Someday My Printz Will Come!
The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a Topeka, Kansas school librarian who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association.
The Youth Media Awards took place this past Monday (read this blog for more about the winners), but for this past year, several SJPL staff members gathered bimonthly to discuss notable young adult books published in 2018 and participate in a mock selection committee. And just like the Mock Caldecott committee, they then voted on what was considered the best young adult book published in 2018 that was chosen to read for the Mock Printz committee meetings based upon the actual committee's criteria and selection process.
And the 2019 SJPL Mock Printz Award winner is ...
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
Harlem. Ever since her body grew into curves, Xiomara Batista has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking. She pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers-- especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about. Mami is determined to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, and Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself. When she is invited to join her school's slam poetry club, she can't stop thinking about performing her poems.
Nominees:
One more thing ...
In addition to voting for our favorite book that we read and discussed, we also decided to make up some fun fake awards working from puns of the word "Printz" and give them to other YA titles published this year that we may have not had a chance to discuss in our meetings.
So now the time has come to announce our 2019 SJPL Mock Printz "Prince" award winners!
"Freddie Prince, Jr." Award
This award is presented to the best young adult book published in 2018 that was very popular, but will most likely not standout in the overall cannon of YA literature.
2019 Winner:
Emergency Contact by Mary H. K. Choi
When Penny Lee heads to college in Austin, Texas, to learn how to become a writer, it's seventy-nine miles and a zillion light years away from everything she can't wait to leave behind. Sam is stuck, literally, figuratively, emotionally, financially. He works at a café and sleeps there too; he knows that this is the chapter of his life that will serve as inspiration for when he's a famous movie director but right now life is really testing him. When they cross paths it's a collision of unbearable awkwardness. But as they stay in touch via text and share their deepest anxieties and secret dreams without the humiliating weirdness of having to see each other.
Honor Books:
"Prince Charming" Award
This award is presented to the best young adult book published in 2018 that had your favorite male-identifying character.
2019 Winner:
Picture Us In The Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert
Danny Cheng and his friends attend one of Cupertino's privileged public high schools and future success is almost certain. Danny's artistic talent has been recognized by his dream school, RISD, and no one is more proud of his full scholarship than his first-generation Chinese American parents. When Danny accidentally discovers a box of his father's papers containing copies of names, photos, and public records of a powerful Silicon Valley family, he wonders if his parents are involved in something illegal with ties to their former life in China. On the cusp of adulthood yet under consistent parental watch, Danny is determined to unravel the mystery of his family's painful past while navigating increasingly complicated personal relationships and school life.
Nominees:
"Princess Charming" Award
This award is presented to the best young adult book published in 2018 that had your favorite female-identifying character.
2019 Winner:
Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania-- derailing the War Between the States and changing the nation forever. Now laws like the Native and Negro Education Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead. Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. But it's not a life Jane wants. When families around Baltimore County begin to go missing, Jane is caught in the middle of a conspiracy... and the restless dead are the least of her problems.
Nominees:
"The Artist Formerly Known as 'Prince'" Award
This award is presented to the best young adult book published in 2018 that has the most visually appealing design.
2019 Winner:
The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
When the scary, magical world in her grandmother's book of dark feminist fairy tales becomes real, seventeen-year-old Alice, partnered with Ellery, an obsessed fan of the fairy tales, must enter the world to rescue Alice's kidnapped mother.
Nominees:
"Footprints" Award
This award is presented to the best young adult book published in 2018 that featured journeys, adventure, or travel.
2019 Winner:
The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke
Frey, Ovie, Juniper, and Runa are the Boneless Mercies--girls hired to kill quickly, quietly, and mercifully. But Frey is weary of the death trade and, having been raised on the heroic sagas of her people, dreams of a bigger life. When she hears of an unstoppable monster ravaging a nearby town, Frey decides this is the Mercies' one chance out. The fame and fortune of bringing down such a beast would ensure a new future for all the Mercies. In fact, her actions may change the story arc of women everywhere.
Nominees:
"Fingerprints" Award
This award is presented to the best young adult book published in 2018 that falls under the genre of mystery or thriller.
2019 Winner:
Sadie by Courtney Summers
Sadie's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated Colorado town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water. When Mattie is found dead, and the police investigation is botched, Sadie is determined to bring her sister's killer to justice. She hits the road following a few meager clues. When West McCray, a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America, hears Sadie's story, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie's journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it's too late.
Nominees:
"Fine Prints" Award
This award is presented to the best young adult book published in 2018 that was over 500 pages.
2019 Winner:
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Seventeen-year-old Zélie, her older brother Tzain, and rogue princess Amari fight to restore magic to the land and activate a new generation of magi, but they are ruthlessly pursued by the crown prince, who believes the return of magic will mean the end of the monarchy.
Nominees:
"Prince Harry" Award
This award is presented to the young adult book published in 2018 that was considered the most controversial.
2019 Winner:
Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli
Leah Burke is an anomaly in her friend group: the only child of a young, single mom; her life is decidedly less privileged. She loves to draw but is too self-conscious to show it. And even though her mom knows she's bisexual, she hasn't mustered the courage to tell her friends-- not even her openly gay BFF, Simon. When her rock-solid friend group starts to fracture in unexpected ways, it's hard for Leah to strike the right note. And with prom and college on the horizon, tensions are running high. If only real life was as rhythmic as her drumming...
Nominees:
"Prince William" Award
This award is presented to the best young adult book published in 2018 that had the best representation of parents.
2019 Winner:
The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo
Clara Shin lives for pranks and disruption. When she takes one joke too far, her dad sentences her to a summer working on his food truck, the KoBra, alongside her uptight classmate Rose Carver. Not the carefree summer Clara had imagined. But maybe Rose isn't so bad. Maybe the boy named Hamlet (yes, Hamlet) crushing on her is pretty cute. Maybe Clara actually feels invested in her dads business. What if taking this summer seriously means that Clara has to leave her old self behind?
Nominees:
"Royal Wedding" Award
This award is presented to the best young adult book published in 2018 that is the best blend of two different genres.
2019 Winner:
Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania-- derailing the War Between the States and changing the nation forever. Now laws like the Native and Negro Education Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead. Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. But it's not a life Jane wants. When families around Baltimore County begin to go missing, Jane is caught in the middle of a conspiracy... and the restless dead are the least of her problems.
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