I admit this award season made me foam at the mouth a little. I expected The Fault in Our Stars to clean up and instead a snub. Incase you are wondering, I did read the Printz winner and I'll let those in Smackdown the Fourth make the ultimate decision there. Suffice it to say, for me, it wasn't anywhere close to the I laughed, I cried satisfaction of John Green's work.
I did enjoy The Raven Boys and am definitely in for the sequel. I think her ability to manipulate pace in her novel to match the plot points of time stretching and twisting was masterful. I know others don't necessarily agree but they're wrong....hey a little smack is the point.
Rotters, I have heard others comment, is like two books. I would agree. The first was unique and creepy with a teacher who anyone, including teachers, loves to hate and his just desserts is grossly awesome. The second half seems to be a ripoff of a Terminator movie and I just wanted Baby to die! The audio version of this book had an excellent narrator so along with the first half of the novel I can see why this won the Odyssey prize.
All of this being said....The Fault in Our Stars hands down, ears down (as it won this year's Odyssey). As I've said before, don't just assume the best book wins the awards and earns its place in your library. You need to read the books, read your students and make the best decisions you can.
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