John Newbery Medal Winning and Honored Books
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First awarded in 1922, The John Newbery Medal is awarded annually by the American Library Association for the most distinguished American children’s book published the previous year. Virginia Hamilton, in 1975, was the first African American writer to win the medal. Learn more about this award at the ALA Website.
Below are the Newbery Winning and Honored books which were written by, or about, people of African descent.
2 Books Honored with The Newbery Medal or Honor in 1989
Scorpions (Anniversary)
Now with extra material to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Scorpions!
Everyone is getting on Jamal ss case. The kids at school are bugging him, his teachers won st leave him alone, and the principal ss always giving him a hard time. Even his mama yells at him, upset because Jamal ss brother, Randy, is in jail. The only person he can count on now is his best friend, Tito.
But Crazy Mack wants Jamal to take over as the Scorpions s leader and run crack. Jamal doesn st want anything to do with gang life, but he doesn st have a choice it ss the only way to get money for Randy ss appeal. And as long as he ss got Tito on his side, Jamal knows everything will be okay .
When it was first published in 1988, Scorpions blew readers away. It continues to do so today. This special 25th anniversary edition contains the original Scorpions story, plus an extra Q&A with New York Times bestselling author Walter Dean Myers.
In The Beginning: Creation Stories From Around The World
A thought-provoking collection of twenty-five stories that reflect the wonder and glory of the origins of the world and humankind. With commentary by the author. A must for mythology shelves. Booklist