The National Book Award Finalists in Young People’s Literature
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Version 0 of 1. The finalists for the 2015 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature explore an array of subjects — from a nonfiction account of a whistleblower to a playful graphic novel about a teenage shape-shifter — yet they are united by the theme of loss and rescue. The winner of the $10,000 prize will be announced in New York on Nov. 18. The third time may prove the charm for Steve Sheinkin, whose fast-paced histories “Bomb” (2012) and “Port Chicago 50” (2014) were earlier NBA finalists. M ost Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War (Roaring Brook, ages 11-14) takes readers into Ellsberg’s controversial decision to leak the top-secret Pentagon Papers to the press. Sheinkin explores the consequences of that action on the Vietnam War, the presidencies of Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon and the attitude of the American public toward its elected officials. He traces the government analyst’s loss of faith in his country’s leaders and his realization of “the tenacity and nature of the patterns of deceit.” Readers follow Ellsberg as he smuggles photocopies to reporters and goes into hiding, hoping to rescue the United States from the ruinous course of an unending war. [‘Most Dangerous’: A fast-paced young people’s biography of Daniel Ellsberg] Ali Benjamin opens The Thing about Jellyfish (Little, Brown, age 12 and up) with a terrible loss: Suzy Swanson learns that her best friend, Franny, has drowned. Science-obsessed Suzy refuses to accept the explanation that “sometimes things just happen.” She begins to research possible causes, including the sting of a small, deadly jellyfish. As the narrative shifts between Suzy’s present and flashbacks to key moments in the friendship, it becomes increasingly clear that she is motivated by guilt as well as grief. Unable to explain or seek forgiveness for the hurt she may have caused Franny, Suzy is determined to find the truth about what happened. Her wry voice and reflections on the natural world infuse this achingly beautiful novel about growing up and letting go. In Laura Ruby’s lush novel Bone Gap (Balzer + Bay, age 14 and up), tensions mount in a small town where “people are not who we think they are,” and the mundane is tinged with magic. A mysterious young woman named Roza is kidnapped, but Finn, the only witness to the crime, can’t seem to describe the man holding her. Guilt-ridden, he sets out to rescue Roza. His quest is dogged by townsfolk as iconic as figures from a fairy tale: his smarter, stronger brother; a bee-taming girl; and a villain who looks “like everyone and no one at all.” This strange, gorgeous story constantly unsettles the reader’s expectations as it moves ever deeper into houses and cornfields that hold whispers, jittery laughter and too many secrets. In the novel Challenger Deep (HarperTeen, age 14 and up), Caden Bosch is losing his hold on reality as he toggles between two narratives. One is about his escalating paranoia and subsequent hospitalization. The other is about his harrowing adventures on a pirate ship with a crew, captain and parrot that are revealed to be the patients and therapists in the first narrative. Neal Shusterman develops a compassionate, haunting portrait of a schizophrenic teenager, thanks to input from his son Brendan, who had sailed the “dark, unpredictable waters of mental illness.” Brilliant descriptions capture the experience: Caden sees his parents as “a single creature with four weeping eyes” and feels so distant that it’s as if he has cotton in his ears. The book also includes Brendan’s drawings, and their swirls and jagged marks help convey Caden’s inner turmoil. In this honest, powerful novel, there is no easy rescue; instead, a hard-won self-acceptance powers the boy forward day by day. Medieval knights, newscasters and test tubes occupy the exuberant fantasy world of Nimona (HarperTeen, age 13 and up), a graphic novel by Noelle Stevenson that was first published as a Web comic. Nimona, a teenage shapeshifter, joins forces with the kingdom’s supervillain, Lord Ballister Blackheart. Nefarious schemes and high action abound as the two take on Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin, defender of the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics. Over time, Stevenson reveals the details of the failed childhood friendship between Blackheart and Goldenloin, but the heart (and funny bone) of the tale is the relationship that evolves between Nimona and the beleaguered baddie. When Blackheart tries to lecture her on impulsivity, the lively redhead flippantly pops the tab on her soda. But they have each other’s back, and Blackheart comes to appreciate this brave wild child just as she is. Mary Quattlebaum is a children’s author and a regular reviewer for The Washington Post. She teaches in the MFA program in writing for children and young adults at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Read more: Three children’s and YA books we love, October edition Jenny Han’s new YA novel and other best kids’ books for September |