CHECK IT OUT

A feisty grandma, a goofy pooch and a 16-year-old waitress

extraordinaire are among the characters waiting to win readers’ hearts in

the 2001 Newbery Award winners.

Announced at the American Library Assn.’s midwinter meeting, the books

represent the best children’s fiction published in the U.S. during 2000.

For outstanding writing, the highest Newbery honor went to Richard

Peck for “A Year Down Yonder.” In his sequel to “A Long Way from

Chicago,” Peck brings back formidable Grandma Dowdel, who’s still

dreaming up outrageous schemes in Depression-era Illinois. When

15-year-old Mary Alice is sent to live with her for a year, the teen

finds herself involved in Grandma’s antics to run the town her way. The

result is a riotous read and a colorful portrait of rural America in

tough times.

Also uprooted by a move is India Opal Buloni, heroine of “Because of

Winn-Dixie,” by Kate DiCamillo. The Newbery Honor Book finds the

10-year-old in a new hometown, in need of friends and deeply troubled by

her mother’s abandonment. After she adopts a stray dog at a Winn-Dixie

grocery store, Opal begins to deal with her loneliness in a heartwarming

tale about friendship and acceptance.

At the heart of “Hope Was Here” is another displaced heroine with one

constant in her life -- her relationship with her aunt Addie. In Joan

Bauer’s Newbery Honor Book, 16-year-old Hope moves cross-country with her

aunt to help run a Wisconsin diner. When the teenage waitress becomes

involved in town politics, she meets corruption and her past head on in a

laugh-out-loud plot about trust and personal achievement.

For 13-year-old Sophie in “The Wanderer,” a journey into a hidden past

involves a perilous ocean voyage. The Newbery Honor Book by Sharon Creech

follows the adventurous teen across the Atlantic as she spills her heart

into a journal and proves her seaworthiness during a violent storm.

Jack Gantos’ endearing hero of “Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key”is back

in “Joey Pigza Loses Control,” the only 2000 Newbery Honor Book with a

male protagonist. Now that Joey has conquered hyperactivity, visiting his

divorced father over summer vacation seems to be a good idea. But when

Dad flushes his medication down the toilet, the preteen faces tough

questions about family bonds.

Illustrations are as critical to picture books as words are to novels.

Recognizing this, the Caldecott Medal is awarded annually to the artist

of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

The top honor for 2000 went to David Small, illustrator of “So You

Want to Be President,” by Judith St. George. In mischievous,

caricature-style drawings, Small deftly illuminates this seriously funny

take on American leadership, which reveals just how human White House

inhabitants have been.

* CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public

Library. This week’s column is by Melissa Adams, in collaboration with

Bonnie McLaren. All titles may be reserved from home or office computers

by accessing the catalog at https://www.newportbeachlibrary.org.