Printz Award

(Note: Most of the information in this post  comes from the Michael L. Printz website)

(Seal copyright American Library Association.)

That right there is the award seal for the Michael L. Printz Award -- it's the same seal you see printed on the award-winning books. The Printz Award is an award given out annually for the best literature for young adults by the American Library Association (ALA). The award has been distributed since 2000 in honor of a Topeka, Kansas library member who was a long-time member of the Young Adult Library Service Association (YALSA) run by ALA.

That's a lot of acronyms, but the Printz Award is regarded as the Pultizer of YA.

Recently, I've read three of the books winning the Printz:

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta (won in 2009)

Looking for Alaska by John Green (won in 2006)

and

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff (won in 2005)

When I first started reading the books (Looking for Alaska was the first), I decided to go and check out more on the Printz website. The website has a lot of great information -- book lists, acceptance speeches, reports from the chairs--and then I had a question.

What makes books award worthy? What makes them "better" then the rest of the books?

I found a quote from the Printz Award chair this year, Erin Downey Howertown, speaking on this year's winner, Ship Breaker:

"This taut, suspensful novel is a relentless adventure story featuring nuanced characters in thought-provoking conflicts. [Paolo] Bacigalupi artfully intertwines themes of loyalty, family, frendship, truth, and love."

So, basically, apparently the book is suspensful, a good adventure story, with good characters and conflict. There are themes of loyalty, family, friendship, truth and love.

So what?

There are plenty of books that are suspensful and adventerous with good characters and plotting, and stories that have loyalty, family, friendship, truth and love as their main themes.

So what made the Printz Award committee choose Ship Breaker over all the rest of the books in YA published this year? What made them choose it over the other novels picked as Printz Honor books?

Here are the Printz Honor books for 20ll, with descriptions from the Printz website:

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

"The rugged Australian outback becomes Gemma's prison after she is drugged and abducted by a handsome, obessive stranger in a first novel filled with searing imagery and archetypal characters".

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S King

"Vera Dietz wants to be ignored, but the ghost of her ex-best friend won't leave her alone in this dark comedy that examines relationships, identity, grief, and flowcharts."

Revolver by Marcus Sedgewick

"In Sedgwick's grim, chilling story set in the Arctic Circle, Sig finds his father's frozen corpse as human predator Wolff arrives seeking retribution and a hidden Gold Rush treasure".

Nothing by Janne Teller

"Pierre Anthon's nihilsm causes his classmates to begin a search for life's meaning in this bold, unsettling parable translated from Danish".


All of the books are wonderful -- I have read a few of them -- but it made me wonder. All of the books have gotten impressive reviews (many starred reviews from publications like Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal), become bestsellers, and catapulted the authors into YA fame.

And they all have what the chair mentioned -- suspensful adventure stories, filled with wonderful characters and themes of love, loyalty, family, friendship, and truth, not to mention that they're all written well.

So what makes the book triumph? Obviously the Printz award committee has a difficult job, paging through the thousands or hundreds of YA novels presented to them. And every year they choose wonderful books, many becoming cult classics or bestsellers.

But I think that there's one reason, one reason that sets the books above over every other book they read and seperates the line between Winner and Honor.

It's simple, and a bit obvious, but there is one reason that books are published. One reason that the commitee chooses them to win the Printz or the Newbery.

The people who see them love them.

They love the books with all their heart: the characters, the plot, the setting. They're invested in the story and never let go, engrossed in the writing and story. They gush about it to everyone they know and admire the author more.

They adore the story with all their heart, and just know that it deserves to be a winner.

Ever seen a video of editors discussing their books? The editors are always happy -- they're proud, their excited that the story is out into the world. Editors would never intentionally publish a bad book; they publish books that they're proud of, books that they know will suceed, books that they love.

Watch the Printz speeches -- search up "Printz Award Speeches" on YouTube. The chairs who announce the authors are always excited, proud. They choose the books that they love, the books that they know that teens will like.

