Michael L. Printz Award 2007: Complete list of winners

Gene Luen Yang made history in 2007 when his groundbreaking graphic novel American Born Chinese took home the Michael L. Printz Award for Young Adult Literature. The Printz Award, one of the most prestigious honors in young adult publishing, celebrates the most outstanding literary achievement in YA fiction and has become essential reading for anyone who takes teen literature seriously. Yang’s win was particularly significant because it marked a watershed moment for graphic novels in the YA space, demonstrating that the Printz committee recognized sequential art as a legitimate and powerful form of literary expression.

American Born Chinese weaves together three interconnected narratives exploring identity, belonging, and the immigrant experience through a distinctly American lens. The novel’s innovative structure and Yang’s stunning artwork proved that young adult literature could be both commercially successful and artistically daring. By honoring this title, the 2007 Michael L. Printz Award winners sent a clear signal that the definition of young adult literature was expanding—that stories told in panels and speech bubbles deserved the same critical recognition as traditional prose narratives.

Below, you’ll find the complete list of the 2007 Printz Award winner and finalists:

Young Adult

• American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang