Adams, Julia Davis. Mountains Are Free.Honor. 1931.
Adams, Julia Davis. Vaino. Honor. 1930.
Alexander, Lloyd The Black Cauldron Honor 1966
Alexander, Lloyd The High King Medal 1969
Allee, Marjorie. Jane's Island. Honor. 1932.
Angelo, Valenti. Nino. Honor. 1939.
Appelt, Kathi The Underneath Honor 2009
Armer, Laura Adams. Waterless Mountain. Medal. 1932.
Armstrong, Alan Whittington Honor 2006
Armstrong, William H. Sounder. Medal. 1970.
Atwater, Richard and Florence. Mr. Popper's Penguins. Honor. 1939.
Avi. Crispin: The Cross of Lead Medal 2003
Avi, Nothing But the Truth: A Documentary Novel. Honor. 1992.
Avi, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. Honor. 1991.
Babbitt, Natalie. Kneeknock Rise.Honor. 1971.
Bailey, Carolyn Sherwin. Miss Hickory. Viking. Medal. 1947.
Baity, Elizabeth. Americans Before Columbus. Honor. 1952.
Barnes, Nancy. Wonderful Year. Honor. 1947.
Bartoletti Susan Campbell Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow Honor 2006
Bauer, Joan. Hope Was Here. Honor. 2001
Bauer, Marion Dane. On My Honor. Honor. 1987.
Bemelmans, Ludwig. The Golden Basket. Honor. 1937.
Bennett, John. Pigtail of Ah Lee Ben Loo. Honor. 1929.
Berry, Erik (a.k.a. Allena Best). Winged Girl of Knossos. Honor. 1934.
Best, Herbert. Garram the Hunter: A Boy the Hill Tribes. Honor. 1931.
Besterman, Catherine. The Quaint and Curious Quest of Johnny Longfoot. Honor. 1948.
Bianco, Margery. Winterbound. Honor. 1937.
Bishop, Claire Huchet. All Alone. Honor. 1954.
Bishop, Claire Huchet. Pancakes-Paris. Honor. 1948.
Blos, Joan. A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-32.Medal. 1980.
Blumberg, Rhoda. Commodore Perry in the Land of the Shogun. Honor. 1986.
Bond, Nancy. A String in the Harp. Honor. 1977.
Bontemps, Arna. Story of the Negro. Honor. 1949.
Bowen, William. The Old Tobacco Shop. Honor. 1922.
Bowman, James Cloyd. Pecos Bill. Honor. 1938.
Brink, Carol. Caddie Woodlawn. Medal. 1936.
Brittain, Bill. The Wish Giver: Three Tales of Coven Tree. Honor. 1984.
Brooks, Bruce What Hearts. Honor 1993.
Brooks, Bruce. The Moves Make the Man. Honor. 1985.
Buff, Mary and Conrad. The Apple and the Arrow. Honor. 1952.
Buff, Mary and Conrad. Big Tree. Honor. 1947.
Buff, Mary and Conrad. Magic Maize. Honor. 1954.
Burglon, Nora. Children of the Soil: A Story of Scandinavia. Honor. 1933.
Byers, Betsy. Summer of the Swans. Medal. 1971.
Carlson, Natalie Savage. The Family Under the Bridge. Honor. 1959.
Carr, Mary Jane. Young Mac of Fort Vancouver. Honor. 1941.
Caudill, Rebecca. Tree of Freedom. Honor. 1950.
Choldenko Gennifer Al Capone Does My Shirts Honor 2005
Chrisman, Arthur Bowie. Shen of the Sea. Medal. 1926.
Clark, Ann Nolan. Secret of the Andes. Medal. 1953.
Cleary, Beverly. Dear Mr. Henshaw. Medal. 1984.
Cleary, Beverly. Ramona and Her Father. Honor. 1978.
Cleary, Beverly. Ramona Quimby, Age 8. Honor. 1982.
Coatsworth, Elizabeth. The Cat Who Went to Heaven. Medal. 1931.
Coblentz, Catherine. The Blue Cat of Castle Town. Honor. 1950.
Collier, James Lincoln and Christopher. My Brother Sam Is Dead. Honor. 1975.
Colum, Padriac. Big Tree of Bunlahy: Stories of my Own Countryside. Honor. 1934.
Colum, Padriac. The Golden Fleece and the Heroes …. Honor. 1922.
Colum, Padriac. Voyagers: Being Legends and Romances …Honor. 1926.
Coman, Carolyn. What Jamie Saw. Honor. 1996.
Conly, Jane L. Crazy Lady. Honor. 1994.
Coolidge, Olivia. Men of Athens. Honor. 1963.
Cooper, Susan. The Dark Is Rising. Honor. 1974.
Cooper, Susan. The Grey King.Medal. 1976.
Couloumbis, Audrey. Getting Near to Baby. Honor. 2000
Courlander, Harold. The Cow-Tail Switch, and Other West African Stories. Honor. 1948.
Crawford, Phyllis. "Hello the Boat!" Honor. 1939
Creech, Sharon. Walk Two Moons. Medal. 1995.
Creech, Sharon. The Wanderer. Honor. 2001
Curtis, Christopher P. The Watsons Go To Birmingham-1963. Honor. 1996.
Curtis, Christopher Paul Elijah of Buxton Honor 2008
Curtis, Christopher Paul. Bud, Not Buddy, Medal. 2000
Cushman, Karen. Catherine, Called Birdie Honor. 1995.
Cushman, Karen. The Midwife's Apprentice. Medal. 1996.
Dalgliesh, Alice. The Bears of Hemlock Mountain. Honor. 1953.
Dalgliesh, Alice. The Courage of Sarah Noble. Honor. 1955.
Dalgliesh, Alice. The Silver Pencil. Honor. 1945.
Daugherty, James. Daniel Boone. Medal. 1940.
Davis, Mary Guld. Truce of the Wolf and Other Tales of Old Italy. Honor. 1932.
De Angeli, Marguerite. Black Fox of Lorne. Honor. 1957.
DeAngeli, Marguerite The Door in the Wall Medal 1950
De Jong, Meindert. Along Came a Dog. Honor. 1959.
De Jong, Meindert. The House of Sixty Fathers. Honor. 1957.
De Jong, Meindert. Hurry Home Candy. Honor. 1954.
De Jong, Meindert. Shadrach. Honor. 1954.
