The Journal of Social Studies Research 37 (2013) 47–61

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The Journal of Social Studies Research

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Books with potential for character education and a literacy-rich

social studies classroom: A research study
Arlene L. Barry a,n, Suzanne Rice b, Molly McDuffie-Dipman c
a
University of Kansas, 447 Joseph R. Pearson Hall, 1122 West Campus Road, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA
b
University of Kansas, USA
c
Topeka Public Schools, USA

a r t i c l e i n f o abstract

Available online 17 January 2013
This study was conducted to determine the appropriateness and potential of a set of
books as a resource for infusing character education in a social studies classroom. Based
on a research review, the literature chosen was the past decade (2001–2011) of
Newbery-Award winning books. As recipients of perhaps the most prestigious award
for children’s literature, Newbery books were of exceptional quality and widely available.
Narrative analysis (Neuendorf, 2002) allowed us to explore their suitability for character
education. The Josepheson Institute’s character pillars, the Katz and Braly List of Verbal
Stereotypes, identification of moral dilemmas in these stories, and factors of race, gender,
and disability provided tools for coding elements as part of the narrative-analysis
methodology. Additional literacy and social studies activities were developed to enhance
peer interaction, a component determined essential to future programs (Berkowitz &
Bier, 2005). Ultimately these 10 books were deemed viable tools for addressing character
education. The authors found a key benefit of our process to be the messy self-
examination, the inward look at one’s own values, beliefs, and behaviors, and the
subsequent interaction and collaboration that either validated or challenged those
beliefs.
Copyright & 2012 The International Society for the Social Studies. Published by Elsevier,
Inc. All rights reserved.

Books with potential for character education and a literacy-rich social studies classroom

Literature that entertained, yet contained protagonists with good character, was the focus of a discussion among three
educators who met to select books for urban teens. What began as informal brainstorming for Mina, Anita, and Siobhan (all
pseudonyms) blossomed into a formal weekly study group with a problem-solving agenda. One of the educators in the
group, Mina, was a middle-secondary social-studies teacher charged with squeezing character education into her full
schedule. Additionally, she was concerned that many of her eighth graders read below grade level. She logically
conjectured, ‘‘If they read more, their reading scores would probably be higher’’ (M.M., Personal Communication, May
9, 2011). Therefore, determining the appropriateness and potential of a set of books as a resource for infusing character
education into a literacy-rich social-studies classroom was the purpose of this study.

n
Corresponding author. Tel.: þ1 785 864 9661; fax: þ1 785 864 5207.
E-mail address: abarry@ku.edu (A.L. Barry).

0885-985X/$ - see front matter Copyright & 2012 The International Society for the Social Studies. Published by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jssr.2012.12.002
48 A.L. Barry et al. / The Journal of Social Studies Research 37 (2013) 47–61

Character education, ‘‘a national movement creating schools that foster ethical, responsible, and caring young people by
modeling and teaching good character through an emphasis on universal values that we share’’ (Character Education
Informational Handbook and Guide II, 2006, p. 2) was an important component of the Civics-Government standard,
because self-governance depends on the knowledge and character of citizens. Starting with our nation’s founders,
education was seen as critical to the success of a representative democracy. As Berkowitz and Bier (2005) stressed, ‘‘the
role of the schools in the formation of civic character is a vital national interest’’ (p. ii). This notion was consistently
reinforced in the federal requirements emphasizing ‘‘good character’’ (a set of values or morals that shape actions) and
‘‘good citizenship’’ (characteristics of a responsible citizen in a democracy) mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act (US
Department of Education, 2005).

Literature review

High-quality literature that provided teens with examples of good character and good citizenship could be used to drive
the social-studies curriculum. Literature allowed teens to engage in ‘‘vicarious learning,’’ a process that was the backbone
of social-learning theory and served as the theoretical framework for this study (Bandura, 1977; Tracey & Morrow, 2006).
Guidance as to how this might be operationalized was provided in ‘‘What works in character education’’ (Berkowitz & Bier,
2005) and in the National Standards for Social Studies Teachers, revised by the National Council for the Social Studies
(NCSS) in 2002. The Berkowitz and Bier review of research was based on 69 studies conducted on 33 programs. These
authors concluded that effective programs integrated character education into the academic curriculum instead of
teaching it as a separate course. According to the researchers, approximately half of the effective programs analyzed
did this.
In a similar vein, the NCSS document called for social-studies teaching that was ‘‘integrative’’ and ‘‘connected to other
subjects’’ (p. 12). As Bryan (2005) argued, ‘‘character education should not be a discrete curriculum, but should be
something children live with every day’’ (p. 3). Nussbaum (1997) advised putting the study of literature at the heart of a
curriculum for citizenship, because it ‘‘develops arts of interpretation that are essential for civic participation and
awareness’’ (p. 97). Morrow, Gambrell, and Pressley (2003) noted, ‘‘We believe that children must see themselves in books
to affirm themselves and must observe others to expand their conception of the world’’ (p. 168) and to learn from the
positive behaviors modeled. This concept, advocated by literacy educators, aligned well with the NCSS thematic standard
of ‘‘individual development and identity.’’
Integrating social studies and language arts via literature was an approach that Nooren (2006), suggested warranted
further research, especially investigations that focused on the upper grades. Nooren’s own qualitative study used a
Compelling Literature Unit in a high-school social-studies classroom. It incorporated student choice of novel, journal
responses, student research, and presentations of content-based issues from the books chosen. Nooren did not have input
into the books students chose and actually picked participants based on their literature choices. She wanted half of her 10
subjects to read fiction and the other half to read nonfiction. Nooren concluded that the 10 students she observed over the
course of a trimester were ‘‘effectively engaged in active and meaningful learning experiences’’ (p. iv), that they conducted
‘‘personally meaningful researchythat emphasized the depth and breadth of development of important ideas,’’ and gave a
‘‘compelling and engaging presentation which would provide evidence of their work, thinking and learning’’ (p. 208).
Another substantial study was a year-long investigation by Bailey (2001) of 125 eighth-grade students. Her research
asked, ‘‘How does the reading of adolescent historical fiction influence student views and attitudes concerning characters
and events in US history?’’ (p. 2). She used students’ written reflections, essays, projects, interviews, surveys, and
questionnaires to answer her query. Students were given a language-arts course bibliography containing adolescent
historical fiction that was housed in the school media center. Advanced classes were directed to choose four novels each
nine-week period, and ‘‘regular’’ classes were to choose three novels. No particular vetting process was mentioned for the
65 books chosen. Bailey concluded that the use of literature resulted in students learning ‘‘more information about
characters and events than they did from their textbooks’’ (p. iii) and that this process gave them access to multiple
perspectives of history. Additionally, they were able to relate to historical figures and events on a personal level. However,
she noted it was surprisingly difficult to measure ‘‘what and how students actually learn’’ (p. 124).
In another study with this age group, Oliver (1996) also used literature to teach eighth-grade American history. She
concluded that use of novels helped students remember historical facts better than they had previously and that the use of
literature should be encouraged. The advantage of the literature, according to the students themselves, was that ‘‘hearing
the personal side of things makes it seem more real than if you just read it out of a history book’’ (p. 51). The classroom
teacher in this case study chose the ‘‘picture books, excerpts from historical fiction, and well written nonfiction sources
[which] became the primary tool for history instruction’’ (p. 51). Read alouds frequently were incorporated. No specific
criteria were mentioned for identifying the range of 60 different books used.
Two other large-scale studies with fourth- and fifth-grade participants were reviewed. One of them was by Heubach
(1998), who set up two quasi-experiments in fourth grade-classrooms, one replicating the other. In each experiment, one
teacher used a traditional textbook-only approach, and the other used an integrated literature-based approach.
The literature consisted of a pool of 100 books (picture books, historical fiction, biographies, narrative, and expository
text), chosen to represent a variety of reading levels and text types. Students also were allowed to bring their own books
from home. Heubach concluded that the assessment of content knowledge was affected by the match between assessment
 A.L. Barry et al. / The Journal of Social Studies Research 37 (2013) 47–61 49

