I like to try to read the books that are in contention to be considered for Gateway and Truman literary award lists for the state of Missouri. I tend to really enjoy the great majority of them, and it's fun to try to decide which ones I think will have the biggest appeal. Consequently, I have read over half of the books that were recently announced to be on next year's Gateway Award list.
The 2017-2018 list and what I know about it so far:
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven- My rating: ★★★★
It's great. Everyone who has checked it out from my class library has come up to me and commented about it, which is always a good sign! It's a must-read for fans of Thirteen Reasons Why, Tell Me Three Things, and Eleanor and Park. It's been optioned for a movie, and I'm pretty sure it's in production. Read it before you see it!
Inherit Midnight by Kate Kae Myers
It's on my TBR list, and I just checked it out electronically from Mid-Continent.
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon My rating: ★★★ (I loved the story. It was just a teeny bit predictable for a very experienced reader. Still highly recommend.)
Once this one gets book talked, it never sees the shelf again. It's highly engaging, and I've heard that it has also been optioned for a movie. It's going to be a good one for sure!
Losers Take All by David Klass
I have it in the class library, and I'll definitely be reading it soon! It looks like a pretty funny sports book-- wide appeal!
Zeroboxer by Fonda Lee
I stayed on a waiting list for this forever, and when my turn finally came, school was starting and I didn't have time to read it right then. Now that it's made the list for next year, I'll put my name back in the reservations! It sounds like a good read-alike for fans of Armada or Ender's Game.
Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee My rating: ★★★★★
I listened to this as an audiobook one day when we had a snow day, and I loved it! I marathoned it while I did other stuff around the house, and I wanted the narrator to read faster so I could know what happened. While it had a few obvious echoes of Mulan, I have to say I enjoyed it tremendously.
Made You Up by Francesca Zappia My rating: ★★★★★
I may have to secretly root for this one, because I'm friends with someone on the Gateway committee, and I am the one who brought it to their attention. The cover is beautiful beyond words, and I read this story of living with mental illness in just one day. It's in the class library, and since I told the Gateway people about its worthiness, I obviously highly recommend it!
Emmy and Oliver by Robin Benway My rating: ★★
It was an okay relationship book. It wasn't one of my favorites on the list, but it wasn't awful either. I see the potential for lots of people to enjoy it.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Bardugo is really an up and coming author! I have this on my TBR through audio-reading on my Audible account.
This Raging Light by Estelle Laure My rating: ★★★★
The cover. Really? Seriously? I saw this book so many times and hated the cover, so I kept walking. Then it made the list, and I read it and truly enjoyed it. They have done a great story a terrible disservice with that misleading cover art. It's a debut novel, and I certainly hope the author follows with more. Don't make my mistake. Don't judge it by the cover!
A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis My rating: ★★★★
I loved this book. It was a spring of mental illness books, and this one was an outstanding one! I will edit this for read-alikes after I give it more thought.
Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider My rating: ★★★
I hate it when people say for fans of The Fault in Our Stars, but... It is.
The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zakby Brian Katcher My rating: ★★★★
Tons of read-alikes on my shelves. This will be a romance you love or... not. It was cute.
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir My rating: ★★★★
This one will be a struggle for some, but I really enjoyed it! It's definitely going to be one people either love or abandon. I'm anxious to see where my students fall.
Ruthless by Carolyn Lee Adams
I heard your recommendations, and I listened! It's on my next Amazon order, I promise! It sounds amazing. That cover looks creep-tastic!
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