Comments on: The Miseducation of Cameron Post

By: ALA Midwinter: SLJ Resources on the Youth Media Award Winners | School Library Journal

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 16:48:32 +0000

[...] The Miseducation of Cameron Post By emily m. danforth Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins Someday My Printz Will Come [...]

By: TeenReader

TeenReader — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 23:45:12 +0000

I LOVED this book, but I think that my reactions was so personal that it’s hard to separate that from its Printz-liness. That being said, I never was bothered by the pacing until the end. I enjoyed the slow burn, but that quick, abrupt ending was an odd fit. The writing was beautiful, however, and I would definitely like to see it get recognized.

By: Hannahlily

Hannahlily — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 14:59:25 +0000

I just can’t finish this novel! The writing is gorgeous, but that pacing is killing me. I’ve been reading it since May and can’t get more than a few pages read at a time. I refuse to give up, though, because I have heard utterly sensational things.

By: Liz B

Liz B — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 13:51:53 +0000

Oh, now the type of rule stuff I truly like digging into. If a version of CAMERON POST was done, how much changes would have had to be made for this to be considered “new”? Is a published dissertation for purposes of completing coursework the same as publishing something for commercial sales? As we see “fanfic to published work” deals being made, this area becomes broader — if it’s first an online pubbed fanfic, does that count as first pub for purposes of say Printz and Morris? (I think the issue came up with FAIRYLAND and the Newbery last year, at least in blog discussions).

By: Blythe

Blythe — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 19:53:54 +0000

Just a note about the setting: I recently heard the author read and there were many in attendance who are residents of Miles City, the town where fictional Cam lived. They had nothing but praise for the setting.
emily danforth calls this her “coming of age novel,” which makes sense. A lot of YA novels are coming of age novels, but not all coming of age novels are YA. The decision to pub. as YA wasn’t the author’s. She doesn’t disagree with the marketing decision. In some ways, this just emphasizes the blurry boundaries of YA.

By: Karyn Silverman

Karyn Silverman — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 02:13:44 +0000

@J Curry: I had no idea! That might affect eligibility. I’ll see if it’s possible to get any info on that possibility, but if this is not the “first US publication,” which I believe is the language, then presumably it’s out of the running. If only I’d known that before reading all the many hundreds of pages. Do you have a citation for the 2011 publication?

By: J Curry

J Curry — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 20:42:43 +0000

I have another question about eligibility. Since this was originally published as a doctoral dissertation by the University of Nebraska in 2011, would it still be considered eligible for Printz?

By: Jane

Jane — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 16:28:25 +0000

I agree about the strong sense of place… I grew up in the Midwest in the 90s and there were so many details in this book that I remembered it seemed like it was written just for me. As far as the time in which the book was set–it seems to me like a story that could only seem really authentic in the 90s? With the details from what Lindsay was experiencing compared to Cameron’s experience, and the inclusion of Camp Promise… I just think it wouldn’t work out so well as something set in modern time or any further in the past.
And as much as I loved the setting and all of the details that were just perfect, the structure bothered me, and even confused me from time to time too.

By: Karyn Silverman

Karyn Silverman — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 10:13:09 +0000

@Christopher, so agree about the adult aspect, but it’s not technically a Printz disqualification. I do wonder about teen appeal, even though it’s really outside our scope. Anyone have reader feedback?

By: Christopher

Christopher — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 22:49:40 +0000

I’m glad I’m not the only one with mixed feelings about this particular title. While it does have quality writing throughout, the pacing was a real problem for me. Plus, this book seemed like an adult book published as YA.