The 2012 Michael L. Printz Award Winner
Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2011. ISBN: 9781442413337) Compare prices."Kidnapping, bromance, arcane religious texts, and ornithology collide in this ground-breaking coming-of-age tale. " (Source: ALA Printz Award announcement, 1/23/12)
According to teen librarian and reviewer Jennifer Kendall, “My experience with this book parallels the title. Initially I was not interested in the little brown book with the vague title and offbeat illustration, yet I kept hearing through various book conversations at work and in trailing through readers’ advisory blogs that this book was something special. Boy, first looks can be deceiving. I came back to this book and discovered I was caught up in the quirky characters and the web of mystery that entangled me page after page.”
To learn more about Where Things Come Back and author John Corey Whaley, Jennifer Kendall's review of Where Things Come Back.
The 2012 Michael L. Printz Honor Books
- Why We Broke Up, written by Daniel Handler, art by Maira Kalman (Little Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, 2011. ISBN: 9780316127257) Compare prices.
Why We Broke Up is the second collaboration between Daniel Handler and artist Maira Kalman. The first was the children's picture book 13 Words, which Handler wrote under his pseudonym, Lemony Snicket.
- The Returning, by Christine Hinwood (Dial Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group USA, 2011. ISBN: 9780803735286) Compare prices.
- Jasper Jones, by Craig Silvey (Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, a division of Random House, inc. 2011. ISBN: ). Compare prices.
- The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc, 2011. ISBN: 9780375866661) Compare prices
Who Selected the 2012 Printz Winner and Honor Books?
The members of the 2012 Printz Award Committee are: Chair Erin Helmrich, Ann Arbor (Mich.) District Library; Jerene Battisti, King County Library System, Issaquah, Wash.; Sophie Brookover, LibraryLinkNJ, Piscataway, N.J.; Patty Campbell, Fallbrook, Calif.; Todd Krueger, Baltimore County (Md.) Public Library; Gregory Lum, Jesuit High School, Portland, Ore.; Joy Millam, Valencia High School, Fountain Valley, Calif.; Elizabeth Saxton, Cleveland Public Library; Drue Wagner-Mees, Los Angeles Public Library; Gail Zachariah, Keene (N.H.) Public Library; and Ilene Cooper, Booklist Magazine, Chicago.Other Printz Award Winners
The 2011 Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature winner was Ship Breaker, by Paolo Bacigalupi. For other past Michael L. Printz Award winners and Honor Books, see the 2010 Michael L. Printz Award Winners, 2009 Printz Award Winners, and 2008 Printz Award Winners.More Recommended Books for Teens
Encourage your teenager to read a variety of young adult literature. Young adult literature is also referred to as "YA books" and "books for teens." Here are a few annotated reading lists and an overview of a popular series. These recommended books for teens include both fiction and nonfiction. Teens, as well as adults, love the Hunger Games trilogy, which consists of The Hunger Games, Mockingjay and Catching Fire.Teenagers who enjoy nonfiction will be interested in Top Teen Nonfiction of the Year: 2011 and Contemporary Biographies, Autobiographies and Memoirs for Teens. Dystopian novels of all kinds are very popular now. For more information on what teenagers are currently enjoying, see Teen Reading Trends.
