A poorly written piece of trash

I've read this book multiple times. I've seen the Newberry award on it. I've tried to reconcile the two, without success.

This book is about a group of 4 sixth graders and their teacher in a trivia contest, going up to national levels. Or rather, about each of the characters, and how they became a group. The author presents each character by having the announcer in the contest ask each one a question. She(the authoress) then goes into a long, boring chapter about the life story of each character(from the character's POV) and why they would know the answer to the question. Another chapter summarizes from the teacher's POV how she selected the group members. A long, boring narrative during the last few chapters details their {Spoiler} winning the contest(SUR-PRISE!){End Spoiler}, and a meeting after.

Unfortunately, the characters come across as interchangable, since the writing style of one is the same as the rest - "prim little old lady dictating boringly", the style is called. And the plot, beyond the stupid trivia contest, is either incoherent or non-existent. The writing is not exactly top-notch(which might have bumped the book up to mediocre), another loss. Nor are the characters sympathetic, precisely because of the problems I have mentioned.The authoress then makes stupid references we are expected to draw from the text(particularly the last line of the book: ' "Did I choose you, or did you choose me?" Mrs.Olinski asked. The Souls replied "YES!" '. Uh huh. Oookay).