In Ma
tch 7, Graceling faced The Underneath and Tamora Pierce chose Graceling. Personally, I loved both books (in very different ways) and I don't agree with Ms. Pierce's criticism that "it went on too long, meandering too much and losing a great deal of the dramatic tension in the main and secondary stories. Also, the violence and alcoholism are more suited to a YA than a middle grade book, while the characters are definitely middle grade."But, as Ms. Pierce is the author of a stack of books with kick-butt heroines, it's no surprise to me that Katsa took this round.
Match 8 pitted The Lincolns against Nation with judge Ann Brashares picking The Lincolns for yet another nonfiction win. I have to say, it's great to see nonfiction making such a good showing in the first round. I also have to say that I didn't have a lot of stock in this particular match, although I did see Candace Fleming speak at Anderson's and she's adorable.
Another week, another round! I'll be writing up my picks this weekend!