2012 Winner

Where Things Come Back

By John Corey Whaley

Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing

Witty, sardonic Cullen Witter agonizes over the disappearance of his beloved brother, Gabriel, while everyone else in his stiflingly dull Arkansas town thrills to the apparent return of a long-extinct woodpecker. Kidnapping, bromance, arcane religious texts, and ornithology collide in this ground-breaking coming-of-age tale.

“Straightforward, yet increasingly complex, this novel masterfully weaves together themes of brotherhood, friendship, loss and religious obsession,” said Printz Award Committee Chair Erin Helmrich.

2012 Honor Books

Why We Broke Up, written by Daniel Handler, art by Maira Kalman and published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

In this beautiful piece of bookmaking, heartbroken movie obsessive Min Green dumps a box of relationship ephemera on ex-love Ed Slaterton’s porch, each item attached to a raging, loving, insecure and regretful letter explaining how each memento contributed to their breakup.

The Returning, written by Christine Hinwood and published by Dial Books, an imprint of Penguin Group Young Readers Group USA.

A large cast of characters from two fictional kingdoms recover from a drawn-out, brutal war in a portrait both sweeping and specific as it explores the ramifications of the conflict on Cam, the only one who lives to return to his village.

Jasper Jones, written by Craig Silvey and published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.

Spurred by the mysterious death of a schoolmate, Charlie confronts racism and his fears as he learns about family, friendship and love in the oppressive heat of small-town 1960s Australia. Silvey weaves themes of freedom and loyalty with moments of humor in this wrenching novel.

The Scorpio Races, written by Maggie Stiefvater and published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc.

A bloody, intoxicating horse race on the Island of Thisby is the backdrop for this atmospheric novel. The heart-pounding story pits two teens against death – to win is to survive.

Previous Winners

View a complete list of Michael L. Printz winners and honor book authors.

• 2011 Winner: Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
• 2010 Winner: Going Bovine by Libba Bray
• 2009 Winner: Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
• 2008 Winner The White Darkness  by Geraldine McCaughrean
• 2007 Winner American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
• 2006 Winner Looking for Alaska by John Green
• 2005 Winner how i live now by Meg Rosoff
• 2004 Winner The First Part Last by Angela Johnson
• 2003 Winner Postcards from No Man’s Land by Aidan Chambers
• 2002 Winner Step from Heaven by An Na
• 2001 Winner Kit’s Wilderness by David Almond
• 2000 Winner Monster by Walter Dean Myers

More information on previous winners.