The finalists for the 2013 Minnesota Book Awards have been announced.

The Young People's list is as follows:

Goblin Secrets, by William Alexander:

The combination of steampunky clockwork technology mixes well with the sense of real magic—my favorite mix of the two was in Graba, a Baba Yaga-ish witch who has clockwork chicken legs (as well as the aforementioned moving house)—and as in a lot of old-school children's fantasy, there are genuinely dark and scary bits as well as moments of joy and wonder.

Nothing Special, by Geoff Herbach

Shadow on the Mountain, by Margi Preus:

There's a wonderful balance between Espen's Resistance activities (along with the knowledge that if he's caught, his family will be punished for his actions); his younger sister's interest in his activities, which ultimately leads to her own direct involvement with the Resistance; the split that occurs within his peers between those who join the Resistance and those who join the Nazis; and his own coming of age and burgeoning romance.

Silhouette of a Sparrow, by Molly Beth Griffin

See this page for the rest of the finalists!

Comments

[sprite]

I wasn't blown away by Nothing Special (although a friend tells me that it's better if you've read the first book in the series), but I did quite enjoy Shadow on the Mountain.

[Leila]

Yeah, I still haven't gotten to Nothing Special, but I've read the first one, and I could definitely how that would be a factor!