instrument and method of learning content. In other words, the textbook-only group scored higher on multiple-choice
tests, and the literature-based group wrote free-recall responses that were longer and more complex. Descriptive analyses
showed that students who received literature-based instruction were more motivated to learn.
Suratinah (1999) explored the use of 38 nonfiction trade books in the social-studies instruction of a split fourth- and
fifth-grade class. She also chose multiple genres along with picture books and emphasized the use of books at multiple
reading levels. Because all reading levels were accommodated, Suratinah concluded that all students were able to
participate and learn during her six-month study. Additionally, she noted that students could choose topics of interest for
reading, writing, discussion, and presentation, and therefore were more engaged. She attributed increases in higher-level
thinking and in-depth learning to the use of trade books. Her final analysis was, ‘‘it is seen clearly that children’s nonfiction
trade books benefited students learning social studies’’ (p. 159).
Trade books have other advantages over textbooks. In their research on social-studies textbooks, Beck and McKeown
(1991) concluded that ‘‘the textbooks do not provideyexplanations adequate to promote drawing connections among
sequences of ideas’’ that would enable students ‘‘to develop understanding of events and phenomena’’ (p. 487). Along
these same lines, Finn (2005) concluded that most social-studies textbooks are ‘‘fat, dull, boring books that mention
everything but explain practically nothing’’ (p.5).
The studies by Bailey (2001), Heubach (1998), Nooren (2006), Oliver (1996), and Suratinah (1999); all noted the
motivational components of literature, which is a significant factor, especially for teens who struggle with reading.
Additionally, all of these studies suggested that literature lends itself to a constructivist approach to instruction, which is
advocated by National Council for the Social Studies (2002) to allow for individual differences and maximum learning.
Finally, the studies noted that using literature enhanced opportunities for content integration, collaboration, and
‘‘interactive discourse,’’ all factors posited by NCSS as essential components of ‘‘powerful social studies.’’
An aspect of powerful social studies not targeted by the studies reviewed, but a focal point for Mina, was the values
aspect: ‘‘Social studies teaching and learning are powerful when they are value-based’’ (NCSS, p. 12). These ‘‘ethical
dimensions’’ inherent in the character education that Mina needed to address, were more likely to present themselves in
literature, than in textbooks. Another factor of concern to the authors of the present study was that the quality of the
literature itself was not discussed as a factor. We wanted to use a systematic vetting process for choosing books that
(a) contained protagonists who modeled good character, (b) were at an appropriate reading level, (c) were high-quality
literature, and (d) enhanced a social-studies curriculum.

Methodology

Identification of book set

Based on our literature review and conclusions that trade books could add depth, set the stage for periods in history,
provide multiple perspectives, integrate content, articulate causal relationships between concepts, broach subjects
typically not addressed in textbooks, and help motivate and engage students, we concluded that literature was the best
vehicle for teaching character education. Our next step was to decide what literature to use. Again our group brainstormed.
Anita, the literacy professor, laid out some possibilities: the ‘‘notable social-studies trade books’’ found in each May/
June issue of Social Education, the official journal of the National Council for the Social Studies; Young Adult’s Choices, the
top 30 books chosen annually by teenagers (grades 7–12) through a program sponsored by the International Reading
Association; the Carter G. Woodson award winners, which depict race and ethnicity issues in US history; books receiving a
Correta Scott King Award, which honors African American writers and illustrators; the Americas Award winners, which
present authentic and engaging portrayals of Latin America, the Caribbean, or Latinos in the US; Asian American Literary
Award materials; American Indian Youth Services Literature Award winners; and the Newbery Award winners, books
considered to have made the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
Anita suggested starting with Newbery Award books, since they tended to be the most accessible and appealed to a
diverse population. Newbery winners also typically have a long shelf life (Lopez-Crowley, 2007) and were ‘‘marked by
excellence in quality’’ regarding ‘‘accuracy,’’ ‘‘clarity,’’ ‘‘organization,’’ ‘‘development of plot,’’ ‘‘delineation of charactersyand
setting,’’ ‘‘appropriateness of style, and excellence of presentation for a child audience’’ (Association for Library Service to
Children, 2009, p. 11). Furthermore, they were widely recommended by literacy experts (see Morrow et al. (2003)). Also,
since many of Mina’s eighth-grade students struggled with reading, and the readability level of these books averaged
approximately 6.8 (Kerby, 1999), they seemed a good fit. Our study group therefore decided to read and analyze the last
decade (from 2002–2011) of Newbery Medal winners to determine if the protagonists actually modeled good character and
if these books could enhance the social-studies curriculum.
It seemed especially appropriate to talk about character and values in Newbery winners, because virtue (e.g., kindness,
generosity, hard work, intelligence) was foremost in books associated with Newbery’s name and his own behavior during
his lifetime (1713–1767). John Newbery was a ‘‘lovable bookseller and publisher (Hearn, 1997, p. 38) who ‘‘sold his
publications at prices within reach of even the poorest children’’ (Rogers, 1977, p. xi). Perhaps his most successful
publication was The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes (1765), which told the story of the ever-virtuous Margery
Meanwell, better known as Goody Two-Shoes. Newbery dedicated the book ‘‘To all young Gentlemen and Ladies, who are
good, or intend to be good.’’ Even though preachy and didactic, this was ‘‘one of the first full-length English stories written
50 A.L. Barry et al. / The Journal of Social Studies Research 37 (2013) 47–61

expressly for the amusement of children’’ (Demers & Moyles, 1982, p. 106). That seemed to be Newbery’s gift—he
published entertaining stories that taught virtue through the actions of the protagonist. For example, Margery was a poor
orphan evicted by a greedy landlord. Through tenacity and hard work, she learned to read and became a tutor who made
learning pleasant for others. In fact, she was so kind and clever that she even taught animals to read and write. Because of
her good qualities, she prospered.

