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1976

The Grey King by Susan Cooper (Margaret McElderry, $13.60, sixth-grade level). ISBN: 0689500297	The Medalist  A boy on a healing vacation in Wales learns that he is in fact an ancient being whose job it is to awaken other Old Ones to fight a dramatic duel against the forces of evil. This is one of the books in Cooper's excellent The Dark is Rising fantasy series, one of the best I've ever read. The writing is assured, the action dramatic and the characters well drawn. Any child or adult who enjoys fantasy novels would do well to turn here. It's joined at the Newbery rostrum by the title piece, The Dark Is Rising from 1974.
The Hundred Penny Box by Sharon Bell Mathis (Econo-Clad, 12.25, fourth-grade level). ISBN: 0808584650	Honor Book A young black boy grows closer to his ancient great-great-aunt as she slowly fades into death. Painful story to read because of the intense emotions and because of the close bond between the two people, separated by so many years. This is closer to a picture book than a novel, but the depth of feeling makes it appeal to older readers.
Dragonwings by Laurence Yep (HarperCollins, $15.89, seventh-grade level). ISBN: 0060267380	Honor Book A Chinese boy and his father come to America, leaving mother at home. The father has a dream of being an aviator (circa 1906) and the boy helps him. Yep hits the notes he's so good at: Strong theme of racism, a fair bit of Chinese history and culture, early California history, and the San Francisco earthquake. As much as I would have enjoyed using this book when I taught sixth-grade, few of my kids would have had the patience to read it. It predates the publishing of Dragon's Gate by some 17 years, but it is in fact the sequel to that wonderful novel.

Copyright David Ross 2003