A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, inspired from an idea by Siobhan Dowd, Illustrations by Jim Kay

This little book is getting lots of Printz buzz so I wanted to read it before the award committee announces the winners on Monday. It's different in that a YA author, Siobhan Dowd, had the idea but died before completing the work. Ness completed it and made her idea his own. The illustrations are jarring, and a young boy dealing with a mother dying of cancer is always going to be a heartbreaker. I read the Advance Reading Copy, so I'm not sure how it differs from the final version. But, I wouldn't be surprised if this is a Printz honor book. It's different, graphic, and allegorical, all at the same time.