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STACKED

books

  • STACKED
  • About Us
  • Categories
    • Audiobooks
    • Book Lists
      • Debut YA Novels
      • Get Genrefied
      • On The Radar
    • Cover Designs
      • Cover Doubles
      • Cover Redesigns
      • Cover Trends
    • Feminism
      • Feminism For The Real World Anthology
      • Size Acceptance
    • In The Library
      • Challenges & Censorship
      • Collection Development
      • Discussion and Resource Guides
      • Readers Advisory
    • Professional Development
      • Book Awards
      • Conferences
    • The Publishing World
      • Data & Stats
    • Reading Life and Habits
    • Romance
    • Young Adult
  • Reviews + Features
    • About The Girls Series
    • Author Interviews
    • Contemporary YA Series
      • Contemporary Week 2012
      • Contemporary Week 2013
      • Contemporary Week 2014
    • Guest Posts
    • Link Round-Ups
      • Book Riot
    • Readers Advisory Week
    • Reviews
      • Adult
      • Audiobooks
      • Graphic Novels
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      • Picture Books
      • YA Fiction
    • So You Want to Read YA Series
  • Review Policy

Printz and other Youth Media Award Predictions, 2015 Edition

January 29, 2015 |

It’s been a tough year for me in terms of keeping on top of Printz discussions and wanting to think about what the potential contenders for this year could be. You may or may not remember that after successfully petitioning to get on the Printz ballot and earning enough votes from my peers, I was elected to be a part of this upcoming year’s committee. But because of changes in YALSA policy, which essentially put a gag order on any sort of online discussion of eligible titles — meaning not even making book lists or recommending titles — I decided to step down from the committee.

This wasn’t an easy decision, but in time, it got easier. With work at Book Riot picking up and with knowing how much I enjoy talking about books here, on Book Riot, and in other online venues, it would be too hard for me to not talk about any 2015 YA titles at all. As much as it was a dream to do the Printz committee, personally and professionally, it’s more important for me to advocate for books and for readers. Keeping quiet for a year on every new book felt like a disservice.

And more, after thinking long and hard about the things I discussed in that post about stepping down, I chose not to renew my membership or continue involvement with YALSA. While I support those who are active and engaged with it, and while I will continue to talk up and champion the work members do, the organization as a governance doesn’t need my money or my time anymore. I’m finding far more value and personal/professional development in other venues.

All of that is to say at length what I said in the first sentence of this post: keeping on top of Printz talk has gone to the back burner for me. I’ve watched starred review sheets, and I’ve dipped in and out of reading the Someday My Printz Will Come blog. I had quite a bit to say about Grasshopper Jungle, but beyond that, I’ve been more of a lurker than a commenter. Even though I’ve not been super engaged, I do have to reiterate what I said last year: I think the 2014 crop of YA was weak. There were few standouts that screamed Printz. Many more debut novels screamed Morris to me, instead.

That said, I’ll definitely be in the audience on Monday for the Youth Media Award announcements, and because it’s a game I can’t stay away from entirely, I thought I’d throw out quickly some of the Printz titles I think have a shot, as well as a few titles I think may see honors in other categories.

Printz




This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki: This one just…I have a feeling about it. I suspect the fact it earned a pile of stars doesn’t hurt its cause, either. Admittedly, this is a book I felt more strongly about in terms of its art than I did its story, and I’m curious how this one holds up under multiple reads and with strong scrutiny. This book also graced a number of “best of” lists when 2014 came to a close.

Complicit by Stephanie Kuehn: Did this fall off people’s radar? I think it’s interesting we saw little talk about it throughout the year. I think this book is even better than Charm and Strange, and I think the writing is tighter, the story more gracefully woven, and it shows a little more experience than her debut. This got three starred reviews, and I suspect because Kuehn was a Morris winner last year, this will be talked about for a while by the committee.

 

I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson: I was really underwhelmed by this one personally. I felt it was really overwritten, but it’s earned a pile of starred reviews and it showed up on numerous “best of” lists this year. It’s literary and it’s risky, probably especially in how it’s written.

Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future by A. S. King: An interesting phenomenon I noticed this year is that some titles seemed to have been forgotten about or weren’t talked up a whole lot in terms of their awards potential. The latest King book is one of them. Glory O’Brien earned 6 starred reviews and popped up on best of lists at the year’s end. But why aren’t more people talking about this one? I’m not 100% sold on this being a Printz title in a year where there are stronger books (I think King’s written better than this one), but this year, I think there’s a great shot for this particular title. While I know Printz doesn’t compare among titles, this is a standout.

Then there’s the Andrew Smith question I keep coming back to.

I’m not entirely sure why Grasshopper Jungle earned more attention this year than 100 Sideways Miles. We know Miles made the National Book Awards long list, but it’s Grasshopper Jungle that seems to be getting much more Printz buzz. I’ve not yet seen a really compelling essay — and I crave one — comparing and contrasting these two titles, their reception, and what they say about Smith’s risk taking and (sometimes) repetitive storytelling. (I’d also not mind a really great essay about his weakness in writing female characters, but that was sort of hashed out a bit in the comments on the Someday post).

Here’s where I say the thing that many might disagree with: I don’t think either of these are Printz titles this year.

I think Andrew Smith absolutely, positively has a Printz book in him. I don’t think either of these titles are it. Maybe it’ll be one of next year’s two titles. Maybe it’ll be a title after that. But I think both Grasshopper Jungle and 100 Sideways Miles are imperfect enough that they’re not going to go the distance. But the reason we keep hearing about them and the reason people keep talking about Smith and why he’s putting out two titles a year, one each from different publishers, is he’s talented, he’s prolific, and he’s doing some risky, innovating, and compelling story telling.

If I were to call out a potential dark horse for Printz this year, it’d be The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone by Adele Griffin. Depending on how Printz looks at age this year and how young they’ll go, I wouldn’t rule out a mention for Jacqueline Woodson’s brown girl dreaming. Same with Kwame Alexander’s The Crossover, which I would absolutely love to see get a mention from the Newbery Committee.

I also still stand by my comments from the predictions post in June that I think We Were Liars will fall apart on subsequent reads and won’t go the distance.

Morris Award


I’ve only read two of the Morris titles this year, so I can’t talk at length about their merits comparatively. But I can say my heart would love to see this one walk away with the award:

Schneider Family Book Award

The Schneider award, for those who aren’t familiar, honors a book that “embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience.” I haven’t read enough books that could be eligible this year, but I did read one I think absolutely fits the bill and would be surprised not to see honored:

Stonewall Award

The Stonewall honors works relating to the LGBTQ experience for children or teens. This is a category I feel like there are quite a few solid possibilities. I almost think there’s more to talk about here than there is for the Printz this year. The two standing out to me though are these two:
 

I could easily see this committee spending quite a bit of time with Grasshopper Jungle and I’ll Give You The Sun. I also think the non-fiction side of this award will be talking about Beyond Magenta.

What do you think? Big titles I’m missing out on? Titles I should be thinking about? Other categories that have standout titles? I’m looking forward to seeing what comes down on Monday — the YMAs are always a lot of fun to hear and even more fun to talk about afterward.

Filed Under: book awards, Uncategorized, Young Adult

Cybils Wrap-Up: Stats and the Ones That Got Away

January 6, 2015 |

I read 91 books this year as a panelist for Round 1 YA speculative fiction. Out of those 91, I finished 68 and left 23 unfinished. Of those 68 I finished, 21 were books I had read prior to the start of Cybils season. This means I read 47 books in their entirety (and about 25-50 pages of an additional 23 books) in about three months, which works out to a whole book every two days. That’s quite a lot of reading!

I love our shortlist for YA speculative fiction this year, and I think it’s nearly as perfect as it can get. That said, there were some great reads that I loved but didn’t make the cut. I wish we could have put 15 books on the shortlist! Alas, I will comfort myself by blogging about them and telling you why they are fantastic. I hope you’ll give them a shot and recommend them to the teens in your life.

