Mock Printz 2026 discussion

Shine hasn't received any starred reviewed but it received 8 votes in our poll. What makes Shine worthy of the Printz?

I finished Shine this weekend. It definitely had a compelling storyline and a strong female lead, but it didn't have that special something to make it truly exceptional.

I agree with you Whitney- nothing in Shine to make it stand out from other books. In fact, it actually made me appreciate how well written Moon Over Manifest is (the Newbery winner last year).

Here's my review:

3/5 Stars

This story is about a girl named Cat. She's trying to figure out the person who attacked her best friend is. She stopped being best friends with him years ago. Yet she finds the need to figure out the mystery.

I must say, it took a very long time for the mystery part to actually start. Actually, I would say it barely existed. The whole story was just about Cat, Cat, Cat. And it didn't even reveal her whole past until the near end of the book.

There were also a few disconnects for me. For example, when the introduce a new character, they say "'Blank' and I were so close." This happened multiple times. I mean, how many "close friends could she have?

All in all, it was an ok story, but nothing too spectacular. It, again, enforces the rule of "Don't judge a book by it's cover (which I completly did!)

I agree with all of you. I liked the main character, but nothing hit home for me. It was hard for me to believe she knew so little about her brother and his friends (who used to be her friends), when they had once been so close...

Even though this wasn't one of the best books this year, I think it will make the Printz Honor list. It's got several controversial topics, which is a huge part of their choice. I did really love how Myracle tied religion and finding your voice together.