John Newbery MedalWhen You Trap a TigerTae KellerLily moves with her family to the home of her Korean grandmother, whose health is failing. There, a tiger connected to the stories of Lily’s family proposes a risky deal. Lily must confront the tiger while looking into a concealed part of her family’s past. As she learns more about her heritage, she faces choices involving her grandmother and searches for the courage to act.All readersLexile Text Measure 590LATOS Book Level 3.8View book detailsJohn Newbery Medal and Honor Books 2021
The 2021 edition includes 5 Newbery Honor Books and 1 John Newbery Medal recipient. It records one year of the Newbery program for distinguished contributions to American children's literature. The program recognizes writing rather than illustration, sales, popularity, or a universal reading level.
2021 John Newbery Medal and Honor BooksSee the original list
Selections6
Published byAssociation for Library Service to Children (ALA)
SectionsAll readers
All readers
6 selections
John Newbery MedalWhen You Trap a TigerTae KellerLily moves with her family to the home of her Korean grandmother, whose health is failing. There, a tiger connected to the stories of Lily’s family proposes a risky deal. Lily must confront the tiger while looking into a concealed part of her family’s past. As she learns more about her heritage, she faces choices involving her grandmother and searches for the courage to act.All readersLexile Text Measure 590LATOS Book Level 3.8View book details
Newbery Honor BookAll Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer TeamChristina SoontornvatThis nonfiction account recounts the 2018 rescue of twelve Wild Boars soccer players and their assistant coach after they were trapped in Thailand’s Tham Luang Nang cave for over two weeks. Divers worked through deep water and narrow passages alongside Thai and U.S. military personnel. An engineer developed a way to reduce water flowing into the cave, while local people organized support for volunteers and families. The operation involved technology, logistics, danger, and international cooperation; Thai Navy Seal Saman Kunan died during it.All readersLexile Text Measure 1020LATOS Book Level 7.2View book details
Newbery Honor BookBOX: Henry Brown Mails Himself to FreedomCarole Boston WeatherfordThis retelling follows Henry Brown’s 1849 escape from slavery. As a child, Henry and his siblings perform plantation labor, and later he is separated from his wife and children after they are moved away. He hires a carpenter to make a shipping box large enough to hold him, then travels for two days by wagon, train, steamer, and cart from Richmond to Philadelphia. The book tells the story in fifty-one individually titled six-line poems and includes material from Brown’s autobiography.All readersView book details
Newbery Honor BookFighting WordsKimberly Brubaker BradleyTen-year-old Della has depended on her older sister, Suki, as their protector and caregiver. After Suki reaches a crisis point, the sisters are placed in a foster home with Francine, who helps them access mental-health treatment. The novel addresses the sexual abuse the girls experienced while living with their mother’s former boyfriend. With a therapist’s help, Della starts to recognize her feelings, understand Suki’s struggles, and develop healthier ways to cope with trauma.All readersLexile Text Measure HL540LATOS Book Level 3.6View book details
Newbery Honor BookWe Dream of SpaceErin Entrada KellyIn 1986, seventh-grade siblings Cash, Fitch, and Bird Nelson Thomas live in Park, Delaware as the country awaits the Space Shuttle Challenger launch. Their family is dysfunctional, and each child faces private anxieties. Cash loves basketball but has a broken wrist and may fail seventh grade for a second time. Fitch spends afternoons at an arcade playing Major Havoc and struggles with an explosive temper he does not understand. The novel follows the siblings in the period before and after the Challenger disaster and its effect on their lives.All readersLexile Text Measure 720LATOS Book Level 4.6View book details
Newbery Honor BookA Wish in the DarkChristina SoontornvatIn the city of Chattana, the Governor alone creates every source of light, after arriving following the Great Fire. Pong, born in Namwon Prison, sees those magical lights as a sign of the freedom he hopes to have. When he escapes, he discovers that life outside the prison is also unjust. A girl is determined to find him. This children’s fantasy novel by Christina Soontornvat reimagines Les Misérables and draws on Thai cultural elements while examining unequal power, protest, and justice.All readersView book details