Each year, about 20 books are nominated for the Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award (Rosie Award). The ultimate winner of the Rosie Award is chosen by high school students across Indiana, who read these books and then place their votes. Last year, These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong received the award, a book with a carefully-crafted plot and lovable characters.
“The characters are so important,” said Emily Wilt, CHS’s Library Media Specialist. “Whether it’s a character that you personally can identify with or a character you aspire to be or a character that you love to hate.”
Let’s take a look into some of the highest-rated Rosie nominees for this year.
5 – The Wolves Are Waiting by Natasha Friend
In this nuanced, complex story, author Natasha Friend tackles sexual assault, fraternity culture, and family dynamics. I appreciated how this book dealt with complicated topics through a relatable main character, 15-year-old Nora Melchionda.
“The book starts off with a punch in the face. [Nora] wakes up on a golf course with no memory of the night before but suspects that she’s been assaulted,” Wilt explained. “It’s the process of her and also her kind of pushy friends trying to figure out whether they want to investigate anything or press charges.”
There’s some suspicion that Nora’s assault may have something to do with some athletes at a local college, that Nora’s father is the coach for.
All Nora wants is to return to the way her life was before waking up on the golf course. She wants to stay silent about the crime committed against her. But she and her friends keep digging into toxic masculinity that runs deep in their small town. As she discovers more about what happened that night, she realizes that silence is no longer an option.
The Wolves Are Waiting had very well-written characters. I especially liked Nora, Adam Xu, and Asher. The interactions between the three of them were my favorite part of the book.
“It’s just really well written, and I appreciate books that deal with topics like that,” said Wilt. If you’re looking for a similar read, check out The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith.
4 – On the Subject of Unmentionable Things by Julie Walton
In this poignant, blatantly true novel, Julie Walton crafts a story that’s both fiercely honest and hilariously awkward.
The main character, Phoebe Townsend, is a rule-following straight-A student who writes for her school newspaper. But she’s also Pom, the anonymous teen blogger who’s rewriting health education.
“It’s about a girl who really enjoys doing research, and feels like she’s not getting the whole story from health class, so she starts an anonymous blog,” said Wilt.
Phoebe’s blog ends up going viral, courtesy of a new mayoral candidate, Lydia Brookhurst, who calls Pom “a disgrace of morality” and rallies for Pom to reveal themselves. But Phoebe likes being anonymous, and is willing to do almost anything to stay that way.
But her parents work with Lydia Brookhurst, creating a rift when they discover the controversial blogger is, in fact, their daughter. In the end, Phoebe has to choose between safe anonymity and controversial truth, no matter what it costs.
“I’d like if [On the Subject of Unmentionable Things] were a required reading,” commented Melissa Henrichs, Library Media Secretary. “If it’s going to offend you, it’s good.”
I really enjoyed following along with Phoebe’s journey. She has such a distinct voice, and it was cool to see her growth as the story progressed. If you’re looking for a similar read, check out Julie Walton’s other young adult novels.
3 – The Initial Insult by Mindy McGinnis
In this dual-perspective novel, McGinnis crafts a young adult thriller story that leans toward the wild side.
“It’s one of those mysteries where no one is likeable,” explained Henrichs. “You end up loving everyone, but you hate everyone.”
The story follows two ex-best friends, Felicity and Tress. We find out early in the novel that Tress’s parents disappeared seven years ago while giving Felicity a ride home. Tress now lives with her social-outcast of a grandfather, shunned by their entire small town. Felicity, on the other hand, has it all: the looks and the wealth. But she also has a secret, one that she’s determined to keep hidden.
Years pass, and Tress decides she wants answers. In true Poe style, Tress crafts a plan that involves a costume party, an abandoned house, and sealing Felicity into a coal chute, brick by brick.
“It’s one of those where you’re yelling at the book, like ‘Why are you doing this?’” commented Wilt. “[McGinnis] did a really good job of making you still identify with and root for the characters even though they’re making terrible decisions the whole time.”
This twisted teenage thriller comes to a close with a jaw-dropping ending. If you’re looking to continue the story, read Mindy McGinnis’s sequel, The Last Laugh.
2 – I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
My personal favorite out of this whole list, this book is an incredible feat of historical fiction. I have read and adored every single one of Ruta Sepetys’s books, and this one was no exception.
I Must Betray You follows 17-year-old Cristian Florescu, an aspiring writer who lives under the 1989 Communist regime in Romania. The story begins when Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police into becoming part of the citizen-spy network for the government he hates.
The entire story is filled with difficult decisions for Cristian. He uses his unique position to gather information on Nicolae Ceaușescu’s tyrannical dictatorship. He risks everything he has to unveil the truth, going behind his family, his friends, and his teachers. The book comes to a head on the day that Romania began to revolt, and Cristian joins in the revolution. But the information Cristian finds is dangerous and unexpected.
“Learning about the Cold War and life behind the Iron Curtain in Romania…It was really well written,” said Wilt. “I love all of [Ruta Sepety’s] books. She does such a great job of writing historical fiction about things you think you know about and teaching you a hundred different things.”
Each and every character in this story was heartbreaking and so incredibly real. Ruta Sepetys is a true master of character creation. If you’re looking for similar reads, check out her other novels, especially Salt to the Sea and Out of the Easy.
1 – All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir
In this heartbreaking story, author Sabaa Tahir expertly weaves together the themes of friendship, growth, and the experience of first-generation immigrants.
“It won the National Book Award for a reason. It’s beautiful and heartbreaking and I think it made me cry a couple of times,” recalled Wilt. “I read this before the Rosie list was announced.”
The book follows Salahudin and Noor, two best friends who’ve know each other forever. They both grew up in a small town in California, experiencing the same discrimination together.
Sal takes over his family’s business when his mother’s health fails and his father succumbs to addiction. He walks the thin tightrope between his own dreams and his family’s needs. Meanwhile, Noor works at her controlling uncle’s liquor store. But in secret, she’s applying to colleges so she can escape him and the small town she grew up in.
“It’s about a guy and a girl who have been friends their whole lives, but it’s not a romance. It’s about how friendships grow and change,” explained Wilt.
Sal and Noor support each other through this tumultuous time, but they have to ask themselves the question: ‘What is our friendship worth?’
“It’s also a story of first-generation immigrants…You get to know their parents too, because it flashes back and forth in time,” said Wilt.
This tender yet groundbreaking story is one for the books, and already has one prestigious medal under its belt. I predict that All My Rage will win this year’s Rosie Award.
