Printz Watch 2012

Over here at the Pearl Library, we are eagerly awaiting the announcement of the 2012 Michael L. Printz Award, which will happen in January.

Exactly what, you might be asking, is the Printz Award? The Printz Award is given each year to the book that exemplifies excellence in young adult literature. It's like the Newbery or Caldecott Award, which you probably heard about in elementary school, except this award is given to books written for teens. Since its inception in 2000, the award has been given to books you already love, such as Going Bovine by Libba Bray, Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta, American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang, and Looking for Alaska by John Green. This award celebrates the amazing books that are being written for young adults and we are so excited about it!

With the help of a fantastic blog called, hilariously, Someday My Printz Will Come, we've been reading up a storm over here at Pearl, trying to keep up with books that are predicted to be "contenders" because of the reviews and stars that they've been getting. Here's a few of the books that we've read that are available from your library:

Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma is a haunting and weird story of the love between two sisters. Late one night, Chloe discovers the body of one of her classmates in the reservoir and is promptly sent away to escape from the trauma. When she returns two years later, she realizes that her older sister Ruby has done something, has changed something, because of her desperation to have Chloe back. What is happening with London? What, exactly, is going on? And how far will it go?

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater is a take on the ancient Celtic myth of the ancient celtic myth of the capall uisce, terrifying war horses, that are wildly, mostly untamable, and have a taste for human flesh. In this story, the Island that Puck lives on hosts races on these horrible beasts every year. This year, she is determined to win for her own reasons. The only problem is, no woman has ever raced before. And four-time winner Sean, who has his own secrets, doesn't like the idea of a woman on the beach...

Recovery Road by Blake Nelson is a gritty and realistic look of the effects of drug and alcohol addiction and how one girl struggles to live her life post-rehab. Maddie meets Stewart at rehab, which, she realizes, is a pretty terrible place to meet your boyfriend. But as she readjusts to life back at home, in school, and post-addiction, her relationships and life become much more complex than she expected.

Chime by Franny Billingsley might just be our favorite Printz read so far. Briony lives near the swamps that she loves and grew up playing in, but she is no longer allowed to go in them, because when she goes there, she can see The Old Ones. But only witches can see The Old Ones. And in Briony's village, they hang witches. So Briony's secret eats at her as she cares for her twin sister, Rose, and as she interacts with the dashing Eldric, who appears in her village...and who makes her want to tell her secrets. But she must never forget: it's all her fault. And the only way this will end is with her swinging from a noose.

Click on any of the above links to request the books that sound interesting to you and click here to find out more about the Printz Award. Have you read any of the winners? Which are your favorites?