It all started with a comment from a student: “Mrs. Harper, why are you always talking about these award books? Nobody can read all of them, so why bother?” Challenge accepted. Ever since then to prove to my middle schoolers it can be done, I’ve read the twenty South Carolina Junior Book Award Nominees for the past three years. So here are my best (and worst) picks from the 2017-2018 nominations list…
Best Overall: Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson
I’m a sucker for a good historical fiction story, and this one did not disappoint. Set during the start of the California Gold Rush, this book brought out my inner child playing Oregon Trail on the old IBM computer. Leah Westfall, the main character, is trying to make her way from Dahlonega, Georgia to California after her parents’ untimely murders. The character development is just phenomenal, and the storytelling flows naturally. Those who love fantasy will like the subtle hints (Leah has a “gold sense”, meaning she can feel where gold is and is drawn towards it) and those who prefer more realistic fiction will enjoy the reality of the story’s setting. A win all around!
Most Intense: Code of Honor by Alan Gratz
Gratz has gotten a lot of acclaim this year for his other novel, Refugee (which is a tragically uplifting book). However, this book is solid. It’s about a high school senior, Kamran, who found out that his brother defected from the US special forces and has joined a terrorist cell. Although there is video evidence, Kamran refuses to believe it and realizes he’s the only one who can try to clear his brother’s name. Set in post 9/11 America, it’s a great example of how people profile others based on race (Kamran’s father is white, his mother is Persian). With all that’s going on in the world, it’s an opening to talk to middle level kids about racism and how to not assume things.
Biggest Tear-Jerker: House Arrest by K.A. Holt
I love the trend of writing novels in verse. I use these novels as a jumping off point with my own students writing poetry and find myself saying, “No, poetry does NOT have to rhyme, it just has to have a rhythm,” over and over and over. Timothy is on house arrest for a year because he stole a wallet to pay for his little brother’s life saving medicine. Part of his sentence is to write daily in a journal, so this is his side of the story. It will make you cry…multiple times…
Best Friendship: I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives by Martin Ganda
This was a hard category since lots of books modeled strong friendships...but alas, I had to choose one. Two kids are randomly matched up to be pen pals, and a friendship bloomed. Caitlin is a typical American 7th grade girl from Pennsylvania, and Martin is the top student in his school in Zimbabwe. Their friendship grows over a decade through letters and shows what it takes to be a loyal friend. Sometimes it takes work, but it’s worth it.
Honorable Mentions:
I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest
This one is nearly as intense as Code of Honor. May thinks her best friend Libby died in a car crash…until one day she sees a sticker with a drawing on it. It’s a comic character named Princess X, the same comic character May and Libby created as a child. Now May suspects her friend isn’t dead and is trying to send her messages through their old princess. Written part in prose and part in graphic novel, the mixed media aspect is neat to see and makes the story flow seamlessly.
Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss
If there were a book game like this near where I live, I would totally be playing (sadly, Charleston’s the nearest location). This book not only teaches kids about inscriptions and ciphers, it also shows how to be a good friend. Emily just moved to San Fransisco and befriends the boy next door, James. Together they set off through the city to uncover the clues to a game that will lead them to treasure.
Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson
This is the only graphic novel nominated this year, but it’s a knock out for upper elementary kids. Astrid signs up for roller derby camp (even though she doesn’t know how to skate) and assumes her best friend will sign up too…until she doesn’t. Astrid is now stuck in a sport she doesn’t know how to play with people she doesn’t know. This book highlights how friendship can change, especially when you hit the pre-teen age, and how to persevere to do something you really want to accomplish.
Mark of the Thief by Jennifer A. Nielsen
This author’s no novice to this list (another of her books—The False Prince—topped the list a few years back). Just like her other trilogy, this one features a strong willed thief who is set against large odds. Set in ancient Rome, Nic is a slave who’s forced to work in the mines. While there, the lost treasure of Julius Caesar is discovered and he steals (accidentally on purpose) Caesar’s bulla, a necklace that gives him magical powers. Now the entire kingdom is after him to get it back. It’s very Percy Jackson-esque (the mythology and the seemingly impossible quests), so if you liked those books, you’ll like this one, too.
And finally, the books that I am scratching my head as to why they are on this list.
The “Don’t Even Bother” List:
Adrift by Paul Griffin
If you want a better survivalist story, read Hatchet…or Terror at Bottle Creek (another SCJBA nominee). The characters were flat and unbelievable; the dialogue was confusing. All around this book was a dud.
Chasing Secrets by Jennifer Choldenko
I was excited about this book because it was a historical novel about the plague in 1900 San Fransisco (which was a REAL THING). But overall it was disappointing. The love triangle was just not believable and when it ended, it made you think, “That’s it?”
The Chosen Prince by Diane Stanley
Oh my word. This book was painful to get through. The characters were severely one dimensional and the writing was just so mechanical. I did like that it had some good morals and lessons to teach readers, but my students won’t read it…because it’s boring (and also because the cover art it terrible).
Fort by Cynthia DeFelice
The overall story is okay (two kids get back at their bullies by booby trapping their fort in the woods), but I just couldn’t get over the fact that the main characters’ first inklings about puberty is objectifying female bodies. For example, the phrase “pillowy bosoms” is used. Ew.
Ghostlight by Sonia Gensler
It’s a ghost story, but not nearly scary enough for my students who REALLY love ghost stories. A girl and her friend decide to make a movie about the haunted Hillard House, but end up really finding some hidden family history instead. The worst thing that happens is the lights start shaking. Also the cover is cheesy, so there's another reason not to pick it up.
There you have it. Mrs. Harper’s recommendations for what to read (and what to stay away from) from this year’s SCJBA list. Keep calm and read on!
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