De Jong, Meindert. The Wheel on the School. Medal. 1955.
De Paola Tomie. 26 Fairmount Avenue. 2000
DiCamillo, Kate The Tale of Despereaux Medal 2004
DiCamillo, Kate. Because of Winn-Dixie.Honor. 2001
Du Bois, William Pne. The Twenty-one Balloons. Medal. 1948.
Eaton, Jeanette. Daughter of the Seine: The Life of Madame Roland. Honor. 1930.
Eaton, Jeanette. Gandhi, Fighter Without a Sword. Honor. 1951.
Eaton, Jeanette. Leader by Destiny: George Washington, Man and Patriot. Honor. 1939.
Eaton, Jeanette. Lone Journey: The Life of Roger Williams. Harcourt. Honor. 1945.
Eckert, Allan W. Incdent at Hawk's Hill. Little. Honor. 1972.
Edmonds, Walter D. The Matchlock Gun. Dodd. Medal. 1942.
Engdahl, Sylvia Louise. Enchantress from the Stars. Atheneum. Honor. 1971.
Engle Margarita The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom Honor 2009
Enright, Elizabeth. Gone-Away Lake. Harcourt. Honor. 1958.
Enright, Elizabeth. Thimble Summer. Rinehart. Medal. 1939.
Estes, Eleanor. Ginger Pye. Harcourt. Medal. 1952.
Estes, Eleanor. The Hundred Dresses . Harcourt. Honor. 1945.
Estes, Eleanor. The Middle Moffat. Harcourt. Honor. 1943.
Estes, Eleanor. Rufus M. Harcourt. Honor. 1944.
Farmer Nancy The House of the Scorpion Atheneum Honor 2003
Farmer, Nancy. The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm. Orchard. Honor. 1995.
Farmer, Nancy. A Girl Named Disaster. Orchard. Honor. 1997.
Fenner, Carol. Yolanda's Genius. Simon and Schuster. Honor. 1996.
Field, Rachel. Calico Bush. Macmillan. Honor. 1932.
Field, Rachel. Hitty, Her First Hundred Years. Macmillan. Medal. 1930.
Finger, Charles. Tales from Silver Lands. Doubleday. Medal. 1925.
Fisher, Cyrus (a.k.a. Darwin L. Teilhet). The Avion My Uncle Flew. Honor. 1947.
Fleischman, Paul. Graven Images. Harper. Honor. 1983.
Fleischman, Paul. Joyful Noises: Poems for Two Voices. Harper. Medal. 1989.
Fleischman, Sid. The Whipping Boy. Greenwillow. Medal. 1987
Forbes, Esther. Johnny Tremain. Houghton. Medal. 1944.
Foster, Genevieve. Abraham Lincoln's World. Scribner's. Honor. 1945.
Foster, Genevieve. Birthdays of Freedom, Vol. 1. Scribner's. Honor. 1953.
Foster, Genevieve. George Washington. Scribner's. Honor. 1950.
Foster, Genevieve. George Washington's World. Honor. 1942.
Fox, Paula. One-Eyed Cat. Honor. 1985.
Fox, Paula. The Slave Dancer. Medal. 1974.
Freedman, Russell. Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery. Honor. 1994.
Freedman, Russell. Lincoln: A Photobiography. Medal. 1988.
Freedman Russell The Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson Honor 2005
Freedman, Russell. The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane. Honor. 1992.
Fritz, Jean. Homesick: My Own Story. Honor. 1983.
Gag, Wanda. ABC Bunny. Honor. 1934.
Gag, Wanda. Millions of Cats. Honor. 1929.
Gaggin, Eva Roe. Down Ryton Water. Honor. 1942.
Gaiman, Neil. illus. by Dave McKean. The Graveyard Book. Medal 2009
Gannett, Ruth S. My Father's Dragon. Honor. 1949.
Gantos, Jack. Joey Pigza Loses Control Honor. 2001
Gates, Doris. Blue Willow. Honor. 1941.
George, Jean Craighead. Julie of the Wolves. Medal. 1973.
George, Jean. My Side of the Mountain.Honor. 1960.
Giff Patricia Reilly Pictures of Hollis Woods Honor 2003
Giff, Patricia Reilly. Lily's Crossing. Honor. 1998.
Gipson, Fred. Old Yeller. Honor. 1957.
Gray, Elizabeth Janet. Adam of the Road.Medal. 1943.
Gray, Elizabeth Janet. Meggy MacIntosh.Honor. 1931.
Gray, Elizabeth Janet. Penn. Honor. 1939.
Gray, Elizabeth Janet. Young Walter Scott. Honor. 1936.
Greene, Bette. Philip Hall Like Me, I Reckon Maybe.1975.
Gurko, Leo. Tom Paine, Freedom's Apostle. Honor. 1958.
Hale Shannon Princess Academy Honor 2006
Hall, Anna Gertrude. Nansen.Honor. 1941.
Hallock, Grace. The Boy Who Was.Honor. 1929.
Hamilton, Virginia. In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World. Honor. 1989.
Hamilton, Virginia. M. C. Higgins, the Great. Medal. 1975.
Hamilton, Virginia. The Planet of Junior Brown.Honor. 1972.
Hamilton, Virginia. Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush. Honor. 1983.
Havighurst, Walter and Marion. Song of the Pines: … Norweigian Lumbering Honor. 1950.
Hawes, Charles. The Dark Frigate. Medal. 1924.
Hawes, Charles. The Great Quest.Honor. 1922.
Henkes Kevin Olive's Ocean Honor 2004
Henry, Marguerite. Justin Morgan Had a Horse.Honor. 1946.
Henry, Marguerite. King of the Wind. Medal. 1949.
Henry, Marguerite. Misty of Chincoteague. Honor. 1948.
Hesse, Karen. Out of the Dust. Medal. 1998.
Hewes, Agnes. The Codfish Musket.Honor. 1937.
Hewes, Agnes. Glory of the Seas. Honor. 1934.
Hewes, Agnes. Spice and the Devil's Cave. Honor. 1931.
Hiaasen Carl Hoot 2003
Highwater, Jamake. Anpao: An American Indian Odyssey. Honor. 1978.
Holling, Holling C. Minn of the Mississippi. Honor. 1952.
Holling, Holling C. Seabird. Honor. 1949.
