It was not love at first sight. One misty March morning, while Michael and I were cleaning our lawn of winter’s jetsam, he called my attention to what appeared to be a small gray sponge. “Very nice, ...

As a kid, Linda Sue Park loved to read the books with the gold foil Newbery Medal stamped on their covers. Now Park's own book, "A Single Shard," has won the Newbery Medal for best children's book of ...