Nailer works as a Ship Breaker. He scavenges copper and other metals from wrecked ships. Life is very hard in the Gulf Coast region, especially for Nailer who not only must do dangerous work but also then go home to his drug addicted and abusive father. After a terrible storm that leaves many of the workers on the beach dead, Nailer discovers a wrecked clipper ship. Inside he finds a rich girl, Nita, who promises him great rewards if Nailer can get her back to her father. Nailer decides to take the risk in the hopes of a big payoff, but his father finds out about Nita too, and now both Nailer and Nita are on the run.
Ship Breaker won the Printz Award this year. I didn't feel very strongly about the Printz Award this year. I did last year. There were several books I thought were absolutely amazing and wanted them to be recognized. They weren't. I was disappointed. But this year, while I read a number of very good books, I wasn't totally blown away by anything, with the exception of
Monsters of Men, the third book in the
Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness, which did not get recognized. That series is amazing, why did it not get more attention?
