We're All Aboard the 57 Bus

LOH

We can't remember a year where all of the books in the final were our favorite reads of the Smackdown season.  It was a tough decision because each book was a book that we had put forward in the competition.  So to come down to the end and have all of our picks was both satisfying and frustrating.  Far From the Tree was such a moving story, but in the end, we thought the ending was wrapped up a little too neat.  Don't get us wrong, we like a happy ending, but with each book grounded in the everyday world, Far From the Tree was the one that didn't ring true.  

Poet X was another story that hit home.  Grabbed at the heartstrings and pulled us in all different directions.  The ending was more believable than that of Far From The Tree.  Our character's story came to a realistic and happy conclusion.  Some of the poetry found in Poet X spoke to us and our own stories, which is why we put it in second place.

The 57 Bus, wow.  How did it even get voted out in the first place!  We were suspect of the book, considering it was a Zombie Pick, but each of us finished it in ONE sitting.  Tristin started it off by reading the entire book sitting in the Honda waiting room.  She came to school the next day, reeling from the story.  Lindsay read it next, sitting on the couch for a few hours pouring over the story of Richard and Sasha.  Keltie read it last and came away feeling hopeless about the state of our world.  Without a doubt, it is our winner.  It's rare to find a nonfiction piece that isn't biased and hits your heart at the same time.  It was so difficult to read the book because we wanted each individual to have a happy ending.  But life, despite what Sasha wanted, didn't give another chance to Richard.  It was difficult to read.  A pit formed in our stomachs and we questioned the world we live in.  

Isn't that what literature needs to be?  Make us uncomfortable?  Make us question and think?  To teach us that in a fractured world there is goodness to be found?  That our society can be reborn through kids like these.  That our futures hold hope if we just listened to our youth.  If a book can give us questions, truths, and hope, it is not only a book we want on our bookshelves but one we will champion.

We Are All Winners!

Thank you to all who came out to our mini BLACK WEDNESDAY BUT FOR BOOKS to celebrate our 9th year of Smacking. Though most of you chose to smack in the comfort of your own schools conversations around teachers, students and books were full of opinions and different tastes as they should be.

Every year is a reminder of how much great YA and middle year material is out there and how we must bring choice to our classrooms. What a reader likes is varied and all reading experiences are made better with conversation.

Congratulations to The 57 Bus as it garnered enough votes to take the crown this year...hopefully no vengeful dragon is coming for Dashka Slater.

Early next school year you will hear from us again to invite you to the TEN LITTLE YEARS edition of the MIGHTY SMACKDOWN.

May your Summer be full of reading opportunities, even if it means lying to everyone about a chore, leaving the house and reading in your car. That mighty seem like a very specific plan because it is and it works.

Dia and Arlene

The 57 Bus For The Win

My final vote this year is going to The 57 Bus. I liked that things became more positive throughout the story. It wasn't a story that stayed sad and negative for the entire duration. I would be more willing to recommend this book to junior high students over Poet X and Far From The Tree. I also think it would make for an interesting book study for any GSA or SOGI groups in our schools. I was more intrigued by the characters in The 57 Bus and the plot than with the other two novels.


                                                                

4 More Votes for 57 Bus

This was an interesting finale for us at Hillcrest. We all went into the final round picking Poet X for the win. After reading 57 Bus our minds and hearts were changed. The themes of tolerance and forgiveness continue to resonate with us and along with the well-written non-fiction text, make this a book we will recommend to many students.

Poet X for the win but it's hard to not vote 57 Bus through too!

Krystal- I am voting Poet X through as I think the appeal will be similar to Crossover making poetry accessible to our students. The story is sweet and they will connect with Xiomara Batista ('X') and the struggles she faces in her identity as well as coping with family and community values that are not aligned with her own. 

Before I sign off on The 57 Bus, I feel I need to justify why I'm not voting for it! I loved the authors fair treatment of both sides of the story while developing and explaining the crime. I found it interesting and educational and feel like Sasha's story has had a profound impact on my understanding of LGBTTQQIAAP (sorry If I've not used the most current acronym) culture and definitions. I feel that the novel also gave some great insight into youth crime and the impact/ injustice/ treatment  of minority groups within the justice system. (Although in America, is Canada that different statistically?)
So... the appeal was there for me, an adult! I think as far as learning about the crime, teens would love to read the story but the appeal would only go so far and they would then be lost as the remainder of the novel reads statistically and fact based. 
I've really had to ponder the value of the novel and the appeal to the audience I am voting books through for. Unfortunately, I don't think this one will reach as many as I truly wish it would.  

The Bus For the Win

All three of these books were beautiful and had something special to share.  However, my vote is for Bus 57 because I loved the writing and the way it reflected the experiences of the people it was about. 

SBS is All Aboard The 57 Bus

Well, it was a final round full of surprises. I was happy to see three books that I really liked end up neck and neck at the finish line; that’s what makes the Smackdown so mighty (well, in addition to Arlene and Dia). I was somewhat shocked that I actually finished my last book – The 57 Bus – almost three weeks ago, instead of my more usual 1:00 a.m. on the day the blog post is due. But most of all, I think we were all a bit shocked that there was a book that had the moxie to topple Poet X – a book we all loved – and that book was The 57 Bus.