There is a reason that everyone adores those Printz books. The reviewers don't just give them out to everyone: they choose the books that they love, the books that they know that teens will love, every one of them.

And that, folks, is why books are published, why books win awards.

Blog Layout and ARCs

Well, lookie there. Something new about this blog? Yep, it's the brand new blog layout I got. The layout was for free from the amazing Leelou Blogs here. You can get free backgrounds, layouts, and more for Blogger templates. I recommend checking it out if your blog needs some freshening up or a makeover. Leelou also offers custom templates.

So, now that I've finished fangirling about the layout, and how brilliant it is, onto more pressing matters. I had planned to do an ARC post later, as I currently don't have one of my two ARCs, but there's no time for that. Instead, I'm going to improvise with just one of my ARCs.

The ARC used in these photos is Pretty Crooked, which will be published by Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins in March 2012 and is written by Elisa Ludwig. My review should come later this week as well.

So, this is the final finished cover that will appear on all printed copies:

And this is what my ARC looks like (terrible picture, sorry):

But even in that awful picture, you can see the major difference: the big red box in the corner. The words are backwards thanks to the idiotic webcam, but the square box reads "UNCORRECTED PROOF, NOT FOR SALE".

And that brings me to the first major point of ARCS: what they really are. The following definition is not from a dictionary; it is mine.

advanced readers' copy (sometimes called a galley) noun. 1. An uncorrected proof of an unreleased novel distributed to reviewers, librarians, and bloggers. There are small quantities of these, and if reviewers, librarians, etc. want one they must request one and the publisher can decide who to give them to. 2. The blogger, librarian, etc. writes a review of the novel. It is printed in a magazine, online, or simply sent to the publisher.

The really big, major thing to know is THESE ARE UNCORRECTED.  

Yep, these are absolutely uncorrected. They have been reviewed by editors and given a cover, but there will be mistakes. I found a typo in my ARC on the third page:

My mom was a pseudo-Buddhist, and when she'd twaken me to churches, it was to look at the architecture (ARC, page 3).

See what I mean? It was the only typo I found, aside from some grammar errors (hmm, editors), but it's still the same.

The copies cannot be sold, either. It is actually illegal to sell them, and can be considered a federal crime. All ARCs are printed with the warning; it is usually printed in a box or a banner across the cover. For more information, I send you to this link: here. It's not the most reliable but has some good information. Browsing the Interwebtz, I also found a story on one of my favorite book blogs The Book Smugglers, about a store that they went to in New York that was actually selling illegal copies of galleys: link here. Scroll down until you see the section titled "Visiting the Strand Bookstore: An Expose". It's pretty far down but a fascinating read.

Okay, back to the ARC. A few more shots:

The spine:

See that strange orange (it's red in real life, actually) thing next to my head? It's hard to see in the picture, but the small square says "3/12" across the top. "3/12" stands for March 2012, when the book comes out, so reviewers will know which date the final copy is published. (Pretty Crooked pubs on March 13th, by the way.)

And the back of the book, complete with a beginning pitch (most pitches don't end up being the same on the final copy), marketing campaigns, and the nitty-gritty details (page sizes, ISBN numbers, sale date, reading level, etc):

It's all backward, sorry, but the big thing is that it's a lot of text. The picture of the lady, obviously, is the author bio. I figured you would want some nifty tibits. ;)

So here is the Marketing Campaign:

NATIONAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN:

• Online consumer advertising
• Featured title on HarperTeen's consumer website, epicreads.com, and romance channel, storycrush.com
• Featured promotional on inkpop.com, an interactive teen writing website and community
• Extensive social media outreach through HarperTeen outlets
• Teacher & Librarian blog feature at thepageturn.com

And now, a collection of pictures of my ARC:

Title page:

(Excuse the fact that all the pictures are backwards; stupid webcam.)

Library of Congress page:

Pretty Crooked is a cute little book, and if you like romance I think that it would be a fun read for you. :) Look for it in March 2012.



