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This award, established in 2000,is granted by the American Library Association to honor excellence in literature for young adults.
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2008
Printz Award Winner
The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean
Honor Books:
Dreamquake by Elizabeth Knox
One Whole and Perfect Day by Judith Clarke
Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins
Your Own, Sylvia by Stephanie Hemphill
2007
Printz Award Winner
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
"Yang draws from American pop culture and ancient Chinese mythology in his groundbreaking work. Expertly told in words and pictures, Yang’s story in three parts follows a Chinese American teenager’s struggle to define himself against racial stereotypes. "American Born Chinese" is the first graphic novel to be recognized by the Michael L. Printz Committee."
Honor Books:
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume One: The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Surrender by Sonya Hartnett
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
2006
Printz Award Winner:
Looking for Alaska by John Green
"Tired of his boring existence, 16-year-old Miles "Pudge" Halter heads off to seek his Great Perhaps at an Alabama boarding school, where new-found freedom, guilty pleasures and an enigmatic girl named Alaska hurl him into life."
Honor Books:
Black Juice by Margo Lanagan
I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
John Lennon: All I Want Is the Truth by Elizabeth Partridge
A Wreath for Emmett Till by Marilyn Nelson
2005
Printz Award Winner:
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
"Set during a shocking occupation by terrorist forces, Rosoff’s novel is narrated by 15-year-old Daisy, a wry and alienated young woman who finds true love, mystical connections and a sense of home with her cousins in England."
Honor Books:
Airborn by Kenneth Oppel
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt
Chanda's Secrets by Allan Stratton
2004
Printz Award Winner:
The First Part Last by Angela Johnson
"Johnson's novel is an extraordinary work in which the realities of fatherhood come slowly but surely to 16-year-old Bobby after the birth of his daughter Feather. Told in alternating chapters, Johnson's story reveals the love Bobby and his girlfriend Nia shared then, as well as the growing affection Bobby feels now for his daughter. "Bobby's voice comes strong and poignant, pulling readers into his heartache, confusion and insecurity," said Award Chair Pam Spencer Holley. "Angela Johnson's work never verges on sentimentality and brings readers close to the true meaning of parenthood."
Honor Books:
A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
Keesha's House by Helen Frost
Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
2003
Printz Award Winner:
Postcards from No Man's Land by Aidan Chambers
Chambers’ novel is a passionate narrative about 17-year-old Jacob, who comes to Amsterdam to find the grave of his grandfather who died there during World War II. He meets Geertrui, the Dutch woman who cared for his wounded grandfather. Her teenage World War II story is interwoven with Jacob’s surprising discoveries about love, sex, family secrets and his own identity. “The alternating narratives of Jacob and Geertrui make a story that is intense, sophisticated and surprising,” said Suzanne Manczuk, acting chair of the Printz Award Selection Committee. “Jacob discovers that ‘nothing in Amsterdam is what it appears to be.’”
Honor Books:
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
My Heartbeat by Garret Freymann-Weyr
Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos
2002
Printz Award Winner:
A Step from Heaven by An Na
"Both intimate and universal, this powerful story of Young Ju's coming of age is rooted in the conflict between her traditional Korean immigrant family and the need to find her place in the United States," said Judith A. Druse, chair of the Printz Award Selection Committee. "Each chapter is a stirring story, and together these lyrical vignettes create a heartfelt account of every teen's struggle between family and self."
Honor Books:
Heart to Heart: New Poems Inspired by Twentieth Century American Art edited by Jan Greenberg
Heart to Heart offers an original way to approach poetry and art—with new works by distinguished American poets, specially commissioned for this book by editor Jan Greenberg. Prompted by paintings, sculpture, prints, and photographs by American artists working in the 20th century, these poems lend a new meaning to “art appreciation” and make each page of Heart to Heart an exciting discovery.
Freewill by Chris Lynch
Will, who usually expresses himself through wood carving, is so accustomed to loneliness that he's startled when he begins to make friends with Angela, a girl in his woodworking class. But just when he's taking tentative steps to open up, his sculptures begin turning up near the dead bodies of teenagers from his small community. Will is terrified that he has become "the carrier pigeon of death." This is a dark, rich young-adult novel that offers something to think about as well as an intriguing story, and Lynch captures Will's confusion and unfolding understanding with sensitivity and tenderness.
The Ropemaker by Peter Dickinson
Tilja has grown up in the peaceful Valley, which is protected from the fearsome Empire by an enchanted forest. But the forest’s power has begun to fade and the Valley is in danger. Tilja is the youngest of four brave souls who venture into the Empire together to find the mysterious magician who can save the Valley. And much to her amazement, Tilja gradually learns that only she, an ordinary girl with no magical powers, has the ability to protect her group and their quest from the Empire’s sorcerers.
