Newbery Award Books Quality books for children
2021-2001
When You Trap a Tiger
2021
Author: Tae Keller
Main Character: 8-year-old Korean American girl named Lily and her family
Summary: This uplifting story brings Korean folklore to life as a girl goes on a quest to unlock the power of stories and save her grandmother; but can you trust a magical tiger?
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 304
New Kid
2020
Author: Jerry Craft
Main Character: 7th grader Jordan Banks
Summary: Jordan loves drawing cartoons but gets enrolled in a private academic, prestigious school where he is one of the few kids of color and struggles with the challenges of two different worlds.
Age Level: 9-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 256
Merci Suarez Changes Gears
2019
- Author: Meg Medina
Main Character: 6th-grader Mercedes "Merci" Suárez is a student at a Florida private school
Summary: Strong-willed Merci navigates difficult changes with friends, family and everyone.
Age Level: 10-12
Grade Level: 4-7
Number of Pages: 368
Hello, Universe
2018
Author: Erin Entrada Kelly and Isabel Roxas
Main Character: 11-year-old Virgil also known as "Turtle"
Summary: Story of shy Filipino boy who wants to meet Valencia (a deaf girl) and a 12-year-old psychic Kaori helps him with his dilemma.
Age Level: 8-11
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 320
The Girl Who Drank The Moon
2017
Author: Kellie Barnhill
Main Character: Young girl named Luna
Summary: Luna, raised by a witch, needs to figure out how to handle the magical powers she was given.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 5-9
Number of Pages: 416
Last Stop on Market Street
2016
Author: Matt de La Peña
Main Character: Young boy, CJ, and grandmother, Nana
Summary: CJ wonders why their family has no car or no iPod...the grandma encourages and reveals the beauty and fun in their world.
Age Level: 2-6
Grade Level: Pre K-1
Number of Pages: 32
The Crossover
2015
Author: Kwame Alexander
Main Character: Josh and Jordan, twin brothers, who share a love for basketball
Summary: Basketball and brotherhood intertwine to show Josh and Jordan that life doesn't come with a playbook.
Age Level: 10+
Grade Level: 5-7
Number of Pages: 240
Flora & Ulysses
2014
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Main Character: Flora Belle Buckman, self proclaimed cynic
Summary: Flora struggles with her parents divorce and saves Ulysses (a squirrel) from the neighbor's vacuum cleaner.
Age Level: 8-11
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 240
The One and Only Ivan
2013
Author: Katherine Applegate
Main Character: Gorilla named Ivan who has lived in the Big Top Mall for 27 years
Summary: The gorilla, Ivan, grows accustomed to living behind glass walls and rarely misses his life in the jungle.
Age Level: 8-10
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 320
Dead End in Norvelt
2012
Author: Jack Gantos
Main Character: Jack Gantos, American school boy
Summary: Jack Gantos' plans for his summer vacation ends when he is "grounded for life" by his feuding parents.
Age Level: 9-12
Grade Level: 5-9
Number of Pages: 352
Moon Over Manifest
2011
Author: Clare Vanderpool
Main Character: Abilene Tucker, adventurous 12-year-old girl in 1936
Summary: Dad puts Abilene on train to live with friend; she jumps off at Manifest to learn about her dad.
Age Level: 10-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 384
When You Reach Me
2010
Author: Rebecca Stead
Main Character: 6th grader Miranda’s Sinclair from Upper West Side New York in 1978
Summary: Miranda’s world changes when she finds a mysterious notes.
Age Level: 8-10
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 208
The Graveyard Book
2009
Author: Neil Gaiman
Main Character: Orphaned boy named Nobody "Bod" Owens
Summary: Story of the boy Nobody "Bod" Owens who is adopted and reared by the supernatural occupants of a graveyard after his family is brutally murdered
Age Level: 10+
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 320
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!
2008
Author: Laura Amy Schlitz
Main Character: Characters ranging from a run-away boy to the lord's daughter
Summary: Nineteen monologues and two dialogues performed by 5th grade students of Park School in Baltimore written by the author who was the librarian at the time.