Holm, Jennifer L. Our Only May Amelia.2000
Holm, Jennifer L. Penny from Heaven Honor 2007
Hoose Phillip Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice Honor 2010
Horvath Polly Everything on a Waffle Honor 2002
Hubbard, Ralph. Queen Person.Honor. 1931.
Hunt, Irene. Across Five Aprils. Honor. 1965.
Hunt, Irene. Up a Road Slowly. Medal. 1967.
Hunt, Mabel Leigh. Better Known as Johnny Appleseed. Honor. 1951.
Hunt, Mabel Leigh. Have You Seen Tom Thumb?Honor. 1943.
Ish-Kishor, Sulamith. Our Eddie. Honor. 1970.
James, Will. Smoky, the Cowhorse.Medal. 1927.
Jarrell, Randall. The Animal Family. Honor. 1966.
Jewett, Eleanore. The Hidden Treasure of Glaston. Honor. 1947.
Johanson, Margaret/Johnson, Gerald America Is Born: A History for Peter. Honor. 1960.
Johnson, Gerald W. America Moves Forward: A History for Peter. Honor. 1961.
Jones, Idwal. Whistler's Van.Honor. 1937.
Judson, Clara Ingram. Abraham Lincoln, Friend of the People. Honor. 1951.
Judson, Clara Ingram. Mr. Justice Holmes. Honor. 1957.
Judson, Clara Ingram. Theodore Roosevelt, Fighting Patriot.Honor. 1954.
Jukes, Mavis. Like Jake and Me.Honor. 1985.
Kadohata Cynthia Kira-Kira Medal 2005
Kalashnikoff, Nicholas. The Defender. Honor. 1952.
Kalnay, Francis. Chucaro: Wild Pony of the Pampa.Honor. 1959.
Keith, Harold. Rifles for Watie.Medal. 1959.
Kelly, Eric P. The Trumpeter of Krakow. Medal. 1929.
Kelly Jacqueline, The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate Honor 2010
Kendall, Carol. The Gammage Cup. Honor. 1960.
Kherdian, David. The Road from Home: The Story of an Armenian Girl. Honor. 1980.
Konigsburg, E. L. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler. Medal. 1968.
Konigsburg, E. L. Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley…. Honor. 1968.
Koningsburg, E. L. The View from Saturday. Medal. 1997.
Krumgold, Joseph. ...and now Miguel. Medal. 1954.
Krumgold, Joseph. Onion John. Medal. 1960.
Kyle, Anne. Apprentice of Florence. Honor. 1934.
Langton, Jane. The Fledgling. Honor. 1981.
Larson Kirby Hattie Big Sky Honor 2007
Lasky, Katherine. Sugaring Time.Honor. 1984.
Latham, Jean Lee. Carry on, Mr. Bowditch.Medal. 1956.
Lauber, Patricia. Volcano: The Eruption and Healing of Mount St. Helens. Honor. 1987.
Law, Ingrid Savvy Honor 2009
Lawson, Robert. The Great Wheel.Honor. 1958.
Lawson, Robert. Rabbit Hill. Medal. 1945.
LeGuin, Ursula K. The Tombs of Atuan. Honor. 1972.
L'Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Time. Medal. 1963.
L'Engle, Madeleine. A Ring of Endless Light.Honor. 1981.
Lensky, Lois. Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison. Honor. 1942.
Lensky, Lois. Phoebe Fairchild: Her Book. Honor. 1937.
Lensky, Lois. Strawberry Girl. Medal. 1946.
Leodhas, Sorche Nic Thistle and Thyme: Tales and Legends Honor. 1963.
Lester, Julius. To Be a Slave. Honor. 1969.
Levine, Gail Carson. Ella Enchanted. Honor. 1998.
Lewis, Elizabeth Foreman. Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze. Medal. 1933.
Lide, Alice and Margaret Johanson. Ood-Le-Uk the Wanderer. Honor. 1931.
Lin, Grace Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Honor 2010
Lindquist, Jennie. The Golden Name Day. Honor. 1956.
Lisle, James Taylor. Afternoon of the Elves. Honor. 1990.
Lobel, Arnold. Frog and Toad Together. Honor. 1973.
Lofting, Hugh. The Voyages of Doctor Doolittle. Medal. 1923.
Lord Cynthia Rules Honor 2007
Lothrop, Dorothy P. The Fairy Circus. Honor. 1932.
Lownsbery, Eloise. Out of the Flame.Honor. 1932.
Lowry, Lois. The Giver. Medal. 1994.
Lowry, Lois. Number the Stars. Medal. 1990.
MacLachlan, Patricia. Sara, Plain and Tall. Medal. 1986.
Malkus, Alida. The Dark Star of Itza: The Story of a Pagan Princess. Honor. 1931.
Marshall, Bernard. Cedric the Forester. Honor. 1922.
Martin Ann M. A Corner of The Universe Honor 2003
Mathis, Sharon Bell. The Hundred Penny Box. Honor. 1976.
Maxwell, William. The Heavenly Tenants. Honor. 1947.
Mazer, Norma Fox. After the Rain. Honor. 1987.
McGraw, Eloise. The Golden Goblet. Honor. 1962.
McGraw, Eloise. Moccasin Trail. Honor. 1953.
McGraw, Eloise. Moorchild. Honor. 1997.
McKinley, Robin. The Blue Sword. Honor. 1983.
McKinley, Robin. The Hero and the Crown. Medal. 1985.
McKissack, Patricia. The Dark Thirty: Southern tales of the Supernatural.Honor. 1993.
McNeely, Marian Hurd. Jumping-Off Place. Honor. 1930.
Meader, Steven W. Boy with a Pack. Honor. 1940.
Means, Florence Crannell. The Moved-Outers. Honor. 1946.
Meigs, Cornelia. Clearing Weather. Honor. 1929.
Meigs, Cornelia. Invincible Louisa:Story of the Author of Little Women. Medal. 1934.
Meigs, Cornelia. Swift Rivers. Honor. 1933.
Meigs, Cornelia. Windy Hill. Honor. 1922.
Miles, Miska. Annie and the Old One. Honor. 1972.
Miller, Elizabeth. Pran of Albania. Honor. 1930.
Montgomery, Rutherford. Kildee House. Honor. 1950.
Moon, Grace. Runaway Papoose. Honor. 1929.
Moore, Anne Carroll. Nicolas: A Manhatten Christmas Story. Honor. 1925.
Moore, Janet Gaylord. The Many Ways of Seeing: … the Pleasures of Art. Honor. 1970.
