Late, late, late. As usual these days. I read all of these books early on, and each holds something of value for kids. I enjoyed Holding up the Universe although at times I found it a little unbelievable. Lots of good teachable moments in  its pages - particularly about what it feels like to be an outsider. Many kids could see themselves in this book. But it is the lack of a believable narrator that keeps me from voting for this book. There is no doubt that kids love Scythe, and I have always thought the purpose of Smackdown was to choose the best book to put in kids' hands. However,  I am hesitant to put a book so filled with violence in the hands of kids that are exposed to this kind of stuff on such a regular basis. So that leaves me with the Zombie pick, The Hate U Give. Although, All American Boys resonated with me more than this book, I feel that this is the book that should win. It is timely, important, and more relevant than I think many of us even understand. I tried to talk about race today in my Grade 9 social class. The only kids that put their hands up to talk were white. This left me with the understanding that perhaps we are all missing something important about what is going on right now in society. I had one student say to me after class, "There is just no point in talking. Nobody is listening." Perhaps this book can get someone to listen.