Time to decide which book we will adorn with a big ol’ hunk of Pyrite. It’s an honor, but it doesn’t work quite as well as a shiny sticker. CC-licensed image by Flickr user rcnevada, via Fotopedia
The time has come (as the Walrus said) to make some hard decisions.
We have 10 titles we’ve voted for already. These are the cream of the crop, the best of the best, the (drumroll) Pyrite* Shortlist!
But only one can wear the (fool’s) gold, and it’s time to decide which one.
A note on process: RealPrintz votes are weighted, so we’ll do just like the RealCommittee and vote (using the comments) for three books each.
(Number them 1, 2, 3 for clarity, and consider carefully the order in which you list your picks. Each first place vote is worth 5 points, second place three and first place 1; the to win a title must have 5 of the 9 first place votes — we’ll adjust to 50% + 1 — and at least 5 points more than the second place vote. Honor books are voted separately, so this vote is just for the winner.)
The RealCommittee vote is blind (paper votes handed in to the Chair), and does not include commentary, but here we can relax a bit. If you want to add a sentence or two to each title about why you’re voting for it, go ahead. And we recommend you vote before you look at anyone else’s responses, to maintain that blind vote as much as possible and avoid the temptation to do math and strategize. That’s what second votes are for, and we will go to a second vote if we don’t get a decisive winner.
Since many are off to Seattle this week (not Sarah or Karyn, sadly, but Sophie is scheduled to be there) and the YMAs are almost here, we’ll close voting Thursday morning, and do an second vote and/or honor vote on Thursday and Friday. (We’ve also got a few more books that we either promised to cover or think are so delicious we want to get a review out, plus a top 5, so we’ll be squeezing all that in this week as well. Those of you who aren’t off to Seattle, we’ll keep you busy until Monday morning comes!)
So go! Vote! And may the best book win.
The Pyrite Shortlist, for those who didn’t memorize it already:
The Drowned Cities, Paolo Bacigalupi
The Diviners, Libba Bray
The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
Seraphina, Rachel Hartman
Ask the Passengers, A.S. King
The Brides of Rollrock Island, Margo Lanagan
Every Day, David Levithan
Bomb, Steve Sheinkin
The Raven Boys, Maggie Stiefvater
Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein
*The Pyrite Printz, or Pyrite, is the Someday My Printz Will Come mock Printz deliberation, and should not in any way be confused with YALSA’s Michael L. Printz Award, often referred to here as the RealPrintz or Printz. Our predictions, conversations, and speculation about potential RealPrintz contenders and winners reflect only our own best guesses and are not affiliated with YALSA or the RealPrintz committee. You probably figured that out on your own, but we like to make it clear!
1: Code Name Verity
2: The Raven Boys
I don’t think it matters that it’s the first in a serious, it’s incredibly well writen, Blue and Noah are masterful, and it’s just really well constructed.
3: Ask the Passengers
Flawed–I do think the passenger vignettes were weak and it drives me nuts that it assumed sexuality as monsexual binary–but beautifully, beautifully written and with fantastically right characterization.
1- The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
2- Bomb, Steve Sheinkin
3- Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein
1) BRIDES OF ROLLROCK ISLAND
2) BOMB
3) ASK THE PASSENGERS
1) Code Name Verity
2) Brides of Rollrock Island
3) Ask the Passengers
1) CODE NAME VERITY
2) BOMB
3) DROWNED CITIES
1. Seraphina
2. Code Name Verity
3. Ask the Passengers
(I’m really conflicted about the order of 1 and 2 but I’m pretty sure of these titles as my top three)
1) Code Name Verity
2) Brides of Rollrock Island
3) The Diviners
1) Code Name Verity
2) Seraphina
3) Brides of Rollrock Island
I didn’t read them all, so I don’t feel right voting, but YAY BOOKS! YAY LIBRARIANS!
That is all.
1. Code Name Verity
2. Seraphina
3. Brides of Rollrock Island
I loved Diviners and Raven Boys but both leave too many loose ends to really stand alone.
1. Code Name Verity
2. Seraphina
3. Ask the Passengers
(But my heart books are Fault in My Stars and Every Day)
(Long time lurker, first time poster)
1. Brides of Rollrock Island
2. Ask the Passengers
3. Bomb
1. Code Name Verity
2. Ask the Passengers
3. Bomb
1. Code Name Verity
2. The Brides of Rollrock Island
3. The Diviners
1. Code Name Verity
2. Seraphina
3. The Brides of Rollrock Island
1. Seraphina
2. The Fault In Our Stars
3. The Diviners
1) Ask the Passengers
2) Code Name Verity
3) Bomb
Wish I had had a chance to vote for In Darkness in the number one spot.
1) Code Name Verity
2) Seraphina
3) Bomb
1. Code Name Verity
2. Seraphina
3. Brides of Rollrock Island
1- Code Name Verity
2- The Drowned Cities
3- Seraphina
1) The Fault in Our Stars
2) Code Name Verity
3) Bomb
Honorable mention ti Eliot Schrefer’s brilliant National Book Award nominated novel Endangered.
I’m hoping Endangered receives a Printz next Monday.
