The 21 Balloons 1948 Medal Winner ****

The 21 Balloons is a story of a man who decided to travel around the world in a hot air balloon. But one seagull changed all that, and his trip took a very different turn. Stranded on Krakatoa island just before the famous 1883 explosion, he meets 20 families who live quite comfortably in a society based on cuisine and eating out. He is later found alone, ill and traumatized. The whole world is anxious to hear his story, but he'll only tell it in San Francisco to his explorers club.

This is a fun book for children. The author states that he mixed truth with fiction with no attempt to separate the two. The book has several suspenseful moments which would make it fun as a read aloud in a classroom. I have to admit I'm now wanting to research Krakatoa and try to find exactly what did happen.

Rabbit Hill1945 Medal Winner **

Rabbit Hill is the story of a family of rabbits and their neighbors hoping that the New Folks moving into the empty home will plant a garden so that they'll have food to eat. The story focuses on their son Little Georgie and his adventures. The animals are shocked to discover that not only do the New Folks plant a garden, but believe in being kind to animals as well.

I tried to give this story the benefit of being 60+ plus years old when reading it, but it was still not very good. The other books written in this decade that I have read are much more compelling. I just couldn't seem to get past the fact that these rabbits are able to build a home, can food, make soup, sew clothes, write letters, but unable to grow a garden? This fact might have been overlooked by children six decades ago, but I think kids today wouldn't willingly suspend their belief that these animals can't feed themselves. It's a harmless story and children who enjoy animals might like it.

The Long Winter 1941 Honor Book *****

The Long Winter tells the story of the Ingalls family the year they were literally snowed in their cabin. They ran out of food, fuel and energy. This book gives a detailed account of what the family had to do to survive the long winter.

I remember reading this book one summer in Arizona enjoying 110+ degree heat and literally shivering as I read. I couldn't put it down, I felt like every time I did I was leaving the family to starve. Laura did a great job explaining how easily it can be to get in such a predicament. After finishing this book I began looking at my resources differently and trying to see how much I can live without, instead of with. I can honestly say that this is one of the few books that I have read that has truly changed my life and view of the world. I think this is appropiate for all ages.

Johnny Tremain 1944 Medal Winner ***

Johnny Tremain is about a boy who lives in Boston just as the Revolutionary War beguns. A silversmith apprentice, he injures his hand and can no longer learn his trade. He meets rebels such as Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, and others who speak of war to rid English rule. He is able to participate in the Boston Tea Party and attend meetings as the leaders try to figure out how to defeat the British.

From what I understand this book is supposed to be a classic. I was frankly disappointed and feel that I'm being very generous giving it three stars. First of all, Johnny Tremain is not a likeable character. His pride and ignorance really is frustrating to me as a reader. Just as I think that I really hate this guy, he has a sudden change of heart and decides to become a different person by losing his personality altogether. Now instead of hating Johnny, I don't care about him at all. I was really hoping this book would teach me about the events leading up to the Revolutionary War, but for some reason the author makes him crippled and he sleeps through the first battles. So he wakes up and gets to learn about what happened just as anyone would by reading a history book. Towards the end I felt that the author was just as bored with the story as I was and decided to just end it. And frankly, I was glad when it did.

Adam of the Road 1943 Medal Winner **

Adam of the Road is about a boy in 13th Century England who is the son of a minstrel. When he loses both his dog and father in one day, he has many adventures as he attempts to reunite with both of them.

Adam of the Road is interesting but not captivating. It is sort of a coming of age, except the boy is pretty grown up and mature at the beginning. I have to admit, that living in the 21st Century it's pretty frustrating to know that most of his problems could have been solved with a cell phone. While I felt like the book was well researched, I didn't feel like I had a real sense of what life was really like in England. His adventures seemed unrealistic to the point of fantasy and so I'm not sure how minstrels truly lived at that time. I do think this book would be interesting for young boys however.

Miss Hickory 1947 Medal Winner *

Miss Hickory is a story about a little doll made out of wood that must learn to survive winter in a nest.

I'm baffled as to why this book won a Newbery. Never before have I read a book where the main character's head gets eaten at the end of a book. Odd. Not sure I would read this one to my kids.

Boy With a Pack 1940 Honor Book ****

Boy With a Pack is about a boy who decides to make some money peddling his goods in the Wild West (Ohio). He walks from New Hampshire with many adventures along the way.

This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in what America was like in 1837. Still new in independance it's a great way to find out how different life was like then, but also how some things haven't changed at all.

The Matchlock Gun 1942 Medal Winner ***

The Matchlock Gun is set in the mid 1700's when America was still a colony. It's based on a true story of a 10 year old boy trying to protect his family.

I really liked this book, mainly because it's short and a quick read. This would be a great book to read around Thanksgiving to children to get a discussion going about what life was like for early American settlers.

These Happy Golden Years 1944 Honor Book ****

By the Shores of Silver Lake 1940 Honor Book ****

Little Town on the Prairie 1942 Honor Book ****

The Hundred Dresses 1945 Honor Book ******

Wanda lives on the wrong side of town and wears the same dress every day. To make things worse she tells everyone that she 100 dresses at home, which makes her the brunt of popular Peggy's jokes. While Maddie doesn't tease Wanda, she doesn't stand up for her either.

I loved this book as a child. When I first read it I felt like screaming at Wanda, "Can't you see you are making things worse?" But when the mystery is solved I felt like running to Wanda and giving her a big hug. This is a wonderful book for children to see that everyone is deserving of friendship.