What are YOU reading this summer?

Early Monday morning on January 10, 2011 In San Diego the winner of the Michael L. Printz Award was announced. This award is for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a Topeka, Kansas school librarian who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association.
So what book one this year’s Printz Award?

Ship Breaker
by Paolo Bacigalupi
Published by Little, Brown and Company,
a division of Hachette Book Group.

In Ship Breaker, near a drowned New Orleans ravaged by hurricanes and global warming, Nailer and his young crew eke out a meager existence by scavenging materials on the ship-littered coast.

It is a taut, suspenseful novel that is also a relentless adventure story featuring Nail who risks his life to rescue the swank girl, Nita. Bacigalupi artfully intertwines themes of loyalty, family, friendship, trust and love.

As I read this book I kept waiting for it to get boring, but it never did. Page after page I found myself forgoing sleep in order to get to the amazing ending. Yes, I did expect what happened, but because the writing was so gripping I overlooked the predictability.

If you want a great book to curl up with this summer, try Ship Breaker!

Ship Breaker is about a dystopian society. Other science fiction books you might enjoy include: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer, Trash by Andy Mulligan, Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Exodus by Julie Bertagna, and Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O’Brien.