Those Books You Just Love

I had planned to do a review today, but it turns out that's not possible (I'm still reading Paper Towns). Then I planned to do a review of ARCs....but my ARC isn't in my poessission at the moment. (I am getting it back soon, so wait for that post.)

So instead I'm going to talk about something else. Amazing books.

Recently it seems I've read a lot of amazing books.

 Like this one:

And this one:

And:

So I've been lucky lately, reading a torrent of books. And I've adored all three of those books, and the next few books I have lined up sound just as great. So, I've been wondering: what makes these books great? What sets them apart from the rest? What makes them Printz Award winners (Jellicoe Road), New York Times Bestsellers (Looking for Alaska) and books that aren't released but already filled with hype (Liesl and Po)? I came up with three reasons why. The reasons are simple, but they really truly impact the story.

So,  PAIGE'S TOP THREE REASONS WHY THESE BOOKS WORK:

1. Characters Just thinking about the stories, the characters pop into my mind. Strong, erratic Taylor. Shy, timid, Liesl. Bright, fun loving Po, filled with humor. Sexy babe Alaska, erratic and exciting. Self-deprecatating Miles. Just thinking about those characters, they all pop into my mind fully fledged. And why? The authors took time. They took time to show their characters, bring out their personalities. Just the simple things -- Miles's humor, Liesl's drawing talents, Taylor's anxiety -- make them different, set them apart from all the other characters in MG and YA now. They're not simply thrown onto the page and expected to be loved; you learn about the characters and grow to love them that way. The characters are all original and creative: Miles memorizes the last words of famous people; Taylor is the leader of a secret underground community; and Liesl posesses a great magic. In writing, I always hear the same thing over and over: describe your characters, show them, don't tell or info dump. And these authors truly did that.
2. Plot More and more, it seems, plots are becoming cliche. You know, the same old "girl meets boy, falls in love" or "girl discovers she posesses a power". And all three of the books -- Jellicoe, Alaska, and Liesl -- that I've read recently fall into those tropes. Liesl has a power; Alaska and Miles fall in love; Taylor and Jonah start a relationship. But it's more than that. The authors make the story original, twist the cliches into something better. Another saying I hear sometimes is cliche can be good. If used wisely and carefully, cliches can make a story better. Another thing is the originality. These are the plots of the three books: girl leads an underground community in a territory war; girl sets off on a journey with a magical box; boy finds himself attracted to danger. Those descriptions have elements of cliche in them, but they truly become more. There aren't many stories with those kinds of things in them, making the stories more and more different. Check the recent New York Times Bestseller lists -- readers want something more, something new. Recently, I was talking to a few people who said that they thought certain people on a website's ideas were getting less original. Green, Marchetta, and Oliver surely didn't fall into those tropes; instead, they triumphed over cliche and made their plots original.
3. Magic This last example is hard to explain. There's magic in these books -- but for different reasons. Oliver's prose sings, full of lyricism and excitement. Marchetta's characters are amazingly full-fledged, breaking steroytpes and cliches and becoming poignant and beautiful. Green has a mix of all three: great characters, prose and amazing descriptions. Their magic, their talents make the story sing, make the story rise above tropes and cliches. The author's talents are truly what makes the story amazing, and it is obvious all three of them worked hard on their novels. Magic is what makes people love the story, what makes it rise above the "good" to "OHMYGOD AMAZING". Magic is different for every story, for every author, but when you find a book that has magic it is truly something to behold.

So there you have it -- what makes me love a book. What makes you love a book? It might be different. I want to know.

Also, I recommend all three books (though Liesl will be released November 2011). They all sing with magic.

Thanks,

Paige

Liesl & Po

Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice—until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone.
 
That same night, an alchemist's apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable.
 
Will's mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey.
From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver comes a luminous and magnificent novel that glows with rare magic, ghostly wonders, and a true friendship that lights even the darkest of places.





How did I get this book: I recieved an ARC from a teen library group that I'm on. :D

So, first things first: I have wanted an ARC forever. I have always dreamed of it, wanted to see the typos and unfinished artwork, wanted to be one of those people who gets to see the story first. And finally, I got one.

