YALSA Announces a New Book Award

[Esther Murphy <emurphy@ALA.ORG>]

Press Release                     Contact: Linda Waddle

For immediate release          312-280-4391

YALSA ANNOUNCES A NEW AWARD FOR A NEW MILLENIUM

A new award for a new millennium, the Michael L. Printz Award honors
the highest literary achievement in books for young adults. In
addition to the winning title, up to four honor books may be selected.
The first winner and honor books will be announced at the ALA Awards
Press Conference held during the Midwinter Meeting,  January 14-19, in
San Antonio. The award will be presented annually to the author of a
book published during the preceding year beginning in 2000 at the
Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) awards luncheon
during the ALA Annual Conference, in Chicago, July 6-13.   Booklist,
the review magazine of the American Library Association, will sponsor
the award.  Booklist
editor and publisher, Bill Ott is "thrilled that Booklist will have
the opportunity to sponsor the Printz Award.  For us, it is the
perfect expression of our longstanding commitment to help the
profession identify literary excellence in young adult literature."

The award is named in honor of Michael L. Printz (1937-1996), a much
loved high school librarian from Topeka, Kansas who was known for
discovering and promoting quality books for young adults. This award
is based solely on literary quality.

"How exciting to honor a top title for teens!  Mike Printz was
respected and beloved in our profession.  I hope the books selected
for the "Printz Prize" will reflect the passion he felt and will be
loved by young adults and the librarians who serve them," said Joel
Shoemaker, YALSA President.

The award-winning book may be fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or
anthology.  To be eligible, a title must be designated by its
publisher as being either a young adult book or one published for the
age range that YALSA defines as young adult, i.e. 12 through 18.
Works of joint authorship or editorship and books published in another
country will be eligible.

A committee of nine YALSA members will select the winning title and
the honor books each year.  The 2000 Michael L. Printz Award
committee: Frances Bradburn, Chair, North Carolina Department of
Public Instruction; Jane Byczek, Hinsdale (IL) Public Library; Maria
Gentle, Arlington (VA) Public Library;  Donald Kenney, Virginia Tech
University Library; Judy Nelson, Bellevue (WA) Regional Library; Adela
Peskorz, Metropolitan State University(MN); Karlan Sick, New York (NY)
Public Library; Roger Sutton, Editor, Horn Book Magazine, Boston, MA;
and Hazel Yliniemi, Director of Instructional Resources, Fargo(ND)
Public Schools.

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