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April 3, 2007
THE PRINTZ AWARD 2003
2003 WINNER
POSTCARDS FROM NO MAN'S LAND by Aidan Chambers
Chambers’ novel is a passionate narrative about 17-year-old Jacob, who comes to Amsterdam to find the grave of his grandfather who died there during World War II. He meets Geertrui, the Dutch woman who cared for his wounded grandfather. Her teenage World War II story is interwoven with Jacob’s surprising discoveries about love, sex, family secrets and his own identity.
“The alternating narratives of Jacob and Geertrui make a story that is intense, sophisticated and surprising,” said Suzanne Manczuk, acting chair of the Printz Award Selection Committee. “Jacob discovers that ‘nothing in Amsterdam is what it appears to be.’” Chambers lives in England, and his previous young adult works have been acclaimed by critics on both sides of the Atlantic. “Postcards from No Man’s Land” was awarded the British Carnegie Medal, and Chambers received the Hans Christian Andersen Award 2002 for the body of his work. THIS BOOK IS RECOMMENDED FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN GRADES 10 TO 12.
2003 PRINTZ HONOR BOOKS
THE HOUSE OF THE SCORPION by Nancy Farmer
In a future where humans despise clones, Matt enjoys special status as the young clone of El Patrón, the 142-year-old leader of a corrupt drug empire nestled between Mexico and the United States. (See The Book Log entry for August 9, 2006) RECOMMENDED FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN GRADES 7 T0 10.
MY HEARTBEAT by Garret Freymann-Weyr
As she tries to understand the closeness between her older brother and his best friend, fourteen-year-old Ellen finds her relationship with each of them changing. RECOMMENDED FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS GRADES 9 TO 11.
HOLE IN MY LIFE by Jack Gantos
The author relates how, as a young adult, he became a drug user and smuggler, was arrested, did time in prison, and eventually got out and went to college, all the while hoping to become a writer. This autobiography is RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 8 UP. This is one of the best autobiographies written by an author.
Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services
Posted by fjacksonem at April 3, 2007 11:41 AM