Age Level: 10+
Grade Level: 5-9
Number of Pages: 96
The Higher Power of Lucky
2007
Author: Susan Patron
Main Character: 10-year-old, Lucky lives in trailer in small town Hard Pan, California
Summary: Lucky thinks running away is her only option when her guardian wants to go back to France.
Age Level: 8-11
Grade Level: 4-6
Number of Pages: 144
Criss Cross
2006
Author: Lynne Rae Perkins
Main Character: 14-year-old Debbie and three middle school neighborhood friends
Summary: Criss-crossing are stories of middle school students. In cross moments, characters find truth.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 5-9
Number of Pages: 352
Kira-Kira
2005
Author: Cynthia Kadohata
Main Character: Katie Takeshima and her sister set in the South in the 1950-60's
Summary: Lynn helps Katie regarding prejudice in school, teaches her the Japanese word "Kira Kira" meaning glittering, which became important after her sister's death.
Age Level: 10+
Grade Level: 5-9
Number of Pages: 256
The Tale of Despereaux
2004
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Main Character: Mouse who lives in a castle named Despereaux Tilling and his acquaintances Ciaroscuro and Miggery Sow
Summary: Despereaux, a young mouse who would rather read books than gnaw them, rescues princess from rats; story is told from a different perspectives.
Age Level: 7-10
Grade Level: 2-5
Number of Pages: 272
Crispin: The Cross of Lead
2003
Author: Avi
Main Character: 13-year-old Crispin from England village in the 14th century
Summary: Crispin's life after mom dies and the story of the cross of lead she wore.
Age Level: 10+
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 272
A Single Shard
2002
Author: Linda Sue Park
Main Character: 12-year-old orphan, Tree-ear, in 12th-century Korea
Summary: Tree-ear lives under a bridge with friend Crane-man and assists the master potter.
Age Level: 10+
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 160
A Year Down Yonder
2001
Author: Richard Peck
Main Character: 15-year-old Mary Alice Dowdel on a farm in Illinois
Summary: Mary Alice lives with no-nonsense country gal Grandma because of Great Depression.
Age Level: 9-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 130
2000 - 1981
Bud, Not Buddy
2000
Author: Christopher Paul Curtis
Main Character: 10-year-old, Bud Caldwell in the Midwest in the late 1930s
Summary: Bud runs away from a foster home and begins journey in search of his father in the late 1930s.
Age Level: 10-11
Grade Level: 5-6
Number of Pages: 288
Holes
1999
Author: Louis Sachar
Main Character: Stanley Yelnats IV
Summary: Stanley Yelnats, in juvenile detention, must dig holes every day. What's the Warden searching for?
Age Level: 9-12
Grade Level: 5-6
Number of Pages: 233
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Out of the Dust
1998
Author: Karen Hesse
Main Character: 14-year-old girl, Billie Joe
Summary: Billie Joe struggles when her Oklahoma family and music are taken from her.
Age Level: 9-12
Grade Level: 7+
Number of Pages: 227
The View From Saturday
1997
Author: E.L. Konigsburg
Main Character: Eva Marie Olinski, paraplegic teacher, and four of her students
Summary: 6 grade teacher, paraplegic Eva Marie Olinski, returns after accident and forms academic competition.
Age Level: 10-11
Grade Level: 4-6
Number of Pages: 176
The Midwife's Apprentice
1996
Author: Karen Cushman
Main Character: Orphaned and apprentice teen named Alyce in medieval Europe
Summary: Teen Alyce in the middle ages sleeps in a dung heap and meets midwife who instills confidence.
Age Level: 10-12
Grade Level: 5-7
Number of Pages: 144
Walk Two Moons
1995
Author: Sharon Creech
Main Character: Narrator Salamanca Tree Hiddle, better known as Sal.
Summary: Sal takes a trip with her eccentric grandparents from Ohio to Idaho to visit her mother.
Age Level: 10+
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 288
The Giver
1994
Author: Lois Lowry
Main Character: 12-year-old boy named Jonas
Summary: Boy receives assignment from Elders from controlled community where he lives, but mysterious man reveals secrets behind facade of the community.
Age Level: 10+
Grade Level: 7-9
Number of Pages: 244
Missing May
1993
Author: Cynthia Rylant
Main Character: Narrator, 6-year-old orphan, Summer, in present day West Virginia
Summary: Grieving Summer lives with Aunt May and Uncle Ob after mother died because no one wanted her. Six years later Aunt May dies. Uncle Ob and Summer need May.
