The Real Printz

The official Printz winners have been announced! As you will see, we weren't too off the mark with our Mock Printz nominations...

The 2010 Michael L. Printz Winner:
Going Bovine by Libba Bray

The Honor books:
Charles and Emma: the Darwins' Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman
The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
Punkzilla by Adam Rapp
Tales of a Madman Underground: a Historical Romance, 1973 by John Barnes

Oh, and you can read about the award and the books on YALSA's website.

I have to say, I am quite surprised that Going Bovine won the top honor. It was a fun, entertaining read but I honestly thought it could have been better edited. Still, I am pleased to have a Printz winner that I can easily give to teens.

Mock Printz Results!

I have to say, our Mock Printz event that occurred on January 9, 2010 was quite a success. We had a fairly diverse group that was half library and school employees and half teens. While we are patiently waiting until January 18th to hear who won the real Michael L. Printz award, I can at least share with you our Mock Printz winners.

The winning title: The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey

Honored titles: Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork and Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Honestly, I am quite surprised by the outpouring of support for The Monstrumologist... it was one of those titles I thought many of our adult readers just wouldn't like. However, the blending of the historical fiction and horror genres, combined with good character development and fine tuned language won it a place in many peoples' hearts. Personally, I had to make Wintergirls my top choice, as I thought it was an extraordinary piece of fiction, but The Monstrumologist was my second choice... and it's time for a horror book to win the Printz, don't you think?

The Monstrumologist-- Rick Yancey

Deep in his basement, the Monstromologist hangs an Anthropophagi from hooks. A grave robber knocked on his door in the middle of the night and delivered the beast to the only person he knew that could deal with something so grotesque. The anthropophagi is a hideous beast, profoundly strong, extraordinarily vicious, and it only eats one thing: live human flesh.

Will Henry is a young boy who lives with Dr. Warthrop, the Monstrumologist. He is an orphan, and Dr. Warthrop calls upon him for both mundane and horrifying tasks. Will Henry cooks all the meals and goes to the market, and he also helps Dr. Warthrop dissects monstrous beasts and hunt them down. The story is told through a series of journals Will Henry kept, and readers fall instantly into his world of macabre and midnight horrors.

In my opinion, this book epitomizes what's needed in YA horror right now. With the vampire and werewolf craze upon us, it's always good to find a true horror book that isn't a thin veil for romance. This book can be graphic in its descriptions of blood and guts, and even truly frightening at times, but all of it is appropriate for the genre and the purpose of the book. I would recommend this book to teens who like horror but don't want fluff, fans of Darren Shan's Demonata books (but are also good readers), or to teens who like classic horror like Frankenstein or Dracula.

P.S. Don't you love the cover?
P.P.S. This is a Mock Printz book too!