Every year, the librarians of the American Library Association (ALA) gather together to choose the winners of the John Newbery Medal. Let's take a look at some of the prize-winners.
New Kid by Jerry Craft has become the first graphic novel (漫画小说) to ever win the Newbery Medal. The book features the story of middle school student Jordan Banks, who struggles not only with being the new kid at a private school in the Bronx, but also with being an African American student in the midst of a mostly white class. In his novel, Craft addresses important issues of race and class through lively visuals and a likable character.
Hello, Universe follows the story of Virgil, a Filipino-American boy who feels out of place with his family. In order to work up the courage to talk to Valencia, who he loves secretly, he asked for help from his friend Kaori. However, Virgil encounters Chet, a boy who has repeatedly bullied him in the past, on the way to Kaori's house. Chet traps Virgil in a well. As the characters set out to find Virgil, their stories merge as they find and begin to learn about each other.
The Girl Who Drank the Moon is fantasy novel set in a country which has a yearly practice of sacrificing a baby to an evil witch named Xan. However, the witch, who is actually quite kind and gentle, rescues the babies and gives them to families on the other side of the forest, all the while feeding the little ones with starlight on her journey. However, one day, the witch accidentally feeds a baby girl, Luna, moonlight which gives the girl unusual powers.