The Islands at the End of the World by Austin Aslan
I loved this story of survival in a worldwide power blackout featuring a teenage girl with epilepsy set on the islands of Hawaii. Leilani is half Native Hawaiian, half white, about to begin a medical study for an epilepsy treatment when the blackout hits. She and her father must try to make it back to the Big Island from Oahu and reunite with the rest of their family amidst the chaos and danger. The first portion of the novel is pure survival, with a few hints at the source of the global catastrophe. Later on, it becomes clear what’s causing the blackout, and it’s completely unique and very much science fiction. The writing during this portion is particularly lovely and I read it several times over because I loved it so much. There’s also a great portrayal of a positive father/daughter relationship that I don’t see much of in YA fiction.

Not only is this a fast-paced survival story with a really fresh SF twist, it also features a protagonist of color with deep ties to the environment of Hawaii and her Native Hawaiian culture. Being half-white, half-Native, Leilani often feels caught between two worlds, never belonging completely in either. This crisis allows her to explore that tension and eventually determine that she does have a home and a purpose in Hawaii as she’s always wanted. It’s obvious Aslan has a great love for Hawaii as a place and for its people and their culture (he is not Native but lived there for some time). There’s a solid end to this with room for a sequel, which I very much look forward to reading.

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
Intense romance, an often-cruel heroine, a unique re-telling of a beloved fairy tale, and lovely writing all combine to make this debut a complete winner. It’s lush and creative and I loved every minute of it. I wrote about it more in February of last year.

Dissonance by Erica O’Rourke
This is a world-building lover’s dream with lots of details about parallel/alternate worlds and how Walkers like protagonist Del travel between them. It’s also partly a thriller featuring a conspiracy and plenty of flawed characters with secret motivations. It’s not a particularly fast read, but it’s creative and deep. More here.

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
Well, you all know this is a book of my heart. It’s terrific high fantasy with a spirited heroine who is determined to claim a life of her own. You can read more about my love for it here.

Divided We Fall by Trent Reedy
This is not normally a book I’d pick up my own, but I’m glad I did for the Cybils. It tells of a near future that seems so plausible it’s scary (a showdown between the federal government and a state government over a federal ID law that blooms into full-scale civil war). National guardsman Travis is caught in the middle after his gun discharges at a protest. Travis has a great voice; I feel like he exists in so many of today’s small-town, semi-rural high schools, and voices like his aren’t heard enough in YA fiction. The audio production is one of the best I’ve ever listened to. More here.

Filed Under: book awards, cybils, Data & Stats, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Uncategorized, Young Adult

Cybils – Thoughts & Considerations

October 7, 2014 |

For the past three years, I’ve been a Round 2 judge for the Cybils, first for YA SFF, then graphic novels, then YA SFF again (renamed speculative fiction). This year, I decided to challenge myself by indicating in my application that while I’d prefer Round 2, I’d be open to Round 1 as well.

And the universe (well, Sheila Ruth, category chair extraordinaire) answered. This year, I’m a Round 1 judge for YA speculative fiction.

I certainly read more than your average person, but the number of books I read per year usually hovers around 100, and that includes graphic novels. This number pales in comparison to a lot of other bloggers. Round 1 judges will often read that amount of books just during the judging phase itself, a space of 2-3 months (this category received over 200 nominations last year). So I was a little nervous that I wouldn’t be able to keep up.

Now that I’ve passed my first weekend of intensive Cybils reading (nominations officially opened Oct. 1), I can say my fears were unfounded. I’ve read five books in five days and am partway through three others. While I could always read whenever I liked during my leisure time before, I’ve found that holing myself up in my reading room at home with the excuse that this reading is required gives me a special kind of pleasure. It’s also great fun to see how many books and pages I’ve read compared to other Round 1 judges across all categories, which the Cybils database tracks. It’s not a competition (I keep telling myself), but it does help give me the kick in the pants I might need.

As always, the Cybils awards get me reading books I never would have picked up otherwise (like Prince of Shadows by Rachel Caine, a re-telling of Romeo and Juliet from Benvolio’s point of view. I hadn’t even heard of this one, but it was cleverly done and well-written). Knowing this, I’m excited to give new things a try, even – gasp – paranormal romance. The nominations are rolling in and my to be read list grows daily (or perhaps hourly), but there are still many worthy books that haven’t been nominated yet. I’ve created a list of titles – some I have read, some I haven’t – that I think should be considered by us Round 1 judges. Perhaps you have read some of the books below and think they deserve a shot? If so, all you have to do is visit this page, read the instructions, and nominate! You can only nominate one book per category, so pick your favorite.

