as of 12/09/2009)
The Perilous Road (Odyssey Classics (Odyssey Classics))
Chris, a teenager in Tennessee during the Civil War, hates Yankees because they stole food from the family leaving him and his mother to starve. But then his older brother joins the Union army and Chris' loyalty to the South is tested.
Amazon Price: $5.95 (as of 12/09/2009)
1959 Newbery book authors and reviews
- Fact or Fiction
- An analysis of historical fiction literature by Elizabeth George Speare.
1958 Newbery Medal Winner - Rifles for Watie
by Harold Keith
Rifles for Watie
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 12/09/2009)
At 16, Jeff Bussey joins the Union army during the Civil War. A good book for teenage history buffs but not for younger children as it contains graphic war scenes.
1958 Newbery Honor Books
Gone-Away Lake (Gone-Away Lake Books)
A brother and sister must travel to the countryside where they'll spend the summer with their cousin. They discover an abandoned group of houses next to what used to be a lake. For grades three through six.
Amazon Price: $6.00 (as of 12/09/2009)
The Great Wheel
A young Irish boy travels to America to help his uncle build the first Ferris Wheel ever.
Amazon Price: $7.95 (as of 12/09/2009)
The Horsecatcher (Bison Book)
Elk, a Cheyenne teenager, doesn't want to participate in war and killing. The story confronts a variety of ethical issues.
Amazon Price: $12.78 (as of 12/09/2009)
Tom Paine, Freedom's Apostle
This non-fiction book is about Thomas Paine, author of the pamphlet, "Common Sense".
Amazon Price: (as of 12/09/2009)
1958 Newbery book authors and reviews
- Tom Paine, Freedom's Apostle - Google Books
- A description of the book by Kirkus ends with "highly recommended."
- Common Sense (pamphlet) - Wikipedia
- The background for Leo Gurko's book about Thomas Paine.
1957 Newbery Medal Winner - Miracles on Maple Hill
by Virginia Sorensen
Miracles on Maple Hill
Amazon Price: $5.95 (as of 12/09/2009)
Marley's family moves to the country for a year while her father recovers from his participation in World War II.
1957 Newbery Honor Books
Old Yeller (HarperClassics)
Boy and dog: Travis and Old Yeller. At first Travis hates the dog but after it saves his brother's life, he softens. A much loved classic!
Amazon Price: $5.99 (as of 12/09/2009)
The Corn Grows Ripe (Puffin Newbery Library)
Tigre, a 12-year-old Mayan boy,
Amazon Price: $4.99 (as of 12/09/2009)
The House of Sixty Fathers
A riveting book for younger middle graders. A Chinese boy, Tien Pao, finds himself in the middle of a war zone and must travel alone, with only his lucky pig for company.
Amazon Price: $5.95 (as of 12/09/2009)
Mr Justice Holmes
Amazon Price: (as of 12/09/2009)
Black Fox of Lorne
Amazon Price: (as of 12/09/2009)
1957 Newbery book authors and reviews
- Miracles on Maple Hill
- Wikipedia article.
1956 Newbery Medal Winner - Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
Amazon Price: $6.95 (as of 12/09/2009)
Nathaniel Bowditch is an apprentice, and his math skills are being fully taken advantage of, but he dreams of sailing. This is a fictionalized biography of the teen years of a man who invented important navagational instruments for 19th century sailors.
Learn more about this book here:
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Book Study- Carry On Mr. Bowditch
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Carry On, Mr. Bowditch is about a young boy who dreams of navigating the sea (and then his journeys doing just that) in Salem in the 1700's. Here are resources to go along with studying that book.
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch Study Guide
Amazon Price: $16.99 (as of 12/09/2009)
1956 Newbery Honor Books
All these are out of print.
The Secret River
Amazon Price: (as of 12/09/2009)
The Golden Name Day
Amazon Price: (as of 12/09/2009)
Men, Microscopes, and Living Things
Amazon Price: (as of 12/09/2009)
1956 Newbery book authors and reviews
- Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
- Wikipedia article.
- Carry On, Mr. Bowditch Literature Unit Study
- Homeschool Helper's free Literature Unit based on Carry On, Mr. Bowditch.
1955 Newbery Medal Winner - Wheel on the School
by Meindert Dejong
The Wheel on the School
Amazon Price: $6.95 (as of 12/09/2009)
A group of school children discover that storks need a place to build their nests, but the roofs of homes in their area are so steep, the birds are displaced. They of course must find a solution!
1955 Newbery Honor Books
Banner in the Sky
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 12/09/2009)
The Courage of Sarah Noble
Amazon Price: $4.99 (as of 12/09/2009)
1955 Newbery book authors and reviews
- The Wheel on the School
- Wikipedia article.
1954 Newbery Medal Winner - ... And Now Miguel
...And Now Miguel
Amazon Price: $5.99 (as of 12/09/2009)
Miguel wishes he could go to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to tend sheep with his older brother and the adults, but when his wish is granted, he is dismayed. Find out why!
