Second September Meeting

Hi all,

Bit of a delay between the meeting and the posting, but things have been pretty crazy at the library and I’ve only now gotten all the reviews together and sat down to type them all up.

Our second September meeting had a pretty low attendance because school is back in session and the readers are a studious bunch, but the books have been read and reviewed and here’s what we have:

Girls With Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young

Suzanne Young’s “Girls With Sharp Sticks” is a sci-fi novel set in an all-girls school designed to morph teen girls into the ideal wives for men. The main character, Mena, begins to realize that the school is much more twisted than it seems. I like the poems featured in the book, and how accurately it depicts and amplifies how damaging misogyny can be. The writing style was a little dull, which made some parts more difficult to get through, but the plot and theme overall was interesting, and I’d recommend it to those who are interested in the dystopian side of science fiction.

Recommended by J.S.

The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis

The Good Luck Girls was an intriguing fantasy dystopian centered on five girls: Aster, Tansy, Mallow, Violet, and Clementine. They escape from the “welcome house” where they’re living and end up on a quest to find safety after a terrible accident. I loved it so much I read it in less than a day. It hooked me from the start and didn’t let go.

Recommended by N.S.

Hello Girls by Brittany Cavallaro and Emily Henry

Hello Girls was an intriguing read about two girls escaping abusive lifestyles, but I had an issue with the writing style. I can’t remember what it was right off the bat, but something about the way the two girls were written bugged me. I couldn’t even finish the book, because the thought of slogging through to the end drove me crazy. The plot idea was great, the execution, not so much.

Reviewed by N.S.

 

We’ll be back in a couple of weeks with more books read and reviewed. Until then,

 

Happy Reading!

September Meeting 1

Hi All,

School has begun! We’re working on reading potential Printz books between working on school work, homework, and our jobs and these are the ones we’ve reviewed so far.

Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly

• Stepsister is the story of Cinderella’s step sisters. The story starts when Cinderella leaves with Prince Charming. After that moments the stepsisters’ lives turn upside down. They start to change into different people and face many challenges
• One of the stepsisters talks to monkeys and has amazing talent in fighting
• I think it was a great book with a lot of character development and a lot of adventure.

Recommended by Gania

Fever Year by Don Brown

• It is about the killer flu that killed many people in 1918.
• More than 3,000 people died in America in 1918 [from the flu].
• “I think it being a graphic novel helped make the story more interesting because you weren’t just reading a bunch of information” (approximated quote)

Recommended by Gania

Lovely War by Julie Berry

When Aphrodite is caught committing adultery by her husband, she begins telling an intricate tale following four individuals in World War II in hope that the tale will show her husband what she is going through. The novel is written in different perspectives and really captures human nature beautifully. This romance/historical-fiction fusion was a page turner and I highly recommend it for all history fanatics.

Recommended by Shreeya

Unnatural Disasters by Jeff Hirsch

A girl tries to rebuild after DC is bombed and her world falls apart. I found the way the story skips ahead to be a little annoying, but other than that it was an enjoyable read.

Recommended by Caleb

Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett

A story of a black, questioning teen girl with HIV struggling to navigate high school. It focuses on her relationships with her friends and fellow classmates, and attempting to keep her HIV a secret. A liked how well the main character was written and developed, and her story is one that needs to be told. It was an excellent book, I would highly recommend.

Nominated by Jackie

 

We have another meeting coming up this Friday and some more books to review then, so stay tuned.

 

Happy Reading!

Two More Reviews

Hi All,

With the last 3 meetings being only a week apart, it’s been harder to finish books, but we still got two done and here are the reviews!

Slay by Brittney Morris

An intriguing story about a black coder and a murder. Kiera invents a[n online] game, but then someone is murdered. Her game is called racist, then a troll invades [it]. I thought it was really intriguing and would recommend.

–Recommended by Nicole

((For those of you not familiar with internet culture, a ‘troll’ in this context refers to someone on the internet who deliberately causes trouble and tries to ignite arguments and animosity between others. Trolls often cause trouble for the enjoyment of the chaos and anger it brings. A popular internet saying is “Don’t feed the trolls,” meaning that you should not encourage these types of people by paying attention and responding to them.))

The Kingdom by Jess Rothernberg

Jess Rothenberg’s ‘The Kingdom’ takes place ina high tech theme park that features cyborgs. It follows Ana, one of the park’s “hybrids” (cyborgs). One of the park’s employees is missing and Ana is suspected of murder. This book was well-written and I would definitely recommend it.

