Hi everyone,
Today I have a very long post all about Carnegie 2021 which I participated in with my school book club. I really enjoyed this challenge, even if some of the books were a little hard to get through!
The Girl Who Speaks Bear by Sophie Anderson
This was an average fantasy book with beautiful language and sweet characters. I really enjoyed it but there were a few writing issues which weren't anything major but just made me cringe a bit! Overall it was a good book though.
The Girl Who Speaks Bear is about Yanka who feels like she doesn't fit into her village and one day grows bear legs and goes on a quest to uncover her past. She was found in a bear cave as a young child and feels like the forest is pulling her back. She makes animal friends and explores the forest, where she finds a house with chicken legs, a fire dragon and many more mystical beings. But can she ever find her place in the world?
Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds
I'm going to be honest: this book was one of the worst things I've ever read. It is a collection of ten short stories set in an American town.
There were many things wrong with this book:
1. Page 81 had a random semi-colon. It says "Bryson's father came into the room after ;his mum and told him the same things, minus the part about video games." (and yes, there was a space and then the semi-colon attached to the word 'his').
2. I found that serious topics were made a bit of a joke of as there were mentions of people with cancer and dying in the same chapter as silly jokes about bogies.
3. It was very informal and I was not a fan of that tone of voice.
There were a few other things too but I really didn't like it. However, all the stories did link up which I liked and I enjoyed the idea that everyone has something to hide and everyone has insecurities.
But there wasn't that much storyline and plot apart from loads of people with really tragic lives using it as an excuse to steal and scam.
The Girl Who Became A Tree by Joseph Coelho
This was a beautiful interpretation of grief told through poems. It made me feel so much but also didn't tell you too much about the characters so you could imagine your own backstory. The poetry was beautiful and I really enjoyed this. However, one of the people I do book club with thought it was hard to follow which I understand, but personally I thought it was fine. There were also some very creative illustrations which gave a more immersive feel to it.
The Fountains Of Silence by Ruta Sepetys
WOW! THIS WAS SO GOOD!
I loved this so, so much and so far, it is the deserving winner for me. It is set in the Spanish civil war and dictatorship, which I knew next to nothing about. I learnt so much and got very attached to the characters and their journeys. This follows several different perspectives on the war and general life under Franco. This is more of an adult book and I definitely think that if you are an adult you can enjoy it too. It fits in the YA category but it is very well written, especially compared to some of the other books in this post (*clears throat* Look Both Ways). Anyway, I'm on the lookout for more Ruta Sepetys!
On Midnight Beach by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick
This was another fantastic read! I am not sure if I prefer this or The Fountains Of Silence though, which is a bit of an issue seeing as I am supposed to decide which one I like most! This was very entertaining and a really fun read. I definitely recommend it! This is about a small Irish bay where a dolphin brings rivalry and tension but also a romance and beautiful friendship. It is written from the perspectives of Emer and Gus, who lead very different lives and who end up fighting for their towns. This ending was horrific and really shocked me, I felt a bit tearful! This was so, so good and a wonderful, engaging and imaginative story! I would be very happy for this to win!
Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk
This was another average fantasy/adventure read and I liked it. It is very similar to The Girl Who Speaks Bear, which was interesting but the writing was much better in The Girl Who Speaks Bear. This is about Ellie who is forced to move to Echo Mountain with her family, where her father gets injured and is in a coma. She tries to wake him up and meets a hag who helps her. She also meets a boy with whom she strikes up a friendship. It's actually funny because at my first primary school, we had a visit from the School Library Service and we all got to pick out a two books from each category from the selection they brought and one of the ones that 8 year old me picked out was Beyond The Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk so I couldn't believe it when I saw this!
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
I actually bought this before I knew it was a Carnegie book so had my own copy and read it before the rest of the book club. It is an incredible novel told in verse about two sisters who only know they are sisters upon the death of their father. They discover his was a life of secrets and deal with their grief together. One sister lives in the US, the other in the Dominican Republic. I loved the different way of life in the Dominican Republic and it was very interesting to read from a European perspective. It just made me want to travel even more! I grew very fond of these characters and can't wait to reread this many times!
Run Rebel by Manjeet Mann
This was another one I absolutely loved! This is also another one written in verse, which is very surprising to have three written in this way! This one is about Amber, who dreams of being a runner, but her father's rules are preventing her of fulfilling this. Both her parents are illiterate and grew up in India so can't speak much English. They are also not very well off and she is subject to physical and verbal abuse by her father. But running frees her, especially when her two best friends seem to be involved romantically and she's just a bit jealous! Anyway, this was a fantastic read with an amazing view of the world from a more unprivileged perspective.
That's it! Wow, what a list! I had such an awesome journey through all of these books, but I'm glad it's over as I'll have more freedom in what I read! I definately enjoyed this year more than last year but I don't think much of the prize because both years I've HATED the winner! Yes, Look Both Ways won...I really don't get it. For me the winner should have been On Midnight Beach. My personal preference is towards not only that one but also The Fountains Of Silence, Run Rebel and Clap When You Land. However, I think On Midnight Beach appeals to the most amount of people and The Fountains Of Silence was very hard-going! Anyway, I think I will take part in it next year but I'll maybe have a look at the shortlist first to see whether it's worth it.
Thank you so much for reading this LONG post all about my experience with Carnegie 2021! Happy Reading!
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