Mukerji, Dhan Gopal. Gayneck, The Story of a Pigeon.Medal.1928.
Murphy, Jim. The Great Fire. Honor. 1996.
Murphy Jim An American Plague: Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 Honor 2004
Myers, Walter Dean. Scorpions. Honor. 1989.
Myers, Walter Dean. Somewhere in the Darkness. Honor. 1993.
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Shiloh. Medal. 1992.
Nelson Marilyn Carver: A Life In Poems Honor 2002
Neville, Emily Cheney. It's Like This, Cat. Medal. 1964.
North, Sterling. Rascal: A Memoir of a Better Era.Honor. 1964.
O'Brien, Robert C. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. Medal. 1972.
O'Dell Scott. The Black Pearl. Honor. 1968.
O'Dell, Scott. Island of the Blue Dolphins. Medal. 1961.
O'Dell, Scott. The King's Fifth. Honor. 1967.
O'Dell, Scott. Sing Down the Moon. Honor. 1971.
Park Linda Sue A Single Shard Medal 2002
Parrish, Anne. Dream Coach. Honor. 1925.
Parrish, Anne. Floating Island. Honor. 1931.
Parrish, Anne. The Story of Appleby Capple. Honor. 1951.
Paterson, Katherine. Bridge to Terabithia. Medal. 1978.
Paterson, Katherine. The Great Gilly Hopkins. Honor. 1979.
Paterson, Katherine. Jacob Have I Loved. Medal. 1981.
Paulson, Gary. Dogsong. Honor. 1986.
Paulson, Gary. Hatchet. Honor. 1988.
Paulson, Gary. The Winter Room. Honor. 1990.
Patron, Susan illus. by Matt Phelan The Higher Power of Lucky Medal 2007
Peck, Richard. A Long Way From Chicago. Honor. 1999.
Peck, Richard. A Year Down Yonder Medal. 2001
Perkins Lynne Rae Criss Cross Medal 2006
Philbrick Rodman, The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg Honor 2010
Pope, Elizabeth Marie. The Perilous Gard. Honor. 1975.
Rankin, Louise. Daughter of the Mountains. Honor. 1949.
Raskin, Ellen. Figgs & Phantoms. Honor. 1975.
Raskin, Ellen. The Westing Game. Medal. 1979.
Rawlings, Marjorie Kinnan. The Secret River. Honor. 1956.
Reiss, Johanna. The Upstairs Room. Honor. 1973.
Rhoads, Dorothy. The Corn Grows Ripe. Honor. 1957.
Robinson, Mabel. Bright Island. Honor. 1938.
Robinson, Mabel. Runner of the Mountain Tops: The Life of Louis Agassiz. Honor. 1940.
Rourke, Constance. Audubon. Honor. 1937.
Rourke, Constance. Davy Crockett. Honor. 1935.
Rylant, Cynthia. A Fine White Dust. Honor. 1987.
Rylant, Cynthia. Missing May. . Medal. 1993.
Sachar, Louis. Holes. Medal. 1999.
Sandoz, Mari. The Horsecatcher.Honor. 1958.
Sauer, Julia. Fog Magic. Honor. 1944.
Sauer, Julia. The Light at Tern Rock. Honor. 1952.
Sawyer, Ruth. Roller Skates. Medal. 1937.
Schaefer, Jack. Old Ramon. Honor. 1961.
Schlitz, Laura Amy Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Medal 2008
Schmidt Gary D. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy Honor 2005
Schmidt, Gary D. The Wednesday Wars Honor 2008
Schmidt, Sarah. New Land. McBride. Honor. 1934.
Seeger, Elizabeth. Pageant of Chinese History. Honor. 1935.
Seldan, George (a.k.a. George Thompson). The Cricket in Times Square. Honor. 1961.
Seredy, Kate. The Good Master. Honor. 1936.
Seredy, Kate. The Singing Tree.Honor. 1940.
Seredy, Kate. The White Stag. Medal. 1938.
Shannon, Monica. Dobry. Medal. 1935.
Shippen, Katherine. Men, Microscopes, and Living Things. Honor. 1956.
Shippen, Katherine. New Found World. Honor. 1946.
Siegal, Aranka. Upon the Head of a Goat: Childhood in Hungary, 1939-1944.Honor. 1982.
Singer, Isaac Bashevis. The Fearsome Inn. Honor. 1968.
Singer, Isaac Bashevis. When Shlemiel Went to Warsaw and Other Stories. Honor. 1969.
Singer, Isaac Bashevis. Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories. Honor. 1967.
Singmaster, Elsie. Swords of Steel. Honor. 1934.
Snedeker, Caroline. Downright Dencey. Honor. 1928.
Snedeker, Caroline. The Forgotten Daughter. Honor. 1934.
Snyder, Zilpha Keatley. The Egypt Game. Honor. 1968.
Snyder, Zilpha Keatley. The Headless Cupid. Honor. 1972.
Snyder, Zilpha Keatley. The Witches of Worm. Honor. 1973.
Sorensen, Virginia. Miracles on Maple Hill. Medal. 1957.
Speare, Elizabeth George. The Bronze Bow. Medal. 1962.
Speare, Elizabeth George. The Sign of the Beaver. Honor. 1984.
Speare, Elizabeth George. The Witch of Blackbird Pond. Medal. 1959.
Sperry, Armstrong. All Set Sail: A Romance of Flying Cloud. Honor. 1936.
Sperry, Armstrong. Call It Courage. Medal. 1941.
Spinelli, Jerry. Maniac Magee. Medal. 1991.
Spinelli, Jerry. Wringer. Honor. 1998.
Staples, Suzanne Fisher. Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind. Honor. 1990.
Stead, Rebecca When You Reach Me Medal 2010
Steele, Mary Q. Journey Outside. Honor. 1970.
Steele, William O. The Perilous Road. Honor. 1959.
Steig, William. Abel's Island. Honor. 1977.
Steig, William. Dr. De Soto. Honor. 1983.
Stolz, Mary. Belling the Tiger. Honor. 1962.
Stolz, Mary. The Noonday Friends. Honor. 1966.
Stong, Phil. Honk, the Moose.Honor. 1936.
Swift, Hildegarde. Little Blacknose.Honor. 1930.
Swift, Hildegarde. The Railroad to Freedom: A Story of the Civil War. Honor. 1933.
