The Printz Award
The Printz Award
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The Michael L. Printz Award, established in 2000 by the American Library Association (ALA) and administered by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), honors excellence in literature written for young adults. Named after Michael L. Printz, a Kansas school librarian known for his passion for young adult literature and commitment to inspiring readers, the award was created to recognize books that exemplify literary merit in the YA genre. Its purpose is to highlight outstanding writing, storytelling, and thematic depth in works aimed at teen audiences, regardless of genre or format. The Printz Award is given annually, with one winner and up to four honor books announced each year during the ALA’s Youth Media Awards, showcasing the best in young adult literature and encouraging high standards in the field.
Reading List
Please read:
If you choose to explore this award, please select three books from the list below. You will be responsbile for sharing these books with your classmates as part of our module discussion.
Don't forget, you can learn a bit more about each book by checkout out our course inclusivity audit. Please also see my note about content warnings for specific titles.
⭐️ Jennifer Recommends: I've added stars to books that represent some of my favorites. You should feel no pressure to select titles that resonated with me.
Brownstone
Samuel Teer & Mar Julia
2024
When We Ride
Rex Oble
2025
(S)kin
Ibi Zoboi
2025
Compound Fracture
Andrew Joseph White
2024
Run Away With Me
Brian Selznick
2025
Song of a Blackbird
Maria Van Lieshout
2025
Bright Red Fruit
Safia Elhillo
2024
The Last Bookstore on Earth
Lily Braun-Arnold
2025
The Gone Book
Helena Close
2025
After Life
Gayle Forman
2025
A Bird In The Air Means We Can Still Breathe
Mahogany L Browne
2025
On The Wings of La Noche
Vanessa L Torres
2025
The Deep Dark
Molly Knox Ostertag
2024
Everything Is Poison
Joy McCullough
2025
Under The Same Stars
Libba Bray
2025
Everything We Never Had
Randy Ribay
2024
Pick The Lock
AS King
2024
Kindling
Traci Chee
2024
Want to read something that is not on this list?
If you would like to swap a book from this list for one of your own choosing, you must:
Contact Jennifer (via Canvas) at least a week in advance with your suggested swap. Remember! In order to qualify for substitution, the book you select must:
qualify for the given award
have been published in the previous 24 months
be written for a YA audience
Keep in mind that some books appear on multiple award lists.
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