  • Mortal Danger by Ann Aguirre
  • Trial By Fire by Josephine Angelini
  • Avalon by Mindee Arnett
  • Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau
  • Of Metal and Wishes by Sarah Fine
  • Circle of Stones by Catherine Fisher
  • Half Bad by Sally Green
  • The Klaatu Terminus by Pete Hautman
  • While We Run by Karen Healey
  • Vitro by Jessica Khoury
  • Defy by Sara B. Larson
  • Stitching Snow by R. C. Lewis
  • The Young Elites by Marie Lu
  • Firebug by Lish McBride
  • Infinite by Jodi Meadows
  • V is for Villain by Peter Moore
  • The Vault of Dreamers by Caragh O’Brien 
  • Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch
  • Sekret by Lindsay Smith
  • Stray by Elissa Sussman
  • The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas
  • Of Monsters and Madness by Jessica Verday
  • Lark Rising by Sandra Waugh
  • In the Shadows by Kiersten White and Jim Di Bartolo

Filed Under: book awards, cybils, Uncategorized

Defining “Debut” in Young Adult Novels

July 21, 2014 |

A couple of years ago, Rachel Hartman was a Morris Award finalist, and she went on to win the award in early 2013. The Morris award, for those unfamiliar, is given annually by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), which is a division of the American Library Association (ALA). The award, which started in 2009, honors “a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult literature” (from the award’s webpage).

When Hartman’s novel was named on the short list, I wrote about how it raised some questions about what the word “debut” really means. Hartman had self-published a book a couple years prior, meaning that in the purest sense of the word, Seraphina wasn’t really a debut novel. For the purposes of the Morris, that self-published book didn’t infringe on the eligibility of Hartman’s novel being recognized. Since self-publishing is still relatively new — relative the key word there — these sorts of technicalities were still being considered when it came to award eligibility, and now it’s made much clearer in the official policies for the Morris. A debut novel is the first book by an author that’s been available in print or made available through a US publishing house.

Over the last few years, it’s impossible not to take note of how the word “debut” has been applied liberally to books in the YA world. It’s become a marketing tool, as a way to sell a book to an audience. In many ways, this makes sense: it can be hard for a new author to gain any sort of traction in a market where there are huge, well-known names that are exceptionally popular, that dominate bestseller lists, that are seen in airport bookstores and on big displays in bookshops, and which show up in co-ops in online retail spaces. To be a new author without a huge, guaranteed audience is to look at the bottom of a huge mountain without much climbing gear and with little or no experience.

But it’s also an opportunity.

That label of debut has become currency in a way. In many ways, it’s a sort of salve to those readers who are tired of the same old same old in YA. This debut novel is a new opportunity, a change from everything that’s already out there. Rather than debut being a thing that maybe you shouldn’t know about a book, it’s instead become a means of promoting the book. It’s not a pejorative term; it’s the exact opposite.

I’m a sucker for debut novels personally. I love seeing someone’s first story on the page. I love thinking about what and how that story did and did not succeed, and if it’s been a good reading experience, I look forward to seeing what their sophomore and subsequent efforts will look like. There are authors who I feel I’ve been reading their entire careers, and there’s something exceptionally fun about watching them go from debuts to seasoned authors. To see how their styles have grown, how their ability to weave a story has become more masterful, to see themes and trends that emerge, whether they’re intentional or not (some authors write certain things in all their books even they’re unaware of it — I’ve noticed, for example, an author who always wove hand or finger imagery into her work and another who always seemed to have something with mothers in hers, even if the mother wasn’t the thrust of the story). The label “debut” to me is exciting — that’s part of why I keep track of them each month. It’s a way for me to keep track of these new voices and make note of what I should be picking up.

“Debut” has become a full-force marketing tool, and the ways in which the word has become stretched makes it near meaningless for me anymore when I see it in a catalog description or an author bio. What should mean first novel — the first book that author has ever written — has instead morphed into something more meaningless. “Debut” has been frequently put in front of the words “young adult novel” in recent years, which means that no, the book isn’t actually the author’s first, but it is his or her first novel written for young adults (and whatever that means, too, since “for young adults” is essentially meaningless as well — young adult may be a category of books, but did that author whose book is being marketed as young adult really write for that audience or did that decision get made on another level?).

