Mock Printz 2026 discussion

What 2016 Printz-eligible books are on your radar this year? I'll be keeping an eye on starred reviews and general buzz.

I just checked out AUDACITY by Melanie Crowder which has at least 2 starred reviews and sounds right up my alley (feminist historical novel in verse? Yes please). I'm also on the hold list for ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES by Jennifer Niven which everyone seems to be talking about and has at least 3 starred reviews.

We'll start group reads again in March!

I got to read an ARC of All the Bright Places and I loved it. :)

I'm so excited! I'm looking forward to reading Sedgwick's The Ghosts of Heaven, Laura Rose Wagner's Hold Tight, Don't Let Go, Nick Lake's There Will be Lies, Emery Lord's The Start of Me and You. If you would be willing to share the ARC of All the Bright Places, please email me: alpha.delap@stthomasschool.org

I've heard some really good things about Courtney Summers "All Rage" but I don't know about starred reviews as of yet.

Looking forward to Black Dove, White Raven by Elizabeth Wein. Also want to read All the Bright Places.

Loved The Honest Truth and All the Bright Places.

Has anyone read The Alex Crow yet? I have All the Bright Places on tap for this weekend!

Reading There Will Be Lies...getting pretty weary of the current unreliable narrator trope

I am currently reading All the Bright Places. So far, it's a very thought provoking book. I would highly recommend reading.

loving All the Bright Places...

I've been hearing some good things or hype about the following books:

Mosquitoland by David Arnold
I was Here Gayle Foreman
All the Rage (read it and loved it) by Courtney Summers
The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand
Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio
Bone Gap by Laura Ruby
Denton's Little Deathdate by Lance Rubin
Because You'll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas
Things We Know by Heart by Jessi Kirby (This has been getting lots of love from the Edelweiss readers. I read it and I thought it was your typical love story. Had some great one liners, but it did not blow me away).

My favorite contender for 2016 Printz award is
The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds (released Jan 2015)

Other books I think should be considered:
Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (releases April 28)
The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh (releases May 12)
Conviction by Kelly Loy Gilbert (releases May 19)

Briony wrote: "I've been hearing some good things or hype about the following books:

Mosquitoland by David Arnold
I was Here Gayle Foreman
All the Rage (read it and loved it) by Courtney Summers
The Last Time We..."

I'm a big fan of Gayle Forman, but I found I Was Here to be too much of a message novel.

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby is really good. I suggest that one.

Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman has 4 stars, and sounds like a compelling read. I just pre-ordered for my library, it isn't out until April.

I'm currently reading Denton Little's Deathdate and am really enjoying it so far, but it's got no stars.

I tried reading Denton Little's Death date, but I just didn't feel it.

I'm listening to I Was Here. I don't think its Printz material either.

However, I'm reading Mosquitoland. This one is interesting. I've been calling it a Modern Day Catcher in the Rye.

Dawn wrote: "Bone Gap by Laura Ruby is really good. I suggest that one."

I'm reading it right now, and so far I think it could be an early contender.

Kathy wrote: "Has anyone read The Alex Crow yet? I have All the Bright Places on tap for this weekend!"
I did read Alex Crow and it's very good. The ending was a bit meh for me. I read an early ARC so I hope they did something about that ending. I think it could be a contender

MOSQUITOLAND!

Just finished it. Fabulous and quirky.

Just finished "Hold Tight, Don't Let Go" and it was good for what it was, but not a Printz winner. I don't see a kid (unless they are huge disaster relief fans) picking this up and sticking with it. I wanted to stop reading it so many times

I loved HOLD TIGHT... the whole way through, and didn't ever stop wanting to read it. Thought she did a great job depicting the main character's life. I would have loved this one at 13 or 14.

All The Bright Places, The Red Queen and Ember in the Ashes are my favorites so far in 2015. Just checked out Bone Gap - look forward to reading it.I am a fan of I Was Here by Gayle Forman for a good teen read recommendation but not for the Printz.

I'd love to read Challenger Deep with this group!

Seconding Alex Crow, Challenger Deep, All the Rage, None of the Above.

Really would love to read:
Dime by E.R. Frank
The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma
Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller

I just finished an ARC of "Dime." What a powerful book! The gritty, bleak subject matter will appeal to Urban Lit fans, but the way Frank weaves in Dime's love of literature gives this novel real depth. In acknowledged imitation of the Book Thief's narrator, Dime attempts to tell her story through the eyes of Sex, Money, and then Truth. I thought this narrative interjections were brilliant. This is one of those rare books that is both beautifully composed and will fly off the shelves.

But "appropriate" for what age? (I've read the reviews.)

Mary HD wrote: "But "appropriate" for what age? (I've read the reviews.)"

Dime is fourteen, although the point of book is that she is too young to be experiencing what she is indeed experiencing. It's very clear, although not explicitly graphic, that Dime and the other girls are performing sex acts, that they are "hos." I would recommend it to teens who reading books like "The Coldest Winter Ever," even though (and maybe especially because) the overall tone and outlook of "Dime" is very different. I would think it could be paired with Patricia McCormick's "Sold."

Your caution about "appropriateness" is well-placed. I hate to put age brackets on it, but this would be best received by readers who are less attracted to sordid sex scenes and more interested in the terrible truths portrayed herein. Some maturity recommended!

Diane wrote: "Mary HD wrote: "But "appropriate" for what age? (I've read the reviews.)"

Dime is fourteen, although the point of book is that she is too young to be experiencing what she is indeed experiencing. ..."

Thanks for your thoughtful comments. The reviews on this have been excellent, but the subject matter is problematic. We do have SOLD and Ellen Hopkins' books in our YA collection, so this title will now become one to consider for purchase.

Also would like to put forth The Life and Death of Zebulon Finch, Part 1: At the Edge of Empire. it's phenomenally written.

Eden West by Pete Hautman has the makings of a terrific Printz contender. Though teen readers may find it a little slow, I found this coming-of-age tale sensitive and lyrical.

SLJ's "Someday My Printz Will Come" is back in action, and they posted a long list of contenders:

http://blogs.slj.com/printzblog/2015/...

Thoughts?

I just finished Uprooted by Novik and would be interested to hear what other people think of it!