True Believer by Virginia Euwer Wolff
When LaVaughn was little, the obstacles in her life didn't seem so bad. If she had a fight with Myrtle or Annie, it would never last long. If she was mad at her mother, they made up by bedtime. School was simple. Boys were buddies. Everything made sense. But LaVaughn is fifteen and the obstacles aren't going away anymore. Big questions separate her from her friends. Her mother is distracted by a new man. School could slip away from her so easily. And the boy who's a miracle in her life acts just as if he's in love with her. Only he's not in love with her. Returning to the characters and language she explored so profoundly in Make Lemonade, Virginia Euwer Wolff rises to the occasion in this astonishing second of three novels about LaVaughn, her family, and her community.
2001
Printz Award Winner:
Kit's Wilderness by David Almond Kit's Wilderness tells the tale of Kit Watson, who returns with his family to the northern English coal-mining town where generations of his family have worked and died. "In lyrical fashion, Kit's story melds the darkness of the past with bright hope for the future," said Peter M. Butts, chair of the Printz Award Selection Committee. "Almond creates a heartbreakingly real world fused with magic realism as he juggles several plot elements with dexterity."
Honor books:
Many Stones by Carolyn Coman
Sixteen-year-old Berry Morgan lives with her mother in Rockville, Maryland, where her mother works as a reading tutor. Berry's father, a lobbyist, lives in San Francisco with his girlfriend. He comes in and out of Berry's life unpredictably. A year and a half ago, he showed up at her school with shocking news: Berry's sister was dead. While working as a volunteer at a school in Capetown, South Africa, Laura had been brutally murdered. Now Berry sets out on a two-week trip to South Africa with her father to attend a memorial service for Laura. He has arranged some other activities as well: a business meeting in Johannesburg during which Berry awaits him at a posh hotel; a guided tour of Soweto by minivan; and three days at Krueger National Park, where they live in round huts and go out spotting giraffes by day and elephants, leopards, and lions by night. Berry and her father's painful journey forces them to look beyond their own grieving and bear witness to a country's tortured search for truth and reconciliation.
The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci
Chris Creed grew up as the class freak-the bullies' punching bag. After he vanished, the weirdness that had once surrounded him began spreading. It was as if a darkness reached out of his void to grab at the most normal, happy people-like some twisted joke or demented form of justice. It tore the town apart. Sixteen-year-old Torey Adams's search for answers opens his eyes to the lies, the pain, and the need to blame when tragedy strikes, and his once-safe world comes crashing down around him.
Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
In this wildly funny journal of a year in the life of Georgia Nicolson, British author Louise Rennison has perfectly captured the soaring joys and bottomless angust if being a teenager. In the spirit of Bridget Jones's Diary, this fresh, irreverent, and simply hilarious book will leave you laughing out loud. As Georgia would say, it's "Fabbity fab fab!"
Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman
Shawn McDaniel is an enigma and a miracle--except no one knows it, least of all his father. His life is not what it may seem to anyone looking at him. Not even those who love him best have any idea what he is truly like. In this extraordinary and powerful first novel, the reader learns to look beyond the obvious and finds a character whose spirit is rich beyond imagining and whose story is unforgettable.
2000
Printz Award Winner:
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
While on trial as an accomplice to a murder, sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon records his experiences in prison and in the courtroom in the form of a film script as he tries to come to terms with the course his life has taken.
Honor books:
Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger
After 16 years of studied disinterest in the opposite sex, John falls hard for Marisol, who, in one of life's little ironies, is thoroughly, proudly out of the closet. Having encountered each other through their self-written, confessional ``zines,'' the two find commonality not only in their love of writing, but in their bone-deep distrust of others.
Skellig by David Almond
Michael was looking forward to his new house and neighborhood, until his infant sister became very ill. Now his parents are constantly frantic, the scary doctor is always coming around, and Michael feels helpless. When he goes out into the old rickety garage, he comes across a mysterious being living beneath spider webs and eating flies for dinner. This creature calls himself Skellig, and over the weeks Michael and his new friend Mina bring Skellig out in to the light, and their worlds change forever.
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
"Speak up for yourself -- we want to know what you have to say." From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows that this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless, outcast, because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. As time passes, she becomes increasingly isolated and practically stops talking altogether. Only her art class offers any solace, and it is through her work on an art project that she is finally able to face what really happened at that terrible party: she was raped by an upperclassman, a guy who still attends Merryweather and is still a threat to her.