I'd hoped that it would be amazing. But I promised myself, even if the story stunk, I would still keep it on my bookshelf. It would be an ARC, mine, something to be proud of. The truth is that I had nothing to worry about.

Liesl and Po was a great introduction to the world of ARCs, and a delightful book to read.

The basic story is simple: Liesl lives alone, locked up in her attic by her cruel stepmother. One night, Po, a ghost, arrives, accompained by his half-cat, half-dog pet, Bundle. Liesl and Po become friends, and Liesl asks Po to venture into the Other Side (the land of the dead) to find her recently deceased father. Po does, and finds that Liesl's father wants nothing more than to be placed beside the willow tree, thousands of miles away, beside his late wife.

The basic concept is a bit cliched, and when I saw that Liesl was locked up in her attic I rolled my eyes. Fairytale cliche one, in my opinion--locked up girl, not knowing what to do with herself but reading her way out of situations and scheming about how to get out. But Liesl turned into so much more than that. She was strong, inquinstitive, funny, and creative. She was truly very strong, but also a bit nutty (which more than one character remarks upon).

Po was less developed in terms of the main characters. To tell you more about his back story -- well, I can't (major spoilers). But he was still funny and cute. My favorite line of his was from about page 3:

"Are you here to haunt me?" Liesl asked.
Po sighed. He hated when humans thought ghosts existed only to jump out at them, hide behind abandoned wearhouses and scare them.
"No," he said finally. "We have better things to do with our time."

He was probably the cutest character in the story. :)

Will was equally well developed, but then I come to my problems with the characters. The minor characters were all a bit cliched. There was evil stepmother Augusta, complete with murder, a rotund body and an icy daughter; thickheaded Mo, soft and sweet; the Lady Premiere, who was like a stepsister; and then the alchemist, who seemed a bit Jack Frost-esque to me. The characters were cliche, but they were a bit obvious.

They all seemed to fall into the same character holes: sweet, slightly naive and thickheaded; evil and mean with almost no reason (Augusta had no reason, really, but the Lady Premiere did), and wanting revenge and being dasterdly.

I'm probably going too deep -- the book is MG, and the characters are developed well enough that you still like them -- but they seemed a bit too obvious.

Onto the plot. I thought the plot would be cliche when I read the description (which by the way is different then the one on my ARC, HECK YEAH), but it wasn't. Oliver's lyricsm was on full blast, with goregous descriptions of scenery and characters. Sometimes the lyricsm seemed a bit much, like Oliver had written it that way since lyricsm was her "trademark". After Delirium, Oliver's last novel, I was worried about her next book.

But she triumphed. The book is a cute, fun romp full of twists and turns and a story I definitly would have enjoyed when I was younger. I still enjoyed it, though, and I think teens would still find it a fun, quick read.

Now, the part where I get to brag and talk about funny things in my ARCs. On the back, where the Library of Congress description is and such, Lauren Oliver's name is wrong. :P She's credited as Laura Schedenfrude. Apparently she changed her name right before the book went to print. XD It's a small mistake, but it was still funny.

There are also some cool tidbits, like on one page there is no art and instead gray boxes saying "ART TO COME"; the author and illustrator bios are missing and replaced with "LAUREN OLIVER BIO TK" (not sure what TK stands for; "To Come" has no K), and most of the art are sketches. It's obvious because there is some finished art, and it's a thousand times more clear and fleshed out then the rest.

So, to finish up, I recommend getting Lisel and Po the second it comes out. ;D Lauren Oliver has triumphed again, and I think she has returned to her "groove", especially after so many people disliked Delirium. A cute, fun, middle grade romp that's sure to be a delight for everyone, filled with Oliver's goregous writing and a clever plot.

