An award for a a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature.

... we can only echo the words of Michael Cart, Chair of the Best Young Adult Book Award Feasibility Task Force who were instrumental in setting up the award that it "serves notice on the reading, publishing, and bookselling communities that young adult literature has come of age".

• The Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature is given annually to a work of fiction, non-fiction or poety or to an anthology written for young adults and published in the previous calendar year.
• Up to four Honor Books may also be selected.
• Only books aimed at young adults (ages 12-18) are eligible for consideration for the Award.
• The Award is named in honor of Michael L. Printz, a much-loved librarian who specialized in YA books and who died in 1996. In 1997 YALSA put together a tribute to him from friends and colleagues, which can now be read online.
• The Award is sponsored by the ALA publication Booklist.
• Because of the wide variety of books eligible for the Award, each book is considered for its own merits, following a selection of criteria as guidelines. These criteria include story, setting, theme, voice, accuracy, illustration, style, characters, design - the ALA press release announcing each year's winner includes the criteria whereby the book has been chosen.
• Books previously published in another country are eligible, presuming an American edition has been published during the period of eligibility.
• Past winners include A Step From Heaven by An Naand, for 2007, Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese.

Young Adult Library Services Association

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