Lisa:
This was a difficult decision for me as I loved both of the books.First, The Girl in the Blue Coat. Historical fiction, WWII, the Resistance, Nazis - everything that I love in a book. The plot was fairly unpredictable which I also appreciated. But as far as putting this book into the hands of students? I think that the audience is slightly limited because of the female protagonist and the ending which, at times, was difficult to follow. Holding Up the Universe is much more appealing for students. With both female and male voices, I can see the book in far more students' hands. Plus it is full of good old teenage angst that drives me a little bonkers, but let's face it, our kids love. So...hell has finally frozen over: I am in agreement with Holly. My vote goes to Holding Up the Universe.
Holly:
I wouldn't have said hell froze over, more like the heavenly sky has opened for the first time. Gee Lisa, quit being the mean girl. HA!
I liked both books as well, and I did appreciate that the setting in The Girl in the Blue Coat showed readers how life was in a country being controlled by the Nazis. I think it is admirable for a girl in that time to be participating in the black market, and the story idea around that was engaging. It is empowering to have a strong women protagonist in historical fiction to show readers how they played important roles as well. Holding Up the Universe was a book I could not put down and finished quite quickly. I really like Libby's strong sense of self- most girls would never have that much confidence in themselves, let alone after what she went through. I did find that Jack's facial recognition issue might have been a stretch at times, but it tied nicely in the end. I think there needs to be more stories in the world about girls like Libby or Willowdean in Dumplin' and that girls who feel like they can relate to these characters need to have these books in their hands, because it doesn't mean that the teenage world is a hopeless loveless place for them. I can imagine Holding Up the Universe being some sort of cool movie that is a cross between Glee and Hairspray. Oh, and the dual narration was cool too. My vote is for Libby and Holding Up the Universe, the by far more memorable character out of the two.
Annabel:
Holding up the Universe gets my vote because it's smart, funny, clever, unique and thoughtful. It kept me turning the pages and I could see so many 'high school' issues explored in it without it become too 'heavy' on the issues. I really enjoyed The Girl in the Blue Coat and think it is a valuable asset to the body of work on WWII and it prompted me to do some further research into this part of Dutch history. However, I became confused at the end and had to re read a couple of times to straighten out the conclusion in my mind.
Dia:
I very much enjoyed The Girl in the Blue Coat though the big betrayal at the end seemed glossed over after so much build up. I think it is a book that hits the historical fiction, disruptive fiction we've been discussing this year at school. Holding Up the Universe is a book I read last year and really loved. I think parts can also be used for disruptive thinking about issues students can relate to. Some feel it is a big ball of teen angst but so is junior high and I think for eights and nines this could be a book you could discuss in parts or as a whole. It is still a 5/5 book for me and gets my vote this round.
Andrew and Andrea both vote Holding Up the Universe. Tammy and Arlene maybe the wildcards on an otherwise sweep for Holding Up the Universe with love to Girl in the Blue Coat.
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