Top Ten Tuesday: Books I hope to read this summer.
Every summer I read a ton of YA titles trying to figure out if any of them will be Printz Award winners. Along with the other high school librarians in the district we select our favorites and place them on a list that we call the Mock Printz. All of the books have to be YA and published in 2014. Here are ten books that I want to read since the reviews are coming in very positive for them:
1.
Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith...."
Sixteen-year-old Austin Szerba interweaves the story of his Polish legacy with the story of how he and his best friend , Robby, brought about the end of humanity and the rise of an army of unstoppable, six-foot tall praying mantises in small-town Iowa." -Goodreads
2.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart...a modern, suspenseful mystery; all four of the professional reviewers give this book the coveted starred review.
3.
The Story of Owen by E. K. Johnston...Owen is a dragon-slayer in modern day Canada. Fantasy with a twist. It is good to have a few Fantasy and Sci-Fi books on our list.
4.
Complicit by Stephanie Kuehn...trust no one or anything you learn in this psychological thriller . The reviewers love this book.
5.
Going Over by Beth Kephart..."
In the early 1980s Ada and Stefan are young, would-be lovers living on opposite sides of the Berlin Wall--Ada lives with her mother and grandmother and paints graffiti on the Wall, and Stefan lives with his grandmother in the East and dreams of escaping to the West."- Goodreads
6.
Half Bad by Sally Green...one boy's struggle to survive in a secret society of witches. Students who have read this tell me they really liked it. My only concern is that it is the first part of a series and serial books rarely win the Printz.
7.
The Sound of Letting Go by Kehoe..."
For sixteen years, Daisy has been good. A good daughter, helping out with her autistic younger brother uncomplainingly. A good friend, even when her best friend makes her feel like a third wheel. When her parents announce they’re sending her brother to an institution—without consulting her—Daisy’s furious, and decides the best way to be a good sister is to start being bad." -Goodreads
8.
Gandhi: My Life is My Message: a graphic biography by Jason Quinn...we usually have at least one graphic novel and one nonfiction book on our Mock Printz list. This book would fulfill both.
9.
Why We Took the Car by Wolfgang Herndorf...a funny coming-of-age, road trip novel translated from German.
10.
She is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick...Sedwick is an incredible writer. If he writes something it should be considered for the Printz, though I am not sure if he will win two years in a row. "
She Is Not Invisible is an intricate puzzle of a novel that sheds a light on the delicate ties that bind people to each other."
If you know some other YA books that were (or will be) published in 2014 that you think are worthy for consideration to the Mock Printz list of books, please let me know those titles. Thank you. Also if you have read any of the books I've listed please let me know what you thought of them. So far we have over 30 books on our initial list of possible choices and we have to cull that list in half. We need as much help as possible.
Great list! I've just read We Were Liars and She Is Not Invisible and really enjoyed them both! Happy reading this summer :)
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