Award Winners

 

  

The 2022 Book Awards  were announced in January, and we’ve been excited to read them! (It took us  awhile to get through the list.)  While the Caldecott is for best picture book, the Newbery is for best middle grade book, and the Printz is for the best teen book written in the past year, we found all three to be powerful, thoughtful reads that are just as intriguing for adults.

Watercress by Andrea Yang: 2022 Caldecott Winner (also the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature!)

Watercress is the story of a first generation Chinese-American girl who is embarrassed of her parents,  who stop to pick watercress by the side of the road.  When her mother tells a story of life in China, however, the girl gains new perspective and connects more with her heritage.  Beautiful watercolor illustrations in a style that has Chinese influences. 

A quote from the book: "I take a bite of the watercress, and it bites me back with its spicy, peppery taste. It is delicate and slightly bitter, like Mom's memories of home."

 

Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera: 2022 Newbery Winner (also the Pura Belpre Winner!)

So good on so many levels.  Set in a future where Earth will be destroyed by an asteroid, a few groups of select scientists are chosen to undertake a journey to a new planet. Petra is the daughter of 2 scientists chosen, although her interests lie more with storytelling than science.  She is desolate at leaving Lita, her grandmother, the one who has taught her a wealth of Mexican folklore, but is soothed by knowing the rest of her family will be there to work together.  When she wakes up, however, she finds she is one of the last groups to be awakened and the Collective is a rigid organization that wants to eradicate history and stories so that everyone works toward a collective ideal. Although Petra feels weighted by loss, she gathers enough strength and hope to attempt to save the others.

A truly spectacular piece of writing that weaves folklore and questions of humanity into a gripping quest for survival in an unknown land.

 

Firekeeper’s Daughter:  2022 Printz Award Winner

Daunis is half Native American, but not an enrolled tribal member. She is an exceptional hockey player and is intrigued by a new guy on her brother’s hockey team, though his story doesn’t seem to add up. Her birth had a scandalous backstory and she feels like an outcast from both worlds, but she is determined to be a healer and gain acceptance in her father’s tribe.  When she witnesses a murder, the FBI hopes she can use her connections to gain more clues about the murderer, but Daunis is wary about trusting them, given their past conflicts with her family’s tribe and she also finds it hard to know who to trust within the tribe.

A nailbiter of a read, this is also an intense read with triggers of sexual assault, violence, racism, and abusive parents. While disturbing at times, it is also richly nuanced with rare insight into tribal culture. A gorgeous read about the lengths you would go to for love and justice, with a powerful Native female heroine at the helm who is battered by tragedy yet displays admirable resilience.   The solitary nature and strong female lead reminds me a bit of Where the Crawdads Sing, though the intensity was more on the scale of Danish murder mystery authors like Stieg Larsson.

 

Do you have any favorite books from the last year that you think should have won an award?  We’re keeping an eye on the ones coming out in hopes of guessing the 2023 picks!