Which Robin McKinley fantasy novel won the 1985 Newbery Medal?

Robin McKinley’s fantasy novel The Hero and the Crown won the 1985 Newbery Medal.

The novel is a prequel to McKinley’s earlier fantasy The Blue Sword, though it can be read independently. It follows Aerin, the daughter of a king in the imaginary land of Damar. Viewed as an outsider at court, Aerin develops a dragon-fighting ointment, trains herself as a warrior, and confronts the dragon Maur. Her struggle combines magical adventure with questions about inheritance, courage, identity, and belonging.

The Hero and the Crown was published in 1984 and received the Newbery Medal in 1985. That one-year difference reflects the award’s usual naming convention: the medal year follows the year in which the recognized book was published. A frequent mix-up is choosing The Blue Sword because it is also by McKinley and shares the same world; however, The Blue Sword was not the 1985 medal winner. The Tombs of Atuan and The Dark Is Rising are different fantasy novels by other authors.