1954 Newbery Honor Books
Hurry Home, Candy (Harper Trophy Books)
Amazon Price: $7.95 (as of 12/09/2009)
Magic Maize
Amazon Price: (as of 12/09/2009)
Shadrach (Harper Trophy Books)
Amazon Price: $5.95 (as of 12/09/2009)
All Alone: 2
Amazon Price: (as of 12/09/2009)
Theodore Roosevelt: Fighting Patriot
Amazon Price: (as of 12/09/2009)
1954 Newbery book authors and reviews
- ...And Now Miguel
- Wikipedia article.
1953 Newbery Medal Winner - Secret of the Andes
Secret of the Andes
Amazon Price: $20.25 (as of 12/09/2009)
Cusi is an Incan boy living high in the Andes with his caretaker, Chuto. He yearns to know who his parents were.
Learn more about this book here:
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Secret of the Andes
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The Secret of the Andes is a classic of children's literature. The Secret of the Andes won the Newbery Medal in 1953. Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark is a short, culturally rich novel about the life of a young boy who lived in the Andes Mount...
1953 Newbery Honor Books
Charlotte's Web
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 12/09/2009)
Moccasin Trail (Puffin Newberry Library)
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 12/09/2009)
The Bears on Hemlock Mountain
Amazon Price: $4.99 (as of 12/09/2009)
Red Sails to Capri (Puffin Newbery library)
Amazon Price: (as of 12/09/2009)
Birthdays of freedom
Amazon Price: (as of 12/09/2009)
1953 Newbery book authors and reviews
- Secret of the Andes
- Wikipedia article.
1952 Newbery Medal Winner - Ginger Pye
Ginger Pye (Young Classic)
Amazon Price: $6.00 (as of 12/09/2009)
Two children and a cute little dog. What trouble could they get into. Ummm... LOTS! I read this one out loud to my daughter when she was about ten, and we both loved it.
1952 Newbery Honor Books
Minn of the Mississippi
Amazon Price: $8.60 (as of 12/09/2009)
The Apple and the Arrow
Amazon Price: $8.95 (as of 12/09/2009)
The Light at Tern Rock (Puffin Newbery Library)
Amazon Price: $4.99 (as of 12/09/2009)
AMERICANS BEFORE COLUMBUS
Amazon Price: (as of 12/09/2009)
The Defender
Amazon Price: (as of 12/09/2009)
1952 Newbery book authors and reviews
- Ginger Pye
- Wikipedia article.
1951 Newbery Medal Winner - Amos Fortune, Free Man
Amos Fortune, Free Man (Newbery Library, Puffin)
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 12/09/2009)
Amos Fortune was in line to become a prince in Africa... but then he was captured and sold into slavery in America.
1951 Newbery Honor Books
Sterling Point Books: Abraham Lincoln: Friend of the People
Amazon Price: $6.95 (as of 12/09/2009)
Better known as Johnny Appleseed 1st Ed. 1950
Amazon Price: (as of 12/09/2009)
Gandhi Fighter Without a Sword
Amazon Price: (as of 12/09/2009)
The Story of Appleby Capple
Amazon Price: (as of 12/09/2009)
1951 Newbery book authors and reviews
- Amos Fortune, Free Man
- Wikipedia article.
1950 Newbery Medal Winner - The Door in the Wall
The Door in the Wall (Books for Young Readers)
Amazon Price: $5.99 (as of 12/09/2009)
A boy in the middle ages falls ill and loses strength in his legs. Thanks to the help of Brother Luke he rebuilds his life during perilous times.
The Door in the Wall Study Guide
Amazon Price: (as of 12/09/2009)
1950 Newbery Honor Books
Kildee House (The Newbery Honor Roll)
Amazon Price: (as of 12/09/2009)
George Washington's World
Amazon Price: $11.48 (as of 12/09/2009)
The Blue Cat of Castle Town
Amazon Price: (as of 12/09/2009)
SONG OF THE PINES. A Story of Norwegian Lumbering in Wisconsin.
Amazon Price: (as of 12/09/2009)
Tree of Freedom
Amazon Price: (as of 12/09/2009)
1950 Newbery book authors and reviews
- The Door in the Wall
- Wikipedia article.
About the Lensmaster
Lensmaster Linda Jo Martin writes children's novels, so has spent many years reading books from the Newbery list. From the 1950 selections she's read The Door in the Wall, Ginger Pye, The Light at Tern Rock, Secret of the Andes, Moccasin Trail, The Bears on Hemlock Mountain, Charlotte's Web, All Alone, Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, Miracles on Maple Hill, The House of Sixty Fathers, The Family Under the Bridge, Along Came a Dog, and The Witch of Blackbird Pond.Her lenses about children's literature include:
Tips For Writing Middle Grade Novels.
Linda maintains a writer's blog: Perspectives on Writing.
Linda's lensography: Linda Martin - My Lensography.
Your comments are welcome.
Let me know what you think.
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