How to sum up the Michael L. Printz Award, a prize that rewards “literary excellence in young adult literature”? The adjectives that immediately come to mind are bold, eclectic, and surprising. A personal favorite of mine, 2020 honor title Where the World Ends by Geraldine McCaughrean, exemplifies these characteristics. Following a desperate band of people stranded on a remote, uninhabitable Scottish island in the early 1700s, it’s utterly original and emotionally harrowing.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Printz, sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association and named in memory of a dedicated Topeka, Kansas, high school librarian. Some Printz medalists are now regarded as modern classics—like Monster by Walter Dean Myers, Skellig by David Almond, and Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, all featured on the inaugural 2000 slate. Others, while less high profile, are a testament to Printz juries’ willingness to make courageous choices that reflect teens’ diverse reading needs and interests.

The Printz is remarkably inclusive. Alongside literary fiction by U.S. authors, it has honored nonfiction, poetry, verse novels, fantasy, graphic novels, translated titles, and more. Through the Printz, American teens have gained exposure to international authors of great stature, like Australia’s Melina Marchetta (author of the 2009 winner, Jellicoe Road) and Japan’s Nahoko Uehashi (whose The Beast Player, translated by Cathy Hirano, was a 2020 honor book). I also applaud the inclusion of fabulously funny writing, such as 2001 honor book Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison and 2013 honor title Dodger by Terry Pratchett. Humor, while incredibly hard to write well (and beloved by adolescents), is rarely appreciated by award juries.

The real testament to the Printz is that librarians who work with teens—the people who are in the trenches hearing kids’ unfiltered responses and seeing what they actually choose to borrow—hold it in such high regard. This year’s winner, the graphic novel Brownstone, written by Samuel Teer and illustrated by Mar Julia with colors by Ashanti Fortson, is a great example of this commitment to excellence and teen reader appeal.

Jenna Friebel, a public librarian who served on the 2018 jury, told me, “Seven years later, I think our books still hold up incredibly well. Our winner—We Are Okay by Nina LaCour—is a quiet novel that packs a giant emotional wallop. Growing up, my options for queer literature—especially targeted toward teens—were very slim, so it was super meaningful to me to be able to award this beautiful, moving queer story.”

Retired high school librarian Kim Dare reports that her fellow 2023 jury members were so passionate about their winning choice, All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir, that many of them got tattoos inspired by the cover art. Dare found that the book was widely beloved by her students. She was especially touched by the response of a Pakistani American girl in her book club, who said that she “had never read a YA novel that featured Pakistani American characters, and that she was in tears during a lot of her reading.”

In this time of hostility toward daring, unorthodox authors who pose challenging questions, we need the Printz more than ever.

Laura Simeon is a young readers’ editor.