Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Turnabout. New York: Simon Pulse, 2000.
Annotation:
When you're old and gray, would you choose to die naturally or face the challenge of aging backwards?
Rejection for Nomination:
I'm rejecting this book for nomination because I didn't entirely enjoy reading. I thought the author had a great concept and story line, although the idea of aging backwards became so complex, I became uninterested. The story focusus on two women overy 100 just biding their time in a nursing home when they are entered into a study to start aging backwards- interesting idea for a book- but the story ends up focusing on their lives as teenagers without anyone but each other and it's actually quite depressing. The fact that the story focused on the two girls as teens may appeal to the younger readers and may give them insight and appreciation to their own adolescent lives. I also felt the story could have been better by leaving out so many "rules" to the aging backwards process. Trying to imagine myself as a young adolescent with a wild imagination, I think I could have appreciate this book a bit more as a youth. I liked the way the story read from past to present, alternating the characters point of view. I felt the ending was a bit disappointing and overall the whole idea of the characters forgetting but yet remembering their past wasn't always clear. I wouldn't throw this book in a box, but I wouldn't nominate it for the Printz.
Genre: SciFi/Fantasy/Coming-of-age/Non-Fiction