I think it was three or four summers ago that I had a particularly fruitful summer of reading and came across two books – Just Mercy by Bryan Stephenson and Unfair by Adam Benafardo -that have profoundly influenced my world view. I mention this because I thought of both of these books as I was reading The 57 Bus and not just because all three feature a clear eyed critique of a broken justice system, but also because they also share an abiding insistence on seeing hope through kindness and thoughtfulness. Bryan Stephenson’s mantra is this: “Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.” The 57 Bus shares this ethos and extends it: each of us is more than the worst thing that ever happened to us.

I vaguely recall reading about the singular event at the heart of this narrative years ago, and while it provides the starting point for Sasha and Richard’s interwoven stories, it is a testament to Slater’s writing that we don’t spend a lot of time immersed in that terrible moment. She paints a portrait of each of the protagonists that is rich and nuanced and given emotional depth through the people that love each of them. When I think of books I want to pass on to the young people in my life, I seem to lean towards the emotional connection I imagine them having with the text, but I also – and trust, I try my best to avoid those didactic, one note “lesson” books– try to think about what a kid can learn from the experience of reading. Like Poet X and Far from the Tree, I think there is something profound – and profoundly accessible – in The 57 Bus and I can’t think of any kids who wouldn’t connect with –and benefit from – reading this book.

As my first Smack Down experience winds to a bittersweet end, the time has come to reflect and ultimately choose the 'winner'. Although many have resonated with me from Darius to Morrigan to Jade to Grace, Maya , Joaquin and X--- ultimately the characters that left a lasting memory goes to Sasha and Richard. Their growth, perseverance and determination coupled with the 'real life' aspect of the story is what really captured my attention and ultimately the favourite. So with that, I cast my final vote for '57 Bus', although the others will continue to ruminate and linger in my brain for a while .

Final Votes

Westminster sends 5 votes to The 57 Bus.  We haven't always agreed (or even all read) for each of the rounds, but this one was unanimous.  Some of us also really liked the other two for their own reasons (Far From the Tree will be an easy sell for readers of feel-good realistic YA fiction, and The Poet X has well developed characters and a way to invite more people into poetry while providing representation to a Latinx voice).  But The 57 Bus stuck with us all.  Wendy felt it was the only one that didn't fall into a predictable YA pattern and offered something unique.  Personally, I prefer to take my non-fiction in a prose-like package, so I enjoyed it for that.  We learned a lot and appreciated the exploration of complex issues that were not one-sided.  There is lots for teens to explore about race, class, gender, crime and punishment in this book.  We think it wins. 

-Wendy, Kerri, Carla, Chelsey, Charlotte and Laura

Poet X for Harry Ainlay

Our vote goes to Poet X. Our post-reading discussions about this round, we found that this text made poetry accessible to our readers. The relationships explored were positive, but not perfect. Just as is in real life, the loose ends weren't tied up neatly, however, there is clear and reflective strength and growth evidenced. The young female empowerment and how girls experience oppression in patriarchal culture resonated with our group at Harry Ainlay.

The 57 Bus

Well, I'd have to say that this final round of the Smackdown has left me wanting. I found all three finalists good, but not as great as some previous years - I think that Scythe spoiled me a little too much.
I don't know if Far From the Tree and Poet X were hyped up so much that they were let downs for me, but they were nothing that I'd write home about, and I don't know if they'll be titles that I remember in the future. While I appreciate that Far From the Tree addressed the topics of adoption and teen pregnancy from multiple viewpoints, I am never a fan of books that wrap up all neat and tidy, and Tree did this to a nauseating extent for me. Had the ending been messier, I may have it given it more consideration.
Ultimately, The 57 Bus got my vote. I, too, vaguely remember hearing about this story on the news, so I was excited to read more about it. In addition to this, I'm always a sucker for non-fiction in YA. Personally, I learned a lot from reading this book, and I think that teachers could do a tonne with this book in classrooms.
Thank you for another great year of Smacking!

The 57 Bus takes my vote

This Smackdown was filled with numerous books that I enjoyed.  For me the final choice was between Poet X and The 57 Bus.  I recommended both books to many people so either could take the title.  My vote goes to The 57 Bus.


Maureen

I Caught the Bus & Stayed On!

The final Smackdown round was easily the most difficult round to choose a winner. This was the first time that I didn’t know right away which book I was going to choose. I truly enjoyed all three books for different reasons. I could however, eliminate FAR FROM THE TREE quickly but both POET X and THE 57 BUS left me thinking about and wanting more. Although, I am a sucker for a book in verse, ultimately, my final vote goes to The 57 Bus. 

The 57 Bus is a book that marked me as a reader. I vaguely remember hearing something about the story in the news and the second I finished reading I felt the need to research. I needed to know what happened to these people. This is a story that has stayed with me and one I have shared with every relative and friend I have encountered since reading it.

Andrea Smith

ABM

Rambling sketchy reflections....

Another year of Smackdown reaches its inevitable conclusion and as usual I’m in a muddle as to my favourite book!  I’ve just competed Far From the Tree and I loved the characters and the way the author investigates adoption and fostering through so many different lens.

Looking back. I loved Darius the Great and I felt it didn’t fall into that woe-be-gone victim mentality that so many YA books do with way too much teenage angst, despite the fact that the protagonist had lots of reasons to feel sorry for himself!  And I so enjoyed Poet X.  Truth be told, Nevermoor did not do a lot for me as I found the story unbelievable and the characters undeveloped.

If I had my druthers, I’d be voting for I Ride, because that book just grabbed me and took me for a delightful ride.  I wanted to ride that Amtrack train and be a mom to that wonderful girl.  But that book is not to be, was smacked right off the table.

So it came down, for me at least, to a very tight choice between the last three.   Far From the Tree is my winner.