Printz Watch 2013: Predictions!

Ok, so I've been jabbering at y'all for months about this, and here's my final post!

 

PRINTZ GOLD SEAL!!!

I think the gold will go to....



Code Name Verity!!!

I LOVED Code Name Verity, see my initial, nearly incoherent review here. I adored the characters, and the plotting was absolutely unbelievable. Seriously. Mind blown.  I'm planning to reread this one soon, just for sheer love of the book. It completely blew me away. I read a LOT of books in 2012, and this one still stays with me.  I thought it couldn't possibly live up to the hype, but it did. I gave it to my mom for Christmas!  Code Name Verity also won the Pyrite Printz Award over at Someday my Printz Will Come and I can only hope it will win gold come Monday.  Y'all, honestly, if you haven't read it yet, you're doing yourself a disservice.  Request it here. Good luck to Elizabeth Wein on Monday--I'm rooting for you!!!

so shiny and pretty

Honor books!  Honor books are a little different.  The Printz Committee can award UP TO four honor books--they don't have to select any if they don't want to--and they are selected independently from the winner (meaning that they don't just pick runners up--after they vote the winner, they start over for honor books).  There was a GREAT field this year, but here are the four I'm thinking have the best chance:

So I know I read this one late in the game, and that I just reviewed it yesterday, but I think it's strong.  It was incredibly engaging.  I also think it has a good chance at the Excellence in Nonfiction Award.  Request it here.

I talked about this one in my gushing adoration-of-Australian YA post (y'all, I SERIOUSLY LOVE AUSTRALIAN YA).  Lanagan has quite a history with the Printz Honor, and this is the book of hers that I've enjoyed the most.  It's lyrical and literary and just disturbing enough to make you really think.  I think it's got a good shot at an honor.  Request it here.

I talked about this one yesterday, too.  I may not have connected with Astrid Jones as much as I did with Vera Dietz, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it's a solid contender and that the writing is splendid.  Maybe A.S. King will have another Printz Honor under her belt soon. Request it here.



Last but not least!



Seraphina was one of my favorite reads of last year, and it was definitely in my top two fantasy reads (the other being Froi, obviously). And yes, it's the beginning of a series, but it stands alone beautifully.  The world-building is amazing, and the way that the characters are developed makes it a strong candidate for a Printz Honor.  It's already been named a Morris Award finalist, and I think that it has a good chance at the Morris Award too!! Request it here and wait with me with bated breath for the second book this summer.

So those are my predictions. I have literally never been right in the past, but I hope that I'm wrong this year!! I'll report back here with results next week. Fingers crossed!

Ally