Mock Printz 2010 - pt. 2

On January 16th, I attended my second Mock Printz workshop. Sponsored by the Oregon Young Adult Network (OYAN) and hosted at the Central branch of Multnomah County Library, this workshop was the inspiration and model for the FVRL Mock Printz I started with Jen Studebaker two years ago in Washington.

This year's book list included the following titles:

Wintergirls - Laurie Halse Anderson
Crazy Beautiful - Lauren Baratz-Logsted
tales of the MADMAN Underground: (An Historical Romance 1973) - John Barnes
All the Broken Pieces - Ann Burg
if I stay - Gayle Forman
North of Beautiful - Justina Chen Headley
The Miles Between - Mary E. Pearson
Marcelo in the Real World - Francisco X. Stork
Heroes of the Valley - Jonathan Stroud
The Eternal Smile: Three Stories - Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim

I managed to read all but two of the books on this list. Back in October, I started Crazy Beautiful but got distracted by preparing a presentation for the WLMA Fall Conference and then just never got back to finishing this YA romance. With Heroes of the Valley, distraction was not the problem. Whenever I flip past the title page of a book and see a list of characters, my mental umpire (who resembles John McSherry) yells, "Strike One." If the list of characters is followed by a map of the literary world the reader is about to enter, McSherry lets loose with a "Strike Two." With an 0-2 count, I flipped past the map and started in on a "tale of yore" only to find myself walking back to the dugout with no desire to have another turn at bat.

So, as the workshop began and I faced the group I had been chosen to lead, I confessed to my literary sins of omission. My group members (two teens, one public librarian, and one library school student) were quick to offer their absolution. Newly pardoned, I launched into our small group discussion of the book list. What I found amazing about the group I was with this year was that, for the most part, we all had the same three titles as our Top 3. All five of us chose tales of the MADMAN Underground: (An Historical Romance 1973) as our winner.



We loved that the novel had such a strong story, setting, and voice, as well as, extremely developed characters that resonated with the reader. Wintergirls was our second place finisher. This novel of the horror caused and experienced by two teenage girls suffering from anorexia and bulimia generated a lot of debate over whether the novel provided too much detail on the symptoms of the eating disorders and would be viewed by some as a guidebook on ways to become thin. Ultimately, we felt the book would serve as a reminder for the incredible pressure teenage girls face and the lengths some girls will go to find a way to cope with the despair they feel.

After the final voting took place, Marcelo in the Real World was chosen as the winner with Wintergirls and tales of the MADMAN Underground as 2nd/3rd runners-up/honor books. I was really hoping that the Barnes' book would come out on top (as Karl had replaced Marcelo in my literary heart), but I was fine with Marcelo taking the prize.