Here's why:
* The Newbery Medal is awarded to the most distinguished American children's book. The Lord of the Rings, while considered a classic, is a fantasy novel aimed at a broader audience and written by a British author (J.R.R. Tolkien).
* The Newbery Medal focuses on books published in the previous year. The Lord of the Rings was published in three volumes between 1954 and 1955.
While The Lord of the Rings may not have won a Newbery Medal, it has received numerous other accolades and is widely considered one of the greatest fantasy novels ever written.