Newbery Books Worth Reading: Invincible Louisa

In my early twenties I worked in a middle school library. It was one of my favorite jobs because I worked with books all day long. Middle school is the perfect age for reading Newbery books. I had already read a lot of them as a child, so I made the goal to read them all. It took a long time, but a few years ago I met that goal and have kept it up by reading the Newbery winner each year after it's announced.

The John Newbery Award is given to "the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children." And I'd love to say that they are all great and you and your kids should read them all! But the award started in 1922 and I have to admit that children's literature used to be just plain weird. From too many horse and dog stories to downright weird and creepy. (I'm looking at you Miss Hickory that ends with a squirrel eating the protagonist doll's nut head. Sorry for the spoiler, but really, you can skip that one.)

So here I begin an ongoing series highlighting the Newbery Award books that are worth reading. Even though some are strange, many of them are on my list of favorite children's books of all time. I haven't read all the Newbery Honor books, but I will include some notable ones that I have read.

First we're going to go all the way back to 1934. (See? Some of the oldies are goodies.)

I read Invincible Louisa by Cornelia Meigs when I was a young girl. It's the story of the author of Little Women. So obviously I recommend it for those who have already read, or at least watched, Little Women. I don't remember a lot of details, but I remember that it held my interest. I think it's a good book for young girls to read because it helps them make the connection between books and authors. Actual people write the books they read, which means that maybe they could too.

I also recommend reading the book Little Women and I even really adore the 1994 movie version of Little Women, and not just because Christian Bale is in it, though that doesn't hurt. Little Women would be a great book for mothers and daughters to read together. And then watch Christian Bale, I mean, the movie. If you haven't read it or seen the movie, just take my advice and keep the tissues handy.

Go, Go America by Dan Yaccarino

My first grader just finished a school project called State on a Plate. She chose a state, researched it, and then made her presentation on a paper plate. (She chose my home state, Utah, which we visited last Christmas so it was fresh in her memory.) We researched by talking to her cousin who lives in Utah, looking things up on the internet, and getting books from the library.

One fun book we found is Go, Go America by Dan Yaccarino. A fictional family travels through all fifty states and each page includes interesting and out of the ordinary information about that state. (Did you that Utah has the highest literacy rate in the U.S.? I'm not surprised. Reading is a big deal there.) This book has been a favorite for night time reading as well as day time perusing. One of our favorite features is the table of contents.

My girls flip open to it and say, "Where do we want to visit next?" I love how it sparks their imagination and gets them interested in all the different places that make up our country.

Early readers will enjoy this book because the information is given in small bits, so they can read as little or as much as they like. The facts are funny and strange enough that this book would entertain even up to a middle grade reader.

So, where do you want to visit next?

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Go, Go America 
By Dan Yaccarino
Publisher: Scholastic
Year: 2008
Ages: Young Children, Picture Book, Early Readers, Middle Grade Books
Themes: Nonfiction, United States, Geography

Writing Magic by Gail Carson Levine

Gail Carson Levine is a great writer of young adult fantasy and fairy tales. I loved Ella Enchanted, which won a Newbery Honor in 1998. Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly is a creative writing book for young adults.

Levine is great at writing for young adults and this carries over to her nonfiction as well. This book is full of encouragement, writing tips, and writing prompts. It would make a great gift for a young would-be author along with some writing notebooks and pens.

My favorite notebooks for writing are Moleskine. Big sizes are great for writing stories and small ones are perfect for carrying around to jot down story ideas. There are prettier notebooks out there, but I've found that if my notebook is too pretty, I never write in it because I only want to write something amazing in it. And amazing writing never happens in the first draft.

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Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly
by Gail Carson Levine
Publisher: Harper Collins
Year: 2014
Age: Young Adult, Middle Grade
Themes: Writing, Nonfiction