Second Impressions: Mock Printz Edition

One of the things I most appreciate about doing Mock Newberys and Mock Printzs is the chance to go back and re-read books. The first time you read something you have a reaction that you base your opinion on, but I find that when I re-read something I'm less dependent on my mood and whatever else was influencing my reading experience. On the re-read you really see more of the style and quality of the book while also seeing what the author hoped to accomplish much clearer. Having said that I sometimes find I love a book more and I sometimes find a book falls apart because the momentum is gone.

I just finished re-reading two of our Mock Printz books and I think my opinions have shifted some on both of them...and in different directions.

I found You to be even more impressive. The writing really held up and I think I appreciated the story more. The foreshadowing is so incredibly evident, more so when you already know how it ends, but that actually let me see the way the pieces of the story fit together. And they fit together incredibly well. I found the second person narrative less jarring this time around. I found Kyle to be an even sadder person. I still loved the themes of personal responsibility and I still wonder if Zack isn't too much of a evil genius. Spoiler --> that final scene he's practically rubbing his fingers together like Mr. Burns. Spell it out for me Scooby Doo bad guy! But at the same time I liked the interplay between him and Kyle. But! BUT! He took Kyle's job, his girl, and got his locker searched for drugs? Why the triple whammy? Wouldn't one have been enough? Too much I think. <--end of spoilers.

As for Nothing I think I was less impressed. The kids are 13 or 14 ish, but the girl who is writing it sounds far too young. I kept having to remind myself that our narrator isn't 9. It jarred me out of the story more than once. And the way she would use words to illustrate her opinion irritated me. "Dark. Darker. Afraid of the Dark." I didn't find that it added anything to the story except to make our narrator sound even younger. Perhaps that was the point? And if it was, why?

I found the story to hold up on the suspense and the slow building of the most grotesque conclusion in any teen book I've ever read. Which serves to make me very divided on this book. One the one hand I think the story is handled masterfully, the single lines on the end/beginnings of chapters was hands down brilliant. Had the lines been tacked onto the end/beginning of a paragraph they would have lost their power. It was the single line on a blank page that really drove the point home. "She shouldn't have done that." Gah! Seriously Frickin' OMINOUS!

This book is perverse and grotesque and true about human nature in a way that is unflinching and painful. This is not a happy ending (ha!) but it was an ending which, I think, was the point of the story and it was done for more than simple shock value. So thumbs up on that. Thumbs down on the weird narrative quirks.

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Book Source = both Library Copies

2011 Mock Newbery Results

Around 16 people gathered to join in on our 3rd Mock Newbery Discussion. I liked so many of our mock books and didn't have a clear favorite that I think I enjoyed this year's discussion even more than last year's.

Our Winner:
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

Honor Books:
Only One Year by Andrea Cheng
The War to End all Wars by Russell Freedman
The Water Seeker by Kimberly Willis Holt

We ended up picking three honor books because the number of votes they got were so much higher than any of the other books. Poor Night Fairy, it only had one person vote for it (and that was me. ahem.) so when we did our second vote for honor books it was one that got removed. The other books that were removed were Farm, Keeper, and Sit In.

No one seemed too bothered by my major complaint against The War to End all Wars, which was that the author would be talking about Canadians or Australians and then mention British casualties. Which is plain *weird* if you ask me (and maybe a little offensive to people who live in those countries because they have national identities despite being part of a commonwealth). Anyhow, the discussion raised my opinion of the book, strange lumping of commonwealths aside, and in the honor vote I ended up voting for it. In my 3rd place spot, of course. heh.

The most interesting thing to me was that Water Seeker got an honor despite the fact that people seriously questioned whether it was a book for children. I am still pondering that and for the record, that is why I didn't vote for it. Loved the book, but a book about the journey to manhood as told by adult women? Also it was the only one I didn't have time to reread and that probably hurt it in my view only because it wasn't fresh in my mind.

Anyhow, it was a great discussion and I am seriously excited about our Mock Printz in two weeks.

2011 Mock Caldecott Results

Here are the results of the 1st Mock Caldecott. Nice job, committee.

The APL Mock Caldecott winner:

A Sick Day for Amos McGee. By Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead

Two Honor Books:

Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Tree of Kenya. By Donna Jo Napoli, illustrated by Kadie Nelson

Henry in Love. By Peter McCarty

Full list of nominees from the website.