Taylor, Mildred D. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Medal. 1977.
Tietjens, Eunice. Boy of the South Seas. Honor. 1932.
Tolan Stephanie S. Surviving the Applewhites Honor 2003
Treffinger, Carolyn. Li Lun, Lad of Courage.Honor. 1948.
Trevino, Elizabeth Borton De. I, Juan de Pareja.. Medal. 1966.
Tunis, Edwin. Frontier Living. Honor. 1962.
Turner, Megan Whalen. The Thief. Honor. 1997.
Ullman, James. Banner in the Sky. Honor. 1955.
Van Loon, Hendrik Willem. The Story of Mankind. Medal. 1922.
Van Stockum, Hilda. Day on Skates: The Story of a Dutch Picnic. Honor. 1935.
Voigt, Cynthia. Dicey's Song. Medal. 1983.
Voigt, Cynthia. A Soilitary Blue. Honor. 1984.
Weik, Mary H. The Jazz Man. Honor. 1967.
Weil, Ann. Red Sails to Capri. Honor. 1953.
Weston, Christine. Bhimsa, The Dancing Bear. Honor. 1946.
White, E.B. Charlotte's Web. Honor. 1953.
White, Ruth. Belle Prater's Boy. Honor. 1997.
Whitney, Elinor. Tod of the Fens. Honor. 1929.
Wier, Esther. The Loner. Honor. 1964.
Wilder, Laura Ingalls. By the Shores of Silver Lake. Honor. 1940.
Wilder, Laura Ingalls. Little Town on the Prairie. Honor. 1942.
Wilder, Laura Ingalls. The Long Winter. Honor. 1941.
Wilder, Laura Ingalls. On the Banks of Plum Creek. Honor. 1938.
Wilder, Laura Ingalls. These Happy GoldenYears. Honor. 1944.
Willard, Nancy. A Visit to William Blake's Inn. Medal. 1982.
Woodson , Jacqueline Feathers Honor 2008
Woodson Jacqueline Show Way Honor 2006
Woodson, Jacqueline After Tupac & D Foster Honor 2009
Wojciechowska, Maia. Shadow of a Bull.Medal. 1965.
Yates, Elizabeth. Amos Fortune, Free Man. Medal. 1951.
Yates, Elizabeth. Mountain Born. Honor. 1944.
Yep, Lawrence. Dragon's Gate. Honor. 1994.
Yep, Lawrence. Dragonwings. Honor. 1976.
Young, Ella. Tangle-Coated Horse and Other Tales. Honor. 1930.
Young, Ella. The Wonder Smith and His Son. Honor. 1928.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Newbery List by Author
Although I have been sorely disappointed (and at times flummoxed)by the choices made by the Newbery committees of the past few years, it is still one of my hobbies to collect the medal and honor winners. During spring (book sale season!) I revise and update my list and go out in search of the best, old, cheap copies I can find. But finding a comprehensive list of all medal and honor winners, alphabetical by author, is nearly impossible. So I have made my own and I share it with you. Anyone finding any mistakes or omissions is urged to let me know.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Helicopter Mom
Here is the opening chapter of my work-in-progress, tentatively titled "Helicopter Mom". It will be a middle grade novel.
I remember riding with my grandparents on the interstate one afternoon. I don’t know where we were going or how long ago it was, but I am certain it was a summer weekend, or maybe a Friday. The traffic was pretty heavy and there were lots of RV’s and luggage racks passing us. Some distance ahead was a sparkling white pickup truck hauling a long motor boat, a runabout, my grandfather had said. The truck was traveling pretty fast despite its load. Suddenly the wind swept into the boat’s open cockpit, scooped out one of the blue foam seat cushions, and sent it tumbling through the air like one of Lucifer’s angels, into the speeding traffic behind it. There was no way that seat cushion was going to do any damage on its own, but it landed on the windshield of a very young girl driving a bright green car. She must have recently earned her driver’s license because she panicked when the thing slapped dead center on the glass and stuck there like a pancake on the ceiling. She swerved sharply to the right, then to the left into the fast lane where her car was struck hard by a minivan. The driver of the car behind the minivan swerved into the right lane to avoid a collision, narrowly missing a tractor-trailer. The driver of the tractor-trailer jerked his truck out of the path of the swerving car, sending the big rig off the highway and into a ditch. Traffic on the highway on that summer afternoon came to an abrupt halt, and those of us behind the wreckage waited quietly for several hours while emergency vehicles cleared the scene.
The driver hauling the motorboat, however, continued on his way, oblivious to the calamity he had created. I imagined him arriving at a little cabin along the river, or maybe a condo at the bay, unhitching the boat, and discovering the missing seat cushion. I pictured him blaming his wife for not having secured the cushion more carefully, and his wife blaming him for being in too great a hurry to allow time to attach the boat cover. I imagined him complaining about the great inconvenience it was causing him, now having to spend part of his vacation searching for a replacement, or sitting on a hot plastic seat with no cushion. I thought of him reading about the horrendous accident on the interstate and thinking, “What a shame! So glad I wasn’t involved in that mess.” And he would go through life never knowing, never believing it was possible that he was more than just “involved.”
The driver of that pickup truck is my mother.
I don’t mean she was actually driving the truck that caused the accident on the interstate that summer afternoon. But she is the kind of person who can walk into a room or a building or a life, go about her business as she sees fit, and leave behind chaos and carnage without ever looking over her shoulder.
And I—
I am a blue foam seat cushion.
I remember riding with my grandparents on the interstate one afternoon. I don’t know where we were going or how long ago it was, but I am certain it was a summer weekend, or maybe a Friday. The traffic was pretty heavy and there were lots of RV’s and luggage racks passing us. Some distance ahead was a sparkling white pickup truck hauling a long motor boat, a runabout, my grandfather had said. The truck was traveling pretty fast despite its load. Suddenly the wind swept into the boat’s open cockpit, scooped out one of the blue foam seat cushions, and sent it tumbling through the air like one of Lucifer’s angels, into the speeding traffic behind it. There was no way that seat cushion was going to do any damage on its own, but it landed on the windshield of a very young girl driving a bright green car. She must have recently earned her driver’s license because she panicked when the thing slapped dead center on the glass and stuck there like a pancake on the ceiling. She swerved sharply to the right, then to the left into the fast lane where her car was struck hard by a minivan. The driver of the car behind the minivan swerved into the right lane to avoid a collision, narrowly missing a tractor-trailer. The driver of the tractor-trailer jerked his truck out of the path of the swerving car, sending the big rig off the highway and into a ditch. Traffic on the highway on that summer afternoon came to an abrupt halt, and those of us behind the wreckage waited quietly for several hours while emergency vehicles cleared the scene.
