The South Dakota Choice Award (YARP) winner for 2020-2021 is........
The Cruel Prince by
By #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, the first book in a stunning new series about a mortal girl who finds herself caught in a web of royal faerie intrigue. Of course I want to be like them. They're beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever. And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe. Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. To win a place at the Court, she must defy him--and face the consequences. In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.
And the 2020-2021 Honor is:
After the Fire by
An Edgar Award finalist A gripping and unforgettable story of survival after life in a cult, inspired by the survivors of the Branch Davidian siege in Waco, Texas, 1993 The things I've seen are burned into me, like scars that refuse to fade. Before, she lived inside a fence with her family. After, she's trapped, now in a federal facility. Before, she was never allowed to leave the property, never allowed to talk to Outsiders, never allowed to speak her mind. After, there are too many people asking questions, wanting to know what happened to her, trying to find out who she really is. Before, she thought she was being protected from something. After, people are telling her that now she's finally safe. She isn't sure what's better, before or after, all she knows is that there are questions she can't answer, and if everything she's been told is a lie, how can she know who's telling the truth now? Suspenseful and moving, After the Fireis perfect for readers looking for cult books and stories young adult historical fiction binge-worthy teen thrillers an intense, ripped-from-the-headlines plot compulsively readable books that keep you hooked until the very end Praise forAfter the Fire: "Genuinely different...thrilling and spellbinding!"--Patrick Ness, #1 New York Timesbestselling author "The gripping story of survival and escape...It will keep you up late until you get to the very end."--Maureen Johnson, New York Timesbestselling author of Truly Devious "A heartrending portrait of a young girl's struggle to survive a domineering religious sect and the resilience of the human spirit; this belongs on every YA shelf." --School Library Journal