In some ways, the word feels apologetic when applied like that. We’ve all read the villainization and the apologia for young adult fiction too many times for me to reiterate here.

In other ways, it feels like it’s a too-easy way to garner some buzz for the book. The author’s written other books, but this one, it’s different because it’s a YA book. They’ve done exceptionally well in other areas, so this debut into a new category of fiction is exciting since it’s their first.

The story — what the book is about — can get lost in those conversations. The story is, of course, what most readers care about. Sure, they’ll care about Big Name authors making a YA foray, but that’s double edged: sometimes that YA foray can be met with scoffs by readers who are devoted to a particular author.

Sometimes, an author changes his or her name when writing that debut young adult novel. Perhaps they’ve published prolifically within a genre and now that they have a YA story in mind, they want to build a new brand around it. That’s the case in one “debut young adult novel” that will be out later this year.

Or perhaps they did write a young adult novel but they published it under a pseudonym and now they’re publishing their “debut young adult novel” under their real name. That’s the case in one or two “debut young adult novels” I’ve seen pop up in recent years, too. Do those who have written young adult novels initially who go on to publish an adult novel have their books sold as “debut adult novels?” I’m not sure I’ve seen that. Then again, I’ve seen that sort of move happen less frequently than I have seen adult novelists becoming young adult novelists (by choice or by luck).

In one case this year, I’ve seen a novel marketed as a “young adult debut thriller,” published with the author’s initials as the first name, rather than her full name. This not only redefined what debut meant by including the word “thriller,” but it also served the purpose of looking like an actual debut novel because the author’s name changed. So while she may be trying to build a different brand around a new writing style — one the fans she’s already grown may not necessarily be into (think Nora Roberts / J. D. Robb) — the marketing of the book pulls a sleight of hand, making it look like something that it’s really not.

I’ve been tricked before, and that leaves a sour taste in my mouth. “Debut” to me means one thing, and it means only one thing. But do I maybe care too much about the purity of the word? Then again, I wonder why it’s necessary to use unless there’s a meaning behind it.

For me, the word “debut” doesn’t skew the reading experience unless it’s been qualified. Then I judge it a little tougher. I want to know why it was important enough for that word to be a selling point or a feature, over what other things could have been played up instead. There’s a story to the story, rather than a story of the story.

So why all of the insistence on the word “debut” if it’s being used with a load of qualifiers?  Does the word really move copies of the book? Does the word “debut” offer a certain leeway with readers? What about with reviewers?

What makes “debut” a word with such sex appeal and do readers — those without any interest or knowledge of the bigger book world — even care?

Filed Under: book awards, debut authors, debut novels, Discussion and Resource Guides, professionalism, Uncategorized Tagged With: debut authors

2014 Printz and Morris Predictions at the Half-Way Point

June 26, 2014 |

Every year we like to take a stab at what we imagine could be contenders for the Michael L. Printz award half-way through the year and then again a couple of weeks before the award is announced. What’s been interesting this year is what a few of the blogs we like to follow for Printz-related predictions and discussions have been eerily . . . silent. People get busy, blogs fade away, but even in the general book world, it seems as though discussion of what could be a Printz contender this year is very, very quiet. So coming up with our guesses and reasons behind them will be interesting because we have very little to base those comments upon so far.

In addition to talking about Printz, we’ll talk a bit about the Morris award, too. It’s a great award and one that, unlike the Printz, can be a little looser in terms of what books might qualify since it does take reader appeal into consideration. It also takes into consideration the interest in seeing future works from the author, meaning that the books honored can be imperfect but show immense promise and talent.

Of course, we’d love if you weighed in, too. We’re sticking to books that have been published between January and July 1, since that’s all we’ve had time to read and discuss. We might throw in some books we think could be contenders in the second half of the year based solely on name and prior merit. So let us know what you think of our thoughts and what you’re thinking about at the half-way point in 2014.

