This year I took on the challenge to read the 8 shortlisted Carnegie books. It was about time, especially with my significant other being an English teacher and always looking out for new books to help different types of children discover a love of reading. Plus, I love Young Adult Fiction, so I hoped this would be an enjoyable journey for me.
This is my count down of the shortlist - from my least favorite, to the one I have all my fingers and toes crossed for, in the hope that it will win. Disclaimer though - all of these books have redeeming qualities and its super hard to compare books where some are written for young children whereas some are for an older, more mature, teen audience. However, there's no denying that this is a subjective list - so if you don't agree with my rankings - hit me up and tell me why! (You'll notice a LOT of these books get 3 stars - but I felt very differently about them - herein lies the problem with a star system. So I'll try hard to justify their star ratings)
8. Saint Death - Marcus Sedgwick
What's it about?
Anapra is one of the poorest neighbourhoods in the Mexican city of Juarez - twenty metres outside town lies a fence - and beyond it - America - the dangerous goal of many a migrant. Faustino is one such trying to escape from the gang he's been working for. He's dipped into a pile of dollars he was supposed to be hiding and now he's on the run. He and his friend, Arturo, have only 36 hours to replace the missing money, or they're as good as dead. Watching over them is Saint Death. Saint Death (or Santissima Muerte) - she of pure bone and charcoal-black eye, she of absolute loyalty and neutral morality, holy patron to rich and poor, to prostitute and narco-lord, criminal and police-chief. A folk saint, a rebel angel, a sinister guardian.
Is it any good?
I felt like I should have enjoyed this a lot more than I did - after all it hits on issues that are culturally, geographically and socially important. It brings to life the gang culture in rural Mexico; the terrifying hold that the Drug War Lords have over everything, the constant fear and superstition that is endemic in these poverty stricken communities. It had all the makings of being a cracker - crime, peril, friendship, a bond-esque card tournament.... and yet I wasn't sold.
I care about this stuff, I really do, and yet I did not care about any of these characters. For me there wasn't enough about them to like. I also have difficulty with fiction that intersperses the narrative with what I like to call 'random musings'. It's the same problem I'm having with several Patrick Ness books, and the in-between chapters of this book, some just filled with repetitions of the same word, took me right out of the story. I get what the author was trying to do, but it added nothing to this story for me, in fact it detracted somewhat.
Still - a fairly solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️
7. Rook - Anthony McGowan
What's it about?
A poignant, beautifully written novella about growing up and family. A companion piece to the hugely successful Brock and Pike, McGowan warms hearts once more with the adventures of Nicky and Kenny. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 13+
Is it any good?
I found this a funny choice for the Carnegie Shortlist. It's part of a trilogy and although it definitely works on its own, it might have had more impact had I read the others. It's also startlingly short, which in a way I suppose makes it not so daunting for less confident readers.
It starts off with two brothers finding an injured bird, but in reality it's not about that. It's about first loves, non-nuclear families, a sibling with a learning disability, bullying, self-control and acceptance. I was amazed at how many important themes this endearing little book manages to incorporate, whilst still being short and accessible. I loved that this book didn't dumb anything down for its readers - my one criticism is that everything seemed to come magically right in the end. I was frustrated that, while up till the it hadn't been insulting the readers' intelligence, that rather let it down in the end.
For being a non-patronising read for reluctant readers it gets ⭐️⭐️⭐️
6. Release - Patrick Ness
What's it about?
Inspired by Mrs Dalloway and Judy Blume's Forever, Release is one day in the life of Adam Thorn, 17. It's a big day. Things go wrong. It's intense, and all the while, weirdness approaches... Adam Thorn is having what will turn out to be the most unsettling, difficult day of his life, with relationships fracturing, a harrowing incident at work, and a showdown between this gay teen and his preacher father that changes everything. It's a day of confrontation, running, sex, love, heartbreak, and maybe, just maybe, hope. He won't come out of it unchanged. And all the while, lurking at the edges of the story, something extraordinary and unsettling is on a collision course.
Is it any good?
