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We Are the Ants

Shaun David Hutchinson

Start date: March 1, 2016

Finish date: March 31, 2016

Discussion: Mock Printz 2017

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Mock Printz 2017

2017 Printz
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What Members Thought

Feb 09, 2016 Karyn Silverman rated it really liked it

Shelves: arcs, ya, z2016-reads

Really good. I had a moment of thinking : "this is the book grasshopper jungle wanted to be" -- and then there was the end of the world scenario that was in fact grasshopper jungle!

Great voice. Unusual and compelling concept overlaid on a really deep look at grief and anger and love and abuse. It's only February but I'll be surprised if this doesn't stay towards the front of the pack. ...more

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Mar 15, 2016 Barbara rated it really liked it

Shelves: compassion, conflict, literacy, pregnancy, nature, bullies, facing-fears, space, animals, depression

This impressive title from the author of The Deathday Letter, fml, and The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley really shows his writing chops and elevates his craft considerably in his latest title. Having recently lost the love of his life, Jesse, to suicide, for reasons he desperately wants to learn, Henry Denton's barely making it through each day. Teased, bullied, and saddled with "Space Boy" as a nickname, he finds little joy in life and hides how difficult things are from his mother since she ne This impressive title from the author of The Deathday Letter, fml, and The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley really shows his writing chops and elevates his craft considerably in his latest title. Having recently lost the love of his life, Jesse, to suicide, for reasons he desperately wants to learn, Henry Denton's barely making it through each day. Teased, bullied, and saddled with "Space Boy" as a nickname, he finds little joy in life and hides how difficult things are from his mother since she needs to know that at least one part of her life is okay. He's alienated from his best friend, Audrey, coping with his grandmother's memory loss, unsure about why his father left, and dealing with his older brother's impending role as a young father. Into the mix add his tortured relationship with school jock and rich kid, Marcus, who keeps their relationship under wraps, and helps others beat him up as well as the fact that he is sure he's been kidnapped by aliens who leave the planet's future in his hands, and you have a sprawling, hard-to-define book that's one part romantic coming of age, one part science fiction, and all parts compelling. The date for Earth's demise has been set, 144 days in the future, and Henry sees very little reason to keep on with it, given that much of life is bullshit and much of his own experiences with humans have been unsatisfactory. But fortunately for Henry--and the world--there are plenty of folks who care and show him some of the reasons for living--Diego, the new kid in town from Colorado who channels his anger and memories into art, Audrey, who holds out hope that there is more to life than sleepwalking through each day, his mother, who makes an important life change and takes a career risk, his science teacher, Ms. Faraci, who has his back and shows him through her own example that what someone thinks of us in high school has little bearing on who we may become. While it may be true that those who belittle us in our adolescent years go on to live perfectly satisfying lives, in the end, it may not matter since we can too. My favorite lines are those that conclude the book since they offer encouragement "We may not get to choose how we die, but we can choose how we live. The universe may forget us, but it doesn't matter. Because we are the ants, and we'll keep marching on" (p. 451). This book might be perfect for sharing with those in your life who see no point to continuing the struggle or could serve as a great starting place for conversations about trying to be perfect or hide our imperfections. However it is used, whether in a classroom or as pleasure reading, the book contains important messages that need to be shared with others. One of my favorite aspects of the book is the many different ways Henry imagines the world coming to an end. So many of them matched my own conjectures about what may happen. While the future may be bleak, still, we go on, hoping for something better. ...more

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Jun 01, 2016 Diane rated it really liked it

At first, I was enthralled by Henry's voice. It made me think of an Andrew Smith character. Smart, check. Funny, check. Aliens, check! And I think that originality stuck with me even as the plot insisted on trudging down the road of predictable romance. Not that I'm knocking the slow burn of Henry and Diego's relationship because that kind of tension is a teen reader magnet. But as an oldster, it struck me as a bit head-smacking.

Towards the end, my original enthusiasm was thoroughly tamed by th ...more

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Jun 05, 2016 Terri rated it it was amazing

A friend is serving on a Young Adult Literature awards committee for 2016. When I asked for some titles that I should be reading, "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson was on the list. This book has also appeared on several "best" lists for 2016. Wowsa! This definitely deserves the attention of awards committee members, reviewers, librarians, and readers! "We Are the Ants" is a powerful and unforgettable read!

Henry Denton begins his extra credit Chemistry project with: "Life is bullshit," ...more

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Feb 16, 2016 Angela rated it really liked it

I'm not sure why I think this is such a good book, despite its problems. For one, it never answers at least three of its central questions.
I can live with that.
But how could the teachers and parents in Henry's life ignore the obvious physical abuse that Henry suffers? How??
That said, I loved the chapters positing different ways the world might end. And the characters really came to life.
So much angst! ...more

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May 26, 2016 Ann rated it liked it

Shelves: tone-angst-filled, storyline-character-driven, realistic, science-fiction, couldn-t-finish, suicide, lgbtq, aliens, mental-illness, tone-emotionally-intense

There's not really anything wrong with this book: I had to put it aside when other reading responsibilities came up, and I realized after a while that I didn't have a strong pull to pick it back up again. I personally didn't think that the book did much that was new or interesting, beyond the alien abduction subplot, but I my bigger issue was just lack of time, and also maybe that I've read a bunch of depression books lately and am a little burnt out. I did have a strong affection for the main c ...more

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Dec 09, 2016 Amanda rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya-realistic-fiction, 2016

4.5
Definitely Printz worthy, more likely an honor book than the winner. I would like to see it win a Stonewall honor too. I love that the characters are still flawed and working on issues at the end and it isn't a sunshine and puppies ending where everything works out in the end. ...more

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Jan 28, 2016 Kate (kateexplainslit) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: glbtqia, audio, ya-contemporary, own-read, mental-illness, read-in-2017, 2017-favorites

4.5 stars. Wow, what a book! This was both not what I expected but also beautifully predictable. It took me some time to get immersed in the story but once I did I could not put it down. Can't wait to get an official review done for this beauty. Highly Recommend! ...more

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