Children's Classics: Newbery Medal Winners

 

This month's Children's Classics theme is Newbery Medal Winners.   Last year my ds2 read several Newbery winners for 7th grade reading.  I do try and pick medal winning books for him as well as good old classics for his reading curriculum.  I trust the medal winners to be wholesome, well-written books that he will actually learn from and enjoy reading.  So far all the ones we've used have met that criteria.

I asked ds which medal winner he most enjoyed last year and he picked the 2001 winner, A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck.  I was reluctant to even assign this book for his reading as he is "all boy" and the main character of this book is a young girl.  I was afraid he would not get "into" it.  He surprised me with his enthusiasm for this book.  To me, that illustrates just how good a writer Peck is, to be able to reach and entertain a broad audience.   The subject matter also easily lends itself to lessons on the Great Depression.  I highly recommend it!