2010 Favorites

So with all my reading for our Mock events, I highly doubt I'll read anything else this year. Another thing is that I read a lot less this year...a lot less. I was way more interested in sewing and I just seemed to have other things going on that took up my time. Regardless, here are my favorite books that were published in 2010. They are not in any particular order and I am probably missing a ton since I didn't keep a list of every book I read this year (Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.).

Picture Books:
A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead, illus. by Erin E. Stead
Oh Daddy by Bob Shea
The Heart and the Bottle by Oliver Jeffers

Children Books:
The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

Teen Books:
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness
Nothing by Janne Teller
Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve
You by Charles Benoit
As Easy As Falling off the Face of the Earth by Lynne Rae Perkins
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride
Star Crossed by Elizabeth C. Bunce
A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner

Adult Books:
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde

I can't help but feel this is missing something... oh well!

I Can Die Now...But Not Before I get to Read it

So when I reviewed Ship Breaker way back when, the last thing I said was that I would love to know more about Tool.

Well, Mr. Bacigalupi must have been listening. From A Chair, A Fireplace, and a Teacozy:

Liz B: What are you working on now? And if it’s not a sequel to SHIP BREAKER, can we hope for a sequel? What if I promise you chocolate for a sequel?

Paolo: LOL. Well, it depends what kind of chocolate we’re talking about. In all seriousness, it’s more of a companion novel rather than a sequel. It’s set in the same world, but Tool is the only character who overlaps, and the thematic focus is very different. The story is set in a place called the Drowned Cities, and focuses on a sister and brother pair who have been orphaned by war. At least, that’s what I think it’s about. We’ll see if it’s still about that when I reach the end.

Looking forward to it!

Only One Year by Andrea Cheng

Reviewed back in June by Alison.

I had to read this one twice before I could really get a feel for it. It is deceptively simple and I think the quality of writing could be easily passed by because it is written so plainly and is so straightforward in its presentation. That would be a shame, because this is a book with incredible depth.

What I thought was so wonderfully done is how the family, the young sisters especially, dealt with the year that their 2 year old brother spent in china with his extended family. At first the girls are almost inconsolable, their hearts are heavy with the loss, but they gradually learn to live without their brother and the pain becomes easier to bear. I really appreciated witnessing the reintegration of their brother back into their family and how that brought new pains.

I appreciated the juxtaposition of cultures between Sharon's family and her best friend Isabelle. Really you should just read Alison's review because it says everything I want to say.

This is an absolutely lovely book.

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For those who are keeping track, I'm reading this for our Mock Newbery.
Other titles in this series:

The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez

Farm by Elisha Cooper
Keeper by Kathy Appelt
The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams Garcia

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Book Source = Library Copy

The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez

I read this title awhile ago and have been really thinking about what I wanted to write about it or whether or not I wanted to post anything at all. I came down on the side of posting really just so that I would have something written down when we meet for our Mock Newbery in a few weeks.

I think part of my problem is that I read this in the midst of the other Mock books and it didn't fare well when I compared it to the other titles. It lacked the conciseness of The Night Fairy, the characterization of One Crazy Summer, and the lyricism and rhythm of Keeper. In short, I didn't find it as polished, nor did I find the writing as distinguished. I will say I enjoyed it and had I read it for another purpose I may have actually enjoyed it more.

One thing I do question is the use of headlines taken from real newspapers. We only get the headline, no excerpt from the article. I wasn't sure what purpose this served or what it lent to the story. I assume the intent was to inform the reader as to what people were saying about Castro and Cuba, but what should the reader get out of a headline that reads, "Castro Denounces U.S., Roars Defiance of OAS." or "Crime to Have Foreign Money in Cuba Now." or "The Red Plot Confirmed." Headlines are created to be dramatic and attention getting, shocking, even (as the one comparing Castro to Hitler was no doubt supposed to be). But they seem to be randomly placed I don't think they added any extra value or historical information. I certainly couldn't see a tie into the ensuing chapter. Honestly, it just seemed to me as though the author had a particular agenda (Castro = bad) and wanted to back it up somehow. I think her story was enough without the headlines.

I enjoyed reading about a program I was not previously aware where Cuban parents had sent their children in the US. It is a part of US history that I was not aware of.

