John Newbery Medal Winning and Honored Books
← Back to Main Awards Page
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 1993
1993 – Newbery Honor
Somewhere In The Darkness
List Price: $8.99
Scholastic Paperbacks (May 01, 2008)
Middle Grade, Fiction, Mass Market Paperback, 192 pages
ISBN: 9780545055772Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Book Description:
An exciting, eye-catching repackage of acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers bestselling paperbacks, to coincide with the publication of SUNRISE OVER FALLUJA in hardcover.
Jimmy hasn t seen his father in nine years. But one day he comes back on the run from the law. Together, the two of them travel across the country where Jimmy s dad will find the man who can exonerate him of the crime for which he was convicted. Along the way, Jimmy discovers a lot about his father and himself and that while things can t always be fixed, sometimes they can be understood and forgiven.
An exciting, eye-catching repackage of acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers bestselling paperbacks, to coincide with the publication of SUNRISE OVER FALLUJA in hardcover.
Jimmy hasn t seen his father in nine years. But one day he comes back on the run from the law. Together, the two of them travel across the country where Jimmy s dad will find the man who can exonerate him of the crime for which he was convicted. Along the way, Jimmy discovers a lot about his father and himself and that while things can t always be fixed, sometimes they can be understood and forgiven.
1993 – Newbery Honor
The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural
List Price: $9.99
Yearling (Mar 29, 2022)
Middle Grade, Fiction, Paperback, 176 pages
ISBN: 9780593123478Publisher: Penguin Random House
Book Description:
In that special half-hour of twilight the dark-thirty there are stories to be told. Mesmerizing, suspenseful, and breathtakingly original, these tales make up a heart-stopping collection of lasting value, a book not quickly forgotten.
Originally published in 1992.