Age Level: 9-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 128
Shiloh
1992
Author: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Main Character: Narrator, Marty Preston, from West Virginia
Summary: Marty finds abused beagle owned by brutal neighbor Judd and meddles in Judd's business.
Age Level: 8-11
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 144
Maniac Magee
1991
Author: Jerry Spinelli
Main Character: Orphan Jeffrey Lionel (Maniac) Magee
Summary: Maniac becomes local legend (athleticism and fearlessness) amid sharp racial boundaries.
Age Level: 9-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 180
Number the Stars
1990
Author: Lois Lowry
Main Character: 10-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her Jewish best friend Ellen Rosen
Summary: Denmark 1943, Annemarie's family helps best friend Ellen (Jewish) with protection from the Nazis by posing as part of her family.
Age Level: 9-11
Grade Level: 5-7
Number of Pages: 160
Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices
1989
Author: Paul Fleischman
Main Character: Two-voice / choral group narrators
Summary: Presents 14 two-voice poems concerning insects offering alliteration, image, humor and facts.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 4-7
Number of Pages: 44
Lincoln: A Photobiography
1988
Author: Russell Freedman
Main Character: Biography of Civil War President Lincoln
Summary: Lincoln's entire life: childhood, stint as a lawyer, courtship and marriage to Mary Todd Lincoln, ascent from Congressman to President.
Age Level: 10-12
Grade Level: 5-7
Number of Pages: 160
The Whipping Boy
1987
Author: Sid Fleischman
Main Character: Jemmy, a young orphaned boy
Summary: Prince Horace misbehaves. Family provides Jemmy to be punished instead. The two boys run away from home and exchange identities.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 3-8
Number of Pages: 96
Sarah, Plain and Tall
1986
Author: Patricia MacLachlan
Main Character: Sarah, young girl from late 1900s in midwestern United States
Summary: Sarah Wheaton comes to the prairie answering ad for step mother to become the wife/mother to Anna and Caleb. Children are concerned she will leave and return to Maine.
Age Level: 8-10
Grade Level: 1-5
Number of Pages: 112
The Hero and the Crown
1985
Author: Robin McKinley
Main Character: Aerin, only child of Arlbeth, king of Damar
Summary: Prequel to The Blue Sword. Aerin-sol lives with father (King) thinking mother is North witch and is not accepted to royalty because of gender.
Age Level: 10-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 272
Dear Mr. Henshaw
1984
Author: Beverly Cleary
Main Character: 6th grade Leigh who is new in town
Summary: Young boy deals with anger of absentee by befriending an author and learns to accept the parts of his life he cannot change.
Age Level: 8-10
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 160
Dicey's Song
1983
Author: Cynthia Voigt
Main Character: Dicey Tillerman and 3 siblings, Sammy, Maybeth, and James Summary: Four children living with crazy and widowed grandmother Abigail Tillerman (Gram), on her farm in Crisfield, Maryland where siblings pursue keeping family together.
Age Level: 12+
Grade Level: 7-9
Number of Pages: 256
A Visit to William Blake's Inn
1982
Author: Nancy Willard
Main Character: Poetry for children with imaginary inn and unusual guests
Summary: Poems for children; no plot line, but well-loved characters (dragons, angels, rabbit, cat) appear.
Age Level: 4-7
Grade Level: 2-3
Number of Pages: 48
Jacob Have I Loved
1981
Author: Katherine Paterson
Main Character: Sara Louise Bradshaw and twin Caroline in Chesapeake Bay during WWII
Summary: Twins strive through sibling rivalry. Sara Louise recalls her jealousy of her twin during adolescent years that caused her unhappiness.
Age Level: 13
Grade Level: 8-9
Number of Pages: 256
1980 - 1961
A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-32
1980
Author: Joan W. Blos
Main Character: 13-year-old Catherine and best friend Cassie
Summary: A pivotal year for teenage girl of change and loss who keeps house for widowed father and sister and begins to journal from 1830 - 1832.
