My Favourite Newbery Award Winners Quiz

Answer: The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books

"A Wrinkle in Time" by author Madeleine L'Engle is a wonderful fantasy novel about three young people who travel through time and space. Two of the main characters are siblings, and the third is their friend. The siblings' father has mysteriously disappeared, so they set out to find him.

Their journey takes them to other worlds and other times when they use the services of supernatural beings. No spoilers, but they do meet up with all kinds of unusual creatures in some very odd situations while they try to find and rescue the father.

This book made it to the "American Library Association list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000". It was chosen for this list because of the frequency that the book was challenged after it was published. Apparently, some parents in the US felt that the book should not be on library shelves because they say that the spiritual themes do not reflect traditional Christian teachings.

Besides being honoured with a Newbery Award, this book has been made into two Disney movies, one for TV in 2003 and one for theatres in 2018.

Answer: False

This novel by Elizabeth Coatsworth won the 1931 Newbery Award. It is the story of a poor Japanese artist who adopts a cat even though he can't really afford it. The cat seems to appreciate the gesture and behaves very well as a result. The artist is hired by a Buddhist monastery to paint a picture of Buddha's dying days.

When he is done, the cat seems sad that there is no cat in the picture, so he paints a small white cat in the bottom corner of the painting. The Buddhist priests are not happy with the inclusion of the cat, but a miracle happens, and the painting is accepted. No spoilers, but this book is definitely worth the read.

Answer: During the Middle Ages

"The Door in the Wall", a novel by Marguerite de Angeli, won the Newbery Award in 1950. It is the story of a boy in England during the bubonic plague. His parents are away serving the king and queen. The servants that were left to look after him leave because they fear the plague when the young boy loses the use of his legs.

He is rescued by a friar who teaches him to read and how to swim to help strengthen his weakened legs. He ends up moving to a castle to act as a page on the first step to fulfilling his dream of becoming a knight.

The castle is attacked, and he hatches a plan to save it. Again, no spoilers, but it is definitely worth the read to discover the story of the boy and the significance of "The Door in the Wall".

Answer: His son

"The Whipping Boy" is a marvellous adventure story about a young, mean-spirited prince. Because it was not acceptable to punish royalty for wrongdoing, he is provided with an orphan about his age who is used as the whipping boy whenever he does something wrong.

At one point, the two boys run away and meet up with many colourful characters. No spoilers, but important lessons are learned by all. Sid Fleischman's son Paul won the Newbery Award in 1989 for "Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices".

Answer: The Bible

The title for this book comes from Romans 9:13 in the KJV of "The Bible", that reads "As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." This refers to the sibling rivalry between two brothers, but the novel is about the rivalry between twin girls. One is deemed to be delicate by her family and seems to receive all sorts of privileges. On the other hand, the other twin is not treated with the same level of privilege, and often silently seethes that her sister gets credit when it is not deserved.

The story progresses as the girls grow up. The author introduces the girls' dreams and the outcome of those. No spoilers, but this is a wonderful coming-of-age story that many have enjoyed since it was published.

Answer: A mouse

In this book, Despereaux is the main character. He is a mouse who sets out on a mission to save a human princess named Princess Pea. Despereaux had befriended her when he visited her in the castle and she had spoken to him. He is then sent to the dungeon by the Mouse Council because mice are not supposed to talk with humans. Princess Pea is kidnapped by a rat named Roscuro and a young servant girl named Mig. Despereaux then engages in a number of adventuresome tactics to try to rescue Princess Pea. No spoilers, but let's just say that this is a very entertaining book. So entertaining, in fact, that the book has been adapted into a movie, a stage play, and a video game.

Answer: True

The 1978 Newbery Award winning book "Bridge to Terabithia" is a novel that was written by Katherine Paterson. She also won the Newbery Award in 1981 for "Jacob Have I Loved" and the Newbery Honour, or runner-up, in 1979 for "The Great Gilly Hopkins".

The "Bridge to Terabithia" features two main characters named Jess and Leslie who form an unlikely friendship when Leslie moves close to Jess. They both feel the need for a place where they can go to get away from the pressures that they feel in their day-to-day lives, so they find a forested spot where they create a kingdom that they name Terabithia. To get there, they have to swing across a creek on a rope.

They name themselves king and queen of Terabithia, but something totally unexpected happens that challenges their rule. Sorry, no spoilers, so you will have to read this one for yourself. On a side note, "Bridge to Terabithia" was the first Newbery Award winner that I ever read. Even in my relative youth, I was inspired by its excellence and went on to read many more Newbery winners, continuing the practice well past my retirement.

Answer: A boy and a hermit

The 1960 Newbery Award book "Onion John" by Joseph Krumgold tells the story of a young boy named Andy who develops a friendship with a hermit who lives in a shack on the outskirts of a town in New Jersey. Onion John has that nickname because he eats the onions that he grows in his garden like apples. People in town are friendly with Onion John, but nobody besides the boy can understand his speech.

He is perfectly happy to live on his own in his hut that is furnished with bathtubs until Andy's father and his Rotary Club build Onion John a modern home. No spoilers, but something happens to Onion John in the new home that you will have to read the novel to learn about. You won't be disappointed if this is one of the Newbery Award winners you choose to read.

Answer: National Institute of Mental Health

"Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien won the Newbery Award in 1972. It is about a widowed field mouse named Mrs. Frisby. She learns that the farmer who owns the land upon which she and her family are living in their winter home is about to plow the land for his spring planting.

Her son Timothy is ill with pneumonia, and she realizes that he would not survive the move to their summer home, so she seeks the help of other animals in the garden where she lives. This leads her to befriend a group of rats who had escaped from the research laboratory at the National Institute of Mental Health.

She manages to work with the rats in order to safely move her family, but learns some very interesting things along the way. No spoilers, so I encourage you to pick up this book to learn a few things about human and animal behaviour just like Mrs. Frisby learns in the book.

Answer: E

"From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" is a novel by E. L. Konigsburg that won the Newbery Award in 1968. It is about two siblings, Claudia and Jamie, who run away from their home in Greenwich, Connecticut and head to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

There, they hide out, blending in with school groups during the day, hiding in washrooms while security guards do their last check in the evenings, and sleeping there overnight. Someone named Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler sells a marble statue of an angel to the museum for a very low price with no details about who the artist was. Claudia and Jamie are very intrigued, so they travel to her home to ask questions about the statue.

She allows them access to her files that at first glance seem to be very mixed up.

The children work to solve the mystery of who created the statue. No spoilers, so you'll have to read this marvellous book for yourself to find out if the children figure out which artist sculpted the angel.