Which book won the 1953 Newbery Medal, with 'Charlotte's Web' named an Honor Book?

Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark won the 1953 Newbery Medal, while Charlotte’s Web was a Newbery Honor Book that year.

Published in 1952, Clark’s historical novel follows Cusi, an Inca boy living in the Andes with his llama, Misti. As Cusi travels and learns about his ancestry, he uncovers the “secret” connected to his birth and the ancient Inca past. The story combines adventure, cultural memory, identity, and the aftermath of the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire.

Charlotte’s Web, written by E. B. White, was not the medal winner; it received an Honor citation. The 1953 list also included Honor Books such as Moccasin Trail, Red Sails to Capri, The Bears on Hemlock Mountain, and Birthdays of Freedom, Vol. 1. Modern readers often assume Charlotte’s Web must have won because of its enduring popularity, but Newbery committees judge the eligible books of a particular award cycle, not later reputation. The medal went to Clark’s Andes-set novel.