2010 Printz Winner - Going Bovine

Part road trip & part fantasy, tragic yet humorous and heartwarming- this year's Printz winner, Going Bovine by Libba Bray, is special. I had it sitting around for quite awhile before I started reading it - I think I was confused by the cover. But once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. I think older teens will feel the same way.

Cameron is a 16 year old slacker. His family is somewhat disfunctional and he is drifting though high school. Odd things begin happening to him and he is diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob (Mad Cow) disease. In the hospital he meets Dulcie, an alluring angel and sets off on a wild road trip to save the world. Dulcie flits in and out of his life but he has a constant companion in Gonzo, a hypochondriac dwarf. It's a hallucinogenic event mixed with adventure from New Orleans to Disney World.

Readers will have to sort out what is real and what is dream but they will find the experience both fun and powerfully moving - my definition of a great YA book.