Oh Hey, It’s November

Hi all,

It has been a whirlwind of September/October/November and now it’s nearly Thanksgiving and we haven’t posted our reviews for some time! Thanks for waiting, but here’s what we’ve read these past few months.

Nominations

Orpheus Girl by Brynne Rebele-Henry

This story is about two girls who are lesbians in a very conservative and homophobic town. when they are caught, they are sent to a conversion camp. Our main character Raya resolves to take her[self] and her best friend and escape the camp.

–Sarah Nominates

 

Orpheus Girl by Brynne Rebele-Henry

Brynne Rebele-Henry paints a harsh picture of the reality of life in a conservative Texas town. Raya, the main character, is sent to a conversion camp after she is caught kissing her best friend Sarah. The book reveals the cruel realities of life in these kinds of places, telling a story that needs to be told.

–Nicole Nominates

 

Dig by A.S. King

An intricate mystery about deep roots that connect a strange yet relatable cast of characters. The book expertly weaves paranormality with a cryptic visualization of the mind while explaining the very real problems of the physical world. The author easily gives each member of the ensemble cast a distinct voice to keep the story fresh while also connecting the characters with common themes to keep the reader curious. Dig was a wonderful journey through the tunnels of the mind that I would be happy to nominate.

–Caleb Nominates

 

Recommendations

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig

This fairy-tale retelling of Twelve Dancing Princesses captured my attention quickly. The magical elements were not worked in very well, but otherwise the story was intriguing and fun.

–Nicole Recommends

Butterfly Yellow by Thanhha Lai

It is about a girl who is finding her lost brother. Plot twist when she realizes that her brother is right in front of her [a] completely different person. I think it was a good book, it was funny at some points. It should be recommended because it was overall a good book with a great plot.

–Gania Recommends

 

Impossible Music by Sean Williams

A guy becomes deaf and can’t hear anything, especially music. He loves to play music and once he becomes deaf, his whole life turns upside down. He starts to lose meaning in life until a girl helps him find himself again. I liked the plot and the detailed descriptions. Also, I like how they use sign language in the book. In all, I recommend this book, because it’s a great book but not Newbery [Printz]-worthy.

–Gania Recommends

 

Black Enough Edited by Ibi Zoboi

Black Enough is an excellent anthology featuring multiple different black kids living their lives. I really enjoyed all the stories and would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of anthologies.

–Nicole Recommends

 

The Disasters by M.K. England

The Disasters tells an excellent, twist-rich tale about four rejects from a space academy teaming up to solve a crime–while being framed for said crime. It is a fun wild ride of a read. I enjoyed it very much and definitely intend to read more of M.K.’s books.

–Nicole Recommends

 

Final Nomination List

So our last meeting is this upcoming Friday and I have assembled a list of all the books that have been nominated for the Printz by our Mock-Printz club. The list is in alphabetical order by title, and the place in line in no way indicates the standing or number of nominations that a book has.

1. Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Sacanna Ganucheau
2. The Cold is in Her Bones by Perernelle Arsdale
3. Dig by A.S. King
4. Fear of Missing Out by Kate McGovern
5. Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett
6. The Hummingbird Dagger by Cindy Anstey
7. The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan
8. The Lovely War by Julie Berry
9. The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg
10. Orpheus Girl by Brynne Rebele-Henry
11. Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson
12. Slay by Brittany Morris
13. The Things She’s Seen by Ambelin Kwaymullina and Ezekiel Kwaymullina
14. The Trans-Human Project by Erin Rhew
15. Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arc by David Elliot
16. You Owe Me a Murder by Eileen Cook

 

May the best book win!

 

 

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!