From the Bookshelf of Mock Printz 2026…

Paper Covers Rock

Jenny Hubbard

Start date: September 9, 2011

Finish date: October 8, 2011

Discussion: Mock Printz 2012

Why we're reading this: Paper Covers Rock received 4 votes in our poll, tying for second place.
[close] Paper Covers Rock received 4 votes in our poll, tying for second place.

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Mock Printz 2012

* Printz Poll Results are IN!
By Kathy · 3 posts · 107 views

last updated Jan 23, 2012 11:20AM

* And The 2012 Winner Is...
By Kathy · 32 posts · 215 views

last updated Jan 21, 2012 12:17PM

What Members Thought

Jun 10, 2011 Crowinator rated it liked it

Shelves: queer, 2011-reads, genre-historical, ya, genre-literary, morris-2012-short-list, school-hard

I have to give at least four stars for Hubbard's poetic, literary writing and complex narrative structure (it's more of a set of connected vignettes that move back and forth in time than a straight forward-momentum shot). I also have to give at least four stars to the actual poems in the novel, written by Alex, the narrator, a couple of which gave me the shivers.

As for my overall enjoyment and emotional investment, though, I can't give this more than 2 stars. I'll try to get more into why this d I have to give at least four stars for Hubbard's poetic, literary writing and complex narrative structure (it's more of a set of connected vignettes that move back and forth in time than a straight forward-momentum shot). I also have to give at least four stars to the actual poems in the novel, written by Alex, the narrator, a couple of which gave me the shivers.

As for my overall enjoyment and emotional investment, though, I can't give this more than 2 stars. I'll try to get more into why this didn't work for me as a story later (rather than a collection of short, beautifully written pieces), but mostly, I think it is because I found the whole "young writer writing about himself while being self-aware of how his writing informs his life" tiresome after a while. I have a pretty high tolerance for self-reflexive narratives, but there needs to be something other to offset the intense navel-gazing. I got tired of all the Moby Dick references, the Hemingway references, and the Simon & Garfunkel references. I got tired of all the direct addresses to the reader, and all the times Alex says something like "if this were a novel, and I was a character, I would . . . . " I got tired of the author (Hubbard, I mean, but also Alex, insomuch as he is the 'author' of this story) dancing around whatever dark secrets they all have (their "darkest selves"), which are slowly revealed but then end up under-explored emotionally. This story doesn't build to a climax, or a moment of truth, or a big reveal, but sort of stutters along a baseline, never straying too far.

None of this is necessarily bad. I certainly wouldn't fault anyone for loving this book. It might even come down to mood. It's a subdued, contemplative novel that never stops being melancholy, not even for a second, and later on, I might be in the mood to sit quietly and revel in the language and think deep thoughts. But then I might just choose to read A Separate Peace again, instead.

Also, the boy on the cover is brooding so hard he is going to pop a vein!

...more

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Dec 14, 2011 Liz rated it it was ok

Shelves: young-adult, 2-star, historical-fiction

This has a lot of literary merit and I can see why it was a Morris finalist, but it was not the book for me. The writing was lovely, and there was a good sense of setting.

I was pretty underwhelmed by the plot, though. To me this was a story about entitled white boys. The ending was realistic. Perhaps what bothered me most was the ridiculous amount of male gaze that filled these pages. Our main character is infatuated with his English teacher, which seems to be largely sexual in nature.

Paper Cove ...more

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Feb 10, 2012 Barbara rated it liked it

Shelves: bullies, ncbla, writing, teachers

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Alex Stromm, a sixteen-year-old attending a boarding school in North Carolina in 1982, is on the scene when his friend Thomas drowns after drinking and leaping into the water. He and a couple of other classmates were present at the time, and Glenn, one of the school leaders, persuades another classmate to take the blame for being drunk at the time. Glenn is afraid that the school's English teacher Miss Dovecote saw what was going on, and will cause them to be expelled. Consequently, he persuades Alex Stromm, a sixteen-year-old attending a boarding school in North Carolina in 1982, is on the scene when his friend Thomas drowns after drinking and leaping into the water. He and a couple of other classmates were present at the time, and Glenn, one of the school leaders, persuades another classmate to take the blame for being drunk at the time. Glenn is afraid that the school's English teacher Miss Dovecote saw what was going on, and will cause them to be expelled. Consequently, he persuades Alex to join him in a pact to find out what she knows. In some respects, that's easy for Alex since he likes the English teacher a great deal; she, in turn, sees something special in him and encourages his talents as a poet and short story writer. Feeling guilty for his part in Thomas's death and remembering the rumors of homosexuality that briefly swirled around Clay and Glenn, Alex journals about his feelings. He hides his writings in Herman Melville's Moby-Dick on the library shelves.

