Mock Printz 2026 discussion

We had another landslide winner in our April Reads poll: Bone Gap by Laura Ruby. This book received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, and PW. What did you think of it? Does it have the literary qualities that make a Printz?

I absolutely loved this book. It's extremely weird and a little creepy. It's also very metaphorical.

On the surface, it's in-your-face feminism but under the surface there's a lot of symbolism and that's all I'll say b/c I don't want to spoil it for anyone.

It's a thinker so I'd advise note taking.

I struggled with the magical realism since this is my first foray into this genre but if you keep in mind that it's contemporary mixed with fantasy, it will be much more enjoyable.

I think it has a lot of Printz potential because of the message and the writing.

There's nothing straightforward in this beautifully written novel. It's a dark fairy tale of sorts, with characters alternately tethered together and ripped apart. Bone Gap is a fragile, uneasy place, surrounding by whispering corn that recalls the malevolence in "Children of the Corn." The details of Roza's life and captivity are truly chilling. But the unexpected way Ruby pulled it all together is what really convinced me that this one could be a Printz contender. Complex and haunting.

Wow - how crazy and awesome was this book. I didn't know what to make of it at first and finally at the end I thought the book challenged my mind and bent my reality to the point of breaking. I love Finn and I love Petey ... love Roza and love Sean. You really could go anywhere with this book as far as the "gaps" within the city and the worlds where Roza was taken to. Towers, gardens, and fields of the dead... amazing - truly amazing.

My favorite, but the year is young. Magical Realism is not my favorite, but I couldn't stop reading. The characters are gritty and come with baggage. Finn is someone for whom you want to cheer! The writing is wonderful. "And since none of this could be real, Finn closed his eyes and held on to Petey and wondered if she could feel his heart beating against her back, if she noticed his arms wrapped around he waist, if the moon had etched itself upon her otherworldly eyes, if the moon could ever be full enough to fill them,

I have no idea what happened in this book; therefore, it will probably win.

Jennifer wrote: "I have no idea what happened in this book; therefore, it will probably win."

It took discussions with friends and rereading certain chapters (particularly Charlie's chapter) and tweeting the author before I fully understood. You should have seen all the notes in my book. You are not alone.

I just finished this book and LOVED it. WOW! I got to page 100ish this morning and realized that it was going to have to be a reading day--that I was not going to be able to do anything else until I finished. Such an amazing read and so much to continue to think about. Dawn, I'd love to know what insights you have after rereading and tweeting with the author.

Franki wrote: "I just finished this book and LOVED it. WOW! I got to page 100ish this morning and realized that it was going to have to be a reading day--that I was not going to be able to do anything else until ..."
I'll put it under spoilers because I don't want to ruin it for anyone. (view spoiler)[ I had a feeling it was based on Persephone and Hades but I wasn't sure. His dog's name was similar to Hades and Finn crossed water to get thru the gap. I was stuck on Charlie because the book never says who he was. I though he was a Poseidon and I didn't think he would be Zeus but Ruby confirmed that Charlie was indeed Zeus. She also confirmed that the grandmother was Demeter and that Petey and Finn were based on Cupid and Psyche. I had some theories on the significance of the bees-something to do with the underworld but I didn't ask Ruby about that. (hide spoiler)]

Thank you, Dawn. I wouldn't have caught any of that! What a clever idea to just ask the author.

WOW! I made NO connection to the Greek mythology until JUST NOW reading this thread... but now it makes a lot of sense!

Despite having no clue, I really enjoyed this novel. It had a lot to say about gender identity, how our self-image is related to our sense of self-worth, and the place of beauty in society - especially for females. I'm a sucker for magical realism as well, plus the whole thing was just so well-written. So yeah, Bone Gap pretty much fired on all cylinders for me.

Passages I marked... (there are actually quite a few more, but I will leave you to find those! :)
"In despair, he left that farm and came to Bone Gap when it was a huge expanse of empty fields, drawn here by the grass and the bees and the strange sensation that this was a magical place, that the bones of the world were little looser here, double-jointed, twisting back on themselves, leaving spaces one could slip into and hide."
***
"He was sorry that Bone Gap seemed to be cursed somehow, big losses salted with tiny tragedies almost too insulting to bear."
***
"No, she looks really mad. Did I break the moped?”

“I don’t think she’s worried about the moped. People sometimes get mad when someone they care about throws himself in front of a charging thousand-pound animal wearing steel shoes.”

“Sorry,” he said, though he wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for. “Is she okay?” And he wasn’t sure if he was asking after the horse or the girl.


If I was on the Printz committee - this would be a contender.

Meghanly wrote: "WOW! I made NO connection to the Greek mythology until JUST NOW reading this thread... but now it makes a lot of sense!

Despite having no clue, I really enjoyed this novel. It had a lot to say abo..."

I agree!

All of a sudden it makes sense ... I already liked the book, but wow! Yes, I see it all now!

It took me longer than I thought it would to finish this book... I love mysteries and magical realism... but the amount of thinking in the book really had me going through it more slowly than anticipated.

I really liked a lot of elements in this book. I'm not sure they all worked for me -- if it was just a weird reading place I'm in, where the book didn't speak to me as much as it would have were I in another reading place... I'm not sure. I loved it, I'm just not sure I would put a medal on it. But as some of you have already said -- the year is still young.

