Halfway

YIPPEE! I am halfway done! I'm working on reading the Newberry Medal books. "The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children." (quoted from Lists of Bests) Of course a lot of these books feel more like young adult literature, but that is neither here nor there. The Newberry was first awarded in 1922 and there has been one every year since. I read quite a few of these books when i was a kid, but there are a lot of them i've never even heard of. In the summer of 2006 I decided (for some reason i can't even remember) to read them all. This is taking forever to accomplish. I am finding that some of the books are really good, but many of them reflect the time in which they were written and feel dated. You just never know what you're going to get. I am a fast reader and these are normally quick reads, but i really have to be in the right mood to pick one up. I track my progress at Lists of Bests and when i just added I, Juan de Pareja (1966's winner about a Moor slave in Spain who learns to paint even though it is illegal at the time) my percentage went to 50! Finally i feel like i am making some headway. I do so love trackable progress.