This book reminds me in many ways of A Separate Peace since both books contain unnecessary tragedies and betrayal. It's hard not to like Alex since he means well and would like to do the right thing, and yet, it's clear throughout the book that it's unlikely that he will find the courage to tell the truth. Glenn's utter disdain for the truth or moral responsibility, and his own involvement in the events at the river show readers how complicated a life can become when it is necessary to hide secrets. As the code of silence that often influences how teens behave trumps the school's code of honor, there is little surprise that Glenn will go on unpunished and that Alex is likely to go on punishing himself for the rest of his life. The references to Melville work in some respects, but others such as "Is Male" don't work as well. The same is true of the chapter headings, numbers, and references used at the author at some points. They provide organizational structure, but they also can be quite disorienting. For instance, the numbering that ends on page 2 is carried over into the next chapter on page 13, forcing to go back in the book to figure out what came before it. This is a good read, though, and teen readers are likely to see themselves in some of the characters and enjoy considering what they might have done in Alex's shoes. ...more

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Apr 03, 2011 Mark rated it really liked it

Shelves: voya-review, coming-of-age, young-adult-literature

Alex Stromm carries a secret with him: the truth about what happened that day at the river, when his friend Thomas drowned. Alex’s friend, Glenn, who was also at the river, wants to work with Alex to cover up the events, and their involvement in them. When it’s discovered that Miss Dovecrott, the new English teacher at the school, may also have witnessed the drowning, Glenn forces Alex into a dangerous game, in order to find out how much Miss Dovecott knows. But Alex finds himself trusting, conf ...more

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Nov 12, 2012 Brooke rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, realistic-fiction, mystery, audiobooks

Alex's friend Thomas is killed while jumping off some rocks at a boarding school. It seems like an accident, but Alex is still feeling guilty and uses writing to express his feelings about that day. It seems like his English teacher, the hot one he has a huge crush on, knows something. And his friend Glenn that was there that day keeps pressing Alex to keep quiet and stay cool about the whole incident. What really happened that day? Alex needs to choose between Glenn and his teacher.

The relation ...more

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Nov 21, 2011 Danielle rated it it was ok

Shelves: ya

Yeah... I don't know. I read this because the kiddos in our library system think it's a possible contender for the Printz, and while I can certainly see why they feel that way, I think the excellent writing is bogged down a bit with an underdeveloped plot.

The prose *is* gorgeous, though - this was my favorite part: "Read to your heart's content. Though if you are a reader, the heart is never content."
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Nov 10, 2011 Ellen rated it liked it

Think of this as an updated version of A Separate Peace, with more emphasis on the English curriculum rather than outdoor fitness. The writer's background as a HS English teacher definitely figures in the crush that HS junior Alex has for his own perky HS English teacher (wish fulfillment, perhaps), as well as the continual references to English lit. ...more

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Nov 16, 2011 Melissa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: great-ya, young-adult, college-bound-reading

I think that a lot of people who hated this book did because of the end. Did I like how it ended? No, but it was realistic. One of the better YA releases of the year, definitely.

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Jul 13, 2011 Karen Arendt rated it it was amazing

Shelves: folklore, friendship, favorites, realistic-fiction, young-adult, audio-books

Excellent story full of beautiful, poetic language that balances the difficult plot of a student who died under questionable circumstances. Other students were there but are following the boarding school code of honor not to turn on fellow students. I enjoyed the references to classics which may not always be recognizable to younger teens.

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Sep 30, 2011 Jess rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, morris-award-finalist

I could admire the writing on some levels, but the structure/concept were also a bit too self-consciously trying to be "literature" and the characters mostly left me cold. ...more

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