Looking for Alaska

Review 9

Green, John. Looking for Alaska. New York: Dutton Books, 2005. Print.

Annotation: A smart, philosophical teenage journey.





Justification for Rejection: Green's characters sound very authentic and the adventures they take part in are quite fun. The book is a quick read, chaptered in terms of "number of days before" and "number of days after" works to make the book a quick read, as one wants to know what the event is, what leads up to it and what happens after, very crafty on Green's part.

The writing style is crisp, and fresh.

The teen figures present a range of characters from "normal" to "wild" and they do encounter relevant developmental themes of friendship, love, as well as the great quest to finding out "who they are".

I feel the novel, although glittered with philosophical nuggets, failed to make an especially compelling impression to be nominated for a Mock Printz Award.

Genre: Printz, Coming of Age, Realistic/Edgy

The Lovely Bones

Review 8

Sebold, Alice. The Lovely Bones. New York: Little Brown and Company, 2000. Print.

Annotation: Thirteen year-old Susie Salmon tells the story of her after-life and her family's coping with Susie's murder.


Justification for Nomination: Sebold craftily weaves together the story of Susie Salmon's death and afterlife with that of her living family's grieving process. Infused with bits of mystery, periods of intense grief, as well as family love and hope, Lovely Bones, as you can see by the genre descriptor, is difficult to categorize.

The narrator, Susie Salmon tells the story from her home in heaven, with an omniscient perspective. She is able to still observe all that goes on on Earth, including her family and their dealing with Susie's death and the capture of her murderer.

What is so fascinating about the novel is how it puts into perspective, the nature of dealing with such a horrific thing. Amidst the pain felt by the characters, there is a pervasive sense of hope. What keeps Susie "alive" is the fact that she is the narrator, the one telling the story of what happens after her death.

The novel deals with unarguably mature themes: rape, murder, death, grief, sex...However what keeps the novel accessible to young adult readers is that the narrator is a young teen-age girl. This keeps the language accessible, and the perspective relevant for young adult readers. What may be beneficial in terms of digesting the novel would an adult figure with which to discuss the adult themes within.

On several levels, the novel impresses-the language and writing style, the interwoven story-line, authentic, dimensional characters, strongly emotional themes. I strongly support its nomination for the Mock Printz Award.

Genre: Challenged/Censored, Coming of Age, Adult Books for Young Adults, Realistic/Edgy

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

Review 7

Cohn, Rachel, David Levithan. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. Print.

Annotation: Doused in expletives and hard-core punk rock music scenes, a quirky romance stands out among the mass of non-conducive-to-romance situations.


Justification for Nomination: A modern love adventure between two punk-rock enthusiast teens, with similar help-me-get-over-my-ex syndromes proves to be surprisingly romantic, despite unlikely "first spark" in their relationship.

In his attempt to avoid his ex-girlfriend at a punk-rock concert, Nick turns to the girl next to him and asks if she will be his girlfriend for the next five minutes, and make out with him. The girl next to him, Norah, in a mutual effort to avoid the same girl she dislikes for her own reasons, agrees to the idea by pulling Nick to her face. Thus, the relationship begins.

From page one, Nick and Norah wraps you into the fast-paced, intense, music-filled plot. The chapters alternate by being told from the perspective of Nick and Norah. This is a unique story-telling feature that I found highly effective. The readers gets the love-story from both sides of the developing relationship. Although I had reservations with this, thinking I would be hearing the story told twice over, Nick and Norah's version are unique enough to their interpretation of the situations. In fact, this adds to the pacing of the book, as the reader is eager to know how the other party feels about what just happened.

Additionally, the situational and emotional tension make the story an adventurous, fast-paced read. Despite the dirty, smelly punk-rock scene clubs, drunken friends and flipant relationships surrounding them, Nick and Norah maintain a mutual spark of interest in one another that drives them to continue getting to know each other.

I feel the novel may be discredited based on some of the language and some potentially controversial situations. Most of the characters swear and on some pages, profusely. Personally, I believe the language in this novel is particularly authentic, representative of modern teenagers. If I felt the expletives were used for the sake of using them, I may have felt different in terms of my nomination. The same goes for the drunk scenes and minor drug references. What may present itself redeemingly is the fact that the main characters, Nick and Norah, refer to themselves as straight-edge, meaning they don't particularly drink/smoke. The authenticity, along with the overriding romantic, optimistic tone complement the bitter tones.

The novel is a fun, fast-paced read that many modern readers will enjoy, especially those with passion for music and interest in the punk-rock scene. The romance is bitter-sweet, optimistic yet real. It touches on a number of key developmental issues when it comes to figuring out who one is and how one grows in a romantic relationship

Genre: Edgy/Romance

The Body of Christopher Creed

Review 6

Plum-Ucci, Carol. The Body of Christopher Creed. San Diego: Hartcourt, INC., 2000. Print.

Annotation: The townspeople of Steepleton are convinced that Christopher Creed either ran away from home, or is dead. Feeling the guilt of having contributed to the ridicule Creed suffered, Torey Adams and "friends" set out to solve the mystery of where the body of Christopher Creed is.

Justification for Nomination: The Body of Christopher Creed is an excellent example of the young adult mystery genre done well. It contains several elements, from effective story-telling techniques- to effective, relevant depictions of nuanced, complex young adult developmental issues.

Plum-Ucci creates multi-dimensional characters that grow through the course of the story. The reader becomes invested in their growth and interested in the next-step in solving the mystery of the death or disappearance of Christopher Creed. The teen vernacular is used effectively, creating authentic characters in both male and female characters. What is a bonus to the authentically portrayed teenage protagonists is the role of adults in the story. It is typical, in young adult mystery or thriller novels for adults to be presented as either aloof, neglecting or somehow unable to help the teen mystery solvers. Although characters like Chief Bowen and Mrs. Creed, for example are depicted more along these lines, this is not entirely the case for other adults like Torey's District Attorney mother. She acts as bridge between the teens and the adult world they slip in and out of throughout the novel.

As the 16-year old protagonist, Torey Adams courses through the journey of figuring out what happened to the high-school outcast, Christopher Creed, Adams' character grows tremendously from the mature situation he choses to be a part of. From figuring out what true friendship and loyalty are, to learning how to deal with mature situation in an adult manner, and understanding the world from an adult perspective, Torey is a multi-dimensional character who examines many strongly relevant developmental issues.

Overall, this novel is a captivating read and an excellent example of YA mystery for older middle school and younger high school students.

Genre: Mystery, Printz Honor 2002