I'm really struggling with Patrick Ness, although admittedly I haven't read all of his books, but this one annoyed me for the same reasons as the last one did. It's indisputably two books. One is this epic-ally good story about a gay teenager from a strict Christian family, dealing with love, heartbreak, harassment, friendship, loss.... it just had everything for a great YA book.
And then there’s this other book bolted in between it - some sort of fantasy tale that made absolutely no sense? It didn’t add anything to this book, in fact if anything it detracted from how great the main story was. I’m feeling mighty frustrated by this as I feel like if he had made more out of Adam’s story and not confused it with this other narrative, it could have been a great book.
I can only give it 3 stars for the one story I did like ⭐️⭐️⭐️
5. Wed Wabbit - Lissa Evans
What's it about?
You're called Fidge and you're nearly eleven. You've been hurled into a strange world. You have three companions: two are unbelievably weird and the third is your awful cousin Graham. You have to solve a series of nearly impossible clues. You need to deal with a cruel dictator and three thousand Wimbley Woos (yes, you read that sentence correctly). And the whole situation - the whole, entire thing - is your fault. Wed Wabbit is an adventure story about friendship, danger and the terror of never being able to get back home again.
Is it any good?
I thought I was going to hate this book. You've read the blurb, it sound's ridiculous doesn't it? Despite loving classics such as Alice in Wonderland, of course, I don't much like books that are overly twee or whimsical, or set in any imaginary fantasy type land. So this had all the hallmarks of narking me right off.
But actually...it was endearing. And occasionally funny (and sometimes with the sarcasm only an adult reader would appreciate - making me think its one to be read with your young children). It was a bit of a strange one - the plot is very much for younger children, while some of the humour and sarcasm was aimed at adults. Despite the fact that the story is completely ludicrous, I found myself enjoying it in parts.
If you're up for a modern take on The Wizard of Oz mixed with Alice in Wonderland, then you may well enjoy this. Both the child characters in the book go through a journey of change and I found their stories captivating at times.
This one is going to be like marmite for many - so a straight down the middle 3 stars - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
4. Beyond the bright Sea - Lauren Wolk
What's it about?
Twelve-year-old Crow has lived her entire life on a tiny, isolated piece of the starkly beautiful Elizabeth Islands in Massachusetts. Abandoned and set adrift on a small boat when she was just hours old, Crow's only companions are Osh, the man who rescued and raised her, and Miss Maggie, their fierce and affectionate neighbor across the sandbar. Crow has always been curious about the world around her, but it isn't until the night a mysterious fire appears across the water that the unspoken question of her own history forms in her heart. Soon, an unstoppable chain of events is triggered, leading Crow down a path of discovery and danger.
Is it any good?
This was a sweet and interesting story about a girl trying to find out where she comes from. It really explores some great ideas - why it matters to know where you've come from; is family only those who you are biologically related to or are your family the ones who have raised you and cared for you. It also had a fascinating insight into the treatment of leprosy sufferers by a community. All very weighty topics! I enjoyed this but it didn't grab me, what there was of this story could have been told much more concisely. It felt like it was long for the sake of it in parts, and without wanting to appear patronising, my worry is this might put off younger readers from an otherwise great tale. I wanted to know more about the community that contracted leprosy and were ostracised from the outside world. I found that aspect of the story fascinating and wish that had been explored more. But this really is a beautiful little story, almost poetic in its style and despite the fact I think it was too long, it really is a captivating read. This nearly made 4 stars, but I'm a harsh critic, so it's another ⭐️⭐️⭐️
3. Where the World Ends - Geraldine McCaughrean
What's it about?
Every time a lad came fowling on the St Kilda stacs, he went home less of a boy and more of a man. If he went home at all, that is... In the summer of 1727, a group of men and boys are put ashore on a remote sea stac to harvest birds for food. No one returns to collect them. Why? Surely nothing but the end of the world can explain why they have been abandoned to endure storms, starvation and terror. And how can they survive, housed in stone and imprisoned on every side by the ocean?
Is it any good?
