Mock Printz 2026 discussion

Kirkus calls The Silence That Binds Us a complex and timely story. Can it contend for a Printz honor or winner?

I really enjoyed it, but had deja vu for about 90% of the book. The plot is astonishingly similar to something else I've read in the past 2-3 years, but I can't recall that book's title. I loved the character depth.

I liked this book a lot less than I thought I would, mainly down to how slowly it moved after the first few chapters.

Nevertheless, the book works really well in exploring the impact of suicide on family and friends plus the various stages of grief, anger and guilt. It also provides an excellent insight into Chinese culture, customs and food; the history of Chinese immigrants in the US; and the impact of racism,organised crime and stereotypes on the Chinese community.

It may well be that younger readers (and the judges) appreciate high level of detail that goes into organising a protest, especially one at school, in a way that I, as an adult reader, found slow and a bit boring