National Book Awards
On Wednesday, the five finalists for the National Book Awards were announced in each category.
It will come as no surprise to you that all my attention was on the Young People’s Literature category. As in, I was refreshing the page like an idiot during my lunch break waiting for it to turn to 12 noon.
Last year, I read all five finalist books and turned up my nose at the book they chose as the winner (I’m still bitter on Frankie Landau-Banks‘ behalf).
This year, I’m going to try to read them all before they announce a winner, which is in about five weeks.
Last year, I’d only heard of one of the books when the list came out, but this year, I’ve heard of three. Next year, maybe I’ll have heard of all five. (Note that I said “heard,” not “read” or even “glanced at one page of.”)
Anyway, here are the five books:
I have no dreams of correctly predicting which book will win, because I clearly have no insight in to why they insist on not choosing what was clearly CLEARLY the winner (listen, people, I read all five last year, and Frankie Landau-Banks was robbed. Robbed, I say!)
Ahem. I’ll let you know what I think of these books as I plow through. Let me know if you’ve read any of them and have wise words of wisdom to pass along.
Listen, I'ma let ya finish but Frankie Landau-Banks is the best book ever made! Ever!
Sorry, I couldn't resist one more Kanye rib while it's still current.
I'm 1/2 way through Stitches and have both Charles and Emma and Jumped at home to read. Claudette Colvin's at work (sorry, it does not interest me at all!) and well, Lips Touch seems to be really, really hard to track down. David Levithan just RAVED about that one, so I wouldn't be surprised…I just wish the darn book was not hard to track down (I tried buying it for work to no avail!).
Kelly I'm sad to hear that Lips Touch is hard to track down because I intend to buy it for work too. I'm with ya that Claudette Colvin just seems like a cure for insomnia.
I have Stitches, and I'd heard of Claudette Colvin and Charles and Emma. The other two I hadn't heard of. I have to say that Jumped sounds too teeny for me (I like YA but I'm not a teenager and stories like that just don't appeal). I really really love the cover for Lips Touch. I'd pick it up on that cover alone. That is how faces on covers should be done.
I haven't heard of any of those. My library only has the Claudette one, with Stitches on order. Hmmm.
I agree!! Frankie was robbed!! What I Saw and How I Lied was good, but come ON! I am a huge E. Lockhart fangirl, though. I might be biased.
I read Claudette Colvin for class last week – I liked it, very narrative for nonfic, imho – and I worked through Stitches last night. Very dark.
And yeah, the NBAs are always a crap shoot, I think. Always some books out of left field.
I recently read (well, listened to) Frankie, and that book is so amazing! I kept waiting for my day to be over so I could get back on the train and listen some more. I doubt the winner of last year was better than Frankie. It's just not possible.
Okay, verdict: I went to two more mega bookstores and still didn't find Lips Touch. I have to buy it on Amazon or something. Grrrr.
Good challenge-I'm interested in first reading Frankie Landau-Banks to see what i missed.
Lips Touch is fabulous!
I hope you read Lips Touch Three Times. I loved the stories in that book.