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1961

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

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell (Houghton-Mifflin, $16, fifth-grade level). ISBN: 0395536804.	The Medalist A young Indian girl is left behind by her tribe in mid-1800s on San Nicholas Island off California coast. She learns to live by her wits. This is an excellent tale of self-reliance. A strong theme of loneliness. Good history and ecology lessons that make it a wonderful work for the fourth-grade social studies curriculum, but it may be too difficult for many readers. The novel works well with any number of survival stories, including Julie of the Wolves, My Side of the Mountain or Hatchet.
America Moves Forward: A History for Peter by Gerald W. Johnson (Morrow, fifth-grade level). LOC: 60-8230. Out of print	Honor Book This is the final book in Johnson's wonderful three-part series on American history. This is yet another of the older Newbery's that deserves to remain in print. Johnson writes with the clarity and simplicity of a talented journalist yet he retains a historian's understanding for key events. This section, which covers World War I to the Eisenhower administration, concisely explains the who, what and why of modern history. He clearly champions America but he doesn't shy away from pointing out our lapses or the challenges that face us and our leaders. If this book were still in print and updated, I would prefer to use it as my text for the 11th-grade U.S. history classes I teach.
Old Ramon by Jack Schaefer (Econo-Clad, $14.50, fourth-grade level). ISBN: 0785719504.	Honor Book A boy from a rich farming family joins a grizzled old shepherd on the trail one summer to learn about life in the Southwest. Old Ramon is a cranky old man, but he's the ideal teacher to show the boy the harder side of life. This is in part a coming-of-age story. It shows the power of an intergenerational relationship.
The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden (Farrar Straus Giroux, $12.80, fourth-grade level). ISBN: 0374316503.	Honor Book A musically talented (operatically) cricket accidentally ends up living in a news stand in Grand Central station. He helps an Italian boy, who is poor. A cat and mouse are his pals. This is a cute, easy-to-read story. It's soft on deeper meanings, but children enjoy it because of the humor and because of Selden's charming style.

Copyright David Ross 2003