Newbery Medal and Honor Books 1932 - 1933

The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The first Newbery Medal and Honor Books were named in 1922.
Following are the winners of the Medal and the books honored from 1932 - 1933. I've included the synopsis of each just in case it's a book you've been looking for and didn't remember the title.

Images from wikipedia unless otherwise noted.

1932 Medal Winner

Waterless Mountain by Laura Adams Armer (Longmans)

Younger Brother, a Navajo Indian living in Arizona in the 1920s, wishes to follow in the footsteps of his uncle and become a medicine man. To accomplish this task, he must undergo several arduous years of training, to learn all of the ancient songs and customs of his ancestors. This includes a journey to the Pacific Ocean in the far west, participating in traditional ceremonies, and climbing the nearby Waterless Mountain. Throughout his training, his Uncle relates to him numerous legends of their culture.

Honor Books

The Fairy Circus by Dorothy P. Lathrop (Macmillan)

Source: goodreads

A troop of fairies draws inspiration from the visit to their meadow by humans who set up a circus tent and hold a series of performances. The fairies approach their project with a light heart and immense creativity. They enlist the participation of woodland creatures and the insects who share their realm. Chipmunks perform, poorly, as tigers but  squirrels make marvelous lions. Spider webs serve as an excellent substitute for a trapeze wire and net. Turtles make do as elephants. The light, of course, is provided by the moon and wildly excited fireflies.

Calico Bush by Rachel Field (Macmillan)

Calico Bush is set on the Maine coast in the pioneer era, and tells the story of Marguerite, a young French orphan who becomes an indentured servant on a farm.

Boy of the South Seas by Eunice Tietjens (Coward-McCann)

Source: goodreads

A boy from the Marquesas is transported by accident aboard a trading vessel to Tahiti, where he learns to be a man under the tutelage of an adoptive mother and a mysterious hermit who lives in the hills. Teiki is different that many of the other young islanders. He is fascinated by the myths and traditions of his culture, which is quickly being destroyed by colonialists from the West. The hermit in the hills becomes his mentor and teaches him much about the past, including the techniques of traditional carving. Teiki's hard work pays off when the curator of a museum takes him to Hawaii and employs him as a living artifact and repository of invaluable information.

Out of the Flame by Eloise Lownsbery (Longmans)

Source: goodreads

The nephew of a famous knight finds his place in the world while growing up as a ward for the French king Francois I. Pierre de Bayard has nearly all the traits that made his uncle a paragon of knightly virtue, but the boy can barely conceal his very unknightly love for books. He's tormented by Henri, the second son of the king, who is angry and malicious. Young Pierre becomes confirmed in his choice to pursue an academic career after he becomes familiar with many of the great thinkers of his era.

Jane's Island by Marjorie Allee (Houghton)

Source: goodreads

A plucky girl has a series of adventures while spending the summer with her scientist father and family at the famed research institute in Woods Hole, Mass. Jane no-nonsense, ruthlessly honest hellion, who is greatly beloved by all who appreciate her qualities. She and her temporary governess explore the area and cause a fair share of trouble. In the process, young readers learn a little about the scientific method, grants, research and sea life.

Truce of the Wolf and Other Tales of Old Italy by Mary Gould Davis (Harcourt)

Source: goodreads

Contains seven tales total. Six of them are versions of old legends; one is an original by Mary Gould Davis. It is a pleasant, ambling collection of simple folktales from Italy.

1933 Medal Winner

Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze by Elizabeth Lewis (Winston)

When Young Fu arrives with his mother in bustling 1920s Chungking, all he has seen of the world is the rural farming village where he has grown up. He knows nothing of city life. But the city, with its wonders and dangers, fascinates the 13-year-old boy, and he sets out to make the best of what it has to offer him.  Although China has changed since that time, Young Fu's experiences are universal: making friends, making mistakes, and making one's way in the world.

Honor Books

Swift Rivers by Cornelia Meigs (Little, Brown)

Source: fictiondb

Barred from his family homestead by his mean-spirited uncle, eighteen-year-old Chris weathers a Minnesota winter in a small cabin with his grandfather. Poverty and the tempting stories of a wandering Easterner convince Chris to harvest the trees on his grandfather\rquote s land and float the logs down the spring floodwaters of the Mississippi to the lumber mills in Saint Louis. Filled with stories of raft hands and river pilots, this fast-paced novel has all the momentum of the great Mississippi.



The Railroad to Freedom: a Story of the Civil War by Hildegarde Swift (Harcourt)

Source: goodreads

The author takes us from Harriet Tubman\rquote s humble birth on a Southern plantation to her glory days as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. Swift communicates the bravery and hope expressed by the desperate blacks seeking freedom. What comes across even more clearly is the courage of the whites who risked their all to assist the blacks en route to freedom. Readers will be surprised to find that in Swift's hands Tubman experiences several cathartic moments in which she directly feels the presence of God.


Children of the Soil: a Story of Scandinavia by Nora Burglon (Doubleday)

Source: goodreads

A fatherless family of dirt-poor tenant farmers in turn of the century Sweden gains a small measure of success because of hard work, talent and a modest outlook.









Newbery Medal and Honor Books 1922

Newbery Medal and Honor Books 1923 -1928

Newbery Medal and Honor Books 1929 -1930

Newbery Medal and Honor Books 1931


Have a terrific week.
Happy reading,
Angela