Kelly’s Thoughts


The Printz

We haven’t seen a Printz title yet. Or at least, we haven’t seen a big book with Printz written on it yet. Sure, we’ve seen some books that have been strong and garnered a lot of buzz, but I don’t think any of them stands the test just yet. That doesn’t mean they’re bad or that they’re unworthy. It just means nothing has yet screamed this is the one.

That said, here’s a look at what I think will generate some solid discussion both within the committee and within the book community who is invested in talking about the Printz. I did spend a little time with Jen J’s starred review spreadsheet, which helped me think through some of the possibilities.

Without doubt, I think the two books generating the most discussion so far this year are Andrew Smith’s Grasshopper Jungle and E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars. And these discussions aren’t without good reason: both are inventive, and both rise above because they’re written by seasoned authors who’ve earned respect and proven they can both tell a good story and do so with strong, sharp writing.

That said, I think both novels aren’t strong enough. Smith’s novel sort of falls into the camp that Karyn talks about in her discussion of Midwinterblood last year: it’s definitely well-written and there’s a story here and that story makes sense but it’s also a really bizarre story that I wonder if people have found to be exciting because it’s weird and different even if they don’t necessarily get it. I found there to be some deeply problematic aspects of the story in and of itself, primarily that it’s got a lot of issues rendering a single female as a fully-fleshed, worthwhile being in the story (Shann becomes a baby-maker, even when Austin claims he loves her and the adult females in this story are all sad and medical drug-dependent). Is it a neat read? Sure. Is it a Printz? I think it falls apart and I think beyond the issues in story that will pop up, I think some of the construction itself might fail to hold.

E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars is a bit stronger than Smith’s novel, but I think it’s one that will fall apart on subsequent reads. Maybe it’s because I read and watch horror, but the plot itself was predictable to me from the onset. I knew what was going on, and because I knew, I spent the read collecting evidence for my hunch. To me, that read as the story’s strings being too clear in the writing, and while the style itself is different, it feels overly constructed. The craft was very transparent to me, even when I wasn’t looking at it, and I think when the committee sits down to reread, those things will pop out more.

Not relating to the Printz necessarily, but worth mentioning: the marketing on this book continues to drive me nuts because the twist isn’t revolutionary. By playing up the idea the twist is that way, I think that the enjoyment of the book is tied up in whether or not the twist was successfully sprung upon the reader.

After the Smith and Lockhart books, I had to dig into Jen’s spreadsheet to see what books have earned a number of stars. There’s Laurie Halse Anderson’s The Impossible Knife of Memory, but as I mentioned in my review earlier this year, this book suffers a pacing problem in the final act of the book. It certainly deserved the stars it earned, but from the purely literary standpoint from which the Printz discussion comes, it’s not going to pass the test.

So then, Jenny Hubbard’s And We Stay and Susan Kuklin’s Beyond Magenta emerged in the starred reviews as contenders. I read Hubbard’s book and thought it was pretty good. She earned a Morris honor for her debut novel Paper Covers Rock, and without doubt, her book is tightly written and constructed. My personal issues with the book, which rested on the time setting not being clear or necessary (and later clarified to me as being done to avoid social networking complications), may or may not matter to the committee, and I am willing to bet it won’t matter much. This is maybe the strongest title so far this year from the writing and story aspect, and I think it’s one that will be talked about as rising to the top of the YA literary pile this year.

I’ve not read Kuklin’s non-fiction work, but I’ve read a handful of reviews of the title. Between the positive reception in those, as well as the reception it earned in the trade reviews, I think it’s also a strong contender. I want to get my hands on a copy because it wasn’t one I had had in mind to pick up before, but seeing it’s earned so many stars (and so little discussion from what I’ve seen), it looks like a solid possibility.

My last two predictions at this point are Stephanie Kuehn’s Complicit and Nina LaCour’s Everything Leads to You. Both were Morris winners and finalists respectively for their debut novels, and both titles earned starred reviews — Kuehn’s novel is at three as of this writing, but the possibility for it to earn more exists since it just came out. LaCour’s has earned just one, but Printz books aren’t necessarily ones that have garnered a slew of stars (nor even reviews, as White Bicycle proved). I reviewed Complicit last week and where I had issues with how the twist didn’t work in Lockhart’s book, the twist in Kuehn’s was smartly executed and I think that it’ll hold up on subsequent rereads.

