The quest to explain the extreme realism found in some Newbery Award books led the authors to discover that there is no unified view of childhood affecting children's literature today. While some adults feel that children must be protected against the evil surrounding them, others feel that they must be prepared to face the world in which they live. In general, children are growing up faster than they did in the past, due to their exposure to contemporary media and due to a need for many of them to accept responsibilities. Social trends are encouraging rapid maturation and are creating slippery boundaries between adults and children and between their literatures. While the boundaries are diminishing, the extreme realism found in many recent Newbery books has not moved these books outside the realm of children's literature. The subjects are treated in a way that children can access, understand, and enjoy. The books concludes with hope.