1. Code Name Verity
2. The Fault in Our Stars
3. The Brides of Rollrock Island
1. Ask the Passengers
2. Code Name Verity
3. Seraphina
1. Code Name Verity
2. The Fault in Our Stars
3. Every Day
1. Every Day
2. The Fault in Our Stars
3. Code Name Verity
1. Seraphina
2. Every Day
3. The Raven Boys
1. The fault in our stars
2. Ask the passengers
3. Every day
1. Ask the Passengers
2. Code Name Verity
3. Seraphina
I finally made up my mind!
1. Code Name Verity
2. Ask the Passengers
3. The Raven Boys
1.Code Name Verity
2. Ask the Passengers
3. The Brides of Rollrock Island
1. The Brides of Rollrock Island
2. Bomb
3. Ask the Passengers
1. Code Name Verity
2. Seraphina
3. The Drowned Cities
1. Code Name Verity
2. The Brides of Rollrock Island
3. The Raven Boys
I actually had more trouble with weighing the position of 2 and 3. I think Rollrock Island is far more complex and has more intricacies, but I thought the Raven Boys succeeded more as a whole narrative. However, Raven Boys CANNOT stand alone. There are too many holes that are indicative of being the first in a series.
1) Ask the Passengers
2) Code Name Verity
3) The Fault in Our Stars
1. Brides of Rollrock
2. The Drownded Cities
3. The Raven Boys
OK -so I’m playing a numbers game here and am assuming that CNV will get the votes, so am spreading my vote among the other titles. Just hoping to keep them in the running…
1. Seraphina
2. Code Name Verity
3. Bomb
1. Seraphina
2. The Drowned Cities
3. The Raven Boys
I’m with Barbara – CNV will get plenty of votes. I think The Drowned Cities is being overlooked (or avoided) by many people.
1. Brides of Rollrock Island
2. Seraphina
3. Bomb
1. Ask the Passengers
2. Seraphina
3. The Fault in Our Stars
1. Code Name Verity
2. The Fault in Our Stars (which I would pick in any other year except for the uniqueness of CNV)
3. Seraphina
1. Code Name Verity
2. Ask the Passengers
3. The Diviners
1. Code Name Verity
2. Bomb
3. Ask the Passengers
1. Code Name Verity
2. Brides of Rollrock Island
3. The Raven Boys
1. Seraphina
2. Brides of Rollrock Island
3. Code Name Verity
1. The Brides of Rollrock Island
2. Code Name Verity
3. The Diviners
1. Seraphina
2. The Fault in our Stars
3. Code Name Verity
Oh dear. I’ve been thinking about this for so long, and I’m still painfully torn.
1. Seraphina
2. Code Name Verity
(but ask me in an hour and I might flip flop back again)
3. Brides of Rollrock Island (but only because of the shortlist we have — of those 10, this is my 3rd choice; probably more like #6 with a longer list)
1. Cody Name Verity
2. Seraphina
I can’t choose another from the list…
1. Brides of Rollrock Island
2. Seraphina
3. Bomb
Code Name Verity – although my students disagree
Fault in Our Stars
Ask the Passengers
1. Code Name Verity
2. The Brides of Rollrock Island
3. Seraphina
1. Code Name Verity
2. The Fault in Our Stars
3. Seraphina
1. Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein
2. The Brides of Rollrock Island, Margo Lanagan
3. Bomb, Steve Sheinkin
1. Code Name Verity
2. Seraphina (although I think this will win the Morris)
2. The Raven Boys
I’m excited to be headed to Seattle! I’m an MLIS student and this will be my first ALA conference.
I think there are going to be some pleasant surprises on Monday but here goes:
1. Code Name Verity
2. The Diviners
3. Ask the Passengers.
The pressure! OK. My Pyrite picks are:
1. Seraphina
2. Bomb
3. Brides of Rollrock Island
1. The Fault in Our Stars (it’s gotta win!!!)
2. Code Name Verity
3. The Diviners
1. Ask the Passengers
2. Code Name Verity
3. Seraphina
So jealous of all of you who get to go to Seattle! I will be attempting to build my puppets but really just be listening to the webcast.
1. Code Name Verity
2 . Bomb
3. Seraphina
From that list:
1) Ask the Passengers
2) The Fault in our Stars
No third place
But I think Code Name Verity will at least get an Honor (even though it’s not really my book) so that’ll go as the number 3 on this list.
For the real Printz I also see a few other options not on this list.
1. Code Name Verity
2. The Brides of Rollrock Island
3. The Fault in Our Stars
Oh I hope I’m not too late!
1. The Fault in Our Stars
2. Code Name Verity
3. Ask the Passengers
I still have not read 4 of the nominees, so this is perhaps a very unfair vote, but I wanted a say anyway!
1. Seraphina
2. The Fault in Our Stars
3. Code Name Verity
I actually read all of these which was pretty exciting for me!
1. Drowned Cities
2. Every Day
3. Fault in Our Stars
1. Code Name Verity
2. Railsea
3. The Diviners
1. The Fault in Our Stars
2. Seraphina
3. Code Name Verity
1. The Fault in Our Stars
2. Every Day
3. Code Name Verity
Phew! They’re all sooo good! Such a hard decision.
1. The Fault in our Stars
2. The Raven Boys
3. The Diviners
All these replies! All this data to crunch! If you are replying below this comment, know that we will not get your data in time to declare the winner, but feel free to put your opinion down as a matter of record anyway!
I. Fault in Our Stars
2. Bomb
3. Raven Boys
*Dodger would be my #2 but it isn’t on the list.