This really ticked all my boxes, with my absolute love of anything with a dystopian feel to it. I thought the plot was excellent and just a little bit 'oh so creepy'.
This book has a real 'Lord of the Flies' vibe about it - a group of children (plus a few adults in this book) left abandoned in a hostile environment, not knowing what has happened to the outside world. I had a genuine sense of dread as I was reading, when you suddenly realise that the islanders aren't coming back to get them. What could possibly have happened to justify the abandonment of their men? The fact that this book is heavily based on a true story just made it even creepier. The author does a great job of imagining how they might have survived under these conditions and what was going through their heads. She wrote in such a way to really capture the isolation they felt and how different people react when put under such extreme and intense pressure. What an excellent YA book, only marred by a few sections where it went off on a bit of a tangent (mainly in the protagonists head) which didn't really add anything for me. But all in all, I think this one will be creeping me out for a while and its a fantastic addition to the Carnegie shortlist.
Close to perfect - this one gets 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
2. The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas
What's it about?
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil's name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr. But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.
Is it any good?
This is a story about race relations, about racial bias in the justice system and about the conversations to be had around the 'black lives matter' movement. Teenagers need to understand why these things matter, sometimes the news doesn't reach their world and books like this make these important conversations relevant to them. I felt this book to my core. The hurt and unjustness of watching someone die needlessly and for no-one to be brought to justice for it (and that feeling would be there regardless of the race of the victim or the perpetrator). The powerful narrative helps you to imagine a world where The Police see you as a threat and you have to be mindful of every minute action or word spoken lest it be misinterpreted as an act of aggression. I thought the characters were phenomenal. There was real humour throughout that brought the relationships to life and make me laugh out loud on several occasions. They were real, gritty, unpolished and authentic. And behind all that is a great and powerful story about a teenage girl, managing the everyday drama of growing up and learning about herself, dealing with grief and anger, her friendships and her relationships with her family, and her conflicting feelings about being in a bi-racial relationship.
This isn't supposed to be a comfortable read and for a whiter than white privileged British girl, it certainly wasn't. More than any news story this has brought home to me the differences between my life experiences and the lives of people described in this book. I think it's fantastic that books like this exist in the YA fiction world.
Testament to the fact that I would recommend this book to anyone, regardless of age - a stonking 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
1. After the Fire - Will Hill
What's it about?
The things I’ve seen are burned into me, like scars that refuse to fade. Father John controls everything inside The Fence. And Father John likes rules. Especially about never talking to Outsiders. Because Father John knows the truth. He knows what is right, and what is wrong. He knows what is coming. Moonbeam is starting to doubt, though. She’s starting to see the lies behind Father John’s words. She wants him to be found out. What if the only way out of the darkness is to light a fire?
Is it any good?
Is it any good?! Hold onto your hats people, this is incredible.
Who doesn't love a story about a cult, I mean really? There's something so morbidly fascinating about the possibility that one person could be so charismatic and so persuasive, to brainwash a community to shut themselves off from the world and follow such strict rigorous rules and religious fanaticism. . And my word does it pack a punch! Told through the eyes of the female protagonist, Moonbeam, a survivor after the end of the cult, we hear the story of how everything got more and more out of control within the confines of the compound. She's such a great character, her resilience and strength is just overwhelming. Every time Agent Carlyle, one of the Detectives working with her to slowly compile a case, was proud of her, I was cheering right alongside!
Will Hill does a magnificent job with these characters, but none so much as with Father John. Never have I found someone so heinous and detestable , as I did this fictitious man. (OK...well Trump of course, but that's always a given). The narration switches between the present and the past, to slowly reveal just how bad things got for Moonbeam, and it really keeps you on the edge of your seat. This was an absolute powerhouse of a story. It was fascinating, intriguing, chilling and gripping. I could NOT put it down. And If we are honest what's probably most scary (and a little bit compelling) is knowing that cults like this do really exist out there.
For pure entertainment and enjoyment, this has to be the best book on the shortlist for me. It just absolutely blew me away. Can I give it more than 5 stars please? No, well OK then - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️