Pran of Albania is a children's historical novel by Elizabeth Miller. Set in the early nineteenth century among the mountain tribes of northern Albania, it tells the story of a fourteen-year-old girl, Pran, who, by tribal tradition, is old enough to be betrothed. [1] To avoid an arranged marriage, she follows local custom in taking a vow to be a "sworn virgin" and to live as a man. [2] The novel, illustrated by Maud and Miska Petersham, was first published in 1929 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1930. [3]
The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contributions to American literature for children". The Newbery and the Caldecott Medal are considered the two most prestigious awards for children's literature in the United States. Books selected are widely carried by bookstores and libraries, the authors are interviewed on television, and master's theses and doctoral dissertations are written on them. Named for John Newbery, an 18th-century English publisher of juvenile books, the winner of the Newbery is selected at the ALA's Midwinter Conference by a fifteen-person committee. The Newbery was proposed by Frederic G. Melcher in 1921, making it the first children's book award in the world. The physical bronze medal was designed by Rene Paul Chambellan and is given to the winning author at the next ALA annual conference. Since its founding there have been several changes to the composition of the selection committee, while the physical medal remains the same.
Cynthia Rylant is an American author and librarian. She has written more than 100 children's books, including works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Several of her books have won awards, including her novel Missing May, which won the 1993 Newbery Medal, and A Fine White Dust, which was a 1987 Newbery Honor book. Two of her books are Caldecott Honor Books.
The Dark Is Rising is a 1973 children's fantasy novel by Susan Cooper. The second in The Dark Is Rising Sequence, the book won a Newbery Honor. It has been described as a "folkloric tale of an English boy caught in a battle between light and dark".
Joan Baehler Bauer is an American writer of young adult literature currently residing with her husband Evan Bauer in Brooklyn. Bauer was born in River Forest, Illinois. They are the parents of one daughter, Jean. Before becoming a famous author Joan spent years working for McGraw-Hill and the Chicago Tribune. She also did some work in advertising, marketing, and screenwriting.
Christopher Paul Curtis is an American children's book author. His first novel, The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963, was published in 1995 and brought him immediate national recognition, receiving the Coretta Scott King Honor Book Award and the Newbery Honor Book Award in addition to numerous other awards. In 2000, he became the first person to win both the Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Award—prizes received for his second novel Bud, Not Buddy—and the first African-American man to win the Newbery Medal. His novel The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 was made into a television film in 2013.
Ramona and Her Father is the fourth book in Beverly Cleary's popular Ramona Quimby series. In this humorous children's novel, Mr. Quimby loses his job and Ramona thinks up ways to earn money and help her family out. Published in 1977, Ramona and Her Father was a Newbery Honor Book.
...And Now Miguel is a novel by Joseph Krumgold that won the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1954. It deals with the life of Miguel Chavez, a 12-year-old Hispanic-American shepherd from New Mexico. It is also the title of a 1953 documentary directed by Krumgold. In 1966, a feature film adaptation was directed by James B. Clark and starred Pat Cardi.
Adam of the Road is a novel by Elizabeth Janet Gray Vining. Vining won the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1943 from the book. Set in thirteenth-century England, the book follows the adventures of a young boy, Adam. After losing his spaniel and minstrel father, Adam embarks on a series of escapades throughout medieval England. The book is illustrated by Robert Lawson.
The Long Winter is an autobiographical children's novel written by Laura Ingalls Wilder and published in 1940, the sixth of nine books in her Little House series. It is set in southeastern Dakota Territory during the severe winter of 1880–1881, when she turned 14 years old.
Balkan sworn virgins are women who take a vow of chastity and live as men in patriarchal northern Albanian society, Kosovo and Montenegro. To a lesser extent, the practice exists, or has existed, in other parts of the western Balkans, including Bosnia, Dalmatia (Croatia), Serbia and North Macedonia.
The Wanderer is a children's novel by Sharon Creech, published in 2000. It was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and named a Newbery Honor book.
Laura Amy Schlitz is an American author of children's literature. She is a librarian and storyteller at the Park School of Baltimore in Brooklandville, Maryland.
The Old Tobacco Shop: A True Account of What Befell a Little Boy in Search of Adventure is a children's fantasy novel by William Bowen that was named a Newbery Honor book. The novel, published by MacMillan in 1921, is illustrated by Reginald Birch.
Queer Person is a children's novel by Ralph Hubbard. It tells the story of a deaf-mute boy who is raised among the Pikuni. The novel, illustrated by Harold von Schmidt, was first published in 1930 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1931.
The Apprentice of Florence is a children's historical novel by Anne Dempster Kyle set in 15th century Italy and Constantinople. It was published in 1933 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1934. The book is illustrated by Erick Berry.
Winterbound is a children's novel by Margery Williams. It is a family story set in a Connecticut farmhouse during the Great Depression. Nineteen-year-old Kay and sixteen-year-old Garry are in charge of the house and their younger siblings while their parents are away during the winter. The novel, illustrated by Kate Seredy, was first published in 1936 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1937.
Tree of Freedom is a children's historical novel by Rebecca Caudill. It is a pioneer story set in Kentucky at the time of the American Revolutionary War. The novel, illustrated by Dorothy Morse, was first published in 1949 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1950.
Song of the Pines: A Story of Norwegian Lumbering in Wisconsin is a children's historical novel which was written by the husband and wife team of Walter and Marion Havighurst.
Elijah of Buxton is a 2007 children's novel by Christopher Paul Curtis. The book won critical praise and was a Newbery Honor book and the winner of the Coretta Scott King Award. It also was a children's book bestseller.
Elizabeth Cleveland Miller was a child welfare worker in Albania and an author of children's books in the United States. Her book Pran of Albania was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1930.