As for the LaCour novel, I think the tight writing and compelling story will give this some discussion time, but I do wonder if the fact it’s a romance (or love story?) will hurt its chances a bit. Not that the committee wouldn’t discuss it fairly, but I wonder if the fact it’s less traditionally literary will keep it from reaching the kinds of discussion I think it should. Then again, last year, Eleanor & Park earned an honor, which I’m still surprised/not surprised about.

A couple of other books at this point I think are contenders by virtue of starred reviews include Jillian and Mariko Tamaki’s This One Summer — so far the title with the most starred reviews and the last collaboration the team did, Skim, was certainly a title many thought had Printz potential.

I haven’t yet read Kwame Alexander’s The Crossover, but it’s gathered a handful of starred reviews and while it skews on the younger end of YA, it’s eligible. I’ve also got a feeling that John Corey Whaley’s Noggin will be talked about but I can’t say more because I haven’t read it and haven’t seen a whole lot of talk about it in the blogs I’m reading. I think that’s because it’s still relatively new, not because it’s not a solid read.

And I bet that She is Not Invisible, another Marcus Sedgwick title, will be in the ring as a possibility.

As far as possibilities for titles publishing in the second half of the year, I’ve got Andrew Smith’s second novel this year, 100 Sideways Miles, on my radar (it’s already earned 3 starred reviews), Jandy Nelson’s I’ll Give You The Sun, and A. S. King’s Glory O’Brien and the History of the Future in my mind. All of them have been talked about as solid contenders in the past, and I think that means they’ll earn that sort of attention again. All of those books are ones I definitely plan on keeping an eye on to see where they may fall.

But at this point, I think the most honest assessment of Printz-worthy books is this: there are very few so far. It’s been a less amazing year for YA fiction, and I think we might see some real surprises. I’m keeping my eye to smaller presses at this point to see what’s standing out because I bet we see some White Bicycles not only in the final slate of titles come January, but I have a feeling as discussion among people who love doing mock events and discussing possibilities grows, there will be a lot of surprise possibilities.

That’s what makes this fun, though.

The Morris


I haven’t read as many books this year as I would have liked to, and I definitely have read fewer debut novels than I hoped. I still have half a year to get it together, so I’m kind of thinking in terms of what books have gotten great reviews and might be contenders to build the rest of the year’s to-read list.

In fact, of the titles below, I’ve only read two. I have the Kiely and Cardi titles on my pile to get to sooner. Both earned some stars, and both sound like the kinds of books that would “fit” what the Morris committee looks for. The two titles I have read, Pointe and Far From You, were, without question, two of the strongest novels I’ve read so far this year in terms of writing, construction, and appeal, and I think both books left me really eager to see what Colbert and Sharpe will put out there next. Both were risky in terms of approach — Colbert’s because it tackled so much and did so in a way that was layered, allowing readers to delve into the complexity of Theo’s life and Sharpe’s because of how she wove two timelines together and offered up a main character in Sophie who wasn’t reliable, thus forcing the reader to wonder what of her words were worth believing and which were not worth investing in.

For Cruel Beauty, I think the fact Kimberly loved it, as did a handful of other readers I trust, it’s one worth keeping an eye on for Morris.

At this point, I’m still playing catchup on debuts from the first half of the year and haven’t kept an ear to what’s coming as well as I wish I had. But if I were to make a prediction, I suspect Robin Talley’s Lies We Tell Ourselves is going to have some serious Morris discussion if it’s written even half as well as the premise sounds.





Kimberly’s Thoughts

For my predictions this year, I’m going to throw out three titles that I’ve read, plus speculate on a few that I’ve heard chatter about here and there. As before, I’ll stick to SFF titles, since that’s what interests me when it comes to discussions about award-winners. 


The Printz

All of my Printz picks so far are dark horses. The Printz has been pretty kind to SFF titles the past few years (four out of the five past winners could arguably be called SFF in some way, and last year two of the honors were SFF as well), but I can’t say I’ve read any that scream Printz to me – at least not yet. I think it’s important to distinguish between titles that I loved and titles that are Printz-worthy, since those are two very different things. I’ve read a few books that I loved; I don’t think I’ve read any that will get a Printz nod. Still, here are a few that have a slim shot, maybe.

