Printz Honor Books Roundup: Last Night at the Telegraph Club, Concrete Rose, Revolution in Our Time, Starfish

The Michael L. Printz Award is given by the American Library Association for “Excellence in literature written for young adults.” Last year’s winner was Everything Sad Is Untrue, a book we love. This year’s winner is The Firekeeper’s Daughter, a book we liked, with certain considerations. That said, we don’t review every Printz winner, because many of them are problematic in worldview, language, sexual content, etc.

Should we at least know about them, though? This year, let’s try it: below is the list of this year’s Printz Honor books, two of which we’ve reviewed already. You’ll see them displayed in the teen section of your local library and Barnes & Noble. If your kids attend public high school or junior high, they’ll see them in the school library. Here’s what you might want to know.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo. Dutton, 2021, 423 pages

Reading Level: Teen, ages 15-18

Recommended for: adults (maybe)

If you look closely at the cover you’ll notice two young women holding hands in the lower right corner. Without looking closely you’ll notice four award stickers. Besides the Printz Honor, Telegraph Club won the National Book Award for youth literature, a Stonewall Honor, and the Asian/Pacific American Award, teen division.

As the story opens, Lily Wu, 17-year-old daughter of Chinese immigrants, is navigating high school in 1954 San Francisco. It’s the heyday of Joseph McCarthy and certain Chinese are suspected of communist sympathies, including some of Lily’s friends and relatives. But she has more personal concerns, especially after a classmate, Kathleen Miller, mentions seeing a male impersonator perform at the Telegraph Club. Lily has experienced certain feelings she’s embarrassed to confront—could Kathleen be “that way” too?

In some ways, it’s an old-fashioned love story with political overtones. Social prejudice drives the lovers apart, but perhaps there’s a place for them in a brighter future. The characters are not especially memorable (to my mind) nor the plot especially distinctive, but what the author does well is express lesbian longing.  Particularly in Malinda’s confused feelings at the beginning and in two make-out scenes, one of which is more graphic than most YA hetero scenes. This could (just maybe) make the novel illuminating for adults who hope to understand their lesbian relatives or friends, but perilous for teens, especially those are themselves struggling with same-sex attraction.

Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas. Balzer + Bray, 2021, 368 pages

Reading Level: Teen, ages 15-18

Recommended for: 18-up

In The Hate U Give, protagonist Starr Carter experiences identity conflicts between her black family and her white prep school. This comes to a head when a friend is killed by a white cop. Concrete Rose goes back in time to her dad, Maverick Carter, who at 17 is already deep into some of the negative aspects of the ‘hood. So far he’s been coasting on gang loyalty and low-level drug-dealing, but when a casual hookup results in a baby, reality gets real, really quick. The baby’s mama can’t handle it, so the li’l man gets dumped on his daddy, who’s still in high school. And whose own daddy is in jail. And who has a serious girlfriend. They’re breaking up when Lisa, the girlfriend, discovers she’s pregnant too–so Maverick stands to be a dad twice over by the age of 18. In a confused but well-meaning effort to support their families, he and his cousin go in for more serious drug-dealing. The consequences are dire for both.

Concrete Rose paints a gritty, no-holds-barred picture of how boys can become men if they accept the challenge. Maverick fortunately has some positive influences in his life, such as owners of the neighborhood grocery who offer him a job. But will he take it, when the allure of easy-but-dangerous money is right in front of his nose? Readers of The Hate U Give know that Maverick and Lisa will get married, pursue respectful careers, and raise a family, but this look at Maverick’s early life shows that it was not easy. It’s a worthwhile read for outsiders who would like to understand the ‘hood, but language is an issue—plenty of f-bombs, s-words, and some profanity.

Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party’s Promise to the People by Kekla Magoon. Candlewick, 2021, 315 pages plus glossary, notes, bibliography, and index.

Reading Level: Teen, ages 15-18

Recommended for: ages 18-up

The Black Panther Party began as a response to police brutality in Oakland, California. But due to the charisma of founders Huey Newton, Eldridge Cleaver, and Bobby Seale, it quickly grew to national prominence. The BPP became a force in the Civil Rights Movement as an “aggressive alternative” to Martin Luther King’s passive resistance. Though the organization was short-lived, its legacy remains. Author Kekla Magoon convincingly shows how centuries of racial injustice inspired the BBP, but her over-romantic interpretation leaves out some unsavory details of their history.

Revolution in Our Time was previously reviewed by Redeemed Reader on February 25, 2022. See the link for full review and ratings.

Starfish by Lisa Fipps. Nancy Paulsen Books (PRH), 2021, 256 pages.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12

Recommended for: ages 12-15

Eliana (Ellie) made a big mistake before she was old enough to comprehend Fat Girl Rules. For her fifth birthday party, she invited all her friends to the family’s backyard pool and—mistake one—wore a whale-themed swimsuit. Then—mistake two—started the festivities by staging the splashiest cannonball ever. From then on, “Splash” is her most recognizable nickname, followed by a close second: “Whale.” Now, at 13, she’s learned to keep her head down and act small, even though she isn’t. This novel in verse offers a sensitive picture of what it’s like to be fat in a culture that idolizes thin (even if some of that idolatry is moderating). From our earlier review: “Starfish is a good novel: well-written, sympathetic, and engaging. I’d recommend it to any middle-grader as a way of understanding and sympathizing. As a way of self-acceptance . . . very carefully.”

Starfish was reviewed as part of a Newbery Buzz post on January 6, 2022. Click the link for the full review.