1.28.2013

Printz Honor Book and Medalists

Each year, the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) awards The Michael Printz Award to the best book written for young adults. In addition, the organization names up to four honor books. The books are judged entirely on literary merit rather than popularity and are thus a great place to start if you're looking for something new and different to read!

Honor Books:


Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alide Sáenz


Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein


Dodger by Terry Pratchett


The White Bicycle by Beverley Brenna

And the Printz Award medalist is:


In Darkness by Nick Lake

You can see all the Youth Media Award winners, including the YALSA Nonfiction Award, the Morris Award for Best YA Debut, and the Caldecott and Newbery Medalists right here.

1.08.2013

Meet Your Librarians!


Name: Melissa Brinn
Title: Youth Services Librarian - Young Adult
Education: Cherry Hill East (!), then The College of New Jersey, then Rutgers for grad school.
Favorite booksAlice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, Coraline by Neil Gaiman, Paper Towns by John Green,The Arrival by Shaun Tan
Most likely to: Have a figurine of Harry Styles on her desk
Programs I run: Middle School TAB, Writers Block
Ask me about: Graphic novels, video games, and sci-fi & fantasy titles. Also, Bridges! Ask me about Bridges!


Name: Michelle Yeager
Title: Youth Services Supervisor - Young Adult
Education: Rowan University followed by Rutgers New Brunswick for a master’s degree in Library Science (YES, it’s a real thing!)
Favorite books:  Recent faves include Hush by Eishes Chayil, The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams, A Stolen Life by Jaycee Duggard, Everybody See the Ants by A.S. King, Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whales
Most likely to: Perform two jobs at once (She's currently the acting Director of the library!)
Programs I run: High School TAB, Table Top Trials, Anime Day, and more….
Ask me about: Realistic Fiction, True Crime & Biographies. Also, fiction about teens facing crazy-tough issues: think religion, kidnappings, drugs, pregnancy…you know, the stuff you’d see on Dateline. 

1.07.2013

CHPL's Picks for the Printz


Well, last year we were only 1 for 5 with our Printz predictions, but that's not going to stop us from doing it again! (Hey, at least we got the medalist right -- that's got to count for something.) 

I'm feeling really good about this list. I guess we'll just have to see what goes down on January 28th!

Our picks/predictions for Printz honor books:




Our pick/prediction for the Printz Award winner:

And the rest of the books on our short list:

Me, Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Boy 21 by Matthew Quick

Did you read any books this year that were award-worthy?