The driver hauling the motorboat, however, continued on his way, oblivious to the calamity he had created. I imagined him arriving at a little cabin along the river, or maybe a condo at the bay, unhitching the boat, and discovering the missing seat cushion. I pictured him blaming his wife for not having secured the cushion more carefully, and his wife blaming him for being in too great a hurry to allow time to attach the boat cover. I imagined him complaining about the great inconvenience it was causing him, now having to spend part of his vacation searching for a replacement, or sitting on a hot plastic seat with no cushion. I thought of him reading about the horrendous accident on the interstate and thinking, “What a shame! So glad I wasn’t involved in that mess.” And he would go through life never knowing, never believing it was possible that he was more than just “involved.”
The driver of that pickup truck is my mother.
I don’t mean she was actually driving the truck that caused the accident on the interstate that summer afternoon. But she is the kind of person who can walk into a room or a building or a life, go about her business as she sees fit, and leave behind chaos and carnage without ever looking over her shoulder.
And I—
I am a blue foam seat cushion.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Chaos Walking - a review
Patrick Ness has created a world in which men's thoughts are broadcast as Noise for all to hear. When a scouting ship crashes into the swamp, Todd meets Viola, the only survivor, and the only female human Todd has even seen, except in the distorted thoughts of the men of his town. Todd discovers that not everything he has been told about his town or the death of his mother is true, and that he and Viola are in mortal danger. They flee, heading for Haven, a place where it is said there is a cure for the Noise. They seek healing and hope.
The Knife of Never Letting Go and The Ask and the Answer are the first two books in the Chaos Walking Trilogy. Book three is due next spring. Each book is a tome of 500-odd pages, but they read quickly. Yes, they read very, very quickly!
Besides the intriguing discussion in a previous post, I will say there is much to like about these books. The characters are admirable, imperfect, driven. The bad guys are really, really bad, and the good guys are flawed and sincere.
The most appealing character in The Knife of Never Letting Go is Manchee, Todd’s dog, whom he never wanted, and for whom he seems to have little affection. Manchee is brilliantly crafted by Ness. Loyal, needy, and just as stupid as a dog can be, Manchee escapes with Todd and Viola. Manchee’s noise is poignant and often hilarious, and in his own way, he is the hero of the first book.
The plot is a little less believable, and even tedious at times. I found myself asking, "What's the point?" several times, wondering why the Mayor of Prentiss would seek Todd to the ends of the earth (or, whatever planet it is). But it is a trilogy, and maybe it will come to light in book three.
Nevertheless, there is a great deal of violence. The violence is brutal and graphically described. Todd is beaten senseless numerous times. He also gives his share of beating. But Ness allows Todd to feel an overwhelming and life-changing grief for the violence he perpetrates. This motivates his actions for the rest of the story. However, I could not help but cringe, and even skim when the violence seemed to go on and on.
The center of the book is the Noise. The Noise becomes a tool, even a weapon in the Mayor's personal war. It is like a character of its own. But it is more than that. Besides being a genius plot element, Ness has created a way to make his first person point of view into an omniscient narrator. This omniscience is limited only by the one female character, Viola. This limit is overcome (disappointingly, in my opinion) in the second book when the author alternates between Todd and Viola.
Chaos Walking is a young adult offering (grades 8-12). Many of the gentle families I know would not offer this to their 13-year-olds, or even 16-year-olds. There is violence. There is some harsh language. Todd relates that he said, "Effing, but I didn't use the word 'effing'." The real word is used at least once that I remember, as well as the word G.-d. There is no sex, at least not in the first two books. In fact, there is a genuine love that grows between Viola and Todd, to the point where they are willing to suffer for one another.
Would I recommend this for your child? I recommend you read it for yourself and decide what you think about it. The most astounding part of my job as a librarian is when mothers come in asking me what their children should read. How should I know what YOUR child should read? In the past, even among friends, I have made the mistake of offering books to parents, only to have them turn on me with judgment on my own parenting, "that I would EVER recommend such trash to a child!" So, I have no idea if your child should read it. This blog is not for me to recommend to you, but to tell you what I liked and disliked about books, reading, and writing. I read these two books and enjoyed them, even sitting up late to read just one more chapter. And I am waiting eagerly for book three!
The Knife of Never Letting Go and The Ask and the Answer are the first two books in the Chaos Walking Trilogy. Book three is due next spring. Each book is a tome of 500-odd pages, but they read quickly. Yes, they read very, very quickly!
Besides the intriguing discussion in a previous post, I will say there is much to like about these books. The characters are admirable, imperfect, driven. The bad guys are really, really bad, and the good guys are flawed and sincere.
The most appealing character in The Knife of Never Letting Go is Manchee, Todd’s dog, whom he never wanted, and for whom he seems to have little affection. Manchee is brilliantly crafted by Ness. Loyal, needy, and just as stupid as a dog can be, Manchee escapes with Todd and Viola. Manchee’s noise is poignant and often hilarious, and in his own way, he is the hero of the first book.
The plot is a little less believable, and even tedious at times. I found myself asking, "What's the point?" several times, wondering why the Mayor of Prentiss would seek Todd to the ends of the earth (or, whatever planet it is). But it is a trilogy, and maybe it will come to light in book three.
Nevertheless, there is a great deal of violence. The violence is brutal and graphically described. Todd is beaten senseless numerous times. He also gives his share of beating. But Ness allows Todd to feel an overwhelming and life-changing grief for the violence he perpetrates. This motivates his actions for the rest of the story. However, I could not help but cringe, and even skim when the violence seemed to go on and on.
The center of the book is the Noise. The Noise becomes a tool, even a weapon in the Mayor's personal war. It is like a character of its own. But it is more than that. Besides being a genius plot element, Ness has created a way to make his first person point of view into an omniscient narrator. This omniscience is limited only by the one female character, Viola. This limit is overcome (disappointingly, in my opinion) in the second book when the author alternates between Todd and Viola.
