Comments on: What We’ve Been Reading (Not Much)

By: Elizabeth Fama

Elizabeth Fama — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 16:11:18 +0000

I think I know what you mean about translated work. I was noticing cliches in DEPARTURE TIME by Truus Matti (Bachelder Award winner)–I don’t have the book anymore so I can’t give you specific examples–and I found myself wondering whether the translator had introduced them or was faithfully thinking up English equivalents, in order to keep the same tone as the original.

By: Karyn Silverman

Karyn Silverman — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 15:19:45 +0000

I’m not going to go so far as to say I know the rules forward and back, but eligibility is based on the year of first US publication/release. Hence all the imports. The Storyteller is indeed eligible for this year and is on my pile at home; Tiger’s Moon, her first book pubbed here, was wonderful, so I do have high hopes, although translated work is always funny to discuss in the context of the Printz.

By: Elizabeth Fama

Elizabeth Fama — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 13:46:58 +0000

Granted it’s very early in this game, but so far CATCH & RELEASE and CODE NAME VERITY are at the top of my list.

By: Joy Millam

Joy Millam — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 07:14:04 +0000

I loved Code Name Verity– I haven’t enjoyed historical fiction like this in 20 years! I positively despised and did not finish Adam Rapp’s The Children and the Wolves. Vile topic and characters. The author succeeded in creating all too real characters that I absolutely loathed.

By: TeenReader

TeenReader — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 20:10:26 +0000

Hi I’m new to the Printz discussion and love this blog!
I just finished “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” and I felt very… conflicted. I loved the voice and thought some of the comedy was flat-out brilliant, but was anyone else put off by the ending? I thought Andrews wrote himself into a corner by trying to stay emotionally distant, and the last 50 pages seemed all over the place.
I loved “The Fault in Our Stars” with a few reservations, found “The Final Four” to be solid but not fantastic, and thought “Beneath a Meth Moon” was compelling, but the jumpy narrative left out a lot of elements of character and motivations that really would have improved the story.
I plan on reading “The Drowned Cities”, “Code Name Verity”, and “Grave Mercy” next. I’m so behind trying to follow the Newbery as well! Thanks for the great work!

By: Jen B.

Jen B. — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 14:24:21 +0000

If I remember correctly, The Returning (last year’s honor by Hinwood) was previously pubbed in Australia, but made it’s US debut last year and was still eligible. So I would think The Storyteller would also be eligible, but would wait to hear from someone who actually has served on the committee and knows the rules forward and back.

By: Elizabeth Fama

Elizabeth Fama — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 20:27:56 +0000

So Leila Roy flipped over THE STORYTELLER, by Antonia Michaelis. But since I can never be bothered to read the Printz rules, someone has to tell me whether we can consider 2012 translations of books that were published in 2011 overseas.

By: Doret

Doret — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 01:46:18 +0000

The Wicked and the Just was a DNF for me. Two more strong contenders to go along with Code Name Verity are

Froi of the Exiles by Marchetta,
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe bySaenz

By: Emily H.

Emily H. — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 19:07:07 +0000

Code Name Verity is wonderful. I want to give it this year’s Printz and last year’s Printz and next year’s Printz, all together.

“Keeping the Castle” is the next one I really want to read.

I just finished “Radiant Days” and it’s hard for anything to burn as brightly in my imagination as Code Name Verity, but I will be happy if it gets serious awards consideration. The prose is luscious, it evokes both the France of Rimbaud’s time and the art world of the 1970s vividly, and the whole book burns with beauty and hunger.

By: Joy Piedmont

Joy Piedmont — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 17:17:30 +0000

Okay, I think “Code Name Verity” needs to be the next book I read.

It took me a while to warm up to “The Diviners” but now, a few weeks after I read it, I think I took for granted a lot of what makes it a great read. Not sure if it will hold up to closer scrutiny, but it’s still an impressive work.

Kelly- I’m curious to know what you mean when you say that “Safekeeping” reads like a book with potential Newberry consideration. I thought “Safekeeping” read very strongly as YA and a possible Printz contender.

Elizabeth- DO read “Keeping the Castle.” It is delightful!