From: steven engelfried <stevene>
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2001 13:42:25 -0800

I appreciated Peter Butts' summary of the Printz criteria. One part really threw me though: "Another criteria that has caused some confusion is that the book must stand on its own, thus eliminating such noteworthy sequels as the Newbery winner, _A Year Down Yonder_, Pullman's _Amber Spyglass_, and the latest Harry Potter title." One thing I liked about the Printz is that it's so inclusive, not limiting non-US authors or younger YA books, but this rule seems arbitrary. A book like "A Year Down Yonder" could stand completely on its own. So could "True Believer," V.E. Wollf's sequel to
"Make Lemonade" which should be an early favorite for the 2002 Printz. It would be a shame if a powerful book like that were ineligible. And what about books that are related to earlier books, but not exactly sequels, like
"A Solitary Blue" by Voigt or "Chasing Redbird" by Creech? Would they have been passed over just because they featured some characters from previous books? I'm glad Newbery avoids this distinction, or "The High King,"
"Dicey's Song," and "The Grey King" would be seal-less...

- Steven Engelfried, Young Adult Librarian
  Deschutes Public Library System
  545 NW Wall Street Bend, OR 97701
  ph: 541a7p72 fax: 54189)82
  e-mail: stevene at dpls.lib.or.us
Received on Thu 22 Feb 2001 03:42:25 PM CST