Happy new year! With months of cold weather yet to come, now is a better time than ever to settle in with a good book. As a young adult librarian, I can tell you that there is no shortage of high quality fiction written for teens.
Every January, the American Library Association honors the best of the best in Children’s and Young Adult literature during its Midwinter meeting. One award-the Michael L. Printz award, is always eagerly anticipated. Named for a dedicated librarian serving teens, this award honors a book of exceptional literary merit in young adult literature.
The 2008 winner will be announced January 14. In the meantime, take a look at some of the previous winners. No, the books are not boring. Try one-you might like it!
2007. American Born Chinese Gene Luen Yang
Yang draws from pop culture and ancient Chinese mythology in his groundbreaking work. Expertly told in words and pictures, Yang’s story in three parts follows a Chinese American’s struggle against racial stereotypes. this is the first graphic novel to receive this award. YA GRAPHIC YANG
2006. Looking for Alaska John Green
Tired of his boring existence, 16-year-old Miles “Pudge” Halter heads off to seek his “Great Perhaps” at an Alabama boarding school, where new-found freedom, guilty pleasures, and an enigmatic girl named Alaska hurl him into life. YA FIC GREEN
2005. How I Live Now Meg Rosoff
Set during the occupation of terrorist forces, the novel is narrated by 15-year-old Daisy, a wry and alienated young woman who finds true love, mystical connections, and a sense of home with her cousins in England. YA FIC ROSOFF
2004. The First Part Last Angela Johnson
Johnson’s novel is an extraordinary work in which the realities of fatherhood come slowly but surely to 16-year-old Bobby after the birth of his daughter, Feather. YA FIC JOHNSON
2003. Postcards from No Man’s Land Aiden Chambers
Chamber’s novel is a passionate narrative about 17-year-old Jacob, who comes to Amsterdam to find the grave of his grandfather who died there during World War II. He meets Geertrui, the Dutch woman who cared for his wounded grandfather. Her teenage World War II story is interwoven with Jacob’s surprising discoveries about family secrets and his own identity. YA FIC CHAMBERS
2002. A Step from Heaven An Na
This story tells the tale of Young Ju as she grows from a toddler in Korea to a high school graduate in California desperately trying to be a ‘true’ American while her immigrant parents try to make her stay close to her Korean heritage. YA FIC NA
2001. Kit’s Wilderness David Almond
Kit’s Wilderness tells the tale of Kit Watson, who returns with his family to the Northern English mining town where generations of his family have worked and died.
2000. Monster Walter Dean Myers
Monster tells the suspenseful, emotionally charged story of a 16-year-old arrested for murder. YA FIC MYERS
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