Identification of good character traits

Interested in the topic of character education, Siobhan, the foundations professor in our group of three, suggested that
the Josephson Institute’s work provided a starting point for examining elements of good character in these books. In 1992,
researchers from the Josephson organized an international gathering of educators, ethics professors, religious and
nonreligious leaders and identified six character values that they believed crossed both religious and cultural barriers.
The Institute later developed these traits into the ‘‘six pillars’’ of a program called Character Counts! These six pillars
were: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. Although others have identified different
sets of virtues and values for character education over the decades (e.g., Bennett, 1993; Character Education Institute,
1996; Earley & Gibbs, 1994; Heartwood Institute, 1992; Lickona, 2003; Lowry & Chambers, 1968), the six pillars named by
the Josephson Institute came with thorough definitions and have been used by thousands of schools as part of the
Curriculum Counts! program. According to Martinez (2008), ‘‘nationwide studies’’ showed a positive impact on student
behavior as a result of Character Counts! usage. Martinez described Character Counts! as a ‘‘culture’’ more than a program.
We therefore decided to use the six pillars as a piece of our coding scheme.

Coding and data collection

Content analysis, specifically narrative analysis, was the methodology used to examine these novels. Narrative analysis
focused attention on ‘‘characters—their difficulties, choices, conflicts, complications, and developments’’ (Neuendorf, 2002,
p. 5). This method used both quantitative and qualitative information. Frequency counts identified the number and types
of character pillars or values displayed and also kept track of character descriptors. Rich description supported the
identified character elements and the actions that operationalized values. Quotes from the text with reactions and
reflections were contained on coding sheets.
Our coding scheme for analyzing these books consisted of a codebook with explanations of the coding components and
coding forms (see Nuendorf (2002)). Each of the three members of our study group read each of the last 10 books awarded
a Newbery medal and completed the coding forms. We met weekly for 10 weeks from May through August to discuss the
books and our data. Our coding forms contained five sections, the data of which are represented in Tables 1 through 5.
In the first section and Tables, each reader/coder recorded his/her name (which was excluded), book title, author, the year
the Newbery was awarded, publisher, genre, number of pages, the calculated readability, and a summary of the book’s plot.
(Tables 1a and 1b present this general descriptive information about the books.)
The second section of our coding notebook and notes contained information on the protagonist’s dilemma.
The dilemma was included because literature-based dilemmas present familiar ‘‘moral-cognitive’’ predicaments. Conflicts
with self, nature, or society provide dilemmas that required characters to decide the type of people they want to be as
adults. Their lives might be permanently changed as a result of the conflicts they faced and the questions they asked. These
conflicts may allow characters to develop stronger, more mature, ethical and reflective reasoning. ‘‘As in real life, conflict
serves as a defining moment when characters are forced to make decisions that reflect not only their ability to think but
also their values and beliefs’’ (Friedman & Cataldo, 2002, p. 107). Challenges served as catalysts in the process that allowed
one to come of age. Characters struggled with significant conflicts throughout their lives. Information they gained from
experience, observation, and interaction must be winnowed and weighed. The learning that resulted allowed the character
to grow as a decision maker. Final decisions made might not always have been the best, but characters were forced live
with the consequences of their actions, and they grew as a result. ‘‘Literature provides a means by which children can
rehearse and negotiate situations of conflict without risk, trying out alternative stances to problems as they step into the
lives and thoughts of different characters’’ (Huck, Hepler, & Hickman, 1993, p. 8). An Anticipation Guide was one activity
that forced the reader to confront some of these same dilemmas as the Newbery characters and to take a stand. (Table 2 in
the section on Findings presents the protagonists’ dilemmas. See Appendix for an example of an Anticipation Guide.)
The third section in our codebook focused on character basics: their names; whether they were major, minor, or simply
mentioned; gender; race/ethnicity; age; education; job; socioeconomic factors (SES); disability (with type noted); and
language use (code switching). We thought a book that used Spanish words or phrases, for example, might be more
appealing to Spanish-speaking students. At this point, we tried to learn as much as possible about these characters and
books in order to determine their usefulness. Characters’ ages, education, jobs, SES, and language use were part of our
written notes and discussion, but were not included as separate items in the Table presented simply due to space issues.
(Table 3 presents only main characters, or protagonists, and their qualities.)
We analyzed, wrote comments about, and discussed each main character and the qualities s/he presented. We believed
it was necessary to treat character portrayal thoroughly, because books teens read or heard were so important in shaping
their self-image and their images of others. To examine the protagonists, we used the Katz and Braly List of Verbal
 A.L. Barry et al. / The Journal of Social Studies Research 37 (2013) 47–61 51

Table 1a
Newbery Award books, descriptive information.

Newbery Moon Over Manifest When You Reach Me The Graveyard Book Good Masters! Sweet The Higher Power of
titles Ladies! Lucky

Length 346 pages
Author Clare Vanderpool
Publisher Delacorte Press
Date of 2011
Award
Genre Historical fiction
Readability Dale-Chall, approx. 6.8
Plot After a laceration turned
life threatening, Abilene’s
father sent her to spend
the summer of 1936 with
an old friend in Manifest,
Kansas. Abilene hoped to
get to know her drifter
father through the people
of Manifest, a place where
he once planted roots and
formed friendships.
Historical events like
World War I, the
Depression, and
immigration are seen
through the eyes of
Manifest’s inhabitants
197 pages 307 pages 81 pages 134 pages
Rebecca Stead Neil Gaiman Laura Amy Schlitz Susan Patron
Wendy Lamb Books Harper Collins Candlewick Press Atheneum Books
2010 2009 2008 2007
Science fiction/mystery Fantasy/horror Historical fiction Contemporary fiction
Dale-Chall, approx 7.5 Dale-Chall, approx. 8.8 Dale-Chall, approx. 6.8 Dale-Chall, approx. 8.1
Sixth-grade Miranda was The story opened with the The 19 monologues and 2 When her mother was
busy in the 1970s with murder of a family and dialogues contained here electrocuted after a
school and helping her the serendipitous escape provide a gritty tour of a storm, Lucky’s absent
single mom prepare for a of their toddler. The child medieval English village father asked his first
game show. She was wandered into a nearby with its daily dose of wife, Brigitte, to come
trying to maintain old graveyard where the fleas, lice, and maggots. from Paris, France and
friendships and form new ghostly inhabitants voted Informational footnotes take care of his
ones. Out of the blue to protect and raise him. on customs, language, daughter. Afraid that
came a cryptic note. Despite the use of ghosts, holidays and beliefs are Brigitte had grown tired
Several more notes vampires and werewolves instructional. Authored of serving as her
arrived, telling her the as surrogate parents, the by a librarian who guardian, as well as life
writer was coming to save characters turn out to be wanted students to see in a poor desert town,
her friend’s life and his like good parents that history is a dramatic population 43, Lucky
own. To help this anywhere—kind, loving, story of survival, these believed her only
mysterious person she strict, sacrificing, and pieces were intended for option was to run away.
had to believe in time concerned about the use in reader’s theater.
travel and document its education and upbringing
occurrence. of their charge.

