Mock Printz 2026 discussion

What are people anticipating for this year?

A handful I'm excited about that I think have promise:
Parachutes
Clap When You Land
Deeplight
Tigers, Not Daughters
Red Hood

Not much on my 2020 YA TBR yet (why is nothing buzzing loudly?), except above mentioned new books by Hardinge and Acevedo, but I am still hoping for the last Megan Whalen Turner Thief book.



I have already read Red Hood which I think has some questionable content that will kick it out of the Printz consideration.

I'm excited about the potential of these gorgeous books:

Girl, Unframed by Deb Caletti

When We Were Infinite by Kelly Loy Gilbert

Grown by Tiffany Jackson

I love Tiffany Jackson. I haven't read her 2019 release yet, but I feel like she is Cinderella-in-waiting for a Printz. She hasn't released "THE" book yet, but it will come!

I feel the same way about Tiffany Jackson.

I just thought of another 2020 title (a January release, at that!) from another powerful author to watch out for this year:

Dark and Deepest Red by Anne-Marie McLemore

Ditto about Tiffany Jackson. Maybe this might be her year.

I think this book is one to watch. It's ambitious with 14 POVs, but if Chee manages to deftly and successfully pull it off...

We Are Not Free

Both Megan Whalen Turner and Mildred D. Taylor’s conclusions to their respective series look intriguing. The Chee book, too. Nothing else immediately jumps out at me this early in the year.

Are there any imports from other countries/translations to keep an eye out for? Some Printz titles are first published elsewhere before releasing in the U.S., such as this year’s honor books “The Beast Player” and “Where the World Ends.”

Mo wrote: "Both Megan Whalen Turner and Mildred D. Taylor’s conclusions to their respective series look intriguing. The Chee book, too. Nothing else immediately jumps out at me this early in the year.

Are t..."

I love Maria Turtschaninoff fantasy. Kind of sad first two books in her Maresi trilogy didn’t make any waves. Maybe the third one will this year.

Mo wrote: "Both Megan Whalen Turner and Mildred D. Taylor’s conclusions to their respective series look intriguing. The Chee book, too. Nothing else immediately jumps out at me this early in the year.

Are t..."

I've been keeping my eyes open for translated works!

Nice. I‘m also keeping an eye on smaller publishers that put out YA books, keeping them on my radar so they don’t totally surprise me come next year’s announcements.

I'd like to see discussion of Tigers, Not Daughters. Also the biography of Charles Lindbergh. And We Are Not From Here--which my adult sister, who doesn't like YA, read and cried through.

I was so struck by Tigers, Not Daughters. Very powerful book, and covering so many different themes it's hard to describe what it's about.

I'd love to discuss Gavriel Savit's The Way Back in October (pubbed 9/15). This is one of the ARCs I've read this year whose literary merits stood out to me as a cut above, and I found it a delight to read to boot.

I absolutely ADORED Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas! #ownvoices, trans, gay, latinx main character who can do magic and may or may not fall in love with the ghost he accidentally summoned...and now has to put to rest. It comes out in September and it is as much fun as it is inclusive! <3

Sorry to go off-topic, but is there another group on goodreads that is for YA LGBTQ+ books? I don't want to leave this group, but I am looking for some excellent books in that category specifically. Thanks!

Amy wrote: "Sorry to go off-topic, but is there another group on goodreads that is for YA LGBTQ+ books? I don't want to leave this group, but I am looking for some excellent books in that category specifically..."

Hi Amy,

Let me do some research to see what I can find for you!

Amy wrote: "Sorry to go off-topic, but is there another group on goodreads that is for YA LGBTQ+ books? I don't want to leave this group, but I am looking for some excellent books in that category specifically..."

Here's a pretty extensive list of YA LGBTQ+ titles: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

And this group looks pretty active: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

"Girl, Unframed" and "Tigers, Not Daughters" were two of my favorites in the past couple months. I liked "Cemetery Boys" a lot but not quite Printz quality. Also, following up on a previous comment, I think Traci Chee DOES pull it off with the 14 POVs in "We Are Not Free." The title might get into a shuffle with "We Are Not from Here," which is also excellent and timely. "Watch Over Me" by Nina LaCour was also good (of course)--a ghost story for people who don't like ghost stories, as "Girl, Unframed" is a mystery for people who don't like mysteries (me). "Girl, Unframed" is also so teachable: foreshadowing, 2nd person narration, consent, toxic masculinity, art,
and the whole Lana Turner scandal it's loosely based on.

Jenna wrote: "A handful I'm excited about that I think have promise:
Parachutes
Clap When You Land
[bookcover..."

I found Parachutes to be an excellent story, but I hadn't really thought of it in terms of Printz-worthy. Maybe I should rethink.

I thought Parachutes was compulsively readable, but not distinguished in terms of literary merit. The writing style is too much on the nose, and there were some key scenes towards the end that I thought skewed rather soap opera-esque where they should have been afforded more gravitas considering the seriousness of the subject matter.

Jenny wrote: "I thought Parachutes was compulsively readable, but not distinguished in terms of literary merit. The writing style is too much on the nose, and there were some key scenes towards the end that I th..."

Agreed. Yang's previous book (Front Desk) also seemed to be written in a manner that felt slightly younger than I had hoped.

Are we voting on a December selection?

How are we all feeling about this point in time about potential contenders?

I unfortunately kind of dropped the ball on the book club and reading new YA releases this year. I did read and really enjoy Watch Over Me and would be pleased if it got Printz recognition. I liked the Turn of the Scew inspo, the quiet spareness, and the way *healing* from trauma is centered.

I also really liked Legendborn a lot, even though I don't think it's typical Printz fare. I do think it's more unique than it appears though, the way Deonn subverts Arthurian lore (a pinnacle of white literature).

I've been very unmotivated past year, so I don't feel like I have a fair understanding of the field of contenders. But to me, Stamped seems to be a standout. Just a few more days to go until we know.

Regarding the voting to date...I'll be curious to see if Stamped is actually recognized by the Printz committee. While I realize that each group is different, that it has not been mentioned by NBA, ENYA or Walter makes me a bit skeptical of its chances here.

Regarding Stamped, I think it's award chances will come down to the criteria for each award. While Reynolds calls it a Remix, some may see it as more or less of a reprint of Kendi's original book, which could disqualify it. Regardless of whether it gets any love during awards season, it's excellence shines and it's certainly here to stay.

I just wanted to thank everyone for their insights and Briony for moderating the group. I am not an expert reviewer and don’t read enough to read all contenders, but I learn a lot from reading all of your comments. Looking forward to seeing what wins all of the different awards tomorrow!

The honorees have been announced!

Winner:
Everything Sad Is Untrue

Honorees:
Apple: Skin to the Core
Dragon Hoops
Every Body Looking
We Are Not Free



Lots of overlap with the National Book Award this year.

I haven't heard anything about the winner, except we've had signed copies collecting dust on the shelves at my store for months. Hopefully this helps move them.

What do y'all think?

I also haven't heard about the winner, but I am excited to check it out now. 2 novels in verse, 1 graphic novel, all very diverse. I personally like to see some genre fiction among the winners, but seems like a slate of good works, stories for our time I suppose.

Thank you everyone for participating in 2020. Hopefully, 2021 is kinder to us. I will be posting our first 2021 poll in the next week or so. Look for a 2022 discussion.

There were our winners if you did not have a chance to look at our poll:

Winner
Stamped Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds: 24 votes

Honors
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo: 8 votes

Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri: 7 Votes