In the Shadows by Kiersten White and Jim Di Bartolo received very mixed reviews from review journals. Publishers Weekly says Di Bartolo’s illustrations “suffer from a lack of pacing” and White’s text is often “overshadowed by the instant impact of the pictures.” Kirkus gives it a pretty critical review: “Ambitious but a failure both as a whole and in its parts.” Booklist, on the other hand, gave it a starred review, calling it intriguing, enigmatic, enthralling: “The well-written words harmonize perfectly with the lushly executed, haunting images.” I loved it, and I’m putting it up here because when the Printz goes SFF, it tends to go with the stuff that’s weird or experimental (see: Going Bovine, Midwinterblood), and this is both. I think it’s a deliberately challenging read that accomplishes more with its graphic/prose hybrid style than it could have otherwise.

The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski may be even more of a long shot. As a society, we still tend to regard romances as lesser than other kinds of stories, and this is primarily a romance. But Rutkoski uses the romance to address huge, important themes (in addition to how and why we love one another, which is huge and important in itself): slavery, how we treat those we consider “other,” conflicting loyalties, family, love of home. It’s also got fantastic world-building (Rutkoski does this so well she makes it seem easy), great pacing, and smooth, lovely writing. Writing this blurb is making me want to re-read it, it’s that good.

Karen Healey’s While We Run rounds out my short list of contenders. I’m writing about it as a Printz possibility because it does what science fiction does best: reveal truths about ourselves and our world by writing about people and places that couldn’t exist here and now. Healey’s future is believable; it’s a better place and a worse place than the world we live in now. Her characters are multifaceted and easily relatable to today’s teens. Her exploration of a protagonist who has undergone severe trauma in a genre often characterized as “fluff” is incisive and admirable. I’m not sure how much the fact that it’s a sequel would impact the judging, but it’s better than the first volume and a terrific accomplishment in its own right.

A few other SFF titles that I’ve seen discussed a great deal as Printz possibilities include Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith, Noggin by John Corey Whaley, and She is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick. Both Whaley and Sedgwick have won previously, which makes their next books automatic contenders (they’ll be discussed, at least). All three seem pretty weird (and that’s saying something from an SFF fan). I’m not sure I’ll read any of them, but they’re worth knowing about.

Morris

I love the Morris because, as Kelly mentioned, appeal is a factor, and imperfect books – those that are exciting and lovely but flawed – can still win. I always feel like more traditional fantasy and SF have a better chance at the Morris than the Printz. They’re also the ones I’m more excited to read when the winners and honorees are announced. Below are three I’ve read this year that I think may have a shot.

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge is the one I’m really hoping will get some recognition. It’s hugely creative, beautifully written, and takes risks in its storytelling. The central love story is a bit darker than what you normally see, and although this is in large part a re-telling of Beauty and the Beast, that darkness is present in the Beauty as well as the Beast. It also weaves in elements of Greek mythology and other fairy tales while managing to keep the story unique. Its ambition is huge and I’m excited to see what Hodge does next.

Salvage by Alexandra Duncan is a sci fi feminist coming of age tale that masterfully takes the protagonist from sheltered naivete to wiser maturity. In a market crowded with action-heavy SF, Salvage stands out as being more introspective, perhaps a bit slower, but it’s never boring. Duncan’s ambition is vast here, too – she’s created a number of different cultures complete with different slang and speech patterns. Her depiction of Ava as a girl overwhelmed in a world that doesn’t understand her should resonate strongly with teens.

I just started Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis the other day, so I’m not very far into it, but I’m impressed by its originality. It features a teenage boy from our own world who sees through a girl from another world’s eyes whenever his own are closed. Even when he blinks. This has led to a diagnosis of epilepsy. He’s also disabled, having lost his foot in an accident as a young child. The girl whose body he inhabits is mute, her tongue having been cut out as unnecessary for her role as a servant. The concept is imaginative and the way it’s written is clear and interesting. It’s gotten starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus.

Filed Under: book awards, Uncategorized

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