What is the Printz Award?
The Michael L. Printz Award honors the best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit, each year. In addition, the Printz Committee names up to four honor books, which also represent the best writing in young adult literature. The award’s namesake was a school librarian in Topeka, Kansas as well an active member of YALSA. He had a passion for books and reading.
http://www.ala.org/yalsa/printz
2013 Winner
In Darkness by Nick Lake
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.
2013 Honor Books
Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
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 by Elizabeth Wein
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 by Terry Pratchett
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 by Beverly Brenna
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.