Mock Printz 2026 discussion

Let's Discuss!

http://richiespicks.pbworks.com/A-SIT...

It's so good but so heavy! The character development in this is truly excellent.

I LOVED the tackling of queer life in that time period. I haven't read very many and the characters in the book are spellbinding. I couldn't put it down.

I found this book both magnificent and excruciating. Some books make me feel cracked open and raw, and this was one of them. The characters - both the atrocious ones who were barely human beings and their slaves, whom they deem inhuman - were so well drawn and their actions so awful that I felt a visceral reaction to what I read. I loved the frequent calls for the reader to be patient, the story being peeled apart, layer by layer, slowly revealing itself. Personally expecting this one to be a strong contender. However, I also think it is the sort of crossover book which could just as easily have been an adult novel.

Brittin wrote: "I found this book both magnificent and excruciating. Some books make me feel cracked open and raw, and this was one of them. The characters - both the atrocious ones who were barely human beings an..."
I like your assessment of the book. I'm only about 30% to the audiobook and I feel like this is very borderline a YA book. The book is raw and holds no punches. I would only recommend this to the most mature teens, but also be sure to give it the trigger warnings warranted.

Jessica wrote: "Brittin wrote: "I found this book both magnificent and excruciating. Some books make me feel cracked open and raw, and this was one of them. The characters - both the atrocious ones who were barely..."

Definitely agree on the mature teens only, with trigger warnings. I haven't been able to come up with any teens from our regular patrons that I would be comfortable recommending this to, though I have suggested it to many adults.

Wow so this book is so the real deal, I have no notes. Expertly, thoughtfully written, nuanced and complicated, great springboard for discussion of so many topics including the racism of slavery, intersectional identities, historical complexity, etc etc.

From a marketing perspective, I do sort of wish it was marketed for an adult audience and took an even deeper dive; for YA it seems like it pulls no punches, but I would have liked to see a book of this scope pull even fewer punches as an adult novel. That said, it definitely fills an important gap in YA as far as slavery in fiction is concerned, and what a high quality and worthy contribution it is.

I'll be rooting for this one to get all the honors this awards season, not only because it is well deserved but so that it can reach the wider audience it so much deserves.

I agree with all the above posts: I LOVED this book. Fascinating characters with all their backstory and representation of marginalized groups we don't often see in YA historical fiction--queer characters, Jane (is she on the autism spectrum as well as queer, or just very, very blunt and literal??), Creole vs. non-Creole, a Black plantation owner doing better than his white neighbors, a painter who does portraits to make a living but is interested in new American art movements . . . . And Thisbe tying it all together, named for one of the French royals' dogs, called Dis Be by Lily the cook (this former English major was in her element analyzing THAT). I see this novel getting its share of love during the awards season, and hopefully thus getting picked up in high school curricula where it can be discussed by teens as well as read, because there is so much to talk about!! But, as several of us mentioned, I do not see it as a novel browsing teens will choose, and I've found myself recommending it more to adults than to teens. The cover art, though intricate and as full of symbolism as the book itself, unfortunately also doesn't beckon browsers. Award-winner? Yes, yes, yes!! Teen choice? Maybe not so much.