Newbery Readers Awards Assembly and Author Presentation

By Jennifer Fogarty, communications content manager
Congratulations to all the Grades 4–6 students who were honored at the 24th annual Newbery Readers Awards Assembly on Friday, May 11. In addition to receiving an engraved trophy, students who read 75 or more Newbery titles are also honored with their names engraved on a perpetual plaque that hangs in the Lower School library. Pam Muñoz Ryan, author of the 2016 Newbery Honor book Echo, spoke to students before the awards were presented.

Ms. Ryan, who lives in Encinitas, shared her memories of growing up surrounded by orchards in Bakersfield, California. She was a daydreamer and believed in fairy tales and ghost stories. When students asked how she comes up with ideas to write about, she explained that she draws from her own life and experiences to form the base of the story and then creates her characters around those experiences. She shared a photo of what her novel looks like filled with notes and edits in the margins when she gets it back from her editor. She may rewrite a novel 20-30 times before it is published! Ms. Ryan has written over 40 books including several that were illustrated by author and illustrator Brian Selznick who visited LJCDS in April.

The Newbery Medal was named for 18th-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

 
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