Mock Printz 2026 discussion

The runner-up in our June Mock Printz reading poll, which has received three starred reviews so far. What makes this book stand out?

Earlier, I left a very negative comment about this book which was not posted, so I will restate it (more politely). I read The Fifth Wave because of the hype and also I wanted to know whether I should bring it to the end-of-the-year meeting of my 7th/8th grade book discussion group. After reading it, I didn't.

Not a Printz-level book in my opinion. It read like a movie script for a typical action movie. The (potentially) most interesting parts of the story were the successive waves of the alien "invasions", which were barely developed. The plot, the relationships between the characters, and the characters themselves, were predictable. The writing style was bland.

But the action is well paced and the reading level is not challenging, so it will probably be quite a popular book!

(Did it remind anybody else of ENDER'S GAME?)

I thought this book was fun, although for me it didn't live up to all the hype. I can see why this would be really popular but I don't know if it's really award-worthy. I thought there were some truly wonderful characters and fun action sequences but overall something felt lacking (possibly because it's the first in a series). A lot of people are saying it's impossible to put down but I felt it had some pacing issues and sometimes I didn't really feel like picking it up. I mean, I'll definitely continue reading the series and I would recommend this to many readers, but I wouldn't consider it for Printz.

I think I've read stronger this year so far (Maggot Moon, Midwinterblood), but I think there is some Printz quality here. I like the symbolism throughout the book, for example the teddy bear symbolizing childhood innocence and Cassie's gun representing lost innocence. I also think there is some moments of great writing, for example the "stars scrapping against the sky" quote when Cassie is talking about how quiet the world now is.

I do think maybe it does suffer from being a part of a series. It feels like there is so much to be discovered, which I think hurts the plot of this book. And also, things like the owl. What is it? Why is it important? It's on the cover, but still hasn't been explored. This is a weakness to me Printz-wise.

In addition to the clear, concise writing style that manages to get in some very beautiful imagery (the aforementioned "stars scraping against the sky" being the most oft-quoted instance), I found the characters to be beautifully drawn, in particular Cassie, who is fierce and loyal but at the same time has a deep rooted loathing for herself because she could not save her father from being killed or her brother being kidnapped. We also get to see through some nice flashbacks how she went from being your average school girl to being forced to kill just to survive.

Additionlly, the book deals with themes such as redemption and the perseverance of humanity in subtle, profound ways that I found illuminating beyond what most young adult literature even aspires to.