Nigel Tufnel would find nothing wrong with the fact that this year's Mock Printz book list goes to 11. It's not the usual 10 title list, is it? It's one more. When @JenHydro and I were struggling to compose this year's book list, we needed that little push that Nigel is so cognizant of - when the stakes are high and the rock-n-roll needs to be a little bit louder.
Grab a shark sandwich and feast on this scrumptious serving of 11 from '11:
Welcome to Bordertown - edited by Holly Black and Ellen Kushner
Somehow I missed the original Borderland series during my misspent youth. The only bordertown experience I had was in FloraBama. Thanks to the lovely Miss M, I recently was apprised of all the urban fantasy fiction I missed out on in the late 80s. This new anthology collects short stories (one is in graphic format) and poems from the space that exists between the human world and the elfin realm - a place that welcomes runaways and rebels. I am most eager to read "The Sages of Elsewhere" by Will Shetterly (who I will forever love for introducing me to the magical Florida roadside attraction of Dogland).
When ReadingRants tells you that "if Tender Morsels had a love child with Madapple and My Sweet Audrina was the midwife," you start doing mental calculations on the quickest method for getting your hands on this otherworldly creation. Alas, by the end of the novel, I was echoing Sara Teasdale's lament in "The Kiss." What was the source for my discontent? Was it the hard-to-place setting and time period or the cover photo that kept reminding me of Kelly Taylor? Either way, I really struggled to finish this book. For my part, I lobbied for Imaginary Girls to fill the "ghost/not a ghost?, being your sister's keeper, what did I just read" title on this year's list. In the spirit of emulating the task undertaken by members of the real Printz committee, I promise to reread this supernatural novel before attending the workshop. I have a feeling I will have to defend my indifference to some impassioned readers.
My daughter's godfather works for Laika as does the author of this graphic novel. He tipped me off to this delightful slice of teenage angst. With a heroine who reaches epiphanies (in both researching a crime and realizing what really matters in life) through research in the library, what's not to love? She used a microfilm machine, people!
You are strolling through the ever-shifting YA section at Powell's one day when you spy a new title. "Pick me off the shelf and read me," the book demands. You read the first chapter: street punk scrounging free food from leftovers on hotel room service trays, fake kidnapping, second-person narrative - all in the first 10 pages. You immediately buy the book for your high school library. Because the book has been continuously checked out, you have had to go back and buy your own copy so you can find out how this noirish love story ends. Knowing that the author has won the Boston Globe-Horn Book award for this novel makes you feel this story has earned a spot on this year's list.
What Faustian bargain did the author strike to get such incredible cover art to grace her fabulous fiction forays? I have been a fan of this author since reading The Dust of 100 Dogs and am still kicking myself for not putting Please Ignore Vera Dietz on last year's list. With her latest release, the author once again treats the reader to some heartbreak tempered with a dose of magical realism and enough humor to make it all bearable.
A few years back, I read Dowd's writing for the first time. A Swift Pure Cry showed up on the 2007 Mock Printz list. I dutifully read the novel, was completed transported to the setting and time period of the story, and felt such heartache for the main character Shell. Before Dowd passed away from breast cancer in August 2007, she had the beginnings of a new story - complete with a list of characters and an overall premise for the plot. Sadly, she was not able to write an entire draft of A Monster Calls. Patrick Ness, author of the Chaos Walking trilogy, was commissioned to finish the story. Accompanied by illustrations from Jim Kay, Ness tells the story of a boy devastated by his mother's terminal illness. This one is hard to put down; and, much like the yew tree, comes calling into your thoughts long after you have finished reading the last page.
Yes, this book is close to being 600 pages; however, the length is manageable given that the captivating story is told in verse and covers an historical event that many readers might not know about or remember - the 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots that followed the assassination of Indira Gandhi. Fifteen-year-old Maya and her Sikh father have traveled from Canada to India so they can provide a traditional Hindu burial for Maya's mother, who has committed suicide. Arriving in New Dehli as the riots erupt, Maya becomes separated from her father and must rely on strangers to keep her safe and help in her quest to be reunited with her father.
About all I can say to make you read this book is - throwing down the gauntlet - I loved reading it even more than I loved reading The Hunger Games trilogy. Fightin' words for sure, but I am prepared to verbally defend myself at the MPW.
Okay for Now - Gary D. Schmidt
I was a little reluctant to include this "somewhat-of-a-sequel"/companion novel to The Wednesday Wars (only because I think it will be a strong contender for the Newbery). But, we've had Newbery winners on past years' lists (When You Reach Me took the medal in 2010 and After Tupac and D Foster was an honor book in 2009) and having a title that skews toward the younger end of the Printz age-range always makes the middle school librarians who attend the MPW happy. Covering family dysfunction, the healing power of art, and having a caring adult in your life, this story will require having a tissue handy to wipe away the tears but will also provide laughs and feelings of hope at the end.
Holy polkolbin and sweet maczola cheese, I love this book! Yes, my opinion has been swayed by the fact that the author claims to have been influenced by Southern Gothic writers. Although the setting for this book is a small western Australian town, I could feel the heat, humidity and stifling prejudice of a town in the deep South. Charlie Bucktin's personal library includes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird - all novels with elements that mirror events Charlie is grappling with in his own life.
I don't want to spoil the joy of a reader getting to know Charlie's best friend, Jeffrey Lu. I'll just say that Jeffrey has earned a spot on my Top 5 favorite YA characters list.
My five-month-ahead-of-schedule vote for this year's Printz.
And then we come to the end . . . perhaps.
*bonus points for naming this bridge!The Bridge of Clay - Markus Zusak
I heard about this book when the author visited Portland almost three years ago. I have been eagerly awaiting a new Zusak novel since finishing The Book Thief and feeling outraged that it did not win the 2006 Printz. From all the intelligence I can gather, this book most likely will not be published until 2012. On the off chance that something miraculous occurs in the next 5 months, Jen and I are holding a spot for Mr. Zusak - much like Nigel holds his gum on his finger in case he might need it later.
I heard about this book when the author visited Portland almost three years ago. I have been eagerly awaiting a new Zusak novel since finishing The Book Thief and feeling outraged that it did not win the 2006 Printz. From all the intelligence I can gather, this book most likely will not be published until 2012. On the off chance that something miraculous occurs in the next 5 months, Jen and I are holding a spot for Mr. Zusak - much like Nigel holds his gum on his finger in case he might need it later.
