Students Select Burtonbery Medal Winner
In November 2024, Burton Media Specialist Rachel Smith introduced 20 books that she chose for the annual Burtonbery reading challenge. Burtonbery is designed for 4th and 5th graders and is modeled after the Newbery award for best children's literature. This list of books Mrs. Smith chooses are believed to be front-runners for the real Newbery.
Students read and review the books of their choosing and reviews are completed using a digital book review form. If the students read a set number of books, they can participate in the selection process and receive prizes as follows:
- 5 books: Eligible to vote for the student favorite book and earn a 5-book token
- 10 books: Eligible to be on the final selection committee and earn a 10-book token
- 15 books: Eligible for a golden certificate and 15-book token
- 20 books: Earns a reading token and copy of the winning Burtonbery or Newbery book
This year students read over 1108 books. 56 students made it to the committee meeting with 30 of those students reading all 20 books!
At the final committee meeting on Friday, May 23, students discussed their favorite book with the group, doing their best to persuade other committee members to vote with them. After deliberation and votes tallied, The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko was awarded the 2025 Burtonbery Medal.
The 2024-25 Burtonbery selections:
- Basil & Dahlia by Joy McCullough
- Continental Drifter by Kathy Macleod
- The Enigma Girls by Candace Fleming
- Ferris by Kate DiCamillo
- The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly
- Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
- Lion Dancers by Cai Tse
- The Lonely Below by G. Haron Davis
- The Mystery of Locked Rooms by Linsay Currie
- The Night Librarian by Christopher Lincoln
- The Night War by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
- Not Quite A Ghost by Anee Ursu
- Olivetti by Allie Millington
- Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol
- A Strange Thing Happened In Cherry Hall by Jasmine Warga
- Telephone of the Tree by Alison McGhee
- The Tenth Mistake Of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko
- They Call Me No Sam! by Drew Daywalt
- Timid by Jonathan Todd
- Tree. Table. Book. by Lois Lowry
