Holes by Louis Sachar

I finished reading Holes by Sachar (Newberry Award winner of 1999) last week. I absolutely loved it. I think it's my favorite Newberry winner so far.

If you haven't read it, it's about a boy, Stanley, who is sent away to a correctional camp in Texas called Camp Green Lake. Only there is no lake, and it's certainly not green. It's in the middle of the desert and the boys who are sent there are forced to dig one hole each day. In between Stanley's story are the stories of Stanley's great grandfather, which takes place in Latvia, and the story of Kate Barlow, which takes place a hundred years ago in the city of Green Lake (when there really was a lake).

I loved how Sachar connected the past and the present, and how the things that Kate Barlow did helped Stanley get out of his predicament. And the reason why the boys are digging holes. Great book. I highly recommend it if you've never read it.

If you would like to check it out at SPL click here.

The Higher Power of Lucky

I just finished reading the newly awarded Newberry Award winner for 2007, The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron. I was kind of surprised that this book won because I hadn't really noticed any buzz about it.

It's about a girl whose mother has died. Electrocuted after a storm in the desert. Brigitte, Lucky's father's first wife, comes all the way to to California from France to take care of Lucky until she is assigned to foster care. All goes well until one day Lucky notices that Brigitte's suitcase is packed. Lucky is afraid Brigitte is going to move back to France and leave her at an orphanage in L.A. So Lucky decides to run away. She decides that the best, most perfect day to run away is the day there is a terrible windstorm in Hard Pan, California.

I'm not sure what to think of this book. I did enjoy it. It was beautifully written. The illustrations were wonderful. But was it Newberry Medal good? I don't know. What did you think?

If you would like to check it out at the SPL library click here.

Kira Kira

When I first started working as a Youth Services Librarian last year, I decided to try to read as many Newberry Award winners as I can as a way to become familiar with some Juvenile fiction authors. I started with the winner for 2005, Kira-Kira, by Cynthia Kadohata.

It’s the story about an Asian girl living in Georgia who experiences the death of her older sister, whom she is very close to. It’s a sad story, but it also is very hopeful. The family is struggling in so many ways. They are minorities, and they struggle with that reality. They struggle to get by financially. And, most importantly, they are dealing with the sickness and demise of the older sister. Yet the story is very hopeful and positive, in the end.

Click here to find Kira Kira in the SPL catalog.