Mock Printz 2026 discussion

An extra read for July: Challenger Deep! This book keeps receiving many votes in the polls. It has starred reviews from PW, Booklist, SLJ, Kirkus, AND Horn Book! What makes this book so notable? Do you think it will take home the Printz?

This is going to be an interesting read. On page 20 and I'm already asking myself what in THE hell is going on? Lol

So I finished Challenger Deep and I enjoyed it far more than All The Bright Places.

I give it 5 BIG stars.
I think this could be a Printz honoree.

(view spoiler)[ We get to see a different perspective of mental illness. While Finn was bipolar, Caden has some form of schizophrenia. Most of us, as adults, know schizophrenia causes people to be paranoid and hear voices but we really don't know how it affects the brain. Most of us also don't know what happens in a psycho ward. Shusterman explores both of these. We don't get Caden's psychosis through a narrative; we see what's going on in Caden's mind by way of a sea voyage. I'm sure this isn't new but <\spoiler>

Shusterman's character development and writing make this book special. (hide spoiler)]

I just finished this book a few days ago. It took me a while to really get into it and figure out exactly what was going on, but I think that's the point. Shusterman takes two separate story lines and weaves them into one cohesive story. Caden's story provides a glimpse into the mind of someone suffering from mental illness in a straight forward and empathetic manner. His voice, along with the illustrations, really provide an authenticity and sense of accuracy to the story.

I do think this book could be a contender in January.

Like the others, it took me awhile to get into this book, because of the parallel story lines. By the time I neared the end of the book, it was hard to put down. I've read a number of books that deal with mental illness, but aside from "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest," I've never seen as complete or compelling description of a psychiatric ward. This would be best for readers at the older end of the Printz range, because it takes a little life experience to get the most from Challenger Deep. Definitely a contender. If you don't read the author's note at the end, you are missing something.

Wow. The writing is very compelling and once the reader commits to wading through the uncertainty of the various storylines, it is indeed, hard to put down. I absolutely feel this will be a contender for all of the awards for which it is eligible.

This book was incredibly striking, and was often confusing – but the scattered plot, characters, and sense of reality only matched the turmoil of chemicals in Caden’s brain as his schizophrenia worsened and was assuaged by medical treatment. Reading about Caden’s mental struggles and never knowing what, on the page, would turn out to have a real-world parallel that I could see and understand vs. what would just be figments of Caden’s illness was an absolute struggle, and it felt wrong to be upset with my own struggle as a reader when so many are struggling with the same things in real life. That, to me, is the true mark of the success of this book as a piece on schizophrenia, and as a story about an ill teen. The author’s note and information about his son’s progress at the end was exactly the breath of fresh water I needed after reading such a difficult book.

Absolutely should be a contender, I think.

Of the 20+ YA books I've read this summer Challenger Deep is my favorite to win it all. It is amazingly complex yet has so many literary elements that ratchet it up a level compared to the normal YA fare. That said, all the other 6 starred review books (X; Tightrope Walkers; The Churchill Boys) left me wishing for more or lessor something. Not Challenger Deep. I was tremendously satisfied with this book especially at its conclusion.

My review for Challenger Deep:
Meet Caden; he's 15, whip smart, quite the artist, and at the beginning of the story is dealing with an un-diagnosed schizophrenia. There is a place where Caden begins to go in his mind, it's on a ship that's headed to the deepest part of the ocean, alongside a talking parrot and a captain, who are both vying for his loyalties. Dream-like scenes with leanings to the nightmarish. Struggles to stay sane. You not only learn of Caden's paranoia and feel terror mount as he struggles to figure out what is really happening and what is only imagined, but you also feel compassion for this likeable, funny, smart kid too. His parents eventually put him in the hands of Dr. Poirot and he's hospitalized. Enter a handful of other patients at the hospital, a map-reader, a possessive puzzler, a window gazer; all working to tame their demons, find the right cocktail of meds. Figuring out funky brain chemistry isn't easy. Dr. Poirot tells Caden, "Your mind is in a cast now. Think of it that way. It was broken and now is in a cast."
Neal Shusterman's son, Brendan,who's art sketches are added to this book, has had his own experience with mental illness and was diagnosed with a cross between bipolar and schizophrenia. Shusterman writes with empathy, wit, and skill.

I was very impressed by CHALLENGER DEEP. Took me a while to see where it was going - then realized the plot wasn't the point but the portrayal of the characters' brave fight to resolve the tension between "reality" and their delusions was. The inventive descriptions of this arduous internal combat were nothing less than gripping.

But I read this with great melancholy, not hope: at the moment, schizophrenia is treatable, not curable, and sadly, the pull of that vortex will become stronger and faster as the years go on.

A bravura of a book which deserves to be a Printz contender.

Challenger Deep named to National Book Awards Longlist for Young People's Literature yesterday.

Challenger Deep won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. Could this be the first year a book pulls off a double win with the Printz as well?

I really liked Challenger Deep. Although there are other really good possibilities, I wouldn't be unhappy if Challenger took the Printz as well!