Printz Award

Fire from the Sky 

By Moa Backe Åstot, translated by Eva Apelqvist and published by Em Querido, an imprint of Levine Querido.

A member of the Sámi people in Sweden, Ánte wants to preserve his birthright of traditional reindeer herding. However, he worries his emerging romantic feelings for his best friend, Erik, put him at irreconcilable odds with his community and culture. Stark, atmospheric prose invokes an introspective look into individuality within community.

Gather 

By Kenneth M. Cadow and published by Candlewick Press.

After an enormous dog arrives on his family’s land in rural Vermont, a devastating series of events forces Ian to learn to survive not only on his own but with the help of his community. Told in a distinctive voice with a nod to oral storytelling, “Gather” captures the spirit of independence, resilience and hope.

The Girl I Am, Was, and Never Will Be: A Speculative Memoir of Transracial Adoption

By Shannon Gibney and published by Dutton Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

In a speculative memoir, Gibney explores her past as a transracial adoptee and imagines a life where her birth mother raised her. Playing with genre and style, Gibney deftly captures the uncertainty and questioning nature of childhood as well as all the pathways life might take.

Salt the Water

By Candice Iloh and published by Dutton Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

After a confrontation with a teacher and a devastating family emergency, Cerulean's life veers out of their control, forcing them to make a difficult choice. Told in powerful, stream-of-consciousness verse, Cerulean explores a future that’s theirs alone, where they don’t have to play by anyone else’s rules.