The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a Topeka, Kansas school librarian who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association.  The award is sponsored by Booklist, a publication of the American Library Association.

You can find out more about the Printz award here.

Ship Breaker, Paolo Bacigalupi; Little, Brown

Printz Award Winner, 2010

In Ship Breaker, near a drowned New Orleans ravaged by hurricanes and global warming, Nailer and his young crew eke out a meager existence by scavenging materials on the ship-littered coast.

Stolen, Lucy Christopher; Chicken House

Printz Honor Books, 2011

The rugged Australian outback becomes Gemma’s prison after she is drugged and abducted by a handsome, obsessed stranger in a first novel filled with searing imagery and archetypal characters.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz, A. S. King; Alfred A. Knopf

Printz Honor Books, 2011

Vera Dietz wants to be ignored, but the ghost of her ex-best friend won’t leave her alone in this dark comedy that examines relationships, identity, grief and flowcharts.

Revolver, Marcus Sedgwick; Roaring Brook Press

Printz Honor Books, 2011

In Sedgwick’s grim, chilling story set in the Arctic Circle, Sig finds his father’s frozen corpse as human predator Wolff arrives seeking retribution and a hidden Gold Rush treasure. 

Nothing, Janne Teller; Atheneum Books For Young Readers

Printz Honor Books, 2011

Pierre Anthon’s nihilism causes his classmates to begin a search for life’s meaning in this bold, unsettling parable translated from Danish.

Going Bovine, Libba Bray; Delacorte Press

Printz Award Winner, 2010

“Can Cameron find what he’s looking for? All 16-year-old Cameron wants is to get through high school—and life in general—with a minimum of effort. It’s not a lot to ask. But that’s before he’s given some bad news: he’s sick and he’s going to die. Which totally sucks. Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit. She tells Cam there is a cure—if he’s willing to go in search of it. With the help of a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf and a yard gnome, Cam sets off on the mother of all road trips through a twisted America into the heart of what matters most.”

Charles And Emma: The Darwins' Leap Of Faith, Deborah Heiligman; Henry Holt And Company

Best Books for Young Adults, 2010
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Winner, 2010
Printz Honor Book, 2010

“Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species, his revolutionary tract on evolution and the fundamental ideas involved, in 1859. 150 years later, the theory of evolution continues to create tension between the scientific and religious communities. This same debate raged within Darwin himself, and played an important part in his marriage: his wife, Emma, was very religious, and her faith challenged Charles as he worked on his theory of evolution. Deborah Heiligman’s new biography of Charles Darwin is a thought-provoking account of the man behind evolutionary theory: how his personal life affected his work and vice versa. The end result is an engaging exploration of history, science, and religion.”

The Monstrumologist, Richard Yancey; Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers

Best Books for Young Adults 2010
Printz Honor Book, 2010

“These are the secrets I have kept. This is the trust I never betrayed. But he is dead now and has been for more than forty years, the one who gave me his trust, the one for whom I kept these secrets. The one who saved me…and the one who cursed me.So begins the journal of Will Henry, orphaned assistant to Dr. Pellinore War throp, a man with a most unusual specialty: monstrumology, the study of monsters. In his time with the doctor, Will has met many a mysterious late-night visitor, and seen things he never imagined were real. But when a grave robber comes calling in the middle of the night with a grueso me find, he brings with him their most deadly case yet.Critically acclaimed author Rick Yancey has written a gothic tour de force that explores the darkest heart of man and monster and asks the question: When does a man become the very thing he hunts?”

Punkzilla, Adam Rapp; Candlewick Press

Best Books for Young Adults 2010
Printz Honor Book, 2010

“An award-winning writer and playwright (“33 Snowfish”) hits the open road for a searing novel-in-letters about a street kid on a high-stakes trek across America.”

Tales Of The Madman Underground: An Historical Romance 1973, Barnes, John; Viking

Printz Honor Book, 2010

“For years, Karl has been part of the Madman Underground—kids forced to attend group therapy during school hours. Karl decides that for his senior year, he is going to get out of the group for good. He is going to act—and be—Normal. But Normal, of course, is relative.”