Stereotypes (Katz & Braly, 1933). This list of 84 ‘‘verbal stereotypes’’ was developed in 1932 when a group of 100 Princeton
students was asked to choose the traits that they considered most characteristic of each of 10 racial or ethnic groups.
The students were given a list of 84 adjectives and told to add additional traits as they felt necessary. Among the 84 were
such descriptors as ‘‘aggressive,’’ ‘‘courteous,’’ ‘‘intelligent,’’ ‘‘gregarious,’’ ‘‘ambitious,’’ ‘‘lazy,’’ ‘‘faithful,’’ ‘‘rude,’’ ‘‘stub-
born,’’ and ‘‘superstitious’’ (see Lopez-Crowley (2007) for a full list). Students were asked to mark the five words that
seemed ‘‘most typical’’ of each race. This study concluded that ethnic stereotyping was common. We were intrigued by this
list because we wanted to alert ourselves to any tendencies to stereotype.
Since 1933, the Katz and Braly List has been used in dissertations and other research to examine the representation of
racial and ethnic groups in children’s and young-adult literature (Caltabiano, 1991; Gast, 1965; Lopez-Crowley, 2007).
Due to the existence of this language for characterizing protagonists, it was deemed an appropriate tool for thinking about
the main characters in the 10 books read by our study group. Interestingly, many of the traits presented in this list also
have appeared in lists of values by other researchers, e.g., honest, generous, kind, industrious, religious. We therefore
concluded that this gave us a tool broader than the six pillars for discussing character values. Page numbers with
information in the book that supported award of a particular character trait were listed along with the traits on our coding
notes. For example, Despereaux, in The Tale of Despereaux, was coded as ‘‘honest,’’ because despite the severe punishment
for breaking rules, when asked if he broke them, Despereaux replied, ‘Yes, sir’ (p. 54). Disagreements and shades of
meaning were discussed. What one rater saw as ‘‘faithful’’ another interpreted as ‘‘loyal to family ties,’’ or what one labeled
‘‘cruel’’ another labeled ‘‘deceitful.’’ Despite the extensive descriptors of the Katz and Braly List, raters sometimes even
decided that a character’s actions were better described by a word not used in the List. One of the raters, for example,
thought, Ned, the track star in Moon Over Manifest, was best described as ‘‘athletic,’’ a descriptor not included in the Katz
and Braly. (Protagonist, or main character, traits are reported in Tables 3a and 3b in the section on Findings.)
The fourth section of our coding notes contained a matrix for the Character Counts! six pillars. The coding system
consisted of a frequency recording for each character pillar expressed in the books. These were generally identified in two
ways. One was if the word itself or a similar word appeared in the text. For example, in the Newbery winner Criss Cross, the
author noted Dan’s reaction to a paraplegic: ‘‘Dan admired this, and he respected the guts it took to haul yourself all over
town this way’’ (p. 90). A second way in which these values were identified was through an action indicative of the
concept. For example, in the same Perkins novel, Peter said to his grandmother, ‘I love you, Grosi’ (p. 233). This act of
telling someone they were loved, particularly given the context, was indicative of caring. Here, also, there were
sometimes differences in information coded. For example, in Moon Over Manifest, Raters A and B scored items like,
‘‘We all bought Liberty Bonds to support our brave soldiers ‘over there’’’ as citizenship, while Rater C scored it as
caring. These differences were discussed and support from the books for each disagreement was provided. Often a
response was, ‘‘Oh, I didn’t think of that,’’ or ‘‘I didn’t see it from that perspective.’’ Certainly, our personal
52 A.L. Barry et al. / The Journal of Social Studies Research 37 (2013) 47–61

Table 1b
Newbery Award books, descriptive information continued.

Newbery Criss Cross Kirs-Kira The Tale of Despereaux Crispin: The Cross of Lead A Single Shard
titles

Length 368 pages
Author Lynne Rae Perkins
Publisher Greenwillow Books
Date of 2006
Award
Genre Contemporary fiction
Readability Dale-Chall, approx. 7.5
Plot Criss Cross
This is a collection of
vignettes about
adolescent life in the
1970s: growing,
changing, learning, loving,
losing and coming of age.
‘‘This poetic, postmodern
novel experiments with a
variety of styles: haiku,
song lyrics, question-and-
answer dialogue, and
split-screen scenarios’’
(Newbery Award chair
Barbara Barstow, 2006,
para. 3)
244 pages
Cynthia Kadohata
Atheneum
2005
Fiction
Dale-Chall, approx. 6.8
Kira-Kira
The Takeshimas, an
Asian–American family
moved to Georgia during
the 1950s so the parents
could find work in the
chicken-processing
plants. They wanted to
achieve the American
dream of home
ownership. In these
plants adults worked
unrealistic hours under
inhumane conditions. The
family daughters, Lynn
and Katie were best
friends, constant
companions and found
‘‘kira-kira,’’ or the sparkle
in life. This attitude,
developed by Lynn,
became necessary as the
family struggled with
racism, sickness, and
death.
269 pages 262 pages 148 pages
Kate DiCamillo Avi (Edward Irving Linda Sue Park
Wortis)
Candlewick Press Hyperion Books Clarion Books
2004 2003 2002
Fantasy Historical fiction Historical fiction
Dale-Chall, approx. 6.8 Dale-Chall, approx. 6.8 Dale-Chall, approx. 6.8
Despereaux Crispin Single Shard
A misfit in the mouse After his Mother’s death Tree-ear was an orphan
world, Despereaux spoke in England during the from a 12th century
to humans, and fell in 1300s, timid, illiterate Korean village famous
love with the princess Crispin was falsely for its celadon ceramics.
residing in the castle of accused of theft. This He lived under a bridge
his birth. This unmouse- caused him to be declared with Crane-man, who
like behavior got him ‘‘Wolf’s Head,’’ the was also alone because
condemned to the medieval version of of a physical disability.
dungeon by the mouse ‘‘Wanted: Dead or Alive.’’ Tree-ear yearned to
community, including his Hunted by the steward of throw pots, so he toiled
own family. Despereaux his tiny village, then, he for Min, a master potter,
survived because of the fled for his life, teaming hoping to learn the art.
kindness of the jailor and up on the road with Bear, One of the significant
lived to save the princess a traveling jester. Bear tasks Tree-ear took on
from the treachery of befriended Crispin and was to journey on foot
others. taught him numerous to present Min’s work
skills. Unknown to at the emporer’s court,
Crispin, the lead cross he with the hope of a royal
wore contained an commission for Min.
inscription explaining Despite an act of cruelty
that he was the that left Tree-ear with
illegitimate son of the only a single shard to
territory’s feudal lord. display, he saw his task
Bear eventually helped through to the end.
Crispin claim his own
freedom.

experiences colored our points of view and therefore our coding. (Data on Character Counts! pillars are presented in
Tables 4a and b in the section on Findings.)

