Which Elizabeth George Speare novel won the 1959 Newbery Medal?
Answer
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
77 The Newbery Medal Trivia Questions with Answers
77 public questions with answers, drawn from the well. How many can you answer?
The Newbery Medal trivia covers the history of the American children’s literature award, its Medal winners, Honor books, authors, characters, and changing terminology. Questions range from Elizabeth George Speare’s 1959 winner and Jack Gantos’s 2012 novel to the 2025 Medal winner, a time-travel story. You may also be asked when “Honor” replaced “runners-up” and which book presents a biography of Abraham Lincoln.
This 77-question set works well for librarians, teachers, students, book clubs, and literary trivia teams. It rewards both broad reading knowledge and attention to award history. Players familiar with classic novels, contemporary middle-grade fiction, historical narratives, and the authors with multiple citations will find plenty to discuss.
Which Rachel Field novel won the 1930 Newbery Medal?
Answer
Hitty, Her First Hundred Years
What term replaced “runners-up” for Newbery citations in 1971?
Answer
Newbery Honor
Which time-travel novel won the 2025 Newbery Medal?
Answer
The First State of Being
Which author has four Newbery Honors and one Medal, for five total citations?
Answer
Meindert De Jong
Which Jack Gantos novel won the 2012 Newbery Medal?
Answer
Dead End in Norvelt
Who wrote the 1996 Newbery Medal winner The Midwife's Apprentice?
Answer
Karen Cushman
Which 1988 Newbery winner is a biography of Abraham Lincoln?
Answer
Lincoln: A Photobiography
Who wrote the 1982 Newbery Medal winner A Visit to William Blake's Inn?
Answer
Nancy Willard
Which novel by Tae Keller won the 2021 Newbery Medal?
Answer
When You Trap a Tiger
Which 1969 Newbery Medal winner concludes Lloyd Alexander's Prydain series?
Answer
The High King
Which 1931 Newbery winner was written by Elizabeth Coatsworth?
Answer
The Cat Who Went to Heaven
Which 1923 Newbery Medal winner stars Doctor Dolittle?
Answer
The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle
Which 18th-century British bookseller gives the Newbery Medal its name?
Answer
John Newbery
Which Armstrong Sperry novel won the 1941 Newbery Medal?
Answer
Call It Courage
Which 1928 Newbery Medal winner was written by Dhan Gopal Mukerji?
Answer
Gay-Neck, the Story of a Pigeon
Which Carol Ryrie Brink novel won the 1936 Newbery Medal?
Answer
Caddie Woodlawn
Which Marguerite Henry horse novel won the 1949 Newbery Medal?
Answer
King of the Wind
Which Robert Lawson novel won the 1945 Newbery Medal?
Answer
Rabbit Hill
Which Jean Craighead George novel won the 1973 Newbery Medal?
Answer
Julie of the Wolves
Which Richard Peck novel won the 2001 Newbery Medal?
Answer
A Year Down Yonder
Which Cynthia Kadohata novel won the 2005 Newbery Medal?
Answer
Kira-Kira
Who wrote the 2022 Newbery Medal winner The Last Cuentista?
Answer
Donna Barba Higuera
Which Meg Medina novel won the 2019 Newbery Medal?
Answer
Merci Suarez Changes Gears
Which Kelly Barnhill fantasy novel won the 2017 Newbery Medal?
Answer
The Girl Who Drank the Moon
Which picture book by Matt de la Pena won the 2016 Newbery Medal?
Answer
Last Stop on Market Street
Which poetry book by Paul Fleischman won the 1989 Newbery Medal?
Answer
Joyful Noise
Which Lois Lowry historical novel won the 1990 Newbery Medal?
Answer
Number the Stars
Which Ellen Raskin mystery novel won the 1979 Newbery Medal?
Answer
The Westing Game
Which E. L. Konigsburg novel won the 1968 Newbery Medal?
Answer
From the Mixed-Up Files
Which Linda Sue Park novel won the 2002 Newbery Medal?
Answer
A Single Shard
Who wrote the 2009 Newbery Medal-winning novel The Graveyard Book?
Answer
Neil Gaiman
Who wrote the 2024 Newbery Medal winner The Eyes and the Impossible?
Answer
Dave Eggers
Which book won the 1953 Newbery Medal, with 'Charlotte's Web' named an Honor Book?
Answer
Secret of the Andes
Which Robin McKinley fantasy novel won the 1985 Newbery Medal?
Answer
The Hero and the Crown
Who wrote the 1984 Newbery Medal winner 'Dear Mr. Henshaw'?
Answer
Beverly Cleary
Which Katherine Applegate novel won the 2013 Newbery Medal?
Answer
The One and Only Ivan
Which Rebecca Stead novel won the 2010 Newbery Medal?
Answer
When You Reach Me
Who won the 2023 Newbery Medal for 'Freewater'?
Answer
Amina Luqman-Dawson
What name remains on the bronze Newbery Medal despite sponsor changes?
Answer
Children's Librarians' Section
Which award did the American Library Association add in 1937 for picture-book artists?
Answer
Caldecott Medal
Which author won both a Newbery Medal and a Newbery Honor in 1968?
Answer
E. L. Konigsburg
Which author received five Newbery Honors without ever winning the Medal?
Answer
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Who became the first author to win a second Newbery Medal in 1960?
Answer
Joseph Krumgold
Before 1971, Newbery Honor Books were officially called what?
Answer
runners-up
Who proposed the Newbery Medal in 1921?
Answer
Frederic G. Melcher
The Newbery Medal trivia — quick answers
What are good Newbery Medal trivia questions?
Good Newbery Medal trivia questions ask players to identify winning books, authors, publication years, Honor terminology, and recurring award recipients. Examples include naming the 1959 and 2012 Medal winners, identifying the 2025 time-travel novel, and recognizing a Lincoln biography.
How hard is Newbery Medal trivia?
Newbery Medal trivia ranges from moderate to difficult. Popular titles and recent winners may be familiar to regular readers, while questions about older winners, Honor citations, exact years, and authors with several awards require deeper knowledge of children’s literature.
What is the Newbery Medal?
The Newbery Medal is an annual American Library Association award recognizing the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. It is named for 18th-century British bookseller John Newbery and is one of the best-known honors in children’s publishing.
What term replaced “runners-up” for Newbery citations?
The term “Honor” replaced “runners-up” for Newbery citations in 1971. Newbery Honor books are works recognized by the committee as distinguished contributions even though they did not receive the year’s Medal.
Which novel won the 2025 Newbery Medal?
The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly won the 2025 Newbery Medal. The novel involves time travel and follows young characters whose lives intersect across different moments, combining science-fiction ideas with an emotionally grounded middle-grade story.