Merry Wanderer of the Night:
Printz Award

Have you ever read a book that sounds amazing, that seems to have every element that will make it a fantastically amazing read, has a million things you pick up on that you just love, lots of thoughts on life, good writing, good characters, great depth, and gives you so much to talk about but somehow, even with all of that going for it, just doesn't really do it for you? Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi was that book for me.

I'm having such a hard time identifying my thoughts on this one, because I don't really actually have anything bad to say about this one. All that I said above is true. There is a lot of brilliance within these pages. But perhaps therein lies my problem with it. It is, perhaps, too caught up in its own brilliance. There is so much to learn from this book. It tackles so many issues. I started to list all the ones I picked up on, but decided after 14 that it was a bit much for this review. The only thing I can think of that makes me not love this book as much as I logically should is that there is just too much hidden behind the words, perhaps too much that the book is trying to teach us and a few of the sections felt a little less... real because of this.

I hate trying to review a book where I can't actually pinpoint my dissatisfaction. I like being able to spot and say exactly where the book didn't quite work for me, so it makes me a little uncomfortable that I can't do that with this one. I want to be able to clearly iterate why I didn't love the book as much as I'd expected too, as much as many other people have.

Now don't get me wrong. This is a very well done book. I don't normally write down favorite quotes, but this one had me copying down several. And the things you can learn from this book, although plentiful, aren't terribly overbearing, especially on their own.

One of the strongest discussions throughout the book is what it means to be human, and if it's ever alright to treat someone as less than human. There are class differences and racial differences at play here and both sides look down on the others. The really poor, like Nailer, our main character, look down on the rich and wealthy. They look down on the people who pay the small children of the poor to crawl inside rotting and rusting ships hoping for small pieces of scrap they can sell, so they can eat. The rich look down on the poor as the extremely wealthy have been known to do throughout all kinds of history. When Nailer and his friend stumble across one of the wealthy and have the opportunity to become rich or to save this girl's life, everything changes.

Loyalty is also a huge theme in this story and when loyalty can go too far. Morals and ethics are debated, lives are changed and the reader is left with thoughts that should nudge about their brain for days and weeks and months. And right there... I think I just identified why I am not as enthralled as so many others are. And it's that, right there. While reading and directly after I knew that this book was supposed to be one of those books that would resonate and stay with you for a long time, perhaps even changing the way you think and view the world. And for a great many people, it has done that. But for me, it missed the mark. I knew after finishing that while I would remember details of the book, the same way I remember details of most of what I read, it is not a book that would stay with me the way that those books who make my favorites list do. And that was disappointing because I was fully expecting it to.

Anyway, this is still a book that I strongly recommend, that I think is important to read. And perhaps it will surprise me. Perhaps the important parts of the book will come back to me at odd times to settle in and make me think. This is also a book that I fully intend to reread. I have a feeling it's one of those books that is even better on the reread.

And now, for the first time, I'm going to end my review with my favorite quotations from the book. I'm not going to give you any background on where or why they are spoken, (perhaps this will encourage you to read the book...) but they really are lines that will make you think, lines that make you questions and quotes that make you wonder.

"The only reason you think you've got morals is because you don't need the money the way regular people do." pg. 194

"Killing isn't free. It takes something out of you every time you do it. You get their life, they get a piece of your soul. It's always a trade." pg. 174

"Lucky girl used to look at me the same way you're looking at me. And now she doesn't. That's why I'm going with you. No other reason. Got it?" pg. 253

Monsterby Walter Dean Meyers was the first recipient of the Printz Award in 2000. It's the story of a young black kid on trial as an accessory to murder, although he's being tried as a full participant in the crime. 16 year old Steve is confused, scared and alone. The ADA calls him a monster, his court appointed defense lawyer thinks he's guilty, and his own parents aren't really sure who he is any more. Shoot, he's not even sure who he is anymore.

Because he's so confused right now, Steve decides to try and make sense of things the only way he knows how. He decides to turn the entire court and prison proceedings into a screenplay. He was taking a film class in school before being arrested and now uses the knowledge he gained there to try and cope with his situation. Interspersed throughout the screenplay are also journal entries from Steve where we have a chance to hear him talk openly about what he's feeling and struggling with.

I loved the format here. I loved viewing the court and all the proceedings through the lens that Steve puts on himself. The screenplay is not only his way to make sense of and cope with things, on some level, it's also his way of distancing himself from what is happening. This court case is going to completely change his life. If he's convicted, he'll be going to jail for a minimum of 20 years. That's a lot of a 16 year old kid to handle, and there are moments when he just needs to make it take a back seat.