Findings

Based on our study, we found that the 10 Newbery Award winning books we read, coded, and analyzed provided
multiple opportunities to incorporate character education in the context of high-quality literature at appropriate reading
levels for our students. Despite criticisms that recent Newbery Award books were inappropriate (Perl, 2008; Strauss, 2008)
because they dealt with death and absent parents, Mina found those factors rang true given the demographics of her
students. As a teacher of social studies, she appreciated that four of the books were historical fiction, and she found that
two in particular aligned with her curriculum. Her favorite, Moon Over Manifest, incorporated immigration, tales of Ellis
Island, World War I, and the Depression, all of which fit into the NCSS (2002) thematic standard of ‘‘Time, Continuity and
Change.’’ She thought her students would enjoy the frequent plot twists that kept her turning pages, and she liked the use
of letters from the frontline. The excerpts from one letter below not only gave a glimpse of World War I trench warfare, but
conveyed 17-year-old Ned’s citizenship, trustworthiness and responsibility:
June 28, 1918
Dear Jinx,
We’re finally settled in for the night, if that’s what you call being wedged into the muddy wall of a six-foot trench. I’m
so hungry right now all I can think of is taking out the belly wrinkles, as the fellas say. We’re eating in shifts, because there
aren’t enough chow kits for everyone. We’re so short on everything I’m lucky to have a guny.
Sarge says we’re moving out first thing tomorrow morning. Zero hour, he called it. Guess this is what we came here for,
so we might as well get it over with. Now I know why they kept Heck, Holler, and me together. We were the fastest guys at
camp, along with a chap named Eddie Lawson. Sarge asked us to be runners—guys who sprint back and forth from
regiment to base camp, getting orders and supplies. He said it was voluntary, but we weren’t about to turn it down. Eddie
 A.L. Barry et al. / The Journal of Social Studies Research 37 (2013) 47–61 53

Table 2
Newbery books, protagonist’s dilemma.

Newbery Moon Over Manifest When You Reach Me Graveyard Book Good Masters! Sweet The Higher Power
title Ladies! of Lucky

Protagonist Abilene could work off
dilemma the debt she incurred by
breaking Miss Sadie’s pot,
when she tried to reach
her lost compass, or she
could just take the
compass and ignore the
restitution promised.
Newbery Criss Cross
Title
Protagonist Debbie can play it safe
dilemma and wait for adults to
return from Seldem Days
festivities to help elderly
Mrs. Bruning or do
something illegal: pop a
clutch and drive to
medical attention even
though she isn’t old
enough for a driver’s
permit.
Miranda could either
write the requested letter
and deliver it to Marcus
or choose not to believe
in time travel and risk
being accomplice to the
death of a friend.
Kira-Kira
Mrs. Takeshima can vote
to unionize and bring
benefit to the majority or
vote, ‘‘no’’ because of the
risk of losing her job.
Bod could either keep a Mogg could strictly
low profile at school, as adhere to the practice of
he was told to do by his ‘‘heriotyWhen a man
guardian, or get involved dies, the lord has the
and help younger right to the best beast he
students who were being had’’ (p. 25), and give up a
bullied and extorted. mainstay of her survival,
or switch her good cow
for the neighbor’s
‘‘mangy’’ beast until the
lord is gone.
Despereaux Crispin
Despereaux can return to Crispin can flee a city
the terrors of the rat- where the feudal lord
infested dungeon and wants him dead, or try to
chance finding and save his friend, Bear, who
helping the princess, or has been imprisoned and
remain safe above ground tortured in order to lure
in the light. Crispin to his demise.
Having been
abandoned by her
mother, due to death
and her father due to
disinterest, Lucky can
tell Brigitte she fears
being abandoned by
her as well, or run away
to gain the sympathy
she seeks.
Single Shard
Tree-ear can remain in
the safety of his
familiar environment or
journey alone outside
his village to help a
brilliant potter, but one
who has largely
rejected him.

won the toss, so he’s out on his first run right now. He’s fast as the dickens. Plus he’s an ace of a guy. Can’t wait to hear if he
saw any actiony.
June 29, 1918
Eddie was killed last night. Shot just a mile from here. A mile. He could run that in a little over four minutes. (pp. 199–200)
Kira-Kira, Mina’s other top choice, presented insights into ‘‘cultural diversity’’ and issues of ‘‘equity’’ and ‘‘human rights’’
that are components of the NCSS (2002) thematic strand of ‘‘Culture and Cultural Diversity’’ (p. 19):
Poultry was one of the biggest industries supporting the economy of Georgia, but that didn’t stop many people who did
not work with poultry from looking down on those who did. That and the fact that I was Japanese were the two reasons the
girls at school ignored me. (p. 88)
Reading this book, it was easy to see why the job of poultry workers carried such little status, and why the workers
struggled to unionize when they were not afforded even the most basic of considerations: ‘‘The factory workers weren’t
allowed to take unscheduled breaks, so they all wore pads in case they needed to use the bathroom. It smelled like my
mother had used her pad’’ (p. 97). However, despite the treatment of outsiders toward the Takeshima family, the
protagonists of Kira Kira, their treatment of each other consistently portrayed the character pillars of caring and
responsibility.
We found that the main characters consistently served as positive role models. Many of them were underdogs,
disadvantaged by poverty or family situation, and portrayed as imperfect real people. They all faced dilemmas that
required them to make decisions that reflected their values and beliefs. Conflicts were both large and small, as they are in
everyone’s life. Abilene, in Moon Over Manifest, worked for Miss Sadie at hot, gritty jobs that calloused her hands. She had
to earn back a keepsake, because she lost it, Miss Sadie found it, and Abilene damaged property trying to retrieve it.
Abilene’s dilemma: ‘‘I stopped short. There, just inside, was my compass, hanging on a single nail, daring me to take it.
I gave it a strong look but knew I’d broken her pot and needed to make restitution’’ (p. 72). Abilene later faced a choice as
minor as whether to share a gingersnap cookie or to eat the rare treat all by herself. In both situations, Abilene did the right
thing. These actions provided examples of responsibility and caring, two of the six pillars of character identified by the
Josephson Institute.
While Perl (2008) used ‘‘quirky’’ as a pejorative to describe many of these Newbery books, as adult readers, we saw that
particular characteristic as appealing and useful in broaching the NCSS (2002) thematic standard of ‘‘Individual
Development and Identity’’: There was Miranda’s mother, (in When You Reach Me) for example, who worked as a
paralegal and practiced regularly to compete on The $20,0000 Pyramid game show. Sixth-grade Miranda expressed her
frustration with a mother who ‘‘was wearing an orange turtleneck and a denim skirt with purple and black striped
tightsy.Her nails were electric blue’’ (pp. 10–11). However, that same quirky mom made bacon omelets when the girls
stayed for an overnight, and helped one of Miranda’s friends, unjustly accused by police. The situation of ‘‘Bod’’ Owens
(short for ‘‘Nobody’’ in The Graveyard Book) brought forth the question: What constitutes family? After his parents were
 54
A.L. Barry et al. / The Journal of Social Studies Research 37 (2013) 47–61
Table 3a
Newbery books, protagonists and their qualities.

