The 2013 Morris finalists...

...have been announced, and I've only read one of the five.

Must! Get! Cracking!

They are:

After the Snow, by S.D. Crockett:

The pacing is good, the description strong, the characters believable, and the violence, while upsetting and gut-wrenching, isn't gratuitous. It's a vision of a post-apocalyptic future that touches on a lot of our current concerns—global warming, alternate energy, the oil crisis—while also taking a (pessimistic) stab at imagining what the global political landscape could look like in a few short decades.

Wonder Show, by Hannah Barnaby

Love and Other Perishable Items, by Laura Buzo

The Miseducation of Cameron Post, by emily m. danforth

Seraphina, by Rachel Hartman

Comments

[Amydieg]

The Miseducation of Cameron Post is outstanding, even though the summary/blurb is misleading about what the core of the novel is. I've been really excited to see it getting a lot of attention on people's end of the year lists.

[Liviania]

Seraphina is amazeballs. Beautiful high fantasy - I'm happy to see it on the list.

[Jenn]

I'll second the loveliness of Seraphina. Not only does it have a unique premise, but the characters are wonderful and have made the book worth reading several times over. I don't want to give anything away, but sometimes characters in books (and people in real life) make stupid decisions that tend to hurt those around them when they are in love, but not these particular characters. They respect each other and those around them too much to do something rash and that makes me want to stand up and clap for their quality of character.

Love and Other Perishable Items has been on my wishlist for a while, though I first heard about it under its Aussie title Good Oil. Some day I will get around to reading it.

[Jess]

You haven't read Seraphina?! I would be totally happy to see a repeat Morris/Printz sweep (or Seraphina could take a Printz Honor and Code Name Verity could take the gold).

[Leila]

I own it, so I've been planning on reading it right after Round One of the Cybils winds up! :D