Newbery Award-Winning Books and Gifted Readers

This paper explores whether or not Newbery award-winning books, recognized for contributions to children’s literature in general, are likely to challenge and engage gifted readers. Children who demonstrate exceptional abilities in reading comprehension and perform beyond others their age need literature that will challenge their comprehension and enhance their advanced vocabulary. The Newbery books generally are written for upper elementary students and above, so the language of the texts themselves should align with the ability of a gifted reader. By examining the research related to what books are best for gifted readers, as well as the characteristics of books selected as Newbery-award winners, it would be more apparent whether the characteristics of Newbery books align with the needs of gifted readers. This exploration can help classroom teachers better serve gifted readers by understanding the needs of these students, as well as the literature that serves as an appropriate match, encouraging children to become life-long readers.