That Artsy Librarian is a feature all about my journey through graduate school as I work towards my Master’s degree in Library and Information Science.
Hello! Today is my first day of my second semester in the MLIS program. I was hoping so much to be able to finish highlighting my MLIS experience up to this point before jumping into current things, but I will have to interrupt my chronological storytelling to ask for some help! Desperate times call for desperate measures.
This semester, I am taking a class that focuses on children’s literature, and I will be reading a million children’s books. Each book I read must have won a prestigious award (like Newbery, for example). I’ve decided to compile a list of really good ones so that I have a pool to choose from when I need to start another title. My, what a busy semester this will be! Please tell me which award winning children’s books you have loved. I’ve hardly read any, myself!
I loved all of Scott O’Dell’s books as a kid. Island of the Blue Dolphins has won tons of awards and is amazing.
You’re in luck! I took a Children’s Lit course as part of my undergrad and we only read a ton of books. My top five favorites (that may not already be on the top of your list) are:
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Rules by Cynthia Lord (Honor for Newbery)
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Seriously though all of the award-winning children’s books I have read have been really good. I don’t think you can go wrong with randomly selecting any of them!
A few that I really loved were:
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
And if they’re allowing Newberry Honor(-able Mention) books:
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater
The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander
Good luck with the class! I hope it’s fun. :)
You know, I’ve never kept track of which books are award-winning or not. If you do a Google search, I bet you’ll find a ton of lists and blogs with lists of people’s favorites. Good luck!
Must read award winner: Richard Peck’s A Year Down Yonder and A Long Way From Chicago.
I loved “Fever 1793” by Laurie Halse Anderson.