The SLJ reviews editors rounded up our reviews of the books lauded at the 2025 Youth Media Awards. Here, the reviews of the Michael L. Printz Award and Honors winners.
The SLJ reviews editors rounded up our reviews of the books lauded at the 2025 Youth Media Awards. Here, the reviews of the Michael L. Printz Award and Honors winners.
Brownstone by Samuel Teer. illus. by Mar Julia. HarperCollins/Clarion/Versify. Jun. 2024. 320p. Tr $26.99. ISBN 9780358394754.
Gr 9 Up–A superb coming-of-age graphic novel that delves deep into contemporary complex topics, such as family, friendship, race, ethnicity, identity, and more. With easy-to-follow dialogue and beautiful, captivating illustrations, Teer and Julia bring readers into Almudena’s consciousness. Almudena, who is just about to turn 15, is spending the summer with her father while her mother is on a work trip. This may sound pretty run-of-the-mill, but Almudena has never met her father; they do not speak the same language; his family plans for the summer are to renovate the brownstone he inhabits. That starts off the summer on a sour note, but while they work on the renovations, Almudena starts to learn not only about her father, their heritage, and others living in the neighborhood, but she also gets to know more about her true self and where she fits in the world. Brownstone gives a sense of what family means and that it goes beyond just sharing the same blood. VERDICT A great YA graphic novel for teens who are trying to figure out who they are or anyone who has ever felt like they were on the outside. This would be a popular title for fans of Christine Suggs’s ¡Ay, Mija!: My Bilingual Summer in Mexico, Deb JJ Lee’s In Limbo, and Emily Bowen Cohen’s Two Tribes.-Reviewed by Cat Miserendino
Bright Red Fruit by Safia Elhillo. Random/Make Me a World. Feb. 2024. 384p. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9780593381205.
Gr 8 Up–Set in Washington, D.C., Elhillo’s novel depicts the story of a Sudanese American teen who is coming of age in what appears to be an unforgiving world. Samira’s life unfolds as she reveals her reputational ruin from one young man’s lies and how it impacts her development as a young Sudanese woman. Growing up in a multigenerational family shaped by Sudanese cultural standards of duty and community, Samira seeks to survive by carving out her own sense of identity through the use of poetry. A supportive aunt stands in the wings; a doting mother and a small kaleidoscope of allies flutter about to protect as Samira tastes the bright, red fruit of life. This is a cautionary tale, if ever, juxtaposed with snippets of the life of Persephone, the Greek goddess through which a revelation of the changing seasons came to pass. Samira’s story unfurls her passage into womanhood through her own voice, wavering, childlike, insecure yet told through vivid, moving lines in verse. VERDICT Told through emails, letters, and poetry in its many forms, Samira’s story becomes one to remember. For YA collections.-Reviewed by Mitzi Mack
Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White. Peachtree Teen. Sept. 2024. 384p. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9781682636121.
Gr 10 Up–Miles couldn’t have known that he would end up on the receiving end of a brutal assault the same night he scheduled his coming-out email to his parents, but the combined situations and the subsequent death of one of his attackers at Miles’s hand (accidentally, but still) sets off a chain of vengeance. Cooper, Miles’s best friend and maybe more, is dead set on stomping out those responsible for the West Virginia town’s deep corruption and well-known abuses of power at any cost, but as Miles reconnects with his old friend Dallas, his perspective of Cooper’s decisions and demands is shifting. Things spiral further out of control, and Miles’s ancestor Saint begins appearing, clearly trying to tell him something. Characters that cut to the bone illuminate the corrosive nature of hatred for all involved and highlight the healing power of a loving, accepting family—even an imperfect one. Miles’s dog Lady adds an irresistibly compelling emotional draw, allowing the story’s deep cuts to hit even harder. Political commentary lies alongside darkly graphic violence, and yet the heart-pounding whole feels undeniably hopeful and alive. White’s third book is also his most realistic, blending the grit of poverty and small-town power struggles with the social violence that accompanies being different; in Miles’s case, being trans and autistic add layers of risk to his already dangerous existence as a member of the locally demonized and ostracized Abernathy family. VERDICT Unputdownable, unbelievably powerful, deranged, and magnificently defiant. Hold on to your humanity for dear life, readers.-Reviewed by Allie Stevens
The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag. illus. by Molly Knox Ostertag. Scholastic/Graphix. Jun. 2024. 480p. Tr $27.99. ISBN 9781338840001.
Gr 8 Up–High school senior Mags Herrera has a lot on her shoulders: when she isn’t working her part-time job or taking care of her elderly grandmother, she’s making sure the family secret in her basement stays hidden—and fed. When Mags’s childhood friend Nessa returns after a long absence, the two easily rekindle their friendship and explore deeper feelings for each other, but Mags, consumed with grief over a boy’s death connected to the secret in her basement, is reluctant to let go and feel anything other than guilt. An introspective and stirring coming out story, illustrated largely in grayscale with flashbacks rendered in color. Ostertag’s gift for dialogue shines, as does her storytelling with excellent pacing, setting, and characters that are perfect foils: Mags is introverted, tormented, dark; Tessa is open, vulnerable, and light. VERDICT A great LGBTQIA+ romance that readers will yearn to return to.-Reviewed by Rosemary Kiladitis
Road Home by Rex Ogle. Norton. May 2024. 272p. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9781324019923.
Gr 10 Up–Readers have been on a personal journey with Ogle since the publication of Free Lunch in 2019. In what’s billed as the final book of his literary memoir look back, this may be the rawest due to Ogle’s experiences after being kicked out of his dad’s house and being unhoused when a toxic relationship with an older man implodes. Ogle’s dad gives him an ultimatum: leave or stay, but if he stays, he must be and act straight not gay. Ogle chooses to leave, heading to New Orleans and a man he met on a beach. But this unhealthy relationship doesn’t last, and Ogle is on the street struggling to eat, find shelter, and figure out a path forward without calling his grandmother. Ogle has never shied away from the truth, while remaining positive in each memoir he’s written. This work is no different; however, the situations Ogle finds himself in are far more dire, including a relationship with a much older man, drinking, and situational danger because he is unsheltered and hungry. These vulnerabilities push the comfort level of readers, yet those that have read his previous books have likely grown from hearing him speak his truth. Ogle includes an author’s note at the beginning as well as an afterword with more of his indispensable optimism and resources. Memoirs like this one keep good company with others like Laurie Halse Anderson’s Shout, Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer, and George M. Johnson’s All Boys Aren’t Blue. VERDICT An emotionally resonant denouement; Ogle gives readers his hardest and most hopeful book yet.-Reviewed by Alicia Abdul
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