Age Level: 9-12
Grade Level: 7-9
Number of Pages: 144
The Westing Game
1979
Author: Ellen Raskin
Main Character: 16 potential heirs to Westing's will
Summary: The final will of Sam Westing is structured like a puzzle, with the 16 heirs challenged to find the solution. In the will it states one of Westing's heirs has killed him.
Age Level: 9-12
Grade Level: 5-7
Number of Pages: 192
The Bridge to Terabithia
1978
Author: Katherine Paterson
Main Character: 11-year-old Jesse "Jess" Aarons and his next-door neighbor Leslie Burke
Summary: Fifth-grade boy and girl create imaginary kingdom (Terabithia) in the woods.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 4-7
Number of Pages: 144
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
1977
Author: Mildred D. Taylor
Main Character: Nine-year-old Cassie Logan and siblings Stacey (12), Christopher-John (7) and Little Man (6) in rural Mississippi
Summary: Cassie and family live on Mississippi farm and believed in the power of owning property.
Age Level: 8+
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 72
M. C. Higgins, the Great
1976
Author: Virginia Hamilton
Main Character: 13-year-old Mayo Cornelius Higgins who lives in the Appalachian Mountains
Summary: Bildungsroman that covers three eventful days in the life of teenager on a fictional mountain in Kentucky who must reconcile between tradition and change.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 288
The Grey King
1975
Author: Susan Cooper
Main Character: Will Stanton and his friend Bran Davies
Summary: Welsh legend about a harp of gold, hidden within a certain hill, that will be found by a boy and a white dog with silver eyes.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 176
The Slave Dancer
1974
Author: Paula Fox
Main Character: 13-year-old Jessie Bollier
Summary: Jessie witnessed first-hand the savagery of the Atlantic slave trade.
Age Level: 11+
Grade Level: 4-8
Number of Pages: 192
Julie of the Wolves
1973
Author: Jean Craighead George
Main Character: 13-year-old orphaned Julie an Inuk girl
Summary: Eskimo Miyax (known as Julie from her San Francisco penpal) runs away from her village and is lost in the Alaskan wilderness and where she is accepted by a pack of Arctic wolves.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 6-8
Number of Pages: 171
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh
1972
Author: Robert C. O'Brien
Main Character: Widowed field mouse, Mrs. Frisby with her four small children
Summary: Mrs. Frisby's son is ill with pneumonia as farmer begins spring plowing and must move her family immediately.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 240
Summer of the Swans
1971
Author: Betsy Byars
Main Character: 14-year-old Sara Byars and mentally challenged brother, Charlie
Summary: Sara's life flows smoothly like a gliding swan until her little brother disappears forcing her to see life in a whole new way.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 129
Sounder
1970
Author: William H. Armstrong
Main Character: Young boy referred only as "the boy" living in a sharecropper family in the Deep South
Summary: Sharecroppers' dog, name is Sounder. Love, faith and land bind family despite the extreme prejudice and inhumanity.
Age Level: 9-12
Grade Level: 7-9
Number of Pages: 116
The High King
1969
Author: Lloyd Alexander
Main Character: Taran, Welsh Assistant Pig-Keeper, joined by three other interesting characters
Summary: Young male adult makes crucial decisions as he confronts evil enchantress. Part of a three book series.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 272
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
1968
Author: E. L. Konigsburg
Main Character: 12-year-old Claudia Kincaid and her sibling 9-year-old James
Summary: Claudia and Jamie run away from home and live in a New York City museum; they find themselves involved in a mystery.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 168
Up a Road Slowly
1967
Author: Irene Hunt
Main Character: 7-year-old Julie matures through age 17
Summary: Garnet lives on a farm with her family but longs to go out and explore on her own looking for new adventures.
Age Level: 12+
Grade Level: 7-12
Number of Pages: 192
I, Juan de Pareja
1966
Author: Elizabeth Borton de Trevino
Main Character: Character of Pareja, a half-African slave of Velazquez
Summary: Young boy born into slavery in Spain in 1600 after the death of his mother becomes artist apprentice.
