1922 Newbery Honor Books

I kind of feel like the committee went a little crazy that first year with five honor books. I'm afraid I only made it through 2.5 of the books. This was largely because most of the books are currently out of print and difficult to obtain. I basically picked those that appealed most to me and were the most readily available

I'll start with the ones I did read:

The Windy Hill
by Corneila Meigs

Status: Out of print, but available to read online through google books, project gutenberg, etc. This was actually my very first time to read an e-book.

Synopsis: A family 'mystery' (a term I use lightly because it's all very very transparent). Janet and Oliver visit their favorite cousin Jasper. The quickly discover that not all is well with Jasper and there seems to be a dreadful family secret that has unsettled Jasper completely.

My thoughts: The characters were fairly engaging, but the plot was pretty predictable. I did enjoy the technique used by the author to include stories with in the story to help further the plot and explain the family history. But in the end I think this story is too simple and too dated for most modern children to relate to.

Interesting tidbits: Although many people haven't heard of her, Cornelia Meigs was quite the prolific children's book author. Although this particular book is out of print and most of her other books have been doomed to obscurity, her book The Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women (a biography of Louisa May Alcott) won the Newbery Medal in 1934.


The Old Tobacco Shop:
A True Account of What Befell a Little Boy in Search of Adventure
by William Bowen

Status: Out of print, but also available online in e-book format.

Synopsis: This is one strange little book! Freddie is a little boy whose father sends him to fetch his nightly tobacco from a little shop around the corner. There Freddie meets a very strange cast of characters. Freddie and the shop's owner Toby Littleback become great friends. One day Toby leaves Freddie in charge of the shop with only one order - don't touch the tobacco in the porcelain jar shaped like a Chinaman's head. The temptation proves too great for Freddie and what unfolds is a wild adventure that whisks Freddie and all his strange new friends off on a fantastical adventure.

My thoughts: I actually enjoyed this quite a bit. It was funny, unpredictable and very engaging. This was the first book in my reading project where I could see a potential appeal to a modern audience. It had elements of The Wizard of Oz and Chronicles of Narnia, but with a more comical and realistic cast of characters.

Interesting tidbits: Unfortunately, I have nothing! I can't find a thing about the author or more details about the book on any internet searches.


The Golden Fleece:
And The Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles

by Padraic Colum

Status: In print and readily available for purchase (also available in free ebook format)

Synopsis: A re-telling of the story of Jason and the Argonauts.

My thoughts: I did not finish this and in reality didn't really get far enough in to give a full opinion. I was reading in e-book format for the third time in one month and had grown very tired of the format. What can I say? I just really prefer the feel of a book in my hand. I actually did enjoy what I did get to read and the accompanying illustrations are very nice. I've heard others say the story is disjointed and jumps around a bit. I think this is something that would really only appeal the most enthusiastic young mythology buffs. I am actually a very big fan of the genre and have decided that I will mostly likely order myself a copy of this to keep around as a handy reference.

Interesting tidbits: Padraic Colum was originally from Ireland, but moved to America with his wife in 1914. It was in America that he began writing for children and three of his books have been honored by the Newbery Committee.

I did not read the final two:

The Great Quest
by Charles Hawes

This is out of print and I can find very little about either this book or Charles Hawes. Apparently he only wrote 2 books before he died. This one and The Dark Frigate which actually won the Newbery Medal in 1924. The award was posthumous. I will be reading that book next month (May) so maybe I will have more to report!

Cedric the Forester
by Bernard Marshall

Another out of print book and this one appears to be the most difficult to obtain. A friend had to get hers through Inter-Library Loan and it came from over 300 miles away. It is only through her review that I know anything about this book as there is very little information available online. The setting is Norman England and chronicles the friendship and adventures of the eponymous Cedric and Sir Dickon. My friend compared it to Robin Hood. It always comes to pass that when something like seems very far out of my reach I want it even more!

So, that's it for 1922. Out of all of these I feel like I found one solid book in The Old Tobacco Shop - not bad odds really. Now, on to 1923 - The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle.