BOTM for AUGUST is... choice of two!

[Jemima]

It was a tie between The River Between Us and When You Trap A Tiger.

So you can read either or both in August.

As always, please be constructive in your comments, and try not to give spoilers for those who may not have read it yet. Also, please make it clear whichof the two books you are discussing.

Maybe you'd like to answer this question if you read both, or have already read one,a nd read the other this month:

-- if these two were head to head for a Newberry - which do you think would win?

[Justine]

I'll start this off as I happened to be reading When You Trap a Tiger when it was nominated, so I had a head-start! Thoroughly enjoyed it. Love the Korean folklore aspect of it, and the author addressed a key problem many youths of Asian descent can relate to.

[Jennifer]

I finished When You Trap a Tiger last night and absolutely loved it. There may or may not have been tears in multiple places as Lily dealt with her feelings with everything happening. I also really liked the way Keller dealt with the interpersonal relationships within the family and the tensions that are created through those normally, as well as when dealing with a family member with a terminal illness.

When I was writing my review of the book, I was, well, not really surprised so much as disheartened at the number of reviews that spoke negatively of the ending. (view spoiler)[So many people were upset that Sam was "suddenly made lesbian" at the end of the book, since it had "absolutely nothing to do with the plot," as though LGBTQ people have to serve some plot purpose and don't simply EXIST. I was also frustrated at the number of people who said it had no place in MG books, that the target audience is too young for that, as though they aren't figuring out their own identities or have older siblings who are figuring out their identities or have already come out - why should those kids NOT be allowed to see themselves represented in the literature they read? I wish there wasn't the immediate grasping of pearls and gasps of astonishment and outrage every time an LGBTQ character appeared in a narrative. (hide spoiler)]

Still, I will not let that affect my enjoyment. I loved every part of this book from start to finish, and I hope to read more books with stories based in Korean mythology in the future, as well as more books with characters like Sam.

[Tiffany]

I already read When You Trap a Tiger a couple years ago, before it won the Newbery. I absolutely loved it! But since I've already read it, I'll read The River Between Us this month.

[Jennifer]

Having just finished A River Between Us by Richard Peck, I don't know that I would want to have to choose between that and When You Trap a Tiger to decide a winner. Both are wonderful stories in their own right.

While Keller brought me closer to Korean mythologies in her tale about family, which I really enjoyed, Peck took me back to my early adulthood, when my grandfather finally started talking about his time serving in WWII. While Peck's story takes place during the time of the Civil War without putting the actions of the Civil War on the page, he does a beautiful job of painting the picture of how the war affected the family and friends central to the story.

In terms of controversy, where Keller has a lesbian character (who simply exists and doesn't drive the plot in any way through her being lesbian), Peck has a black woman who passes as white and definitely takes advantage of her ability to do so.

To have to choose which one is better? Let's just say, I'm glad that I'm not a judge faced with that decision. LOL.

[SaraKat]

I read a The River Between Us last year. It was a double-dose of historical fiction--being set in both 1916 and 1841. I loved it and it was heartbreaking. The payoff at the end was lovely. I loved getting to know Tilly and Delphine and unraveling their mysteries. I've never gone wrong with Richard Peck.

[Justine]

I’ve just finished listening to The River Between us. What an amazing story. Like Jennifer said, it’s not about the war itself, but the lives affected by it. I felt I was there. I thought the revelation at the end was very moving. Usually locations don’t bother me - I can read a book and ignore the map at the front- but I was so drawn into the story that I needed to know these places mentioned. My US geography is very poor, so I had to google them up.

I don’t think I could pick a winner either. I had the additional variable of a print copy vs the audiobook. You get different nuances from both. That’s my excuse anyway! ;)