2019 Winner
“
We Are Okay
”
, written by Nina LaCour, published by Dutton Books for Young
Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers
“
We Are Okay
”
, written by Nina LaCour, published by Dutton Books for Young
Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers
The Poet X
By Elizabeth Acevedo
HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Acevedo transforms everyday language into transcendent imagery in this novel-in-verse about Xiomara, who struggles to come into her own power amid her restrictive upbringing. Over the course of these lyrical, expressive, and honest poems, she grows from speaking with her fists to embracing her identity as the Poet X.
2019 Honor Books
Damsel
By Elana K. Arnold
Balzer+Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Ama has no memory of what comes before she wakes in Prince Emory’s arms, but she’s no ordinary damsel in distress. Using the language of classic fairy tales to shatter familiar tropes, Arnold asks readers to confront the ways systemic violence against women pervades cultural touchstones.
A Heart in a Body in the World
By Deb Caletti
Simon Pulse, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
Struggling with PTSD in the wake of a terrifying tragedy, Annabelle decides to run across the country in a physically demanding journey that mirrors the circuitous path of her emotional recovery. Caletti insightfully explores trauma, loss, and guilt while illuminating the damaging expectations our culture places on teenage girls.
I, Claudia
By Mary McCoy (check out Mary's reaction video to being named a Printz honor book winner).
Carolrhoda Lab®, an imprint of Carolrhoda Books®, a division of Lerner Publishing Group.
In this political thriller set in a privileged high school, underestimated and unreliable narrator Claudia chronicles her rise to power. Sharp, biting humor pervades McCoy’s novel about vicious high school students embroiled in an explosive struggle for control.
2019 Committee Members
Members of the 2019 Printz Award Committee are: Chair Rachel Fryd, Free Library of Philadelphia; Sam Helmick, Burlington (Iowa) Public Library; Danielle Jones, Multnomah County Library, Portland, Ore.; Karen R. Lemmons, Detroit School of the Arts; Teka McCabe Briarcliff High School and Briarcliff Middle School, Port Chester, N.Y.; Jessica Lorentz Smith, Bend (Ore.) Senior High School; Jennifer Thompson, Brooklyn (N.Y.) Public Library; Anna Grace Tschetter, Memorial Hall Library, Andover, Mass.; Paula Willey, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore, Md.; Award Administrative Assistant, Sandy Craft, Casady School, Oklahoma City; and Sarah Hunter, Booklist Consultant, Chicago.