Age Level: 12
Grade Level: 5-12
Number of Pages: 192
Shadow of a Bull
1965
Author: Maia Wojciechowska
Main Character: 12-year-old Manolo Olivar, son of Juan Olivar, a renowned bullfighter in Spain
Summary: Young boy's deceased father was a bullfighter; Manolo struggles to pursue his own destiny.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 4-8
Number of Pages: 160
It's Like This, Cat
1964
Author: Emily Cheney Neville
Main Character: 14-year-old Dave Mitchell growing up in New York City
Summary: Dave and his father disagree over many issues which is softened when Dave meets brings home a loving tomcat who also leads him to Tom and Mary who open his eyes to music and theater.
Age Level: 7-11
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 192
A Wrinkle in Time
1963
Author: Madeleine L'Engle
Main Character: Meg Murray, brother Charles and friend Calvin O'Keefe
Summary: Three children search for Mr. Murray, a scientist father who disappeared during secret work.
Age Level: 9-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 256
The Bronze Bow
1962
Author: Elizabeth George Speare
Main Character: Young Jewish boy, Daniel bar Jamin, who lives the same time as Jesus of Nazareth
Summary: Young man Daniel, of biblical time, wants to revenge the death of his father but finds out the only thing stronger than hate is love.
Age Level: 10-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 254
Island of the Blue Dolphins
1961
Author: Scott O'Dell
Main Character: 12-year-old Karana on an island off the coast of California in the early 1800s
Summary: Karana is stranded for years on an island; based on true story of Juana Maria of Nicoleño Native American.
Age Level: 9-11
Grade Level: 1-8
Number of Pages: 192
1960 - 1941
Onion John
1960
Author: Joseph Krumgold
Main Character: 12-year-old Andy Rusch in New Jersey in the 1950's
Summary: Andy's friendship with an immigrant handyman is almost wrecked by good intentions.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 5-6
Number of Pages: 256
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
1959
Author: Elizabeth George Speare
Main Character: 16-year-old Katherine Tyler (known as Kit Tyler) in 17th century in England
Summary: Tyler arrives in Connecticut from Barbados and struggles to survive in a hostile place.
Age Level: 10+
Grade Level: 5-7
Number of Pages: 261
Rifles for Watie
1958
Author: Harold Keith
Main Character: 16-year-old Jefferson Davis Bussey in Mississippi during the Civil War
Summary: Jefferson defends the Union during the Civil War. But as a spy, he sees no difference in either side.
Age Level: 13+
Grade Level: 8-12
Number of Pages: 352
Miracles on Maple Hill
1957
Author: Virginia Sorensen
Main Character: 10-year-old Marly and her older brother Joe
Summary: Marly's father suffered terribly during the Korean War; unable to find a job, he became bitter. Mom persuades family to take Maple Hill summer retreat.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 248
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
1956
Author: Jean Lee Latham
Main Character: Nat Bowditch, 18th math wizard, during the Revolutionary War era in Salem, Massachusetts
Summary: Nat loves school and math but is forced to quit for economic reasons to help his father make barrels.
Age Level: 12+
Grade Level: 7-9
Number of Pages: 256
The Wheel on the School
1955
Author: Meindert DeJong
Main Character: Schoolchildren: Lina, Jella, Auka, Eelka, Pier and Dirk in Dutch fishing village
Summary: Children become determined to bring the storks back to their little town and include the whole community to put a wagon wheel on their school so that they can get storks to roost there.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 3-6
Number of Pages: 320
...And Now Miguel
1954
Author: Joseph Krumgold
Main Character: 12-year-old Miguel Chavez, a Hispanic-American shepherd from New Mexico
Summary: Miguel wants, with all his heart, to go on the long, hard sheep drive. He prays so this will happen, and it does with some dangerous consequences.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 256
Secret of the Andes
1953
Author: Ann Nolan Clark
Main Character: Cusi, a modern Inca boy, from the Andes mountains
Summary: Cusi lives with Chuto in Andes herding llamas and journeys with pet Misti to the world of many people.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 120
Ginger Pye
1952
Author: Eleanor Estes
Main Character: Jerry Pye, resident in Cranbury, Connecticut, in 1919
Summary: Jerry bought Ginger for $1. Pup knows tricks, is smart, and steals hearts until someone steals him.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 320
Amos Fortune Free Man
1951
Author: Elizabeth Yates
Main Character: Amos Fortune, a young African prince of the tribe At-mun-shi, born in Africa in 1710
Summary: Amos is captured by slave traders and brought to Massachusetts - finally freed at age 60 with dignity.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 192
The Door in the Wall
1950
Author: Marguerite de Angeli
Main Character: Boy named Robin in England in the MIddle Ages and Brother Luke, a friar
Summary: Young Robin is to be sent away to become a knight like his father, but his dreams are endangered when he loses the use of his legs.
