Printz Awards

The Poet X won the Printz.  I have not  yet read the book - it literally arrived on the hold shelf for me on Monday as the awards were being announced, and it is the only book on my desk right now.  I just finished writing my Book Talk for the Darkest Star, and this will be the next book that I read.  I am really looking forward to the book!

The Honor Books -
Damsel - Elana K. Arnold
I, Claudia - Mary McCoy
A Heart and Body in the World - Deb Calletti

I did read Damsel, by Elana Arnold.  In looking back through my posts, I realize that I didn't write a book talk for Damsel.  It is an interesting take on a fairy tale with a feminist twist and very unexpected ending.


I was really rooting for Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyumi.  I have described this book to friends as a modern day Lord of the Rings, based in Africa.  The world building in that book is phenomenal.  The research Adeyumi put into West African Folk Tales in order to write her story is evident throughout her book.  It is a masterpiece of Young Adult Literature.  Children of Blood and Bone was named a finalist for the Morris Award - which honors a book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult literature.  (http://www.ala.org/yalsa/morris-award, 1/30/2019)  

Her next book, Children of Virtue and Vengeance, is due to be released on June 4 of this year. 

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and spend a little time with me!  Have you read any of the Printz Award Winners yet?  What did you think of them?

Image Source: https://www.worldcat.org/

The Darkest Star

Armentrout, Jennifer L.  The Darkest Star.  2018.  Tor, a division of McMillan Publishing.

Life as a teenager in Columbia, Maryland in a post invasion world is very different than life before the invasion.  While Eve doesn't remember everything about her life before the Luxen Invasion, she figures that is normal - as the invasion itself redefined life on earth for humans and Luxen alike. 

In the post invasion world, Evie attends school with Luxen children and an uneasy truce exists between the two races.  There are restrictions placed upon the Luxen.  They must register with the authorities.  They must also wear Disablers - bracelets that contain the other worldly abilities of the Luxen that allow them to destroy human life with the flick of a wrist. 

Evie's world turns upside down when she forays into Foretoken: a club where Luxen and Humans freely mingle.  She is called over to meet Luc, who questions her fake ID, as well as her right to be in the club when suddenly the club is raided and Federal Agents enter, searching for unregistered Luxen and underage drinkers. 

As Luc and Evie run away from the chaos, her world is forever turned upside down. 

Luc appears at her house.  Not only does Luc appear to know her mother, he tells her that "All deals

are off" as he hands her mother the fake ID.

Friends disappear and are found brutally murdered - and the manner of death points towards a Luxen.

All the while, Evie continues to be pulled into the orbit of the mysterious Luc.  While he claims not to be a Luxen, it is obvious that he is something different - and so much more dangerous than Evie could ever have imagined. 

Will Evie manage to unravel the mystery that surrounds both Luc and her past in time to save herself and those she loves?
Author Web Site:  https://jenniferlarmentrout.com/

Image Source: http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1061316758

Children's Literary Awards

The Printz is coming!  The Printz is coming!

The American Library Association will be announcing the Winner of the Printz award on Monday, Jan. 28 at 8 am Pacific Time.

If you're so inclined, you can watch the live feed of the announcement here: http://ala.unikron.com/.

For my own part, I wanted to speculate on this year's contenders.  From the books I've read and Book Talked on here, my personal favorites are:

Children of Blood and Bone
Author:  Tomi Adeyemi

This high fantasy tale, set in Africa relates the story of Zelie and Tzain - both descended from powerful Maji.  The King has forbidden the use of Magic in his country and has hunted down and killed the magic users throughout the country.  There is one chance - one - to restore magic to the kingdom or see it lost forever.  Zelie sets out to seek that one opportunity to restore balance to the world.  But will she be able to complete her journey before the opportunity is lost forever?

The Cruel Prince
Author: Holly Black
Jude is a young girl unexpectedly swept into a world of Fairie Intrigue when he biological father shows up at her mother's door, slaughters her parents, and takes the children back to Fairie to live with him.  The world of Fairie is unexpectedly twisted and corrupt, and Jude struggles to stay out of high court politics and live her life as "normally" as possible.  This illusion she has lived since being brought to Faerie is shattered when the High King of Faerie gets ready to step down and appoint one of his children to be the next High King.

I've heard a lot of buzz about Poet X, by Elizabeth Acevedo, but I have not yet read that book, so I can't comment.  It's on hold for me at the library though!

Side note here, if you've read my picks for long enough, you know I tend to favor Sci-Fi/Fantasy Books, so you know who I'm pulling for!

What book do you think is going to win?

Charlie Hernandez and the League of Shadows

Calejo, Ryan. Charlie Hernandez and the League of Shadows.  2018.  Aladdin, a Division of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.  New York, NY. 

Charlie's parents have mysteriously disappeared and his house burned to the ground.  He is fortunate that he has been placed in a foster home that is in his school district so that he is able to remain in his school, with his friends, and people who understand him while his life is upside down.

Things seem to be going as normal as they can for Middle School when Charlie sprouts feathers in the middle of third period history class.  As he scrambles to find a way to cover his feathery anatomy until he can get home, Charlie is confounded by teachers, friends, and the school bully who all appear determined to expose his freakish secret to the world.

Unexpectedly, the very popular Violet Ray comes to his rescue.  Not only does she help Charlie safely escape school and get home, she agrees to help him figure out why he has grown a coat of feathers.  And maybe, just maybe, they can discover what happened to Charlie's parents.

As Violet and Charlie look deeper into the mystery surrounding the disappearance of his parents, they find themselves sucked into a world where the Latino and Hispanic myths he heard from his Abuela as he was growing up have come to life and are all coming together to pursue him - and the mystery of his parents disappearance is wrapped up in an ancient horror that has come to destroy him.

Can Violet and Charlie discover the key to the mystery before it destroys them and brings and unthinkable darkness to the world?

Note: my library has this catalogued as Children's Fiction.  I believe it is appropriate for teens and tweens, grades 5-8.  

Author's Twitter:https://twitter.com/thebookglutton

Publisher's Author Page: https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Ryan-Calejo/130172738

Image Source: http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1033565665

The King of Attolia

Turner, Megan Whalen.  The King of Attolia.

Eugenides has married the Queen of Attolia, and is now King over all the land.  A position that he never wanted to be in, and one that he sees no way out of.  While Eugenides struggles to adapt to his new role in the middle of an openly hostile court, the queen struggles to keep her court in some semblance of order while attempting to ferret out the lurking, creeping danger within her own court.

Things take a turn for the deadly when a sinister plot to assassinate the King slowly emerge, and it seems that possible assassins populate the court.  Can the threat to the King be eliminated?  Will Eugenides finally grasp the reigns of power as King and take firm control of the kingdom, or will he become a mere puppet, controlled by a master with sinister designs on the throne?

Image Source:http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/951507545