Past Beatty Winners
| 2002 | |
|---|---|
| Any Small Goodness: A Novel of the Barrio, by Tony Johnston, Blue Sky Press, ©2001 This is a small gem of a novel about Arturo Rodriguez and his family, friends, and school in the barrio in East Los Angles. As they deal with a teacher who wants to Americanize their names, the disappearance of their cat, the mysterious school librarian, Ms. Cloud, as well as a retired NBA star who teaches them basketball for one dollar a year, and a drive-by shooting, they learn to see life in Papi's terms - that "any small goodness" is worth doing. A thoughtful, often funny and transcendent book! |  |
| 2001 | |
| Hurry Freedom: African Americans in Gold Rush California, by Jerry Stanley, Crown Publishers, ©2000 Recounts the history of free and slave African Americans in gold rush California by primarily following the story of Mifflin Gibbs. Having arrived in California in 1850 with ten cents to his name, Gibbs went on to make his livelihood by establishing a successful boot and shoe business. More importantly, Gibbs was active in helping runaway slaves to safety through his work as an agent in California's Underground Railroad. He also worked tirelessly for a decade in obtaining equal legal rights for African Americans in the California courts where they previously had been prohibited from testifying. Stanley presents a fascinating and informative look at an aspect of the California Gold Rush that has previously been overlooked in studies of the period written for children. |  |
| 2000 | |
| The Perilous Journey of the Donner Party, by Marian Calabro, Clarion Books, New York, ©1999 Uses materials from letters and diaries written by survivors of the Donner Party to relate the experiences of that ill-fated group as they endured horrific circumstances on their way to California in 1846-47. |  |
| 1999 | |
| Bandit's Moon, by Sid Fleischman, Greenwillow Books, ©1998 Bad luck follows orphaned Annyrose like an afternoon shadow. Her brother is lost to her -- gone to strike it rich in the California gold rush -- and now she's been snatched by famed Mexican bandit, Joaquin Murieta, who thinks she's a boy and decides she might be useful in his own quest. Can this unlikely duo help each other find what they seek? Non-stop action and a plot with more twists and turns that a canyon wall add up to a signature novel from the never predictable but always remarkable Sid Fleischman. |  |
| 1998 | |
| The Circuit: Stories From the Life of a Migrant Child, by Francisco Jimenez, University of New Mexico Press, ©1997 Through first person narrative, the author relates his family's experiences as migrant farm workers following the harvesting of crops from California's Central Coast to the Central Valley. Twelve stories tell of a difficult everyday life in which uncertainty is the rule. While living quarters, friends and school can and do change overnight, family bonds remain constant. |  |
| 1997 | |
| The Ballad of Lucy Whipple, by Karen Cushman, Clarion, ©1996 In 1849, twelve-year-old California Morning Whipple, who renames herself Lucy, is distraught when her mother moves the family from Massachusetts to a rough California mining town. Lucy, an avid book lover, detests the lack of civility and suffers the hardships of her new surroundings, but unconsciously evolves into a Californian, finding gold in the people and natural beauty of the Northern California wilderness. |  |
| 1996 | |
| Summer on Wheels, by Gary Soto, Scholastic, ©1995 Hector and his best friend Mondo enjoy many exciting adventures when they take a six-day bike trip from their East Los Angeles neighborhood to the Santa Monica beach during summer vacation. From being in a TV commercial to going to a Dodgers game, this sequel to "Crazy Weekend" will delight young readers with the friends' escapades. |  |
| 1995 | |
| Cat Running, by Zilpha Keatley Snyder, Delacorte, ©1994 Eleven-year-old Cat is ecstatic when she finds a secret grotto where she can temporarily escape from her troubles at home, but her hideaway is soon discovered by "Okie" children who are staying at a camp for dust bowl refugees nearby. Drawn unwillingly into their world, Cat slowly opens her eyes and her heart to them and learns some painful lessons about herself. |  |
| 1994 | |
| Dragon's Gate, by Laurence Yep, HarperCollins, ©1993 When he accidentally kills a Manchu, a fifteen-year-old Chinese boy is sent to America to join his father, an uncle, and other Chinese working to build a tunnel for the transcontinental railroad through the Sierra Nevada mountains in 1867. Sequel to "Mountain Light." |  |
| 1993 | |
| Children of the Dust Bowl, by Jerry Stanley, Crown, ©1992 In lively prose, this meticulously researched book tells the story of the families who migrated to the California's Central Valley from the dust bowl regions of the Midwest. The book focuses on the children who lived in Arvin Federal Camp, known to its residents and to the readers of Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath as "Weedpatch Camp." It is also the inspiring story of the school built by and for the children under the leadership of Superintendent Leo Hart. |  |
| 1992 | |
| Sierra, by Diane Siebert. Paintings by Wendell Minor. HarperCollins, ©1991 Exquisite paintings match the majesty of this beautiful poem, in which one of the Sierra Nevada mountains speaks of the beauty and timelessness of herself and her sister peaks. |  |
| 1991 | |
| Baseball in April: And Other Stories, by Gary Soto, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, ©1990 Gary Soto brings a poet's voice to these short stories about Chicano kids living in the San Joaquin Valley; Alfonso in the agony of first love, Manuel in an unexpected triumph at the school talent show, and Veronica with her fake Barbie doll. These are stories that reassure us about the universality of childhood while reminding us about the uniqueness of a particular cultural heritage. |  |
| 1990 | |
| Great American Goldrush, by Rhoda Blumberg, Bradbury Press, ©1989 Describes the emigration of people from the East Coast of the United States and from foreign countries to California to pursue the dream of discovering gold. |  |
| 1989 | |
| Chang's Paper Pony, by Eleanor Coerr, Harper & Row, ©1998 In an accurate easy-to-read story with child appeal, Eleanor Coerr recreates the experiences of a lonely and poor Chinese boy who works in a California mining camp with his grandfather during the Gold Rush. |  |
Eureka! California in Children's Literature a bibliography of noteworthy children's and young adult books set in California and highlighting California history and culture can be purchased from the CLA office for $10, plus mailing costs.