Newbery titles Moon Over Manifest When You Reach Me The Graveyard Book Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! The Higher Power of Lucky

Main character  Abilene  Miranda—Female, White  Nobody Owens—Male, White 23 characters, each with equal  Lucky Trimble—Female, White
or protagonist Tucker—Female, White  Marcus—Male, White  Jack Frost—Male, White weight  Brigitte—Female, White
 Gideon/Jinx—Male, White  Sal—Male, White  Silas—Male, White 12-Males, all White, 1 mental  Miles—Male, White
 Miss Sadie—Female, White (Julia—minor char. Female, retardation
Black) 11-Females, all White, 1
orthopedic impairment

Protagonist qualities Most frequent traits with Most frequent traits with Most frequent traits with Most frequent traits with Most frequent traits with
emphasized agreement among coders: agreement among coders: agreement among coders: agreement among coders: agreement among coders:
 generous  faithful  individualistic  kind  imaginative
 intelligent  intelligent  intelligent  physically dirty  intelligent
 kind  kind  kind  shrewd  kind
 witty  cruel (minor chars.)  tradition-loving  loyal to family ties
 cruel (minor chars.)  religious  scientifically minded
 cruel (minor chars.)  cruel (minor chars.)
 A.L. Barry et al. / The Journal of Social Studies Research 37 (2013) 47–61
Table 3b
Newbery books, protagonists and their qualities continued

Newbery titles Criss Cross Kirs-Kira The Tale of Despereaux Crispin: The Cross of Lead A Single Shard

Main character or  Debbie—Female, White
protagonist  Hector—Male, White
 Lenny—Male, White
 Dan—Male, White
 Mrs. Bruning—Female, White
 Peter—Male, White
 Katie—Female, Asian  Despereaux—Male (mouse)  Crispin—Male, White  Tree-ear—Male, Asian
 Lynn—Female, Asian  Princess Pea—Female, White  Bear—Male, White  Crane-man—Male, Asian,
 Mother—Female, Asian  Chiaroscuro—Male (rat)  John Aycliffe—Male, White orthopedic impairment
 Father—Male, Asian  Miggery Sow—Female, White,  Min—Male, Asian
 Uncle—Male, Asian hearing impaired

Protagonist
Qualities Most frequent traits with Most frequent traits with Most frequent traits with Most frequent traits with Most frequent traits with
emphasized agreement among coders: agreement among coders: agreement among coders: agreement among coders: agreement among coders:
 intelligent  Imaginative,  alert,  cruel,  artistic
 musical - Industrious,  cruel,  musical,  courteous,
 shy  Intelligent,  faithful  very religious  intelligent,
 Scientifically minded  loyal to family ties  revengeful,  kind
 tradition-loving
 individualistic

55
56 A.L. Barry et al. / The Journal of Social Studies Research 37 (2013) 47–61

Table 4a
Newbery books, character pillars.

Newbery Moon Over Manifest When You Reach Me The Graveyard Book Good Masters! Sweet The Higher Power
titles Ladies! of Lucky

Character Of the total number of
pillars values recorded,
percentages for the top
two values listed per
coder are given below:
 Reader A
1. Citizenship: 71%
2. Respect: 14%
Of the total number of Of the total number of Of the total number of Of the total number of
values recorded, values recorded, values recorded, values recorded,
percentages for the top percentages for the top percentages for the top percentages for the top
two values listed per two values listed per two values listed per two values listed per
coder are given below: coder are given below: coder are given below: coder are given below:
 Reader A  Reader A  Reader A  Reader A
1. Caring: 100% 1. Responsibility: 1. Caring: 50% 1. Caring: 69%
2. N/A 35% 2. Respect & 2. Respect &
2. Caring: 25% Responsibility: Responsibility: 15%
25%

 Reader B  Reader B,  Reader B  Reader B  Reader B

1. Caring: 35% 1. Caring: 59% 1. Responsibility: 1. Caring:47% 1. Caring: 52%
2. Citizenship: 24% 2. Responsibility: 45% 2. Responsibility: 2. Responsibility: 38%
24% 2. Caring: 33% 40%

 Reader C  Reader C  Reader C  Reader C  Reader C

1. Caring: 36% 1. Caring: 44% 1. Caring: 31% 1. Caring:39% 1. Caring: 38%
2. Responsibility: 2. Responsibility: 2. Responsibility: 2. Responsibility: 2. Responsibility: 27%
28% 21% 29% 32%

Appropriate Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

for
infusing
character
education

murdered, Bod’s guardians were ghosts, a vampire, and werewolf. These were all caring, responsible and surprisingly strict,
even though unusual, caretakers.
There were many examples present of ‘‘stereotyping,’’ ‘‘conformity,’’ and instances to discuss ‘‘perceptions,’’ ‘‘attitudes,’’
and ‘‘values’’ (p. 24) as noted in this NCSS strand. Regarding stereotyping, it bothered one of our coders that Miggery Sow
(The Tale of Despereaux), ‘‘named for her father’s favorite prize-winning pig’’ (p. 125) was ‘‘plumper,’’ ‘‘rounder,’’ and ‘‘bigger’’
and also described as ‘‘the tiniest bit lazy’’ (p. 152) and ‘‘not the sharpest knife in the drawer’’ (p. 186). Coder C thought this
represented discrimination against body type. On the other hand, the frequent depictions of Miggery as someone who
constantly bungled jobs, was duped by others, and ‘‘was a bit slow-witted’’ (p. 214) led Coder B to use the Katz and Braly
descriptor ‘‘stupid’’ as a characteristic for Mig. After lively discussion, all coders agreed that ‘‘stupid’’ was not appropriate.
This was an example of how literature could spark rich and lively discussion involving issues especially relevant to teens.
In general, coders found a variety of positive character traits embodied in the novels’ protagonists. Traits that appeared most
frequently and across all of our counts were: ‘‘intelligent,’’ ‘‘individualistic,’’ ‘‘imaginative,’’ ‘‘loyal to family ties,’’ ‘‘alert,’’ ‘‘faithful,’’
‘‘artistic,’’ ‘‘courteous,’’ ‘‘kind,’’ ‘‘musical,’’ ‘‘tradition-loving,’’ ‘‘witty,’’ ‘‘generous,’’ ‘‘scientifically-minded,’’ ‘‘shy,’’ and ‘‘religious.’’
‘‘Physically dirty’’ was a trait on the Katz and Braly List that appeared in our coding when we read the two books about the Middle
Ages (Crispin and Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!). Inadequate hygiene was a reality of the times, a ‘‘significant historical period’’ that
students should be able to ‘‘identify and describe’’ (NCSS, Thematic Standard, Time, Continuity and Change, 2002, p. 21). Lowdy,
the varlet’s (a man who took care of animals) daughter, explained,

I’m used to the lice

Raising families in my hair.
I expect moths to nibble holes
In everything I wear.
I scrape away the maggots
When they crawl across the cheese.
I can get used to anything,
Except for the fleas. (p. 61)
 A.L. Barry et al. / The Journal of Social Studies Research 37 (2013) 47–61 57

Table 4b
Newbery books, character pillars continued.

