Proceedings of the First National Joint Conference of Librarians of Color - 173

by a young boy named Wayne, the book abounds with cultural notes and information. 1992 Honor Award NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH a documentary novel by Avi. Jackson/Orchard, 1991. The protagonist, ninth grader Philip Malloy, claims that his English teacher will not allow him to hum the Star Spangled Banner when it is played at the beginning of each school day. He also declares that he feels compelled to sing, even though the rule is that all will listen quietly. His parents believe his story and a crisis arises when the news media and the town become incited by this “incident”. The story is told through reports, notes and news articles. Emphasized is the difficulty in determining what is REALLY the truth. May and her Uncle Ob raised Summer in a little trailer in West Virginia. The narrative reveals memories of great happiness, and the child’s observations of great love between her aunt and uncle. During her period of grief, a young boy named Cletus Underwood enters the picture. It is he who becomes the catalyst for removing the chasm which has formed between Summer and her uncle as they deal individually with “missing May.” Honor Award WHAT HEARTS by Bruce Brooks. A Laura Gerlinger Book, a HarperCollins imprint, 1992 A smart boy’s story of growing up in a complicated set of relationships. Asa’s life changes when his mother leaves his father and takes him to live with Dave. The relationship between Asa and Dave is shaky and never quite evolves. His friendship with Joey, who is not so smart, shows promises. Asa’s mother suffers psychologically, but loves her son dearly. Last, there is Jean, the girl Asa falls in love with. This happens while they are family with Dave, but in the end his mother decides they must move again. Newbery Award SHILOH by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. Atheneum, 1991. Marty encounters a beagle dog in the woods and would like to keep him, but his father insists that the dog must be returned to his owner. Marty is devastated when he finds out that Judd, the owner, mistreats the dog. The rest of the story involves encounters with the mean owner and Marty’s efforts to save the Beagle he has named Shiloh. 1994 Honor Award CRAZY LADY by Jane Leslie Conly. HarperCollins, 1993. A lonely seventh grade boy is stricken with the loss of his mother. He meets an alcoholic woman with a mentally handicapped son. He realizes that he can be of help. This is a story about growing up, friendship, and learning about differences. Honor Award THE WRIGHT BROTHERS: HOW THEY INVENTED THE AIRPLANE by Russell Freedman. Holiday House, 1991. Background, motivation, activities and plans for human flight are included in this engaging biography of the Wright brothers. Complete with numerous photographs and illustrations used in this authors usual style. Honor Award DRAGON’S GATE by Laurence Yep. HarperCollins, 1993. A novel about the historical immigration of the Chinese to California and the West to build the transcontinental railroad. Otter accidentally finds himself traveling to the West where he joins his father and uncle. A vivid view of the hardships encountered is 1993 Newbery Award MISSING MAY by Cynthia Rylant. Jackson /Orchard, 1992. Summer shares the story of her journey through grief after her Aunt May dies. Aunt 173

Proceedings of the First National Joint Conference of Librarians of Color

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