Steve's thoughts are also unclear for most of the book. We are never actually sure if Steve is guilty, because I'm not sure Steve himself really understands if he is guilty or not. As we watch catch glimpses of his memories and are able to see more of how the events unfold, we are able to get a better idea of how Steve got to be in this situation. He wants to fit in with the tough guys in his neighborhood, wants to be tough like them, so he starts spending more time around them and through a series of bad decisions and moments where he let good choices go by, Steve finds himself with all of his time split between prison and court.

It's hard to watch Steve go through this. It's hard to see any young teen who might completely lose their freedom because of a series of bad choices, even though they are generally a good kid. I thought Meyers did an excellent job bringing enough ambiguity to Steve's character that we never really know if he's guilty, we never really know how involved he was, but we are also given enough information about him to know that he isn't a bad person. The scenes with Steve's family are especially painful. How do you talk to your kid when he's facing a murder charge and while you desperately want to believe he's innocent, deep down you aren't really sure?!

This one is a reread for me. I read it for the first time a few years ago and have been wanting to reread it for a while now. And I have to say, it's just as powerful now as it was then. It's not one to be missed.

Yesterday, the winners of the 2012 Newbery (MG) and Printz (YA) Awards were announced, along with the other ALA Award winners (Caldecott (illustrations) Morris (debut), Alex (adult w/ YA crossover appeal) etc).

I apologize for both being a bit absent from the online world lately and not getting this posted yesterday. I had every intention of posting yesterday, but had to be to work before they were even finished announcing the winners. ANYWAY

THE WINNERS!! (With commentary, of course: P)

Newbery Award Winner:

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos: I'll be honest with this, and admit that I'm disappointed. I don't actually know anything about this book, but I've read all four of the Joey Pigza books (book 2, Joey Pigza Loses Control won a Newbery Honor) and I have read his memoir(ish) book, Hole in My Life, which won a Printz Honor and I was not impressed with any of them. I'll read this one, but if I feel for it the way I've felt for his previous novels, it will be my last Gantos no matter what new awards he's won.

Newbery Honors:

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai: This is one that I'm really excited to see. It has come highly recommended to me by Shannon at Books Devoured. It's also historical fiction, about the Vietnam era, which I think is very under mentioned in literature. And, it's a verse novel! I'm a huge fan of verse novels and love anything that gets them more attention! This has been on my TBR for a long time now, but knowing that it's won a Newbery Honor is going to push this to the very top of my TBR!

Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin: I hadn't heard anything about this book prior to the announcement. But now, I've had a chance to look it over, and I'm definitely intrigued! It actually sounds like it could be really amazing!

I'll say that I'm quite surprised that out of three award/honors given., all are historical fiction. That's not something I think I've ever seen before and I find it very interesting. (In a good way, but interesting nonetheless).

Printz Award Winner:

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley: Ginger over at Greads raved about this one a little while ago and her review was just so awesome that I immediately added this to my TBR/close watch list. It sounds absolutely amazing and although I haven't read it, I'm thrilled that it won because from everything I've seen, it's exactly my kind of book.

Printz Honors:

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Holder: This is a book that I was really surprised to see on the Printz list. I haven't read it yet, but it is one that has been on my list to read. But everything I had seen about it made is sound like more of a fun read than anything really serious. But it shall be interesting to read it and see what I actually think of it!

The Returning by Christine Hinwood: This is another book that I knew nothing about prior to the announcement. Looking at Goodreads, it seems to be one of those books that you either REALLY like or you really... DON'T. But... umm... MELINA MARCHETTA BLURBED THIS BOOK. I WANT.

Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey: This makes three books I had never even heard of before the announcements. It looks like it's another Historical Fiction, and the summary sounds intensely amazing. It sounds like there is really a lot of room for that book to just Wow and amaze you. Definitely one I'm going to need to get my hands on as soon as possible.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater: This is the only book on the list that I've actually read before and it is, sadly, not a book I was a fan of. I won't get too detailed, but basically it's 390 pages of absolutely nothing exciting (although some of it is interesting and beautifully described), with about 10 interesting pages scattered throughout the novel and 10 exciting and climactic pages right and the very end. I can, however (almost) see why some people really love this one, and do think Maggie is a talented writer, even if this one wasn't for me (because no amount of pretty writing is enough to make up for nearly 400 pages of extreme nothing.)

So there you have it! The winners of the Newbery & Printz awards as narrated by me!

What do you think?! Any of these books you are excited for/about!? Do you agree/disagree/dislike/like my commentary?! Do you even pay attention to or care at all about the awards? Let me know what you think & how you are feeling!!

AND — Stay tuned for tomorrow, because both Jacinda and I will be posting for the Award Winning Reads Challnege (have YOU signed up?!) and these books DO count!:)