The MOST basic premise, though - a kidnapping where the only witness is face-blind.... ohhhh, so wonderful.

An immersive read that is sure to be a Printz contender.

Ruby has created main and supporting characters who are compelling from their introduction. She has a fine hand with description, using tactile and auditory details to fashion a distinctive world. But this precisely wrought setting is overlaid with a scrim of magical realism that delays the reader’s understanding of Bone Gap and its inhabitants, adding an enigmatic edge to the narrative that masterfully builds suspense.

An altogether memorable novel. I loved it.

(Days after finishing the book, I am still thinking about Finn, Sean, Roza, Petey, Charlie and the rest - with a lump in my throat. They will be with me for a while.)

I loved this book, and reading the spoiler that Dawn posted makes me love it even more. I think magical realism/realistic fantasy is a hard combination to get right, and I think Ruby does. The characters each have a bit of magic about them, while also being realistic enough to be plausible. I think this book would be worthy of a second read, so much more to get out of it.

I'm hoping this shows up somewhere on the Printz list, too. Magical realism is just getting better and better in YA lit, and this proves it! So many passages to highlight and parts you want to discuss.

And a shout out to the author for setting it in Bone Gap, Illinois, 15 minutes from where I used to live! YAY for settings that aren't urban!

Finished listening to this on a plane ride yesterday and came back to this thread (which I'd been avoiding till now) only to find that the major insight posted as a designated spoiler had been removed. I'm still processing this novel and would so love to read what was posted. Please?

Linda wrote: "Finished listening to this on a plane ride yesterday and came back to this thread (which I'd been avoiding till now) only to find that the major insight posted as a designated spoiler had been remo..."
I'm still seeing it--Click on View Spoiler on Message 9 of this discussion.

Linda wrote: "Finished listening to this on a plane ride yesterday and came back to this thread (which I'd been avoiding till now) only to find that the major insight posted as a designated spoiler had been remo..."
I listened to the audio of this book as well. The kidnapper's voice gave me chills every time he spoke! I would definitely recommend the audio version to anyone who enjoyed reading this book!

Thanks Sarah. I couldn't see this when I viewed it on my phone, but I'm on a desktop now and am able to click on the "view spoiler" link.

I so loved this book. The people I followed on Twitter told me about this book. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I normally just read Middle Grade books, but made an exception because so many people were raving about this one. I loved the setting--a small town in the country--where everyone knows everyone--my dream place. I loved the characters--Sean, Petey, Roza, but especially Finn. I liked the love aspect of the story. I liked the mystery of Roza--really I liked how the author put everything together--Finn's condition, the creepy mysterious "professor" kidnapping man; how people were fascinated with looks, but in the end, Finn and Roza weren't. The author wrote such a great story. Yes, it is a Printz contender. Now, I have a lot more reading to do. I have just bought Mosquitoland and All the Bright Places to read also.

I loved everthing about this book - the magic element, the writing, the characterization and the setting. I am very familiar with the corn fields of Illinois.

I loved this one, also!

Finally got this from my library and devoured it over the weekend! I agree that the setting, style, magical elements, and the fabulous writing set it apart. Front runner for sure!

I didn't read this book in April, but I absolutely agree- it's a front runner! The magical realism is another genre type that my more critical readers in sixth grade will love. So, now I'll have to contact my 2-3 best readers from my sixth grade class and figure out how to get this book to one of them.
Yes, it's my summer break from school- but I'll drive to a students house to share, because I can't wait till August.

FINALLY read this one. Echoing all your statements that this is definitely a strong contender. Such beautiful writing and so thought-provoking! Would be interesting to see how this feels as a re-read- my guess is it only gets better each time.

I devoured this book! There are so many rich layers -- the seemingly straightforward story of loss and betrayal, the delicious mythology of the Scare Crow, the interesting tidbits on bees and facial blindness, and more than I can articulate after powering through the book this afternoon. I can't quite think of anything to compare it to, and I think that this uniqueness lends itself to some potential medalage.

I think our teen readers are really going to enjoy this book. I didn't recognize the Greek Mythology now want to reread it and look for it. I think this one has a real chance of making it onto the stage.

I just finished this book and I LOVED it just as a lot of you on here have! It was a very enjoyable read and I'm looking for more books like it.

I'm not too certain what types of books the Printz committee looks for but I hope that this is one of them!

BONE GAP named to the National Book Awards Longlist for Young People's Literature yesterday.

I'm torn about this book, although I think it's likely (and deservedly) an award contender.

Strengths I saw: Very interesting and relatable characters; many surprises; page-turning plot; strongly realized small-town setting; fascinating unfolding of protagonist Finn; slightly hallucinatory; intelligent and novel exploration of big themes (how we see, who we see, what is beautiful, the objectification of women at many levels, etc); echoes of mythology. Face-blindness part amazing.

Things that gave me pause: Seemed like it couldn't quite decide if it was a book of magical realism or metaphorical realism and waffled a bit vaguely between the two. I thought the magical (metaphorical?) part was fuzzy and didn't feel rooted in a clear internal logic. Also, it bothered me that Roza's solution to her problem seemed to respond from within the paradigm of the very system of oppression her whole story was fighting, instead of transcending that system and being a solution on her own terms.

Despite these characteristics I think this is a strong, distinctive, and thoughtful book.

Now I'll read Dawn's notes from her conversation with the author!