Newbery Medal: 1950s

Set in the fourteenth century, the classic story of one boy's personal heroism when he loses the use of his legs.From the Paperback edition.

This is the story of the blue cat sent by the river to restore the days of Bright Enchantment, when there was beauty and peace and contentment in people's hearts. But now a dark spell is enveloping Castle Town, brewing an obsession with gold and possessions. The river's song declares that riches and power will fade, while the beauty of handmade crafts endures, and the blue cat must find a mortal who will not only listen to the song but also sing it.

An early naturalist and philosopher escapes civilization by building his house among the giant redwoods.

Recounts the life of the slave turned freedman and prominent citizen of New Hampshire.

Presents the life and legend of John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, in nine stories, each named for a variety of apple such as those Johnny planted in the Midwest river valleys.

Meet the marvelous Pyes— There is Mrs. Pye, the youngest mother in town; Mr. Pye, a famous bird man, who handles all the nation’s important bird problems; Rachel Pye, who is so reasonable she can make unreasonable ideas sound like good ones; Jerry Pye, who knows about rocks of all sorts and plans to grow up to be a rock man; Uncle Bennie, who is Jerry and Rachel’s uncle—even though he’s only three years old. Lastly is Ginger Pye, the “intellectual dog,” who Jerry bought for a hard-earned dollar. The most famous pup in all of Cranbury, Ginger knows tons of tricks, is as loyal as he is smart, and steals the hearts of everyone he meets . . . until someone steals him!

Follows the adventures of Minn, a three-legged snapping turtle, as she slowly makes her way from her birthplace at the headwaters of the Mississippi River to the mouth of river on the Gulf of Mexico.

An Incan boy who tends llamas in a hidden valley in Peru learns the traditions and secrets of his ancestors.

Some Pig. Humble. Radiant. These are the words in Charlotte's Web, high up in Zuckerman's barn. Charlotte's spiderweb tells of her feelings for a little pig named Wilbur, who simply wants a friend. They also express the love of a girl named Fern, who saved Wilbur's life when he was born the runt of his litter.

A young boy sent on an errand over Hemlock Mountain is not so sure he likes going alone, because there may be bears on the mountain, but with the help of the big iron pot he borrows, he completes his errand.

Miguel lives with his family on a sheep ranch in New Mexico. More than anything else, he longs to go with the men to the Sangre de Christo Mountains.

The story of Davie and his little black rabbit, Shadrach, told with perceptions and emotions experienced by all children.

The dog was lost. He had no name, and no one to love him. He has only the silent, empty countryside, and a few crumbs and bare bones he could pick up. He had only himself, and he was afraid. Along the way, the little dog found a few friends, people who gave him shelter for a while, but always he moved on -- until he found a place he could call home forever.

The residents of a small town in Holland try to bring storks to nest in their village.

Remembering her mother's words, an eight-year-old girl finds courage to go alone with her father to build a new home in the Connecticut wilderness and to stay with the Indians when her father goes back to bring the rest of the family.

Sixteen-year-old Rudi dreams of being the first to climb the Citadel, the highest mountain in Switzerland.

A fictionalized biography of the mathematician and astronomer who realized his childhood desire to become a ship's captain and authored The American Practical Navigator.

The Great Depression has hit, and Calpurnia and her family do not have enough. Not enough money, not enough food, not enough fish for Daddy to sell at the market. With the aid of a wise forest friend, Calpurnia discovers a secret river that provides an abundance of fish, which her community desperately needs. But when she returns the next day for more, she learns there is an important distinction between need and greed.

While nine-year-old Nancy is staying with her adopted Swedish grandparents for a year, everyone tries to figure out how she can celebrate a name day since her name isn't Swedish.

Katherine Shippen collaborated with Anthony Ravielli, the illustrator to give a history of the study of biology for students in the middle school grades. She beautiful tells the story of the progression of scientific discoveries that built upon one another to give us our present day understanding of the created world.

Ten-year-old Marly and her family move from the city to Grandmother's old Pennsylvania farmhouse, hoping that the outdoor life will restore Father's health.

When his father sets out on a cattle drive toward Kansas for the summer, fourteen-year-old Travis Coates is left to take care of his family and their farm. Living in Texas Hill Country during the 1860s, Travis comes to face new, unanticipated, and often perilous responsibilities in the frontier wilderness. A particular nuisance is a stray yellow dog that shows up one day and steals food from the family. But the big canine who Travis calls “Old Yeller” proves his worth by defending the family from danger. And Travis ultimately finds help and comfort in the courage and unwavering love of the dog who comes to be his very best friend.

Alone in a sampan with his pig and three ducklings, a little Chinese boy is whirled down a raging river, back to the town from which he and his parents had escaped the invading Japanese, and spends long and frightening days regaining his family and new home.

When Tigre’s father is badly injured in an accident, the family is thrown into turmoil. Who will plant and harvest the corn that they need to survive—and to please the Mayan gods? The neighbors have fields of their own to tend, and Tigre’s mother and grandmother cannot do it on their own. Twelve-year-old Tigre has never done a man’s work before. Can he shoulder the burden on his own, and take his father’s place?

Set in 1005 AD, twins Brus and Jan go a-Viking with their father Harald Redbeard and all their household. They plan to settle in England with Danish relatives there. But, their ships are caught in a fierce gale on the North Sea, and they are taken far off course to the western shore of Scotland. Held captive by a cunning Scottish Laird, Jan and Brus must navigate the political intrigue of chieftain, clan, and king without the help of their father, who has been killed and their mother, who is believed lost at sea. They follow adventure after adventure until they earn their freedom and find a home in Scotland at last.

The struggles and hardships faced by Jeff Bussey on his 300-mile escape route during the Civil War.

Unable to kill, a young Cheyenne is scorned by his tribe when he chooses to become a horse catcher rather than a warrior.

Portia and her cousin Julian discover adventure in a hidden colony of forgotten summer houses on the shores of a swampy lake.

When Aunt Honora reads this fortune in his tea leaves, Conn Kilroy knows he is destined for greater things than his small Irish village can offer. A letter from his uncle Michael in America offering Conn a partnership in his New York contracting company sets Conn on his western adventure. Just a few short months later Conn's Uncle Patrick lures him even farther west to Chicago, where they join the hardworking crew building what some called Ferris's Folly-the first Ferris wheel-then the largest wheel in the world and the showpiece of Chicago's 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.

A young girl's rebellion against bigotry culminates in a terrifying witch hunt and trial.

An old tramp, adopted by three fatherless children when their mother hides them under a bridge on the Seine, finds a home for mother and children and a job for himself.

A stray dog earns a home for himself by protecting a little red hen and her chicks from a preying hawk.