I, for one, am absolutely thrilled to see Gene Luen Yang's gorgeous graphic novel Boxers & Saints make the list, because it shows an increased acceptance of the literary value of graphic novels (really!). History scholars, take note! This is a fascinating historical-fiction work about the Boxer Rebellion, told from two perspectives. Check out the book trailer here. Yang previously won the Michael Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature in 2007 for his graphic novel American Born Chinese.
Also worth noting, is Meg Rosoff's Picture Me Gone. Rosoff previously won the Printz Award in 2005 for her novel How I Live Now, which will be released as a movie starring Saorsie Ronan in November. Cynthia Kadohata, author of nominated book The Thing About Luck, won the Newbery Award in 2005 for her book Kira-Kira. Kathi Appelt, author of nominated book The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp was a National Book Award finalist in 2008 for her book, The Underneath, which received a Newbery Honor that year. Phew! Winners for this year's award will be announced November 20th, 2013!