All the winners of the 1990s Newbery Medal have addressed issues related to diversity and the need that exists for acceptance of diverse populations — the experiences of Jews in a communist country, homelessness, prejudice that exists between blacks and whites, poverty, the elderly, adolescents who are considered outcasts or who are "different" from peers, and the handicapped. A common goal of these authors is to open the eyes of their readers to differences that exist throughout the human race and to suspend judgement until "they have walked two moons in another person's moccasins."
The environment plays a major role in novels such as The Giver (1993), Walk Two Moons (1994), Out of the Dust (1998), and Holes (1999). These novels portray the influence that a particular environment can have on people, their ability to persevere, and the appreciation for rain, trees, hills, or grass.
Because the needs of children began to be emphasized during the 1990s, it became clear that children's feelings related to grief as a result of death or some other loss were important to portray in order to "normalize" the feelings. 1990s Newbery Medal winners that included this theme are Number the Stars (1990), Maniac Magee (1991), Missing May (1993), The Giver (1994), Walk Two Moons (1995), and Out of the Dust (1998).
Other significant themes that appear as a common thread in the 1990s Newbery Medal winners are friendship and family, particularly nontraditional families, courage and bravery, and the dilemmas that adolescents encounter as they struggle to become adults.
All of the winners of the 1990s Newbery Medal are written for children in middle grade levels, and the protagonists are all around the age of twelve. Out of the Dust (1998), a novel that is written in free verse, is the only winner that is poetry. The Giver (1994) is the only winner that is written about a futuristic society.
The Newbery Medal winners of the 1990s are novels that portray a remarkable diversity, yet all speak to universal themes and subjects that are relevant to adolescents. The talents exhibited by the authors are truly outstanding and worthy of the prestigious Newbery Medal Award.