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For those who are keeping track, I'm reading this for our Mock Newbery.
Other titles in this series:

Farm by Elisha Cooper
Keeper by Kathy Appelt
The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams Garcia

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Book Source = Library Copy

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

I've been on a Sarah Waters kick ever since I picked up a couple of her books at a booksale. First I read Fingersmith, which was perfection. Next I picked up The Little Stranger, and although these are set in very different time periods (Victorian England versus Post WWII England) I can see that she has a distinct writing style. She's very descriptive, she keeps us a bit distant from her characters, and she infuses her books with foreboding and a constant creeping sense of dread. Bad things are coming people! BAD THINGS!!!

The Little Stranger introduces us to an upper class family who has fallen on hard times, their estate is literally crumbling down around them. Enter a country doctor who manages to insert himself into their daily life. The book is told from his perspective as he becomes friendly with the family and witnesses their complete disintegration.

From his point of view they are suffering from hysteria or mental illness as one by one they succumb to the belief that there is something evil in the house that wants to hurt them. We are never sure whether or not this is really true. Faraday, the doctor, does not seem to be the most reliable narrator. From the beginning, I really disliked him. It seemed distasteful to me how he insinuated himself into the family, I was never sure whether or not I trusted him. Did he just want to jump into a higher class? Or did he genuinely care for them? He was complex enough that I think either could be true, or both, and the author certainly never clears it up for us. But by the end of the book I was thoroughly disgusted with him and I hoped the house did him in too (spoiler: sadly it did not).

What the author did so well was create atmosphere and tension so thick that the reader is pretty much foaming at the mouth at the end wanting to know what it was. And perhaps wisely, we don't find out. during the last tragedy the character clearly recognizes the guilty party (be it ghost, poltergeist, or live person) but the reader is never privy to who/what it actually is. This frustrated the heck out of me because I WANTED TO KNOW!!!! DESPERATELY!!!

The book is excellent despite this, but note to the author: next time, just tell us. I hoped and hoped it would be the doctor and then all my disgust and animosity would be rewarded because he was the culprit and clearly it was ok to hate him. As it is, now I just have all this anger at him and I'm not sure it is deserved. Very unsettling, Ms. Waters, very unsettling.

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Book Source: Personal Copy

Farm by Elisha Cooper

I think it would be hard for anyone to open this book and not be blown away by the art. It is stunning. Unfortunately, one can't consider the art for the Newbery, which if my suspicions are correct that would be precisely why the committee must have chosen this book. You know, to challenge us and stretch our minds and all that jazz.

It was really hard to read this book and not be distracted by the art. However, I expended much effort in order to do so. I found the language to be soothing and evocative (the dirt pops, the clouds bump across the sky) and I heard the practical nature of a farmer often in sentences like, "weather can't be fixed" and how the animals on the farm are described. No anthropomorphism here.

I found the text to be distinguished. It was methodical, but beautiful nonetheless. We begin with an introduction of a farm's important parts. The sum of those parts make the farm (which is presented with small pictures and then a large spread of the farm. which I am totally ignoring at this point. ahem.). Weather is discussed, the work, the small town living, the change of the seasons and how important they are.

Could this text exist without the support of the art? Probably. Would it be as powerful? Not a chance. For me the text and the imagery are totally complementary and almost inseparable. Well, ok, you could seperate them, but why why why would you ever want to? Those pictures, the watercolor and pencil, they are the perfect balance between dreamy and unfocused and somehow still representative and realistic. They are perfection.

So as much as I love this book, I think it is better suited to a Caldecott than a Newbery.

Visit the Farm on Seven Imp.


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For those who are keeping track, I'm reading this for our Mock Newbery.
Other titles in this series:

Keeper by Kathy Appelt
The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams Garcia

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Book Source = Library Copy

The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz

Alison reviewed this one way on back in March. It must have stayed with her because it ended up on our Mock Newbery discussion list. I think I remember her saying that her eight year old self would have loved it, and that just about sums it up for me (although my 30ish year old self loves it plenty too).

None of the appeal, for me anyway, has to do with Flory being a fairy. Neither my childhood self nor my adult one ever cared for fairies. I was very much an adventure seeker in my books and this one delivers a heroine who is prickly and not all that nice, but who is resourceful and smart and willing to meet challenges more than head on.

Alison also mentioned an economy of language in this book and I think that is a really good way of summing up the writing. It is deceptively simple and is more powerful because of it. It also struck me as one that would be excellent to read aloud. It has a flow that comes from true craftsmanship. And that is really a point I want to make, this book wasn't just written it was crafted.

It will be very interesting discussing this and One Crazy Summer. Both so well written and so incredibly different from each other. Can't wait!

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Book Source = Library Copy