2001 Printz Award

Winner

kit's wildernessDavid Almond, author of "Kit's Wilderness," was named the winner of the Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature for young adults. "Kit's Wilderness," published by Delacorte Press, 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.

The announcement was made January 15 during the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting in Washington, D. C. The annual award is administered by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of ALA, and sponsored by Booklist magazine. The award, first given in 2000, honors the late Michael L. Printz, a Topeka, Kansas, school librarian, known for discovering and promoting quality books for young adults.

"In lyrical fashion, Kit's story melds the darkness of the past with bright hope for the future," said Peter M. Butts, chair of Printz Award Selection Committee. "Almond creates a heartbreakingly real world fused with magic realism as he juggles several plot elements with dexterity. He also leads the reader to understanding how life can be seen through the prisms of space and time."

David Almond grew up in a mining community in northeastern England and draws upon his childhood memories in his writing. His first book, "Skellig," was Printz Honor Book in 2000.

Four Honor Books were named: "Many Stones," by Carolyn Coman, published by Front Street Press; "The Body of Christopher Creed," by Carol Plum-Ucci, published by Harcourt, Inc.; "Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging," by Louise Rennison, published by HarperCollins Publishers; and "Stuck in Neutral," by Terry Trueman, published by HarperCollins Publishers.

Members of the Printz Award Committee are: Peter Butts, chair, East Middle School, Holland, MI, Jennifer Baltes, Forest Hill Elementary School, Harford County, MD, Barbara Blosveren, Stratford Library Association, Stratford, CT, Debbie Carton, Berkeley Public Library, Berkeley, CA, Rosemary Chance, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MI, Stacy Charlesbois, Farmington Community Library, Farmington, MI, Ilene Cooper, Booklist Books for Youth, Chicago, IL, Marijo Kist, Phoenix Public Library, Phoenix, AZ, Cindy Lombardo, Orrville Public Library, Orrville, OH, Rebecca Loney, Snohomish Library, Snohomish, WA.

2001 Honor Books



many stones the body of christopher creed angus, thongs, and full-frontal snogging stuck in neutral

Many Stones

by Carolyn Coman

Front Street

"Many Stones," by Carolyn Coman, follows Berry's travels with her estranged father to South Africa, where her sister was murdered while volunteering. Berry learns emotional acceptance of Laura's death from a people whose own journey to reconciliation is painful, yet ultimately healing.

The Body of Christopher Creed

by Carol Plum-Ucci

Harcourt Brace

When high school outcast Chris Creed disappears, in "The Body of Christopher Creed," by Carol Plum-Ucci, his popular classmate Victor "Torey" Adams embarks on a mission to decipher Creed's last cryptic email message and to learn the truth about both Chris and himself.

Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson

by Louise Rennison

HarperCollins

"Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging," is the "fabbity fab fab" journal of British 14-year-old Georgia Nicolson who is struggling through the embarrassments of her family, the misadventures of her friends, and her spirited efforts to claim the attentions of "Gorgey Hunk" Robbie.

Stuck in Neutral

by Terry Trueman

HarperCollins

In "Stuck in Neutral," the good news is that despite his severe cerebral palsy, Shawn's life is rich and filled with the joys of BBQ potato chips, television, and incredible dreams. The bad news? His father may be trying to kill him. Through the voice of Shawn, Trueman takes the reader to a new place: inside the mind of a joyful spirit trapped in an uncontrollable body.

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