–Recommended by Anonymous

 

We’ve got another meeting Friday, so hopefully we can crank a few more reviews out then!

 

Happy Reading!

August 2019–Meeting 1

Hello all,

We’ve been reading and reading so here are our reviews!

Stepsister by Jennifer Donelly

Stepsister by Jennifer Donelly is a retelling of Cinderella from the point of view of one of the “ugly” stepsisters. Told through the eyes of the stepsister, Isabelle, and the Greek god Dionysus, the story follows Isabelle after her stepsister Ella became queen. I like this book because it has themes like the meaning of ‘beautiful’ and redemption as well as changing your fate. The only reason I wouldn’t nominate this book would be the ending. However, the rest of the book was well worth reading.

–Recommended by Anonymous

The Things She’s Seen by Ambelin and Ezekiel Kwaymullina

A dead girl helps her father solve crimes and move past his own grief. A surreal yet heartfelt story for mystery lovers and supernaturalists alike.

–Nominated by Caleb

Lovely War by Julie Berry

“Lovely War” by Julie Berry is a romance taking place in World War I as told by Aphrodite. The book starts with Hephaestus catching Aphrodite and Ares in an affair in a golden net. He then puts them on trial and Aphrodite tells two stories of romances she helped to build during the war. I loved the writing style, the dialogue, and the perspective on Aphrodite’s work. This was a beautifully written book and I would highly recommend it, especially to those interested in Greek mythology.

–Nominated by Jackie

Slay by Brittney Morris

“Slay” by Brittney Morris is a story of a teen girl who developed an online video game celebrating black history and culture. She develops this came called Slay to create a safe space for black players, but after a murder over a Slay dispute occurs in the real world, the game is debated all over the media. I liked the character development and how the plot was developed. This was a good read and I would highly recommend it.

–Nominated by Jackie

 

We’ve got one more meeting in August and then school will start again so our reading habits might drop as we are inundated with schoolwork, extracurricular activities, jobs, and balancing our lives this year. We’ll keep at it though, and post again after the second August meeting.

 

Happy Reading!

July 2019 Meetings

Hello again,

The summer seems to be flying by and we’ve got a few more recommendations and nominations of 2019 YA books. We’ve had some really great discussions about what we do and don’t like in books, what characters we like and why, and what pacing we prefer as readers. Here are our reviews:

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mieja

An interesting dystopian society with complex characters.

Recommended by Anonymous

Lovely War by Julie Berry

An interesting and unique story about love in times of war and told through the eyes of Greek gods and goddesses. A long read, but completely worth it.

Recommended by Anonymous

The Transhuman Project by Erin Rhew

A really unique story with memorable and interesting characters that keeps you captivated from beginning to end.

Recommended by Anonymous

The Cerulean by Amy Ewing

A unique fantasy with relatable characters.

Recommended by Anonymous

Genesis Begins Again by Alicia Williams

A heartwarming story about a girl’s hard life.

Recommended by Nicole

Dig by AS King

I loved the funky uniqueness of this book and the way the various plot lines foil and converge in the end. The characters are deep and authentic and the writing is amazing.

Nominated by Anonymous

Fear of Missing Out by Kate McGovern

A wonderfully written, yet sad story of a girl with astrocytoma, AKA brain cancer. Along with her best friend a boyfriend, she goes on a road trip for her last chance to live.

Nominated by Anonymous

Our next meeting is on August 9th and we all took home plenty of reading material to share our thoughts next post. Stay cool, it’s getting hot out there.

Happy Reading!

June Week 1

Hello again friends,

We’ve just finished our exams and are starting up summer jobs, summer internships, summer adventures, and of course, summer books! Below are a few books we read during exams and enjoyed!

 

Wicked Saints by Emily Duncan

A great world with interesting characters and wonderful magic.

Lauren Recommends

 

The Devouring Grey by Christine Lynn Herman

A strong mystery with realistic characters and an interesting monster.

Caleb Recommends

 

Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds

It was alright, the plot was interesting, and there were scenes between the characters that felt raw and real, but other than that, the writing style was dull. It was okay so I put recommend, maybe someone else can read it and see if it’s interesting to someone else?

Anonymous Recommends

(Further review with spoilers below)

 

We have another meeting this Friday and with our members travelling, working, interning, and more, hopefully we’ll have a few reviews for you then.

