Sunrise Newbery Club
Reading and evaluating the best books of the year!
​Who we are
Third, fourth, and fifth graders at Sunrise Elementary are voracious readers with high standards. We read the best new releases and evaluate them using the same criteria as the John Newbery Award Committee. Sunrise Newbery Club members become ambassadors for great literature among their peers, and are often looked to for book reccommendations!

What we do
Newbery Club meetings are full of incredible conversations! Each week we focus on a different criteria considered by the Newbery Committee and examine whether the books we're reading meet those criteria. Students come prepared to share and defend their ideas! In January, club members give speeches in defense of books they believe should win the Newbery Award, followed by a chance to vote in our own Mock Newbery Election. Then, we submit our election results to the actual Newbery Award Committee for their consideration.
What we need
The books eligible for the Newbery Award are first edition, hardcover, highly sought-after titles. Because the books are in demand, waitlists from local libraries are extensive, and the cost of purchasing the books is prohibitive for our students' families. We rely on the generous donations of people like you to help us purchase the books for our club.
​And our winners are...
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The votes are in! This was a terrific year for children's literature and the competition was fierce! This year's Sunrise Newbery Club winner was Dan Gemeinhart's The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise. Our club members were moved by Coyote's big heart, sense of adventure, and perseverance. One student said this book made her want to hug the whole world. I couldn't agree more! A big thank you to Dan Gemeinhart for the special video message he sent to our club thanking them for choosing his book!
We also had three honor books: Lynne Kelly's Song for a Whale, Yoon Ha Lee's Dragon Pearl, and Raina Telgemeier's Guts. Congratulations to the winners!