Chaos Walking is a young adult offering (grades 8-12). Many of the gentle families I know would not offer this to their 13-year-olds, or even 16-year-olds. There is violence. There is some harsh language. Todd relates that he said, "Effing, but I didn't use the word 'effing'." The real word is used at least once that I remember, as well as the word G.-d. There is no sex, at least not in the first two books. In fact, there is a genuine love that grows between Viola and Todd, to the point where they are willing to suffer for one another.
Would I recommend this for your child? I recommend you read it for yourself and decide what you think about it. The most astounding part of my job as a librarian is when mothers come in asking me what their children should read. How should I know what YOUR child should read? In the past, even among friends, I have made the mistake of offering books to parents, only to have them turn on me with judgment on my own parenting, "that I would EVER recommend such trash to a child!" So, I have no idea if your child should read it. This blog is not for me to recommend to you, but to tell you what I liked and disliked about books, reading, and writing. I read these two books and enjoyed them, even sitting up late to read just one more chapter. And I am waiting eagerly for book three!
Thoughts Laid Bare
The Chaos Walking trilogy (still waiting for book three!), by Patrick Ness, has recently intrigued me. The first book, The Knife of Never Letting Go, introduces Todd Hewitt, the youngest member of a group of colonists on a futuristic planet much like earth. The settlers have been infected by a germ which has killed all the women, and left the men with an oppressive Noise. The Noise is the constant broadcasting of their thoughts. The author cleverly and convincingly depicts the Noise and the maddening confusion it causes. There are no secrets. There is no hiding. Dreams are public. The insults and rude remarks Todd would politely keep to himself are transmitted into the heads of anyone within his proximity. Everyone’s private plans are everyone else’s business. Even the animals’ thoughts are overheard.
Without rehasing the plot or even stating my opinion (although I may do that later), I want to focus on this aspect of the book alone. This is not about mind-reading, although there are some characters who are able to probe deeply into the thoughts of others. The characters in this book have no ability to prevent others from hearing them. There are rumors that another colony has discovered a cure for the germ, a medicine which quiets the noise, and which must be taken for the rest of one’s life. But the Noise is something the colonists have learned to live with, although many do not cope so well.
We find in the second book, The Ask and the Answer, that there are women in other colonies on the planet. But the women do not have Noise. They can hear the broadcast of the men’s thoughts, but female thoughts are not broadcast. In one town, the women move their sleeping quarters to a far corner of the town so they can sleep without being disturbed by the men’s Noise. In another town, loud music is played over speakers to drown out the Noise.
The sinister mayor of Todd’s town has gained such control over his thoughts that, by the second book, he has the power to hurl thoughts at people with enough force to injure them physically. The mayor’s efforts to command his own thoughts have become a religion to him. It is with prayer-like devotion that he practices his self-control, and he attempts to train others to do the same. He is disciplined and ruthless. His ability to silence his Noise, or to manipulate his thoughts give him a power no one can dispute.
There is no silence. There can never be silence. And when there is, it is terrifying and bewildering .
Imagine. If everyone knew what I thought at every moment, would I have any friends? If I knew what others truly thought of me, would I want their friendship? To have our thoughts made public would easily allow our enemies (dare I say Enemy?) to manipulate us. On the other hand, there would be no more façade. There could be no undetected lies. We might learn more about ourselves through other people’s thoughts than we do from our own self-aggrandizing meditations.
Todd’s real frustration is that it is hard to concentrate on things he wants to consider. His own thoughts are interrupted and lost amid the chaos. And really, are we so far from this? Although we do not hear each other’s thoughts, we are truly in a place where silence is terrifying and bewildering. We allow and invite Noise to such a level that we do not know what to do with silence. We do not know how to corral our thoughts when they are so jumbled in the Noise. I, for one, would have finished a half-dozen writing projects, but for the want of long, long silences.
This is fodder for discussion on so many levels!
Without rehasing the plot or even stating my opinion (although I may do that later), I want to focus on this aspect of the book alone. This is not about mind-reading, although there are some characters who are able to probe deeply into the thoughts of others. The characters in this book have no ability to prevent others from hearing them. There are rumors that another colony has discovered a cure for the germ, a medicine which quiets the noise, and which must be taken for the rest of one’s life. But the Noise is something the colonists have learned to live with, although many do not cope so well.
We find in the second book, The Ask and the Answer, that there are women in other colonies on the planet. But the women do not have Noise. They can hear the broadcast of the men’s thoughts, but female thoughts are not broadcast. In one town, the women move their sleeping quarters to a far corner of the town so they can sleep without being disturbed by the men’s Noise. In another town, loud music is played over speakers to drown out the Noise.
The sinister mayor of Todd’s town has gained such control over his thoughts that, by the second book, he has the power to hurl thoughts at people with enough force to injure them physically. The mayor’s efforts to command his own thoughts have become a religion to him. It is with prayer-like devotion that he practices his self-control, and he attempts to train others to do the same. He is disciplined and ruthless. His ability to silence his Noise, or to manipulate his thoughts give him a power no one can dispute.
There is no silence. There can never be silence. And when there is, it is terrifying and bewildering .
Imagine. If everyone knew what I thought at every moment, would I have any friends? If I knew what others truly thought of me, would I want their friendship? To have our thoughts made public would easily allow our enemies (dare I say Enemy?) to manipulate us. On the other hand, there would be no more façade. There could be no undetected lies. We might learn more about ourselves through other people’s thoughts than we do from our own self-aggrandizing meditations.
Todd’s real frustration is that it is hard to concentrate on things he wants to consider. His own thoughts are interrupted and lost amid the chaos. And really, are we so far from this? Although we do not hear each other’s thoughts, we are truly in a place where silence is terrifying and bewildering. We allow and invite Noise to such a level that we do not know what to do with silence. We do not know how to corral our thoughts when they are so jumbled in the Noise. I, for one, would have finished a half-dozen writing projects, but for the want of long, long silences.
This is fodder for discussion on so many levels!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Self-worth
Last week my brand new vacuum cleaner stopped working. It was the second time I had used it. Let me reword this so you get the full impact of my statement: I had used the vacuum cleaner one other time before it stopped working.
I am minimizing the issue. The vacuum did not stop working. The vacuum broke. Homer (from The Iliad, not from The Simpsons) might say, "the vacuum received no small injury."
