When we started listening to Airborn in the car, the little kids were with us and they were confusded. Airship? They didn’t “get it”. I said “think Edge Chronicles but a little more realistic”. By the time TW and I finished today, I’m thinking it was very Edge Chronicles like. Cloud Cats sound like something you’d find in Edge Chronicles book.
It was a fun adventure book. Good girl and boy characters. Nice ending. Good Printz book that kids might actually read.
I’m a little disappointed that I saved A Northern Light for last book (in paper, the real last book for the challenge is on audio, and in the car CD player now.) for my Printz Challenge. It was good, really good, but it didn’t leave me excited or thrilled about Printz the way some of the other really great books might have.
I struggled a bit with the story being told from two different points in time, I’m not sure it was necessary. I also think it’s one of those things that causes teens to throw up their hands and give up on a book. YA authors should not do it unless it just really really must be done. And in this case, I don’t think it needed to be done.
I liked the “word of the day”, I liked the “word of the day duels”, I liked all of the characters and for a brief moment I wanted to live somewhere with a “pickle boat” – then I regained my senses. I also liked the end, not happy – not sad – just “right”.
Good book… should have read it earlier in the challenge.
First Part Last was not the typical black city kids get pregnant story. Yes they’re black and they live in NYC but they’re not into drugs or alcohol, they’re not super poor, they’re smart kids who take classes like “Brit Lit”. And the 16 year old father raises the baby… but it doesn’t happen the way you’d expect.
** gotta close comments, the spammers won this round.**
I didn’t have high hopes for Fat Kid Rules the World. I don’t usually like the “fat kid” makes good kind of story. In fact, I usually hate that kind of story.
This one, I loved. I chuckled my way through it, I stayed up until almost midnight to finish it, and I loved the ending.
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I was nervous about Keesha’s House. It’s a tiny little book – poetry. Ugh. The Printz poetry selections have not been bad but they haven’t been great. This one… great. One of the best Printz Award books.
These are amazing stories and I’d love Frost to write a book featuring each one of them. An entire series about the kids in (and around) Keesha’s House. Or maybe Joe’s story, that would be good too.
I really really liked the characters in Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. I did not want the book to end the way it did.
I wanted them to live in Mrs Cobbs house.
I wanted them to head off to the territories.
I wanted them to start a great baseball team, the way baseball ought to be played.
I wanted them to hang out with some more whales, but not THAT way.
I wanted a lot of things to happen in this book – but most of those didn’t happen. Still… great book. Probably greater because those things didn’t happen.
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When I created the Printz Challenge, I paid absolutely ZERO attention to which books I’d be reading. When I add them to my library reserve list, I don’t look at the listing in the card catalog at all. So when they arrive, I’m often a wee bit surprised by what I’m holding in my hand.
A Wreath for Emmett Till was one of those surprising “what the heck is this” moments. It’s a tiny little book, it looks more like a kids book than a YA. But then you open it and you realize – ah it’s a poetry. Sonnets. Written in Petrarchan Rhyme. With a lot of big words YA kids will not know. Tough read. Interesting though. Also led to TW giving me MORE instructions for her funeral.
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I didn’t have very high hopes for I Am the Messenger but it turned out to be one of the more interesting YA books I’ve read in a good long while.
Interesting because it was different. No vampires. Not really one of those typical high school “problem” books, though there were plenty of “problems” to go around.
Really interesting storyline. Over on Amazon, a review or a description or something says “unpretentious” – good description. I like that in a YA book. So many of them are very pretentious…
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On Tuesday, Prince J said several times — “No more short stories, YAY!” or ” Thank goodness we are finished with short stories!” The boy is not a fan of short stories and I can understand that. Some short stories for kids and teens really really stink. But, some are fantastic.
That sums up how I felt about Black Juice. I loved some of the stories, others I wanted to just sleep through.
The elephants – loved.
Wooden bride – loved.
Yowlinins – loved.
The tar pits – fascinated but not sure I loved it. I’d like to read the book, she should write the short story into a book.
Chanda’s Secrets started off depressing and pretty much stayed that way through the entire book. Is it even possible to write a non-depressing book about kids and the AIDS problem? Probably not.
It was a good book. Worthy of the Printz. It ended well. And, I might want to read the sequel someday. Maybe.