Age Level: 12
Grade Level: 6-7
Number of Pages: 128
King of the Wind
1949
Author: Marguerite Henry
Main Character: Arabian horse named Sham and stable boy named Agba
Summary: Story of Godolphin Arabian horse as told by "Man o' War" horse owner.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 176
The Twenty-One Balloons
1948
Author: William Pene du Bois
Main Character: Professor William Waterman Sherman in 1883
Summary: Professor flies across Pacific Ocean upon retirement using balloons and lands on Krakatoa to find incredible balloon inventions.
Age Level: 9-11
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 192
Miss Hickory
1947
Author: Carolyn Sherwin Bailey
Main Character: Miss Hickory, a doll made from an apple tree twig and hickory nut
Summary: Miss Hickory (doll) spends a New Hampshire winter alone.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 128
Strawberry Girl
1946
Author: Lois Lenski
Main Character: 10-year-old Burdie Boyer in the Florida backwoods
Summary: Family just moved to Florida backwoods and struggle through weather but found neighborly kindness. Making a new farm prosperous is not easy.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 3-6
Number of Pages: 208
Rabbit Hill
1945
Author: Robert Lawson
Main Character: Little Georgie of the rabbit family
Summary: New Folks move into the Big House, Rabbits hope folks plant a garden and are surprised instead.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 127
Johnny Tremain
1944
Author: Esther Forbes
Main Character: 14-year-old apprentice Johnny Tremain
Summary: Historical American Revolutionary War novel about apprentice Johnny needing to find work.
Age Level: 10+
Grade Level: 5-7
Number of Pages: 320
Adam of the Road
1943
Author: Elizabeth Janet Gray
Main Character: 11-year-old Adam in 13th Century England
Summary: Adam loses spaniel (Nick) and minstrel father (Roger). When Nick realizes his dog is stolen and his father disappears, he suddenly finds himself alone.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 317
The Matchlock Gun
1942
Author: Walter Edmonds
Main Character: Edward in 1756 in New York State
Summary: Father taught Edward how to use a gun, would Edward be able to handle protect his family.
Age Level: 7-10
Grade Level: 2-5
Number of Pages: 61
Call It Courage
1941
Author: Armstrong Sperry
Main Character: Matfu, son of the Great Chief of Hikueru
Summary: Maftu feared and avoided the sea. To conquer his fear he took a canoe out alone and landed on deserted island.
Age Level: 9-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 128
1940 - 1922
Daniel Boone
1940
Author: James Daugherty
Main Character: Daniel Boone, wilderness scout
Summary: First and most reliable biography of the story of his life, death and legacy.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 4-8
Number of Pages: 464
Thimble Summer
1939
Author: Elizabeth Enright
Main Character: 10-year-old Garnet Linden lives on a Wisconsin farm in the 1930s
Summary: Garnet finds a silver thimble she believes might have extraordinary magic. Garnet begins to experience adventures never before imagined on a farm.
Age Level: 8-10
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 144
The White Stag
1938
Author: Kate Seredy
Main Character: Two sons of Nimrod: Hunor and Magyar
Summary: Huns and Magyars tribes follow pagan god (white stag) to their promised homeland in Hungary.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 96
Roller Skates
1937
Author: Ruth Sawyer
Main Character: 10-year-old narrator Lucinda Wyman in New York City
Summary: While Lucinda's parent travel overseas, she has the freedom to explore on her own every day. This brings new and interesting adventures.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 192
Caddie Woodlawn
1936
Author: Carol Ryearie Brink
Main Character: 11-year-old tomboy name Caroline Augusta Woodlawn, nickname Caddie, set in 1860s
Summary: Caddie is an adventurer who is friends with Indians - she'd rather hunt than bake and plow than sew.