This is the third vacuum cleaner I have owned since moving into this apartment three years ago. The carpet in my apartment is a vacuum murderer. Shoddily installed (and cheap to begin with), it frays into long, thick fibers which become instantly tangled in the rotating mechanism of the vacuum, revving the motor to impossibly high temperatures, and burning it out in a matter a seconds. Despite my care to avoid the areas of the carpet where this fraying occurs, one moment of distraction or forgetfulness is all it takes.
Now, the challenge: relate this saga to life. This is what a writer does.
Am I the vacuum cleaner, going about my life, doing my job, fulfilling my destiny, caught off guard by something trivial, and sidelined indefinitely? Do I appear to be strong and sturdy, but am really weak and easily dismantled?
Or am I the ragged and frayed carpet, inferior in quality and bitter about it, raging in ways almost undetectable, yet potent enough to bring down anyone who tries to improve me, anyone whose life is more complete, anyone who risks getting too close? Do I seem to be the kind who allows, even invites others to walk all over me, but in reality I lure them into my vengeance?
Maybe I am neither. Maybe I am simply the woman vacuuming a crappy carpet with a crappy vacuum cleaner, and I really need to watch where I'm going.
I am minimizing the issue. The vacuum did not stop working. The vacuum broke. Homer (from The Iliad, not from The Simpsons) might say, "the vacuum received no small injury."
This is the third vacuum cleaner I have owned since moving into this apartment three years ago. The carpet in my apartment is a vacuum murderer. Shoddily installed (and cheap to begin with), it frays into long, thick fibers which become instantly tangled in the rotating mechanism of the vacuum, revving the motor to impossibly high temperatures, and burning it out in a matter a seconds. Despite my care to avoid the areas of the carpet where this fraying occurs, one moment of distraction or forgetfulness is all it takes.
Now, the challenge: relate this saga to life. This is what a writer does.
Am I the vacuum cleaner, going about my life, doing my job, fulfilling my destiny, caught off guard by something trivial, and sidelined indefinitely? Do I appear to be strong and sturdy, but am really weak and easily dismantled?
Or am I the ragged and frayed carpet, inferior in quality and bitter about it, raging in ways almost undetectable, yet potent enough to bring down anyone who tries to improve me, anyone whose life is more complete, anyone who risks getting too close? Do I seem to be the kind who allows, even invites others to walk all over me, but in reality I lure them into my vengeance?
Maybe I am neither. Maybe I am simply the woman vacuuming a crappy carpet with a crappy vacuum cleaner, and I really need to watch where I'm going.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Smells Like Color blindness
What does memory smell like?
Does childhood smell like a goldfish in a dank and filmy bowl of water on the kitchen counter?
Does it smell like comet and macaroni and cheese on my mother's skin?
Does it smell like urine and vomit and beer on the living room sofa?
Does it smell like salt water and spaghetti and the sweat of hard play?
I love describing smells. I love creating metaphors from nothing, allowing odor to take on a different sense, like sight or sound, giving it a color or timbre. These are things I understand.
Smell does not make sense to me. I ask my children questions like, "Do you always smell? Can you not smell if you don't want to, the same way you can close your eyes to not see or plug your ears to not hear?" I ask, "What color is the smell of rain?" They cannot tell me the answers. They do not know. They do not understand smell either, even though it is something they possess.
Having no sense of smell used to be confusing to me. I was angry at my mother, thinking she had forgotten to teach me something that she had taught my brothers and sisters. She taught us to read, to write our names, to say our prayers, to brush our teeth. And to the others she secretly taught the way to smell.
My friends at school would push a tiny glass bottle of pale yellow perfume under my nose and say, "Smell this!"
I would sniff, experiencing nothing, and wait for the cue.
"You don't think that stinks?"
TO which I would reply, "Oh, yeah, it's terrible. Definitely not my favorite."
Or "It's heavenly, isn't it!"
And I would say, "Mmm. That's nice."
Soon I started saying, "No, really, I don't care for the smell of perfume." Or, "I must have allergies because I can't smell it."
I was in high school before I realized that I really, truly did not smell anything. I accepted it. I embraced it. Now I boast of it.
I do not smell the litter box as soon as I walk into the apartment. I do not smell my son's generous application of cologne. I did not smell the diapers of three babies. I do not smell the neighbor's cigar smoke lingering in the hallway. I do not smell the odor of death and decay in my in-laws' house. I do not smell the pungent, unwashed laundry on my daughter's floor. I do not smell the unidentifiable food rotting in the refrigerator. And I would not trade this ignorant bliss for a thousand turkey dinners or pine Christmases.
Does childhood smell like a goldfish in a dank and filmy bowl of water on the kitchen counter?
Does it smell like comet and macaroni and cheese on my mother's skin?
Does it smell like urine and vomit and beer on the living room sofa?
Does it smell like salt water and spaghetti and the sweat of hard play?
I love describing smells. I love creating metaphors from nothing, allowing odor to take on a different sense, like sight or sound, giving it a color or timbre. These are things I understand.
Smell does not make sense to me. I ask my children questions like, "Do you always smell? Can you not smell if you don't want to, the same way you can close your eyes to not see or plug your ears to not hear?" I ask, "What color is the smell of rain?" They cannot tell me the answers. They do not know. They do not understand smell either, even though it is something they possess.
Having no sense of smell used to be confusing to me. I was angry at my mother, thinking she had forgotten to teach me something that she had taught my brothers and sisters. She taught us to read, to write our names, to say our prayers, to brush our teeth. And to the others she secretly taught the way to smell.
My friends at school would push a tiny glass bottle of pale yellow perfume under my nose and say, "Smell this!"
I would sniff, experiencing nothing, and wait for the cue.
"You don't think that stinks?"
TO which I would reply, "Oh, yeah, it's terrible. Definitely not my favorite."
Or "It's heavenly, isn't it!"
And I would say, "Mmm. That's nice."
Soon I started saying, "No, really, I don't care for the smell of perfume." Or, "I must have allergies because I can't smell it."
I was in high school before I realized that I really, truly did not smell anything. I accepted it. I embraced it. Now I boast of it.
I do not smell the litter box as soon as I walk into the apartment. I do not smell my son's generous application of cologne. I did not smell the diapers of three babies. I do not smell the neighbor's cigar smoke lingering in the hallway. I do not smell the odor of death and decay in my in-laws' house. I do not smell the pungent, unwashed laundry on my daughter's floor. I do not smell the unidentifiable food rotting in the refrigerator. And I would not trade this ignorant bliss for a thousand turkey dinners or pine Christmases.
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