Mock Printz 2026 discussion

Happy June everyone! We had a pretty close poll this month, but in the end Cuckoo Song took the lead. This book has received starred reviews from SLJ, Kirkus, PW, and Booklist. What I find interesting is that some classify it as a middle school book, and others as high school. Either way, it's in the age range for Printz (age 12-18), but I'd love to hear your thoughts about which age this book works best for. Also, what is it about this book that makes it notable? Do you think it's Printz-worthy?

So, read this book a couple of months ago and I gave it one star. I rarely give 1s and 2s but I DID NOT enjoy this book. And here's why:
* I consider it to be MG because the main characters are 9 & 11 years old. These little girls were doing a lot for 9 & 11. (view spoiler)[ hiring hit men, walking all over town, running away from home several times. (hide spoiler)].

*There was so much going on in this book. (view spoiler)[ Weird mist, murderous scissors, kidnapping screen people, she only has 7 days, unexplainable leaves, weird hunger, talking dolls. And there was thing with gnomes under a bridge-WHAT! And there was this explanation about gnome land. (hide spoiler)] I just wanted the author to pick a couple of things and go with that.

*I also had a problem with the storytelling. I felt the author did a lot of telling instead of showing.There was always something happening but it read like, this happened, and then they escape their parents, and then they see a bridge, and then they run away, and then they find Violet, and then and then and then... That's literally how this story was told-and then and then and then. I felt like there was no depth to the story telling.

I kept picking this book up because of the good reviews but I only got to page 275. I really really tried. I love weird creepy books but the writing wasn't for me.

*I don't think this is Printz-worthy-are you shocked? LOL I just don't think it was written well.

*I see the dilemma with the age group. The characters are young but the storyline is so convoluted that I don't think a 12 year old can get into it.

*Could someone tell me who the architect was? Thanks

Well, I finished it.

Hardinge has a lovely way with words. Her descriptions are artful. She excels at setting a mood - in this case, fear.

However, she pays much less attention to plot. It took 300 pages (not kidding) for the narrative to straighten itself out and give the reader a reason to care about the characters. Until that point, it was just set piece after set piece of Triss/Not-Triss eating/not eating/upsetting her parents/meeting vaguely creepy people, etc. etc.. Fairly tedious, since little rationale is provided for the characters' actions.

The audience for this book is unclear. British readers will be familiar with the emotional and social turmoil occasioned by World War One, as this book portrays (but does not identify specifically). But the fulcrum of the story is the death/not death of Triss's soldier brother, and Triss and her sister are tangential to that plot point. Young American readers will wonder what the heck is going on (and why they should care). I did wonder if this was a children's book with more appeal to adults.

I made a point of reading this month's selection because an SLJ book critic has always raved about this author. I was disappointed.

Mary HD wrote: "Well, I finished it.

Hardinge has a lovely way with words. Her descriptions are artful. She excels at setting a mood - in this case, fear.

However, she pays much less attention to plot. It took 3..."

My library has this shelved in the Adult section so maybe it wasn't strictly marketed as a YA book?

It is a YA book, imo. Also, brilliant. I'm so glad it's being mentioned in the Mock Printz discussion. Frightening and unique and full of beautiful writing.

Is it okay if I cheat and just paste in a review I wrote a few months back? Interestingly, I thought it might be marketed towards middle grades. And I liked it very much!

Something terrible has happened to Triss. It’s worse than the story her parents tell, that Triss has fallen in the lake and come back with a raging fever. It’s stranger than the bratty behavior of Triss’s little sister, Pen, who seems tortured by Triss’s presence. Triss’s memories of her own life are spotty. And she’s ravenously hungry all the time. When Triss finds herself devouring one of her own dolls, she confronts the truth that she is no longer Triss. As Not-Triss, she finds herself eerie game of cat-and-mouse with a bizarre magical force that seems to be terrorizing her family. Hardinge’s beautiful phrasing intensifies the suspense, as in this description of Not-Triss’s wail: “There was the whickering of bat wings in it, the whistle of November winds, the scream of gulls.” Not-Triss proves to be an endearing Frankenstein as she finds herself caring about willful Pen, the only person who seems to truly love the real Triss. The novel is set just after World War I, when Triss’s older brother was purportedly killed, and Hardinge’s version of England reflects the desperate attempts of a people trying to forget. The combination of horror and wry humor is reminiscent of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline or Jonathan Auxier’s The Night Gardener. Also like these novels, Cuckoo Song is likely to be marketed to middle school readers, while its appeal transcends such a designation. The psychological and historical nuances, along with the sheer horror of Not-Triss’s existence, will mesmerize older readers as well.
(Originally published in BookPage, May 2015)

Great review. I completely agree.