"Caddie Woodlawn" by Carol Ryrie Brink

Here is yet another review in my series on the Newberry Award.

Caddie Woodlawn
Author: Carol Ryrie Brink
Age Level: 9-12 years
Newberry Award: 1936

Carol Ryrie Brink used to love sitting at her grandmother's knee listening to stories of her pioneer childhood in Wisconsin. She enjoyed the stories so much that she decided to compile them into this historical fiction about Caddie Woodlawn. The first paragraph of the novel provides a good summary:

"In 1864 Caddie Woodlawn was eleven, and as wild a little tomboy as ever ran the woods of western Wisconsin. She was the despair of her mother and of her elder sister, Clara. But her father watched her with a little shine of pride in his eyes, and her brothers accepted her as one of themselves without a question. Indeed, Tom, who was two years older, and Warren, who was two years younger than Caddie, needed Caddie to link them together into an inseparable trio. Together they got in and out of more scrapes and adventures than any one of them could have imagined alone. And in those pioneer days, Wisconsin offered plenty of opportunities for adventure to three wide-eyed, red-headed youngsters."

This book was one of my personal favorites as a child. I was curious to read it again to see if I enjoyed it as much as an adult. It did not disappoint. Reminiscent of the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, it records the adventures of Caddie and her brothers over the course of one year. Ms. Brink portrays Caddie as a young girl who gradually matures and comes to recognize the honor of a "woman with a wise and understanding heart, healthy in body and honest in mind." The novel contains a satisfying blend of descriptive and contemplative passages interwoven with exciting adventures and plenty of humor. Although the protagonist is a girl, I suspect that both boys and girls would enjoy this read. I would highly recommend it.

Maj Lindman

Swedish author and illustrator, Maj Lindman, wrote a series of books telling stories about the triplet sisters Flicka, Ricka, and Dicka as well as several books about triplet brothers Snipp, Snapp, and Snurr. These are sweet stories for young children with simple messages about doing the right thing. Readers will enjoy the brightly colored illustrations and realistic adventures of these youths. I would encourage you to check these out:

Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the New Dotted Dresses
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the Three Kittens
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the Strawberries
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka Bake a Cake
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the Little Dog
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the Big Red Hen
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and Their New Friend
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and Their New Skates

Snipp, Snapp, Snurr Learn to Swim
Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Yellow Sled
Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Red Shoes
Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Buttered Bread
Snipp, Snapp, Snurr, and the Gingerbread
Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Reindeer

"When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead

This is my second review in a series on the Newberry Award books. (See previous post for introduction to series.) I began with an older book and have now selected a very recent award recipient.

When You Reach Me
Author: Rebecca Stead
Age Level: 11-14 years
Newberry Award: 2010

It is 1978 in New York City and sixth-grader, Miranda, is grappling with common childhood issues such as negotiating friendships, growing independence, and socioeconomic concerns. In the midst of it all, she receives a series of mysterious notes by someone claiming that he or she is coming to save her friend's life. Miranda is more than a little perplexed, particularly when it becomes apparent that the author of these notes knows things that no one could possibly know...because they haven't happened yet. Can Miranda fit the pieces of the puzzle together?

I was surprised that this book had won the Newberry Award. I thought it was a good, but not a great, book. I had a difficult time identifying why this book left me feeling flat and decided to skim through it a second time in an attempt to glean more from it, to no avail. I had two primary criticisms of this novel. First, it seemed the author couldn't decide if she wanted to write a coming-of-age story or a science fiction mystery. The result was that, on the one hand, several of the subplots, on which a significant amount of time was spent, did not add much to the central storyline. On the other hand, while there were clever elements of the mystery/time travel aspect of the story, it wasn't very well calculated and the resolution felt anticlimactic. Second, although the various characters were realistic, they were not well-developed enough to explain some puzzling behavior from several of them.

In the end, When You Reach Me was not a bad book, just not as interesting as it promised to be. If you do decide to read it, I would suggest reading A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle first since there are several allusions to this story throughout the novel.