Age Level: 9-11
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 257
Dobry
1935
Author: Monica Shannon
Main Character: Young boy, Dobry, lives in small farming village in Bulgaria
Summary: Lived with his widowed mother and grandfather and had to convince his mother that his talent was as a sculptor and not as a farmer.
Age Level: 10+
Grade Level: 5+
Number of Pages: 192
Invincible Louisa
1934
Author: Cornelia Meigs
Main Character: Louisa May Alcott, author of "Little Women"
Summary: Opens with Louisa's birth in Germantown, Pennsylvania, and follows throughout her life. It concludes with Louisa writing "Little Women."
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 256
Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze
1933
Author: Elizabeth Lewis
Main Character: 13-year-old Young Fu Yuin-Fah, 1920s in Chungking
Summary: Story of Fu Yuin-Fah, the son of a widow from western China. He goes from a young arrogant boy to a mature, humble youth of 18 encountering several challenges and obstacles.
Age Level: 10+
Grade Level: 5-9
Number of Pages: 320
Waterless Mountain
1932
Author: Laura Adams Armer
Main Character: Navajo Indian Dawn Boy, also known as "Younger Brother" or "Little Singer" living in Arizona in the 1920s
Summary: Dawn Boy follows in the footsteps of his uncle and becomes a medicine man and undergoes several arduous years of training.
Age Level: 10-14
Grade Level: 5-9
Number of Pages: 190
The Cat Who Went to Heaven
1931
Author: Elizabeth Coatsworth
Main Character: Japanese artist and his housekeeper
Summary: ALegend of a tiny white cat and a poor artists who won a commission of a Buddha painting for a healthy sum and believes the cat brought him good luck.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 100
Hitty, Her First Hundred Years
1930
Author: Rachel Field
Main Character: Narration by a wooden 19th century doll named Mehitabel (Hitty) carved for a little girl, Phoebe Preble
Summary: Details Hitty's adventures as she becomes separated from Phoebe and travels from owner to owner over the course of a century.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 4-6
Number of Pages: 256
The Trumpeter of Krakow
1929
Author: Eric P. Kelly
Main Character: 15-year-old Joseph Charnetski from a Polish noble family from Kresy (modern day Ukraine)
Summary: Joseph was bound by an ancient oath to protect the crystal from plundering Tartars.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 228
Gay Neck, the Story of a Pigeon
1928
Author: Dhan Gopal Mukerji
Main Character: Gay-Neck, a prized Indian pigeon, and his master
Summary: Story of the training of a carrier pigeon and its courageous and spirited service during WW1 over the housetops of an Indian village, in the Himalayan Mountains, and on the French battlefield
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 122
Smoky, the Cowhorse
1927
Author: Will James
Main Character: Horse Smoky and Trainer Clint
Summary: Smoky, born in wild western US (1910's), story is told from birth to a rodeo star. Clint is his devoted trainer.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 336
Shen of the Sea: Chinese Stories for Children
1926
Author: Arthur Bowie Chrisman
Main Character: Various
Summary: Sixteen stories, strong in humor and rich in Chinese wisdom, admirably show Chinese life and spirit.
Age Level: 8-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 221
Tales from Silver Lands
1925
Author: Charles Finger
Main Character: Various
Summary: Nineteen South American fantasy folktales showing the struggle for a life in which good overcomes evil.
Age Level: 7-11
Grade Level: 2-6
Number of Pages: 256
The Dark Frigate
1924
Author: Charles Hawes
Main Character: Nineteen-year-old Philip Marsham
Summary: Philip flees in fear and joins a dark frigate "Rose of Devon". After their boat is seized by a devious group, he is forced on a murderous expedition.
Age Level: 7-12
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 278
The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle
1923
Author: Hugh Lofting
Main Character: Narrator by 9 and 1/2- year-old Tommy Stubbins, a crewman
Summary: Tommy finds squirrel injured by hawk and asks help from Doctor Dolittle who can speak to animals.
Age Level: 7-11
Grade Level: 3-6
Number of Pages: 336
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The Story of Mankind
1922
Author: Hendrik Willem van Loon
Main Character: Narrated by the author and written for his children (Hansje and Willem)
Summary: Western civilization history written in short chapters from primitive man to the formation of the modern nation.
Age Level: 5-7
Grade Level: 3-7
Number of Pages: 529