Author A.S. King has now added a Printz Award to her many honors with her latest work of fiction, Dig. Known for her surreal works, King’s latest is no less experimental, chaotically threading together the lives of five teenage cousins who struggle with the world of poverty, racism, and domestic violence that they have inherited. The committee for the Michael L. Printz Award announced King as the winner on Jan. 27th and also named four honor books, among them the popular graphic novel Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell and the powerful memoir-in-verse Ordinary Hazards: A Memoir by Nikki Grimes. You’ll find a full listing of the Printz Award winners below, followed by a list of other notable YA appearances amongst the American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards.
Michael L. Printz Award (for excellence in Young Adult literature)
Winner:
Dig by A.S. King
Honor Books:
The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell
Ordinary Hazards: A Memoir by Nikki Grimes
Where the World Ends by Geraldine McCaughrean
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Alex Awards (for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences)
American Indian Youth Literature
Young Adult Winner:
Hearts Unbroken by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature
Young Adult Winner:
They Called Us Enemy by George Takei
Schneider Family Book Award (for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience)
Young Adult Winner:
Cursed by Karol Ruth Silverstein
Stonewall Book Award (for books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience)
Young Adult Winner:
The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
Sydney Taylor Book Award (for authentic portrayal of the Jewish experience)
Young Adult Winner:
Someday We Will Fly by Rachel DeWoskin
Top Ten Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults
William C. Morris Debut Award (for an impressive first-time author writing for teens)
Winner:
The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe
