YA Friday: SJPL Mock Printz 2026

The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named after a Topeka, Kansas, school librarian who was a long-time active Young Adult Library Services Association member.

The Youth Media Awards took place this past Monday, January 26, 2026, at 8 a.m. PST and announced the official Printz Award winner: Legendary Frybread Drive-in edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith.

However, for this past year, several SJPL staff members gathered to discuss notable young adult books published in 2025 and participate in a mock selection committee. Just like the Mock Printz committee last year, we then voted on what was considered the best young adult book published in 2025 that was chosen to be read for the Mock Printz committee meetings based upon the actual committee's criteria and selection process.

And the 2026 SJPL Mock Printz Award winner is ...

I Am the Swarm by Hayley Chewins

As far back as anyone can remember, the women of the Strand family have been magical.

Their gifts manifest when they each turn fifteen, always in different ways. But Nell Strand knows that her family's magic is a curse. Her mother’s age changes every day; she's often too young to be the mother Nell needs. Her older sister bleeds music and will do anything to release the songs inside her. Nell sees the way magic rips her family apart again and again.

When Nell’s own magic arrives in the form of ladybugs alighting on the keys of her beloved piano, the first thing she feels is joy. The ladybugs are a piece of her, a harmless and delicate manifestation of her creativity. But soon enough, the rest come. Thick-shelled glossy beetles that creep along her collarbone when her piano teacher stares at her. Soft gray moths that appear and die alongside a rush of disappointment. Worst of all are the wasps. It doesn’t matter how deep she buries her rage, the wasps always come. Nell will have to decide just how much of herself she’s willing to lock away to stop them—or if she can find the strength to feel, no matter the consequences.

Honor Titles