Cynthia Kadohata's Newbery winner wasn't quite as much of a pity vote as Desperaux--which was a fine book, but I am sure given the medal through guilt that the Newbery committee didn't give it to Because of Winn-Dixie even though Kate DiCamillo's book gave A Year Down Yonder stiff competition. And it wasn't completely unjustified, like the trite, boring, and unplotted Crispin: Cross of Lead.
It did feature the usual Newbery elements: absent parents, death, prejudice, and protagonist mature beyond her years who has made a Terrible Mistake. Sometimes that basic formula works wonderfully--Walk Two Moons--and sometimes it seems plagiarized--Out of the Dust had nearly the same plot as Walk Two Moons but not quite, and its language, in prose that happened to be cut into odd line lengths so as to appear to be poetry, excuses much--and sometimes an excellent book has none of the four--such as View from Saturday.
Lois Lowry didn't win the Newbery for A Summer to Die, also two sisters and the same story line, but with Kira-kira I kinda feel like she did.