SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Pearl's & Ruby's
  • Politics in Practice
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • *Best New Books*
    • Annual Best Lists
  • Reviews
    • One Star Review
    • Nonfiction
    • Toon Reviews
  • Articles
    • Authors
    • Link Du Jour
  • Covers
    • Covering the Newbery
    • Cover Curiosity
    • Unfortunate Covers
  • News
    • Books on Film
    • Morning Notes
  • Newsletter

September 12, 2013 by Travis Jonker

What Are the Chances You’ll Win Another Newbery?

September 12, 2013 by Travis Jonker   5 comments

Forgive me – after last week’s number crunching (So You Want to Win the Newbery Part I & Part II), I can’t seem to stop myself. Seriously, keep me off this page.

But the questions keep coming. Such as:

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

What percentage of Newbery Medal/Honor winners never won again?

What percentage did?

In figuring this out, I decided to only include winners up to the year 2000. That way newer authors (who have more time to win again) would not be thrown in with earlier winners. It isn’t perfect, but it’s a way to go.

Before looking at the numbers, I predicted that the percentage of repeat winners would be fairly low – my shot in the dark guess was around 10%. What is the actual percentage?

The numbers turned out pretty tidy, actually. Of the 228 individuals (and I’m counting the occasional husband/wife teams as one) who won a Newbery medal or honor through 2000, 76 repeated while 152 did not. Another way to look at it: 1 in 3 of  the individuals who won Newbery Medals or Honors through 2000 won more than once. I’d say those odds aren’t that bad.

Filed under: Articles

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

A Fuse #8 Production

Review of the Day: Freya and the Snake by Fredrik Sonck, ill. Jenny Lucander

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Love in the Palm of His Hand, vol. 1 | Review

by Renee Scott

Heavy Medal

July Suggestions: Looking for Mock Newbery Contenders

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Politics in Practice

When Book Bans are a Form of Discrimination, What is the Path to Justice?

by John Chrastka

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Book Review: The Dead of Summer by Ryan La Sala

by Riley Jensen

The Yarn

How Colby Sharp Celebrates Reading with Students

by Colby Sharp

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

3 Titles About Tweens Living with Incarcerated Parents | Middle Grade Spotlight

Panels to Pixels: Manga with Standout Anime Adaptations | Mondo Manga

Life During Wartime: 16 Untold World War II Stories | Great Books

9 Spanish-Language Nonfiction About Latinx Trailblazers, Identity, and Brujería

14 YA & MG Books & Graphic Novels with Disability Representation

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sam Bloom says

    September 12, 2013 at 12:47 pm

    As a stats nerd, I am most definitely digging this series of posts. Looking forward to watching you tackle the Caldecott, CSK, Sibert, Geisel, etc.

    • Travis Jonker says

      September 12, 2013 at 3:03 pm

      Thanks Sam – it’s fun to see how some of these questions are answered.

  2. Tiffany says

    September 13, 2013 at 3:20 pm

    How about, what are your chances of winning the Newbery after receiving an honor and vice versa? For instance, Richard Peck was the sole runner-up to Holes in 1996, but then he turned around and won in 2001 for a Year Down Yonder. Coincidence? I don’t think so!

  3. Tiffany says

    September 13, 2013 at 3:20 pm

    Whoops! Holes won in 1999, with A Long Way from Chicago taking second-my mistake!

  4. Bonny Becker says

    September 15, 2013 at 6:07 pm

    Loving this series too. Keep crunching! What about geographical location? West Coast? East Coast? Midwest? And what about genre: Fantasy, Realistic Fiction, Non-Fiction, etc?

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • Author/Illustrator Blogs

    • Erin Stead Illustration
    • Hey, Rabbit!
    • James Preller's Blog
    • MATTHEWCORDELLBLOGS
    • Mo Willems Doodles
    • The Scop
  • Book Blogs I Like

    • A Book and a Hug
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • A Kids Book a Day
    • A Year of Reading
    • Abby (the) Librarian
    • Awful Library Books
    • Becky’s Book Reviews
    • Better Book Titles
    • Book-A-Day Almanac
    • Bookends
    • books4yourkids.com
    • bookshelves of doom
    • Bottom Shelf Books
    • Calling Caldecott
    • Caustic Cover Critic
    • Chad C. Beckerman
    • Charlotte’s Library
    • Cheryl Rainfield
    • Chicken Spaghetti
    • CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATION
    • Collecting Children’s Books
    • Cybils
    • EarlyWord
    • educating alice
    • Finding Wonderland
    • For Those About to Mock
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Good Show Sir
    • GottaBook
    • Great Kid Books
    • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
    • Hi Miss Julie!
    • Jen Robinson’s Book Page
    • Kidsmomo
    • Maria T. Middleton Design
    • Nerdy Book Club
    • Neverending Search
    • Nine Kinds of Pie
    • One Book, Two Books, Old Books, New Books
    • Out of the Box
    • Oz and Ends
    • PlanetEsme
    • Read Roger
    • Reading Rants!
    • Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
    • sharpread
    • ShelfTalker
    • so tomorrow
    • The Children's Book Review
    • The Miss Rumphius Effect
    • Uncovered Cover Art
    • Waking Brain Cells
    • Watch. Connect. Read.
  • Library Blogs

    • ALSC Blog
    • Blue Skunk Blog
    • librarian.net
    • LISNews
    • Stephen's Lighthouse
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Unshelved
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books 2024
    • 2024 Stars So Far
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Pearls & Rubys
    • Politics in Practice
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • Reasons to Love Libraries
    • 2025 Youth Media Awards
    • Defending the Canon:SLJ & NCTE Review 15 Banned Classics
    • Refreshing the Canon Booklist
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Read Free Poster
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2025


    COPYRIGHT © 2025