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The winner of our July Mock Printz reading poll. What did you think of this book? How does it stand up to the Printz criteria?

Loved the main character. His voice alone kept me fully engaged with the story. A couple of things threw me off. One was the beautiful girls suddenly becoming so infatuated with Winger. It didn't seem realistic-- was some of that in his head? Second was the dramatic shift in tone at the end. It was definitely sad, but it didn't seem to vibe with the rest of the story.

Ugh. I couldn't get into this. Plus the cover pic kept grossing me out. Maybe if I understood more about lacrosse, but this book d-r-u-g for me!

I had a mixed reaction to this book.

Ryan Dean West, the awesomely intelligent protagonist (he's a 14-year-old high school junior at an elite private school), is an appealing combination of jejune self-centeredness and instinctual moralist.

Readers are treated to an ultimately tedious (and vulgar) stream-of-consciousness perspective on Ryan Dean's life: his fractious and/or friendly relationships with his dorm mates and rugby teammates, his trial-and-error relationships with friends of the opposite sex, his glancing connection to his school work... But this is balanced by Ryan Dean's clear (and sometimes successful) efforts to DO the right thing.

So the book lurches along as he struggles to cope with all the demands of his social, athletic and academic lives, and the reader warms up to this warts-and-all character. But we are then caught short by the book's conclusion, involving Ryan Dean's saintly friend Joey.

I would not say this is a Printz contender, because of the overly sensational ending (and my personal aversion to the overuse of the phrase "skinny-bitch-ass"). But Ryan Dean West is a character I am unlikely to forget.

I really liked this book, maybe more than any other books I've read this summer! I really felt like Ryan Dean's voice was very accurate for an extremely intelligent 14 year old. Vulgar or not, that is the way many teens think/talk. I didn't feel ambushed by the ending, I think Smith foreshadowed something bad happening many times in the book. I'm not sure if it's a Printz contender, but I would be happy to see it there.

I agree that Ryan Dean's voice was authentic and he is a well-crafted character. Like others, my biggest problem with Winger in terms of Printz is the believability of Megan's romantic interest. As someone who is calculated enough to date Chas, would she put that on the line for Ryan Dean?

I absolutely loved the rugby details, as well as the accurate portrayal of almost casual violence amongst teenage boys. That it builds into something so tragic was very clever, in my opinion.