I am looking forward to reading the Newberry winner. Gantos is a terrific writer and it's nice to see him get this award. I actually wrote a review for BREAKING STALIN'S NOSE this summer on an advance copy. Here's what I had to say, if you are interested:
10-year old Sasha is proud of his Communist father and believes that Comrade Stalin is the greatest leader and teacher of all time. Sasha lives in a communal apartment with his father and 48 other people. The night before the Pioneers rally in which Sasha will officially become a young Communist, his father is taken away. Sasha is confused. Why would Stalin allow his father to be taken? Sasha decides to get answers for himself and sets out on a quest which takes him to his aunt’s home, his school and ultimately to Lubyanka, a prison. As the search for his father continues, Sasha begins to doubt everything he once believed: the comforts of his home, his father’s real work and Stalin’s leadership. Set during the heart of Stalin’s reign of the Soviet Union, the author brings the scenes, the language and the beliefs of Communism to readers as only a person who has lived there could do. The main character is thoughtful, spunky and courageous and the book contains illustrations throughout which will captivate readers. This is a well-written and accessible historical fiction for young readers.
I also had the honor of reviewing the Prinz Winner, WHERE THINGS COME BACK. Here it is if you are interested:
This multi-layered novel tells the story of seventeen year-old, Cullen Witter, a boy from a small town in Arkansas. Cullen is a contemplative, sullen and bored with life. He has a vivacious best friend, Lucas, a naïve, but endearing younger brother, Gabriel, and Cullen fantasizes about a gorgeous girl who is love with someone else. Two things happen to shake up Cullen’s world: first his brother disappears without any trace, and second, an outsider comes to the small town claiming to have seen the rare Lazarus Woodpecker right in Cullen’s home town. While Cullen attempts to deal with the loss of his brother and the media circus surrounding the woodpecker, a second story, about Cabot Searcy, a young college student turned religious zealot, begins to unfold. Author Whaley gradually and expertly zeroes in on the two storylines, bringing them together in a surprising conclusion. The tone of the novel is depressing throughout, but readers may find themselves pulled into the narrative, re-reading passages and thinking about the differences between reality and perceived reality. Strong characters and solid themes of friendship, religion, family and home make this a thought-provoking young adult novel.