Newbery Medal and Honor Books 1934 - 1935

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 1934 - 1935. 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.

1934 Medal Winner

Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women by Cornelia Meigs (Little, Brown)

Biography tracing the fascinating life of Louisa May Alcott from her happy childhood in Pennsylvania and Boston to her success as a writer of such classics as Little women.

Honor Books

The Forgotten Daughter by Caroline Snedeker (Doubleday)

Source: goodreads

A Greek slave girl living in a villa far from the political upheaval in Republican Rome moves from the hovel to the master suite as she and those around her learn the truth of her birth and station in life. Chloe and the woman who protects her have been cast as slaves because of mistakes and lies. A remarkable turn of events clears her name and makes her the love interest of an ambitious young Roman exiled to a nearby villa. The course of true love can't be stayed for long, so every narrative twist ends neatly, happily.

Swords of Steel by Elsie Singmaster (Houghton)

Source: goodreads

The Civil War battle of Gettysburg is seen through the eyes of a naive 12-year old boy who gets trapped in his own home, which becomes a field hospital for the Confederate Army. The story begins shortly before Lincoln's election when the winds of war are already howling, even over the quaint backwater of Gettysburg. Because the town is so close to Maryland the locals have become used to the intrusion of armed posses of Southerners who snatch blacks from the safety of Pennsylvania and drag them back to slavery. Young John reacts as a child to these and other events because his naiveté has been carefully crafted by his older sisters and his doting father and grandfather. John's father volunteers to fight once the war begins, causing a shift in the idyllic tone of the book. The dad's letters detail the horrible suffering created by the war.

ABC Bunny by Wanda Gag (Coward)

An unfortunate accident with an Apple drives Bunny from Bunnyland to Elsewhere. Every letter in the alphabet is represented in Bunny's journey, through what he eats (Greens), to whom he meets (Insects, Jay, Kitten, Lizard), and then a little sleep (Nap), to Tripping back to town, right side Up and Up-side- down. By modern standards this would never make it for Newbery consideration because it's a picture book. 

Winged Girl of Knossos by Erik Berry (pseud. Allena Best) (Appleton)

Source: goodreads

The author breaks from mythic tradition while telling the tale of Daedelus and his escapades at Knossos. Berry’s Daidalos, as he spells the name, is a cynical man much revered by kings for his inventions. He is equally feared by the ignorant populace, who cower at the sight of his tradition-busting inventions. The heroine is Inas, the lithe, blue-eyed, tomboy daughter of the famous Daidalos. She is her father's companion in his experiments with the flying gliders, and is, herself, renowned for her skill in bull-vaulting in the Royal ring. Jealousy of Daidalos' success and of his position of favor with the king, and Inas own implication in the escape of Theseus from the labyrinth, conspire to drive both father and daughter to far-distant Siceli. Here occurs the destruction of Minos' white-sailed fleet. Inas escapes with Kadmos, son of the captain of the fleet...and what happens next will be left for the reader to discover. Here is a tale of high adventure, but with a background both fascinating and valuable as supplementary reading for the study of Ancient history.

New Land by Sarah Schmidt (McBride)

Source: goodreads

A family led by a downtrodden dad gains self-respect by working day and night to convert a rundown claim in Wyoming into a respectable farm during the Great Depression. The family, really, is led by 17-year-old Sayre, one in a long line of spunky Newbery heroines. She is well aware of the weakness of her dad and her twin brother, who shares some of her fire and a little of the dad's hopelessness. Sayre conspires with several supportive people in the community to bring her dream of respectability to fruition by working behind the scenes to buck up her dad and brother. Her task is made more difficult by the smooth-operator who dominates the town and attempts, surreptitiously, to drive everyone else out of business.

Big Tree of Bunlahy: Stories of My Own Countryside by Padraic Colum (Macmillan)

Source: goodreads

A children's short story collection by Padraic Colum that contains thirteen stories based on the tales told to the author in his home town of Bunlahy in County Longford, Ireland. The first edition was illustrated by Jack Yeats.

Glory of the Seas by Agnes Hewes (Knopf)

Source: goodreads

A young man working for a merchant house in 1855 Boston is caught up in the fever over the hunt for wealth and the growing conflict between the North and the South. Young John must contend with the usual trials of expressing his love to a girl and choosing a career. He is an unwilling participant in a plan to assist slaves who are escaping from their Southern owners.

Apprentice of Florence by Ann Kyle (Houghton)

A teen-aged boy sets off to find news of his seafaring father, who disappeared from their Tuscan farm in search of adventure in the mid-1400s. Neno has a chance encounter along the road to Florence, meeting a young woman whose family shapes his life in ways he could never have expected. Neno's honesty and work ethic earn him a place among the graces of the Florentine power structure, who send him to Constantinople just as the Turks are set to make their historic conquest. Neno is buffeted about by the forces of history yet always manages to do the right thing and win friends among the powerful. He eventually returns to Florence, where the mystery of his father's disappearance is solved.

1935 Medal Winner

Dobry by Monica Shannon (Viking)

A Bulgarian peasant boy must convince his mother that he is destined to be a sculptor, not a farmer. Illustrated by Atanas Katchamakoff, a well known sculptor.

Honor Books 

Pageant of Chinese History by Elizabeth Seeger (Longmans)

Source: goodreads

The author provides an entertaining review of Chinese history. it covers the history of China from mythological times to the birth of the republic in 1912.

Davy Crockett by Constance Rourke (Harcourt)

Source: goodreads

Blending myth and reality, Constance Rourke aimed to get at the heart of Davy Crockett, whose hold on the American imagination was firm even before he died at the Alamo. Davy Crockett, published in 1934, pioneered in showing the backwoodsman’s transformation into a folk hero. It remains a basic in the Crockett literature.

Day on Skates: The Story of a Dutch Picnic by Hilda Von Stockum (Harper)

Source: goodreads

This was Hilda Van Stockum's first children's book. It caused a sensation at the time it was published (1934) because it had so many full color illustrations. A teacher and his class of children take advantage of the first good freeze and snowfall of the season to go on a "picnic"--skating along the canals and streams. Along the way they see interesting sights, make new friends, and have several adventures. Between the text and pictures you get a real feel for how the Dutch enjoy skating and being outdoors in winter.

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

Newbery Medal and Honor Books 1932 -1933

Happy Hump Day or "Wine"sday, whichever you prefer :)
Angela