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1922

Editor's Note: Many of the books are out of print. The header information will be as complete as I can make it.

The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem van Loon (WW Norton, $11.96, paperback, fifth-grade level). ISBN: 0871401754.	The Medalist A overview of world history. The book contains many errors because of its age, despite an attempt at modernizing in a recent re-release. However, it's an easy read so it would serve well as a reference book in modern classrooms.
The Great Quest: A Romance of 1826 by Charles Boardman Hawes (Little, Brown and Co., seventh-grade level). Out of print	Honor Book A naive lad from a New England village gets sucked into an adventure that involves his uncle, several friends and some bad apples intent on making a slave/diamond run to the coast of Africa. The boy, an orphan, is being raised by his uncle, who is a typical New England tightwad. The man is uncharacteristically generous to the boy and has chosen him as his heir. An edgy stranger comes to town, conspires with the uncle and uses his greed to set the plot in motion. Much Victorian adventure ensues. If you notice any teeth on the floor while your read this book, they're mine. I had them pulled rather than drag myself through this Victorian melodrama, which is so rife with naiveté, shallow mystery, unbelievable coincidence, and dramatic changes of heart and destiny that it's almost unreadable. Hawes did much better in his other, likable but similar Newbery choice, The Dark Frigate.
Cedric, the Forester by Bernard Marshall/illustrated by Scott Williams (D. Appleton-Century Co., eighth-grade level). Out of print	Honor Book The son of a small titleholder in western England is a witness to the rise to prominence of a former commoner who is knighted for his valor and widely respected for his intelligence and integrity. The young Dickon begins his friendship with Cedric by exchanging hard words and a threat. The boys later mend fences and grow to manhood together. By the end of the novel Cedric and his friend are instrumental in the creation and signing of the Magna Carta. This book is the unofficial record holder for the most death and destruction in any Newbery book. The two boys scarcely go a page or two without getting into a fight that ends with one or more enemies, and an occasional friend, dead in battle. Marshall could have been voicing his own opinion when he says that a main character gets bored sitting around doing nothing. So, the boys and their friends look for trouble, which they have no trouble finding in the rough and tumble world of medieval England. Readers who like action will be greatly pleased if they ever encounter this book, which is unlikely, since so few copies exist. The modern reader would learn a smattering of English history, although the antiquated language Marshall deploys for the sake of atmosphere would surely slow them down. Tod of the Fens, a 1929 Honor book by Elinor Whitney, would pair nicely with this novel.
The Old Tobacco Shop: A True Account of What Befell a Little in Search of Adventure by William Bowen (MacMillan, 7th-grade level). Out of print	Honor Book A boy smokes some funny leaves while visiting friends who run a tobacco shop only to find himself part of a fabulous adventure that involves pirates, ghosts and odd creatures. Freddie is warned not to touch the tobacco, which is stored in a porcelain container shaped like the head of a "Chinaman." He puffs away, drifts off into a cloud of smoke, then joins his friends on the quest. They survive a shipwreck, bloodthirsty pirates, leering sailors, boring pedants, and the like before returning home. If you sat down and got really drunk and tried to come up with a children's book that had absolutely no chance of getting published today, The Old Tobacco Shop would probably be it. Bowen provides occasional moments of droll humor, a fair dash of absurdity in the vein of Lewis Carroll, and several clever jabs at social foibles, but the content, jeez. Bowen is at heart a Victorian writer and one must make concessions for his era, but this book would be better left to gather dust. If conservative critics were going to choose material to demean the Newbery Medal they would find much fodder here.
The Golden Fleece the Heroes Who Lived before Achilles by Padraic Colum (Scholastic, paperback reprinted in 1949, sixth-grade level).	Honor Book The noted author of many collections of myths and legends gives readers a timeless retelling of the travails of Jason and his band of Argonauts. Colum deftly tells the story of Jason and his quest for the Golden Fleece. He weaves many other myths into this narrative, using the device of having the characters aboard ship relate stories as a means to entertain their crewmates. His research is phenomenal and his familiarity with Greek mythology astounding. What's even more important is his ability to write in a style and manner that is truly timeless. This book is not out of place in the modern classroom.
The Windy Hill by Cornelia Meigs (The MacMillan Company, sixth-grade level).. Out of print	Honor Book A boy and his sister spend a few busy weeks visiting their favorite, older cousin, who is wildly out of sorts over a mysterious assault on his peace of mind. Oliver and Janet are looking forward to visiting their cousin and exploring his large home and well-kept estate. Their enjoyment is quickly curtailed by his foul mood, which grows worse after the daily visits of a cranky man. The kids become friends with an oddball neighbor, who is fond of telling rambling stories that seem to have some bearing on the mystery. Eventually, a crisis in the valley makes the bad guy repent and solves all problems. This novel, like many early Newbery books, suffers from the heavy hand of Victorian tastes. The villain is evil incarnate. The wrongly accused fears for his family's good name. Girls are helpless and hopeless and men are stalwart and honorable. The dramatic apex of the plot produces a miraculous insight for the villain, who has a change of heart and recants his evil plans. I had high hopes when I read the first tale (almost like an intercalary chapter) told by the "Beeman," because it seemed oddly out of place and I couldn't figure out what she was trying to achieve. After the second installment I realized it was a cheap trick used to needlessly prolong the phony mystery.

Copyright David Ross 2003-2004