Newbery Criss Cross Kirs-Kira The Tale of Despereaux Crispin: The Cross of A Single Shard
titles Lead

Character Of the total number of
pillars values recorded,
percentages for the top
two values listed per
coder are given below:
 Reader A
1. Caring: 60%
2. Respect: 20%
Of the total number of
values recorded,
percentages for the top
two values listed per
coder are given below:
 Reader A
1. Caring: 68%
2. Responsible: 16%
Of the total number of
values recorded,
percentages for the top
two values listed per
coder are given below:
 Reader A
1. Caring: 57%
2. Respect: 21%
Of the total number of Of the total number of
values recorded, values recorded,
percentages for the top percentages for the top
two values listed per two values listed per
coder are given below: coder are given below:
 Reader A  Reader A
1. Caring: 38% 1. Respect: 53%
2. Responsible: 24% 2. Caring: 41%

 Reader B  Reader B  Reader B  Reader B  Reader B

1. Responsible: 39% 1. Caring: 77% 1. Caring: 55% 1. Caring: 36% 1. Responsibility: 47%
2. Caring: 37% 2. Responsible: 18% 2. Respect: 18% 2. Responsible: 32% 2. Caring: 32%

 Reader C  Reader C  Reader C  Reader C  Reader C

1. Respect: 26% 1. Caring: 38% 1. Caring: 42% 1. Caring: 32% 1. Caring: 34%
2. Responsible: 25% 2. Responsible: 27% 2. Responsible: 22% 2. Responsible: 23% 2. Responsibility: 24%

Appropriate Less amenable to Yes Yes Yes Yes

for incorporating character
infusing education than other
character books
education

Table 5a
Collaborative social studies/literacy activities for Newbery books.

Newbery Moon Over Manifest When You Reach Me The Graveyard Book Good Masters! Sweet The Higher Power
titles Ladies! of Lucky

Collaborative Narrative Object Box
social —Abilene found a box
studies and that told someone’s life
literacy story: cork, fishhook,
activities silver dollar, skeleton
key, tiny wood doll. Put
together a box of objects
that tell your life story.
Let a partner write your
story based on those
objects , then compare it
to the story you have
written.
Time Travel—Go back in
time and change an event
in your life and one event
in history. Explain how
things would be different
with these changes. How
would life and society be
better as a result of these
changes?
Class
Epitaphs—Individuals
provide inscriptions for
their tombstones
incorporating
characteristic descriptors
and values. Display these
on a wall. See if peers can
recognize each other
based on their epitaphs.
Reader’s Legal Issues—Brigitte
Theater—Perform these was Lucky’s guardian.
23 vignettes as reader’s What are the rights of
theater, as the author an individual under
intended. Introductory, guardianship? Are
informational pieces can there requirements to
be added by a narrator. be a guardian? What is
Costumes and props are the process for
optional. adopting a child after
legal guardianship?
What is life like in
foster care? Share
statistics on outcomes
for foster children.

Regarding his work, Drogo, the tanner’s apprentice said, ‘‘By Saint Bartholomew [who was skinned to death and
therefore the patron saint of tanners], think’st thou a man can make leather without filth? Alum, lime, oak galls, urine,
ashes, tallow, and stale beer—these are the tools of my trade’’ (p. 77). Responsibility became a reality early in life for the
characters presented in this medieval village.
Mina thought the poetry format and interesting historical facts lent themselves to using Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! for
reader’s theater.
When traits of minor characters also were included, ‘‘shrewd’’ and ‘‘cruel’’ appeared frequently. Major characters
typically exhibited honorable behavior. The exceptions were a couple of Lucky’s (Higher Power of Lucky) interactions with a
younger neighbor, Miles. However, Lucky did atone for her poor behavior and redeemed herself by trudging into a dust
storm to bring Miles to safety. Lucky’s dog found Miles first and despite the danger, stuck by his side. Lucky actually
considered leaving Miles in the desert but reflected, ‘‘That dog would never have to do a searching and fearless moral
inventory of herself. Lucky sighed and fought her way through the wind back to Miles’’ (p. 112). The character pillar of
responsibility triumphed. As a group, we thought Lucky’s interactions with Miles provided a realistic scenario.

Table 5b
Collaborative social studies/literacy activities for Newbery books continued.
Newbery titles Criss Cross
Social studies and literacy Character Haiku—Debbie
activities suggested writing a haiku
about each person in their
graduating class to accompany
their picture in the yearbook.
Interview someone in your
class that you have not had a
chance to know. Write a haiku
that captures who they are.
Kirs-Kira The Tale of Despereaux
Anticipation Guide–See Graphic Novel—Create a
Appendix graphic novel /comic strip. Use
Despereaux to provide an
explanation of the way
monarchies operate. Have him
tell what it means to be
ostracized or banished for non-
compliance in such societies. Is
one form of government more
ethical than another? Justify
responses.
Crispin: The Cross of Lead
Compare and contrast life in a
medieval village like
Stromford, where Crispin was
born to a town like Great
Wexley, where he sought
refuge. How would work,
worship, entertainment, living
conditions, relationships, and
laws be different? Draw a map
of each to show the physical
differences as well.
58
A.L. Barry et al. / The Journal of Social Studies Research 37 (2013) 47–61
A Single Shard
Create a PowerPoint with
examples of the celadon
pottery for which Korean
artists were famous. Include
information on the process of
creating and glazing a piece.
What were the innovations
unique to potters of the
Koryo era (A.D. 918–
1392)?OR Tree-ear took on a
difficult, solitary task to aid
his mentor. Write about a
difficult task you undertook
to help another.
 A.L. Barry et al. / The Journal of Social Studies Research 37 (2013) 47–61 59

