Betting on Books: Spotlight on Young People's Literature

By Elizabeth Devereaux -- Publishers Weekly, 11/12/2007 7:30:00 AM

Turning to the Young People’s Literature category of the National Book Awards (don't forget to participate in our poll), the finalists include three hard-hitting coming-of-age novels, two of them set within minority communities; one fantasy; and an illustrated book with a strong fantasy component.

The fantasy, Skin Hunger: A Resurrection of Magic: Book One (S&S/Atheneum) by Kathleen Duey, is also the start to a trilogy; with its slowly accelerating pace, lengthily elaborated universe and unresolved ending, it leaves a reader wanting more. Mission accomplished for a series opener, but it's probably not enough to win.

Of two debuts, Touching Snow (S&S/Atheneum) by M. Sindy Felin is the more ambitious, exposing the embattled dynamics of a Haitian émigré family dominated by a sadistic stepfather. Critics have uniformly praised Felin’s characterizations and one or two have labeled her voice “important." A more likely winner of the Newbery than the NBA.

As for the other debut, Story of a Girl (Little, Brown) by Sara Zarr: terrific book, yes. But the category is Young People’s Literature, not Young Women’s, and the title and jacket create the perception that it's for girls only.

The big buzz divides between the last two books. Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Little, Brown), the well-known writer’s semi-autobiography, set on a Spokane Indian reservation. This one’s got tragedy, relevance—and a great sense of humor. Funny is hard to beat.

Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Scholastic), however, could be the one. Inspired by Georges Méliès's magical early films, this massive book devotes more than half its pages to illustration sequences, in effect transposing silent film to paper. That’s an achievement worth recognizing.