A Wrinkle in Time - One of my favorite books in any line-up I always knew that this one would be shooting for the top. I love books that have new deeper layers as you grow and A Wrinkle in Time never fails to disappoint. Madeline L'Engle is one of my favorite authors and for me, as many others, this was the first of her books I read.
The Twenty-One Balloons - This was simply a fun romp. The pieces fit together to give us a fairly unique work. Most children's books, including the award-winners have a kid as the protagonist. Here we are given a middle aged man. Not a wildly crazy man. I mean yes, he does attempt to spend a year living in a balloon house, but the man is very scientific about the whole thing.
The Graveyard Book - A very different sort of book than I usually read. The mystery was never quite brought to full fruition though. I just don't understand what was the catalyst force in the novel, which I feel like ought to have been revealed, or, if it was revealed, needed to be a little more explicit.
The Summer of the Swans - A lovely book that handled what might have been a poor topic choice with the delicate and understanding hand that it needed. It shows its age, but not in a bad way.
Shen of the Sea - A fun collection of short stories posing as Chinese folktales. These do show their age however, the author seems constantly pleased to point out that - look! It's foreign! Exciting! Chinese!
Shadow of a Bull - A solid coming-of-age story that explores what legacy can mean and how it can hurt you and help you. I feel that this falls very squarely into the 'boy-appeal' stack, which is a stack that never seems to catch the girl-appeal. (I don't sort all books this way because the vast majority appeal to both.
Flora and Ulysses - So. Much. Quirky. It was cute, but far to cutesy for my taste. I was quite disappointed with Kate DiCamillo's second Newbery winner and felt that the honor books stacked much higher.
Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze - Eh. Another coming of age story. Another set in China. My favorite character was the mother, whom we saw far too little of. I think it works best as a historical narrative, unfortunately this has never been a time or place I was interested in historically.
Up a Road Slowly - This was such a boring book. And the only one that I would would set in the 'girl-appeal' pile simply because there isn't really anything here for the young men to take away. Girls might at least connect with the protagonist.
The entire countdown!
1. A Wrinkle in Time
2. Number the Stars
3. Crispin: Cross of Lead
4. Island of the Blue Dolphins
5. Julie of the Wolves
6. Maniac Magee
7. Bud, Not Buddy
8. King of the Wind
9. Out of the Dust
10. When You Reach Me
11. The Tale of Despereaux
12. The Door in the Wall
13. Holes
14. Caddie Woodlawn
15. Kira-Kira
16. Sounder
17. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village
18. The Giver
19. The Westing Game
20. Bridge to Terabithia
21. The View from Saturday
22. Sarah, Plain and Tall
23. Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices
24. Call It Courage
25. The Cat Who Went to Heaven
26. The One and Only Ivan
27. The Midwife's Apprentice
28. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
29. The Twenty-One Balloons
30. Onion John
31. The Graveyard Book
32. The Summer of the Swans
33. Dear Mr. Henshaw
34. Missing May
35. Tales from Silver Lands
36. A Gathering of Days
37. The Whipping Boy
38. Shen of the Sea
39. Shadow of a Bull
40. Rabbit Hill
41. Strawberry Girl
42. Flora and Ulysses
43. The Matchlock Gun
44. A Visit to William Blake's Inn
45. Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze
46. It's Like This, Cat
47. Up a Road Slowly
48. Johnny Tremain
49. Dobry
50. Daniel Boone
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