I thought I was going crazy and imagining that all of the books were set in New York City — but as I was writing up these posts, I realized I wasn’t wrong. Three out of the five honored books this year were specifically set in New York City. A fourth was in an unnamed urban location, that could very well have been NYC, and while the fifth was historical: it was set in upstate New York, and throughout the book, the main character is dreaming of going to college in New York City.

That fifth book, A Northern Light, was far and away my favorite of this year’s honorees. I had mixed feelings about all of the other books, and while I didn’t actively hate any of them, they definitely won’t be anywhere near the top of my all time favorite Printz books. Which, it just occurs to me, I’ll have to do eventually. A massive wrap-up of everything.

I’ve now read 23 of the 77 books on my list. I wondered if I was going to be able to keep this up, and so far, so good. I’m sure I’ve said before that I’m reading a lot more diversely than normal, which has been a positive experience. I’m really fascinated that I have enjoyed the verse novels as much I have.

On to 2005!