This young adult novel won the Printz honor award this year so I had to read it and see what the fuss was all about. I'm not exactly sure why it won, but, then again, I'm not on the committee. I enjoyed this author's other books, Damage and Out of Order. But I didn't see why this one is better than those. This novel does push the limits of YA literature, though, which may be one reason why it got some attention. Just the cover makes it controversial in most school libraries. I purchased the book earlier this year because it received favorable reviews and it's by an established author.
The narrator is a fallen angel who wants to try something different. So even though he is breaking the rules, he possesses the body of a young man who is about to die. And what does he find? He finds that he loves being in Shawn's body and he loves what the Creator has created. He finds everything fascinating, including taking a shower. He falls in love with a girl. He aces quizzes and wants to fix everything, including a school bully. He wants to fix Shaun's relationship with his brother and mother. Basically, the fallen angel becomes quite the angel when he possesses Shaun. He doesn't realize he's making good. He's just trying to live and to see if the Creator even notices that he's breaking the rules by possessing a human.
This little novel was a quick read before bedtime last night, and it is different. So maybe that's why it won the honor award.
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