NATIONAL BOOK AWARD Longlist: Young People’s Literature
- Becky Albertalli, Simon vs. the
Homo Sapiens Agenda (Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins Children's Books) “Sixteen-year-old, not-so-openly-gay
Simon Spier is blackmailed into playing wingman for his classmate or else
his sexual identity--and that of his pen pal--will be revealed.”
- M.T. Anderson, Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad (Candlewick Press) “In September 1941, Adolf Hitler’s
Wehrmacht surrounded Leningrad in what was to become one of the longest
and most destructive sieges in Western history—almost three years of
bombardment and starvation that culminated in the harsh winter of
1943–1944. More than a million citizens perished. Survivors recall corpses
littering the frozen streets, their relatives having neither the means nor
the strength to bury them. Residents burned books, furniture, and
floorboards to keep warm; they ate family pets and—eventually—one another
to stay alive. Trapped between the Nazi invading force and the Soviet
government itself was composer Dmitri Shostakovich, who would write a
symphony that roused, rallied, eulogized, and commemorated his fellow
citizens—the Leningrad Symphony, which came to occupy a surprising place
of prominence in the eventual Allied victory. This is the true story of a
city under siege: the triumph of bravery and defiance in the face of
terrifying odds. It is also a look at the power—and layered meaning—of
music in beleaguered lives.
Symphony for the City of the Dead is a masterwork thrillingly told
and impeccably researched.”
- Ali Benjamin, The Thing About Jellyfish (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) “Twelve-year-old Suzy Swanson wades through her intense
grief over the loss of her best friend by investigating the rare jellyfish
she is convinced was responsible for her friend's death.”
- Rae Carson, Walk on Earth a
Stranger (Greenwillow/HarperCollins Children's Books) “A young woman who possesses a supernatural ability to
sense the presence of gold disguises herself as a boy and seeks safety and
romance in California.”
- Gary Paulsen, This Side of
Wild: Mutts, Mares, and Laughing Dinosaurs (Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing) “The Newbery
Honor-winning author of Hatchet and Dogsong shares surprising true stories
about his relationship with animals, highlighting their compassion,
intellect, intuition, and sense of adventure. Gary Paulsen is an adventurer
who competed in two Iditarods, survived the Minnesota wilderness, and
climbed the Bighorns. None of this would have been possible without his
truest companion: his animals. Sled dogs rescued him in Alaska, a sickened
poodle guarded his well-being, and a horse led him across a desert.
Through his interactions with dogs, horses, birds, and more, Gary has been
struck with the belief that animals know more than we may fathom. His
understanding and admiration of animals is well known, and in This Side of Wild, which has taken a
lifetime to write, he proves the ways in which they have taught him to be
a better person.”
- Laura Ruby, Bone Gap (Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins Children's Books) “Eighteen-year-old
Finn, an outsider in his quiet Midwestern town, is the only witness to the
abduction of town favorite Roza, but his inability to distinguish between
faces makes it difficult for him to help with the investigation, and
subjects him to even more ridicule and bullying.”
- Ilyasah Shabazz, with Kekla Magoon, X:
A Novel (Candlewick Press). “Malcolm
Little's parents have always told him that he can achieve anything, but
from what he can tell, that's a pack of lies--after all, his father's been
murdered, his mother's been taken away, and his dreams of becoming a
lawyer have gotten him laughed out of school. There's no point in trying,
he figures, and lured by the nightlife of Boston and New York, he escapes
into a world of fancy suits, jazz, girls, and reefer. But Malcolm's
efforts to leave the past behind lead him into increasingly dangerous
territory. Deep down, he knows that the freedom he's found is only an
illusion--and that he can't run forever. X follows Malcolm from his
childhood to his imprisonment for theft at age twenty, when he found the
faith that would lead him to forge a new path and command a voice that
still resonates today.”
- Steve Sheinkin, Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War (Roaring
Brook Press/Macmillan Children's Publishing Group) “The story of Daniel Ellsberg and his decision to steal
and publish secret documents about America's involvement in the Vietnam
War.”
- Neal Shusterman, Challenger Deep (HarperCollins Children's Books) “Caden Bosch is on a galleon that's headed for the deepest point on Earth: Challenger Deep, the southern part of the Marianas Trench. Bosch is a brilliant high school student whose friends are starting to notice his odd behavior. He is designated the ship's artist in residence to document the journey with images. Bosch pretends to join the school track team but spends his days walking for miles, absorbed by the thoughts in his head. He is split between his allegiance to the captain and the allure of mutiny. He is torn. He is dealing with schizophrenia... and as fantasy and paranoia begin to take over, his parents have only one choice left.” (Update: Winner of the National Book Award for Young People's Literature!)
- Noelle Stevenson, Nimona (HarperTeen/HarperCollins Children's Books). “Nimona is an impulsive
young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is
a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord
Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to
the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the
Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren't the heroes everyone
thinks they are. But as small acts of mischief escalate into a vicious
battle, Lord Blackheart realizes that Nimona's powers are as murky and
mysterious as her past. Andher unpredictable wild side might be more
dangerous than he is willing to admit.”
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