 

Happy Reading!

 

After this there are spoilers for ‘Opposite of Always, so please stop reading now if you don’t want to spoil the book!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reviews from March 3rd Meeting

Hello Again,

Our past meeting was certainly an interesting one. In addition to several new reads and reviews, some of our members had an intense debate about ‘Four Dead Queens’ by Astrid Scholte. One of the teens who read it was a fan, the other had lots of critiques of the book. Another person took it home at the end of the meeting, so we’ll see what they think! A book that gets people riled up and arguing is always a fun thing to have in a book club and I’m looking forward to future debates about it!

Our Recommendations

In the Neighborhood of True by Susan Kaplan Carlton

“Intriguing and meaningful historical fiction story with a good balance of romance, humor, and teenage fun.” –Shreeya

96 Words for Love by Ava Dash

“An amazingly written coming-of-age story including traveling to another country, falling in love, and finding yourself.” –Nicole

Spectacle by Jodie Lunn Zdrok

“Nathalie Baudin’s life is turned upside down when she begins having visions of a serial killer murdering their victims. This book is wonderfully written and the characters are greatly developed.” –Lauren

Our Nominations

The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan

“A heartwarming and moving story of a Muslim teenager and her journey to stay with the girl she loves despite the conservative wishes of her homophobic parents. This book and its characters are incredibly real and well-written”–Shreeya

The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg

“A wonderful story of two guys navigating the world around them together and helping each other find themselves.” –Jacqulyn

We’re meeting again on March 15th, but because it’s only been a week since our last meeting, there might be a few less reviews in the next post. Less time between meetings means less reading gets done!

Happy Reading!

Mock Printz Winner 2013

After delaying the meeting twice due to weather, the Eva Perry Mock Printz Book Club met for their final decision on what books published in 2012 would be the Mock Printz winners. After much lively discussion, we had our final vote.

The winner is Railsea by China Mieville

Things cited about this books were its fantastic, unique setting, and the gorgeous writing of Mieville.  People also loved how, despite the fact that the setting is archaic and foreign, Mieville puts you right in the middle, so that you are experiencing things as the characters might.  The people in this world don’t know what we know about trains and helicopters, etc.  Mieville also creates new words in the English language, which is what will happen in the future, when this books is set.

We selected two Honor books:  Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein and The Children and the Wolves by Adam Rapp.

For Code Name Verity, the group loved the characters in this book, two very different girls with a strong bond of friendship.  We also liked how the narrator was unreliable, and we didn’t know what the truth was until the very end of the book, and maybe we never will know the full truth about Verity.  The theme was carried through the book in all sorts of ways you didn’t realize.

Children and the Wolves was probably the most controversial book in the club.  The content is horrific.  There isn’t a hero, and whether or not Wiggins is even a sympathetic narrator was up for debate.  The writing was condensed.  At times, there was even discussion of “is there a theme?” and if that matters for a book.  It was hotly debated.  In the end, what we could all agree on, was that this book was unique and we know that Printz is famous for giving edgy books a shot.

What a year.  What were your picks, and are you ready to hear the official winners tomorrow?

Visit with Jasper Fforde, October 2012

Jasper Fforde meets Printz Club (from left to right): Heather, Ellen, Lindsey (me), Danny, and Karen.

Several of our Printz Club members received the opportunity to meet privately with Jasper Fforde before a book signing at Quail Ridge Books and Music on October 22, 2012.  Right before his public speaking event, he met with club members to answer questions about writing, his books, and some of his inspirations.  For this year, Fforde is the author of The Last Dragonslayer, one of the books in consideration for the Mock Printz Award. 

Replication: The Jason Experiment by Jill Williamson

Martyr—otherwise known as Jason 3:3—is one of hundreds of clones kept in a remote facility called Jason Farms. Told that he has been created to save humanity, Martyr has just one wish before he is scheduled to ‘expire’ in less than a month. To see the sky. Abby Goyer may have just moved to Alaska, but she has a feeling something strange is going on at the farm where her father works. But even this smart, confident girl could never have imagined what lies beneath a simple barn. Or what would happen when a mysterious boy shows up at her door, asking about the stars. As the reality of the Jason Experiment comes to light, Martyr is caught between two futures—the one for which he was produced and the one Abby believes God created him to have. Time is running out, and Martyr must decide if a life with Abby is worth leaving everything he’s ever known.

Zonderkidz