Printz Award
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 award is sponsored by Booklist, a publication of the American Library Association.
2013 Winner
In Darkness
By Nick Lake
Published by Bloomsbury Books for Young Readers
Fifteen-year-old Shorty awakens beneath the ruins of a crumbled hospital in Haiti, where his weakening mind begins flashing back through his own violent history, the loss of his twin sister, and his mystical connection to Toussaint Louverture, the nineteenth-century revolutionary who helped liberate his country.
“This bold weaving of gritty contemporary drama, revolutionary history and magical realism tells a one-of-a-kind story as fiercely intelligent as it is heartbreakingly honest,” said Printz Award Committee Chair Sharon Grover.
2013 Honor Books
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe written by Benjamin Alire Sáenz and published by Simon & Schuster BFYR, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
A self-described natural misanthrope, Aristotle finds himself changed when he meets precocious Dante, whose open and intense friendship over a fateful summer compels Ari to question love, art, adulthood and even the secrets of the universe.
Code Name Verity written by Elizabeth Wein and published by Hyperion, an imprint of Disney Book Group
In this multifaceted tale of intrigue and loyalties, two young women find their friendship tested while fighting to save themselves and their secrets when caught behind enemy lines in occupied France during World War II.
Dodger written by Terry Pratchett and published by HarperCollins Children’s Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers
In this wild historical adventure, 17-year-old Dodger rescues a young woman from an attack, is appointed assistant detective to Charlie Dickens, encounters the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, obtains his first tailored suit and learns from his mentor Solomon how to navigate a wide range of social and political circles.
The White Bicycle written by Beverley Brenna and published by Red Deer Press
A summer spent as a “personal care assistant” in the French countryside turns into a journey of self-realization and independence as 19-year-old Taylor Jane, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, tells in her own distinctive voice how she has the skills and heart to live life on her own terms.
Members of the 2013 Printz Award Committee are: Chair Sharon Grover, Hedberg Public Library, Janesville, Wis.; Louise Brueggemann, Naperville (Ill.) Public Library; Meghan Cirrito, Queens (N.Y.) Library; Francisca Goldsmith, Infopeople Project, Berkeley, Calif.; Alexandra E. Henshel, Library Consultant, Kingston, R.I.; Sarah B. Hill, Paris (Ill.) Cooperative High School Library; Krista R. McKenzie, Garrett College Library, McHenry, Md.; Sharon Rawlins, New Jersey State Library, Trenton, N.J.; Sarah Bean Thompson Springfield (Mo.)–Greene County Library; Laurie Bartz, Award Administrative Assistant Hedberg Public Library, Janesville, Wis.; and Dan Kraus, Booklist Magazine, consultant Chicago.
Previous Winners
View a complete list of Michael L. Printz winners and honor book authors.
- 2012 Winner:Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
- 2011 Winner: Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
- 2010 Winner: Going Bovine by Libba Bray
- 2009 Winner: Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
- 2008 Winner The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean
- 2007 Winner American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
- 2006 Winner Looking for Alaska by John Green
- 2005 Winner how i live now by Meg Rosoff
- 2004 Winner The First Part Last by Angela Johnson
- 2003 Winner Postcards from No Man's Land by Aidan Chambers
- 2002 Winner Step from Heaven by An Na
- 2001 Winner Kit's Wilderness by David Almond
- 2000 Winner Monster by Walter Dean Myers
More information on previous winners.
