#71: Repossessed by A. M. Jenkins
For some reason, despite the fact that I read a lot, I have a hard time keeping up with the award-winning titles, and invariably the short list for a presitigious award will be announced and I will say, “Wow, I have neither read nor heard of ANY OF THESE BOOKS.” But this year, at least I’ve read one Printz honor book! And what a great one to read. Repossessed was incredibly engaging, hilarious and awesome with a really choice narrator, but what I liked most about it was that it managed to balance humor and good storytelling with a perspective on faith and spirituality. The main question the book asks, “How can a benevolent creator fashion a being with a certain nature and then reject it for fulfilling that nature?” It’s a rhetorical question, for the most part—Kiriel doesn’t necessarily get the answer he seeks—but it’s an interesting thing to think about. Repossessed doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it also doesn’t shy away from engaging the tough religious questions inherent to the narrator’s experience.