4.5 Stars: Recommended, A few Nitpicks

News, Jellicoe Road, Liesl & Po, Pretty Crooked, Looking for Alaska

That title: well, those would be the four most recent books I've read. Jellicoe Road already has a review; just scroll down below. Looking for Alaska, Pretty Crooked, and Liesl and Po need reviews. Hint on those: one YES, one WOW, the other one HMM. Pick your choices on which one is which. :P

I've been reading a lot of books lately, and more importantly I've been reading a lot of books I've bought lately. I don't buy books often; mostly because I don't have money and secondly because I adore my library. Most of the time when I recieve books that I've bought, they're from birthdays and holidays.

I just love libraries. I know some people prefer to not have their books read by other people. I think it gives the books more of a story. Like: how many people have read this book before me? Hundreds? Thousands? Each spill, each tear is a story. I read The White Darkness on a copy that was filled with water, and it made me wonder. Did the person reading the story get excited and spill on their copy with excitement? Did they hate the story so much they wanted to ruin it?

I also love the people. I recently moved, and the librarians at my old library said that they were going to miss me. I still miss them. They're all wonderful, creative, funny, and amazing people. I'm talking about you, Carol, Katie, and Julia. :) They were kind of like my second friends: close but not close in age. Carol led my book club; Katie led me around the back rooms of the library and explained to me the cataloguing system; and Julia ran the children's programs. I appreciate what they did, and i appreciate it even more now.

I'm still learning to know the librarians at my new library. They recongize me, but I don't know their names or who they are. I'm looking forward to meeting them. I also love meeting other people, kids who love to read just as much as me. Some of my friends go to the library a lot, which probably isn't a surprise. :D

And lastly, I love this: THE BOOKS ARE FREE. Thousands and thousands of books, and I can check them out whenever I want without any problems. That's the best part for me, honestly, and it's one of the few ways I can get newly released hardcovers.

So, what do you think of libraries? Do you love them? Hate them? Do you prefer libraries or bookstores? Why or why not?
And expect reviews of Looking for Alaska, Liesl & Po,and Pretty Crooked.

Thanks for reading.

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

In this lyrical, absorbing, award-winning novel, nothing is as it seems, and every clue leads to more questions.

At age eleven, Taylor Markham was abandoned by her mother. At fourteen, she ran away from boarding school, only to be tracked down and brought back by a mysterious stranger. Now seventeen, Taylor's the reluctant leader of her school's underground community, whose annual territory war with the Townies and visiting Cadets has just begun. This year, though, the Cadets are led by Jonah Griggs, and Taylor can't avoid his intense gaze for long. To make matters worse, Hannah, the one adult Taylor trusts, has disappeared. But if Taylor can piece together the clues Hannah left behind, the truth she uncovers might not just settle her past, but also change her future.

Why I read this book: I had found a lot of recommendations for the book and thought it sounded interesting. I checked out some reviews on Goodreads and instantly decided to buy the book, a choice I’m glad.

How did I get the book: Bought

In Jellicoe Road, Taylor Markham attends The Jellicoe School, a school for juvenile delinquents and more (including four arsonists in Taylor’s house alone) in Australia. The school commences territory wars each year with the in-town Townies and visiting military school member Cadets.  In her junior year, Taylor is assigned to be the head of the Underground Community, as it is called, and lead Jellicoe in the battle wars.

That’s the basics of the story – but there is so much more. Taylor’s story is interspersed with another tale, one that takes place eighteen years earlier and involves five teenagers—Webb, Fitz, Jude, Narnie, and Tate-- and their plans. I’m afraid I can’t say much about the tale due to spoilers, but it unfolds through excerpts from a manuscript about the story. Occasionally the jump cuts between Taylor and Webb & Co.’s story were a bit abrupt, but they were seamed together very well.

Taylor’s character was spot-on. She was honest, angry, tough, but very kind. Marchetta drew her character in an elegant way, showcasing every side of Taylor in a fascinating way. Occasionally it would seem as if Taylor would only ever cry – but for good reasons. Jonah is another example of a great character. When I first saw the summary, and started to read, I’ll admit I rolled my eyes. He seemed like just another angst-driven teen who falls in love with the MC. But he is much, much more, and I think that he is less of a love interest then a friend. Romance isn’t the key part of the novel, either, and the true romance happens late in the book.