The most frequently identified protagonist traits from the Katz and Braly List for which there was agreement among our
coders are presented in Tables 3a and 3b and below.
While we found examples of each of the six pillars of character (trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring
and citizenship) in these novels, frequencies were skewed to ‘‘caring’’ and ‘‘responsibility,’’ with ‘‘fairness’’ and ‘‘citizen-
ship’’ sometimes not appearing in the tallies at all. Moon Over Manifest was the one book where good citizenship appeared
more frequently, because of the World War I story line. Characters fought and died in the war, bought liberty bonds, and
did without precious basics to send them to soldiers overseas. Due to the overall high frequencies of ‘‘caring’’ and
‘‘responsibility,’’ the top two values identified per reader/coder are those presented in Tables 4a and 4b and below.
‘‘Respect’’ came in third in terms of frequency of appearance.
We did not find evidence of racial stereotyping in these novels, probably because there was little racial diversity among
characters. Actually, and we thought, unfortunately, neither races nor disabilities were represented in numbers that
aligned with the current U.S. population. Thirteen percent of public-school students have disabilities, but only 7% of main
characters in these books had disabilities. The most frequent disabilities actually occurring in society are learning
disabilities (46%) and speech and language impairment (19%) (See Leininger, Dyches, Prater, and Heath (2010)), but the
disabilities seen in these stories were orthopedic impairments, mental retardation, and a hearing impairment.
In terms of race, 82% of main characters in these novels were white, 14% were Asian, and 4% were animals. None of the
57 main characters were Hispanic, Black, or Native American. Given the 2010 US demographics, with 16.3% of the
population Hispanic and 12.6% Black (US Census Bureau), it was odd that none of these races were woven into the stories.
Only one minor Black character was included (in When You Reach Me). This character, Julia, was strong, bright, attractive,
well traveled and successful. However, only one character in 10 novels was not enough for Black students to see
themselves represented in award-winning books. With Hispanics our fastest growing minority, it was inappropriate that
this group was not seen in either major or minor roles. Our study group discussed this shortfall at length. One in our group
felt that despite the lack of racial diversity, main characters displayed universal qualities that transcended skin color. For
example, all families hope for relationships where one can say, as Katie did in Kira-Kira ‘‘Lynn took care of me, and I took
care of Sammy. And we all took care of one another’’ (p. 59).
Discrimination was portrayed as it had been enacted during the medieval period against those who were Jewish and
those who had physical disabilities. Schlitz (2007) in Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! provided background information on the
treatment of Jews during the Middle Ages:
Most legal transactions were based on an exchange of oaths sworn in the name of Jesus Christ. Because Jews did not
believe in the divinity of Christ, they found themselves locked out of medieval society. There were few ways in which they
could earn a livingyBecause they were a religious minority, Jews often served as scapegoats for crimes they never
committed (p. 58).
Regarding physical disabilities, Schlitz explained, ‘‘In the Middle Ages, a deformity was considered a sign of God’s
displeasure’’ (p. 20). Therefore, Constance, born ‘‘crookbacked,’’ made a pilgrimage to Saint Winifred’s well to be healed.
She told the reader,

For a hunchback’s life is a life of scorn.

I have known more sorrow than tears can tell.
There are times when I wish I had never been born,
But I will be healed at Saint Winifred’s well. (p. 21)

As we discussed our frequency counts and compared notes in terms of character pillars and protagonists’ qualities or
traits, we found that we did not always agree. However, the two professors in our group were more often in agreement
with their coding. This may have been due to their regular use of rubrics in scoring student papers and to their similarity in
age and general upbringing. We agreed that a reader’s prior knowledge and the experiences that were brought to a text
color what was taken from the text. However, the discussion that ensued with disagreements in coding was deemed
valuable. Therefore, the real heart of character education, as we saw it, was the messy self-examination, the inward look at
one’s own values, beliefs, and behaviors and then the subsequent peer interaction and collaboration that either validated
or challenged those beliefs.
One activity that consistently triggered this examination of values and beliefs was the focus on moral dilemmas
(see Table 2). We felt it would be valuable to ask students to work in collaborative groups to identify what they believed to
be significant dilemmas and their resolutions for each story. Perhaps a ‘‘Discussion Web’’ graphic aid (Alvermann, 1991)
could be used to explore the pros and cons of solutions. Additional activities that facilitated a focus on character education
in the context of reading, writing, listening, and speaking also were suggested for each book and are included in Tables 5a
and 5b below. The opportunities to embed issues of ‘‘moral qualities’’ and ‘‘ethical standards’’ are many.
Incorporating literature into social studies also may facilitate instruction of the literacy components promoted in the
Common Core Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies for grades 6–12. Specifically, these Standards
require students to ‘‘Identify aspects of text that reveal an author’s point of view or purpose’’ (2010, p. 61, #6). Therefore,
students reading Crispin (Avi, 2003) for example, may determine viewpoint by noting the loaded language: ‘‘But I am only
bad, I thought to myself, wishing yet again I knew what sin was imbedded in me to have brought God’s hand so hard on
60 A.L. Barry et al. / The Journal of Social Studies Research 37 (2013) 47–61

me’’ (p. 97). The heavy use of religious words, artifacts, and practices in this book may have led a student to conclude that
the author himself is religious. However, if Mina also applied the Common Core’s College and Career Readiness Anchor
Standards for Reading (‘‘Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse format,’’ [2010, p. 60, #7]) and had her
students dig deeper by reading transcripts of Avi’s presentations, they would find that he described himself as an ‘‘atheist.’’
Regarding Crispin, Avi explained that he was simply being true to the historical (medieval) time period. Using both Crispin
and Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! would present the Middle Ages from two very different perspectives and therefore be
informative historically as well as serve as vehicles for discussing character education. Other concepts in history (e.g.,
feudalism, divine right, caste systems) and society (labor disputes and early union organization; racism, sexism, and
classism) abound.

Conclusion

Our students are faced with daily opportunities to do right or wrong, and based on data from recent nationwide
surveys, many seem to choose wrong. According to a survey by the Josephson Institute (Character Counts!, 2010) that
questioned 43,000 teens about their values, a majority admitted cheating on tests, plagiarizing from the Internet, striking
someone in anger, lying to parents about significant issues, and shoplifting within the previous year. To make matters
worse, Institute president Michael Josephson, said that these admissions of poor behavior were likely underestimated
because, ‘‘More than one in four students confessed they lied on at least one or two survey items, which is typically an
attempt to conceal misconduct’’ (2010, p. 1). Exacerbating this concern is the fact that 92% of these teens said they were
‘‘satisfied with their personal ethics and character’’ (p. 1). Indeed, it seems past time for discussions about values and
character and for an examination of characters in books that serve as role models to ‘‘help shape personal identity for
good’’ (Parsons & Colabucci, 2008, p. 44).
While the Newbery Award winners from the last decade were not perfect instructional tools, due to limited
representation of racial diversity and disability, as readers and educators, we found them to be high-quality literature,
truly entertaining, in many cases informative, accessible, and useful for teaching character education and multiple NCSS
‘‘Subject Matter Thematic Standard,’’ at appropriate readability levels for our eighth-grade students, and accessible. While we
realized that books alone were not likely to radically change student behavior, we felt the Newbery books from 2002–2011
were an excellent place to begin.

Appendix. Anticipation Guide for Kira-Kira

An Anticipation Guide is a before- and after-reading strategy used to develop analytic reading skills, generate discussion,
develop students’ abilities to respond to text, and in this case, encourage articulation of values and beliefs.
Directions: Read the statements below and mark whether you agree or disagree. Then read Kira-Kira and mark the
statements again.

Agree Disagree Agree Disagree

________ ________ 1. Sometimes it is OK to steal. ________ ________
________ ________ 2. Sometimes it is OK to lie. ________ ________
________ ________ 3. Sometimes it is OK to damage someone else’s property. ________ ________
________ ________ 4. Life is fair. ________ ________
________ ________ 5. It is better to be friends with people who have the same amount of money as you. ________ ________
________ ________ 6. It is better to be friends with people who look like you. ________ ________
________ ________ 7. If parents are too busy, children should take over the household chores. ________ ________
________ ________ 8. You should always apologize when you are wrong. ________ ________
________ ________ 9. People should change their traditions when they move so they can fit in with their community. ________ ________
______ ________ 10. It does not matter if you die alone. ________ ________

References

Alvermann, D. (1991). The discussion web: A graphic aid for learning across the curriculum. The Reading Teacher, 45(2), 92–99.
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