Enough said, let us move to business.
The books pitted against each other for this round were Cat's Table vs Fishtailing and Ship Breakers vs What We Keep Is Not Always What Will Stay.
The judge for the first two books was J. Waudby, Greenford resident and writer and she wrote of the book she chose as winner:-
I chose Fishtailing because it hooked me from the first page, and also because it raises questions about looking at poetry as creativity or as an expression of anguish - even a cry for help. Every word is important and each verse holds the voice of that character. The way the poem structure reflects the poems written by Natalie, Miguel, Tricia and Kyle is very satisfying and the language in this book is breathtakingly beautiful. But I thought the best thing about it is the haunting story and the way that it builds slowly but inevitably to the tragic climax. I also liked the echo of the teacher's writing advice, to give the protagonist hope, in the moment of hope at the end of this poem-story.
The judge for the other two books was M. MacInnes, a School Librarian from Ealing.
Ship Breakers is set in a dystopian future and I found it a difficult read. However, if you enjoy literature which describes a society that struggles with fear violence and shortages as the main characters spend their days just trying to survive.
What We Keep ... is not a book that I would normally pick up but I really, really enjoyed it. Angie the main protagonist is a very likeable 15 year old who has the normal teenage stresses that go with life. Her relationship with her Mum is strained as is her relationship with Jesse, the war hero, who returns to school to finish her education.
Her confidante throughout is Felix, who listens to her and encourages her to come to her own conclusions about her life and the people in it.
My winner is What We Keep Is Not Always What Will Stay.
There you have it. The finalists for the CWCS Battle of the Books 2012 are Fishtailing by Wendy Phillips vs What We Keep Is Not Always What Will Stay by Amanda Cockrell.
What of the contestant brought back from the dead? The group of judges have decided that Nothing by Janne Teller is the choice for them.
A triumph for North American and European publishing ...
The judge for the last round has been given copies of the books and will let us know his decision soon. Watch this space!
