'Midwinterblood' wins 2014 Printz Award

PHILADELPHIA — “Midwinterblood,” written by Marcus Sedgwick and published by Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, has won the 2014 Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature. The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) announced the winner during the ALA Midwinter Meeting, held Jan. 24 – 28 in Philadelphia.

Doomed love circles back through the centuries in a series of seven intricately plotted, interlocking stories set on a mysterious, isolated island. Forgetting and remembering, blessed and cursed, modern and ancient, these dualities brilliantly infuse the novel’s lush landscape.

“Sedgwick’s novel is innovative and masterfully written,” said Printz Award Committee Chair Jennifer Lawson. “ Through the striking use of pattern and symbol, he slowly reveals the powerful secret at the heart of this haunting tale.”

Four Printz Honor Books were also named:

“Eleanor & Park,” written by Rainbow Rowell and published by St. Martin’s Griffin (Macmillan).

Unlikely love blossoms on the bus when two unique, exceptional souls find strength in each other’s differences in Rowell’s emotionally charged and hopeful novel.

“Kingdom of Little Wounds,” written by Susann Cokal and published by Candlewick Press.

Impeccably researched and darkly disturbing, this complex literary tale reveals the sordid side of palace life in a 16th century Scandinavian kingdom where the royal family, the Lunedies, is cursed by a mysterious illness, and political machinations cast doubt on who will rule.

“MAGGOT MOON,” written by Sally Gardner, illustrated by Julian Crouch and published by Candlewick Press.

In Sally Gardner’s explosively original dystopian novel, Standish Treadwell and his grandfather show quiet defiance in the face of the oppressive, merciless Motherland. The cleverly parallel illustrations highlight a story as offbeat and perceptive as Standish and his mismatched eyes.

“Navigating Early,” written by Clare Vanderpool and published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House LLC, Penguin Random House Company.

Jack Baker, uprooted suddenly after his mother’s death, and Early Auden, the strangest of boys, meet at a Maine boarding school. Their friendship culminates in a treacherous quest and unexpected self-discovery. Vanderpool delivers an emotionally powerful novel in an untamed setting as the boys head up river in search of the Great Appalachian Bear. The award, first given in 2000, is named for the late Michael L. Printz, a Topeka, Kan., school librarian known for discovering and promoting quality books for young adults.

The award is administered annually by YALSA and is sponsored by Booklist magazine.

Members of the 2014 Printz Award Committee are: Chair Jennifer Lawson, San DiegoCounty Library; Michael Fleming, Pacific Cascade Middle School Library, Issaquah, Wash.; Cindy Lombardo, Cleveland Public Library; GregoryLum, Jesuit High School, Portland, Ore.; Steve Matthews, Currier Library, Foxcroft School, Middleburg, Va.; Rachel McDonald, King County(Wash.)Library System; Elizabeth Schneider, Monrovia (Calif.) Public Library; Sarah Wethern, Douglas County Library, Alexandria, Minn.; Emily Williams, Metropolitan Library System, Oklahoma City, Okla.; Award Administrative Assistant Mara Cota, Half Moon Bay (Calif.) Library; and Ilene Cooper, Booklist consultant, Chicago.

YALSA’s portfolio of book and media awards helps strengthen library services for and with teens by identifying quality, age appropriate resources for librarians and library workers to share with the teens in their communities. For more information about YALSA or for lists of recommended reading, viewing and listening, go to http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklistsawards/bookawards.

For more than 50 years, YALSA has worked to build the capacity of libraries and librarians to engage, serve and empower teens. For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources go to www.ala.org/yalsa , or contact the YALSA office by phone, 800-545-2433, ext. 4390; or email: yalsa@ala.org . For more information on the Michael L. Printz Award and other ALA Youth Media Awards, please visit www.ala.org/yma .

-30-