The supporting characters were just as wonderful --  Hannah and Jessa both could be annoying but sweet, Chloe P was the cutest girl, and Chaz was charming and his friendship with Raffy perfect. I cannt honestly say anything better about these characters, but they are wonderful and fascinating and potrayed well.

Webb & Co were also lovely, though I shall remain from discussing their personalities in depth.

The plot was fantastic. At the beginning, the reader is entirely confused, as the stories are meshed together rather quickly. It can be confusing and bewildering, as a lot of information is wrested on you in the first few chapters. It’s not an info- dump, however, but more a wave of confusion and you must piece together the pieces.

The territory wars end in the middle of the book, but there is a good reason why. Really, there is a reason for everything, every character, every plot point, every setting and detail and example. Marchetta does an excellent job putting together the pieces, and what more could one ask for in a mystery novel?

The setting is well portrayed, though I wanted to know more about what the houses look like. The inside wasn’t described much, but I did get a clear view of the trails and woods surrounding Jellicoe. And the road, I think, is the most important part of the entire book. Jellicoe Road, I’ll admit, is the first book I’ve read where it makes sense to have a flower on the cover.

Taylor’s story kept me gripped, and I read the nearly 400 pages in a day. The story moves quickly, and there is plenty of romance, drama, excitement, and mystery to satisfy nearly any reader. I would recommend the story for all interested in romance, mystery, drama, and plenty of excitement.

The story is a bit like the Jellicoe Road: long and winding and confusing on your first drive down, but as you continue on it becomes clearer and clearer. Stick with the story, and you will always remember Taylor and Jonah and Chloe P and Jessa and Hannah and Webb and Fitz and Tate and Narnie and Jude and Raffy and everyone else. Because a trip down the Jellicoe Road is one of the greatest trips you will ever make.

5 stars. Absolutely recommended.

Revival

Nonexistant followers, please take a look at when the last post on this blog was posted. February 2011.  Now, seven months later, I am attempting to revive this blog. There are plenty of differences, however, differences that I hope will make the blog better.

A new title -- Beyond the Ink -- and a summary that I hope conveys the message. A new layout, fonts, colors, and descriptions.

The pages have been edited and revised, with the Novels page updated to include current projects and former unecessary pages deleted. And, of course, the biggest -- the change to book reviews, which I plan to start posting again soon.

There are still some similarities, however. I will still be discussing my own novels as well as published books. I will be attempting to dispense writing advice and explain my reasons for writing. And I will still be having fun.

Some things will stay the same -- for instance, I am not deleting any of the former posts. They suck, so I recommend you read the posts and then go view my current novels to see the improvement. I don't want to delete the posts and start over from scratch, so you have a bit of humor in the blog.

Now, onto book reviews. I will be reviewing as many books as I can, including advanced readers' copies, books I own, and books borrowed from the library. The first three books I plan to review:

Liesel and Po -- Lauren Oliver, Advanced Readers' Copy, Book Published November 2011
Pretty Crooked -- Eliza Ludwig, Advanced Readers' Copy, Book Published March 2012
Jellicoe Road -- Melina Marchetta, Published Novel, Released 2006 and Winner of 2007 Printz Award

The reviews will be based on: Character, Plot, Grammar, Thoughts, and Overall. Jellicoe Road will be the first novel reviewed; keep your eyes open for the review. I hope to get lots of book reviews completed, and if you have suggestions and recommendations please leave them in the comments.

And now, I want to explain something.

Why is this blog called Beyond the Ink?
And the description of course is "What's beyond the ink? One girl tries to figure it out". Well, books are books. They're words and sentences and letters and sounds. But what are they? Teachers always have you find the meanings of things. So what is the meaning of books? In this crazy, chaotic world, the meaning of books and words and letters is constantly evolving.

So, my journey on this blog will be to try and decide just what is the meaning of ink, the meaning of books.

Thanks for coming along on the journey.