John and the Awesome, Wonderful, Super Happy, Very Good Printz Award Day
So my parents were visiting Sarah and me in New York this weekend. On my way out the door Sunday morning, I happened to glance into the hallway, which is also the kitchen, and I saw my cell phone. I grabbed it. Good decision.
Wait, I need to pause my Printz story for one second to tell you that Sarah is currently watching The Bachelor while she reads the German philosopher Immanuel Kant, which I believe to be a combination unprecedented in all of human history.
Okay. So after a wonderful visit to the American Folk Art Museum, Sarah and my parents and I started walking down 6th Avenue toward Macy's, because Sarah and I needed to start our wedding registry. And then, on the corner of 36th Street and 6th Avenue, my phone rang:
That's me (and Sarah), right after the phone rang. The voice on the phone has just said something about the Michael L. Printz award, but I couldn't really hear, because New York is loud, and also because something was wrong with the connection. Hence, the finger-on-ear move. The confusion continued for a moment, and Sarah became increasingly curious as to why I was muttering such very nasty things about Verizon's purportedly excellent network:
But then finally Mr. Cart came back on the line and I could hear him clearly. And then:
That picture was taken just after Mr. Cart said, "You are the winner of the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award," and I said, "Holy crap! I won?! Are you sure?" And then Mr. Cart said that he was sure, and then I jumped up and down a lot:
That's me jumping. Then I realized everyone walking on 6th Avenue thought I was nuts, so I calmed down and thanked all the members of the Printz committee while my mom cried:
Dude, Mom is going to be so mad I put that picture of her crying on the Internet. So anyway, then it was time to hang up the phone, hug Sarah, and watch my mom cry some more:
And then, while I blinked, my dad took a picture of Sarah pointing at the object (cell phone) from which the good news had arrived:
I believe at the moment Sarah was saying, "Are you sure they said you WON?" And I was saying, "I mean, I really think so. I asked them several times." And then we went to the store and had a really, really, really wonderful time looking at wine glasses:
In short, it was an awesome, wonderful, super happy, very good Printz Award day, and I'm so, so grateful to the Printz committee.
37 Comments:
John!!! That is so awesome!!!! Hope you got our message via Sarah. All our love.
Awesome entry, man! I espically loved the expression on your face...
"I won? Are you sure?"
Hahaha.
Wow. Congratulations, John. You definitely deserve all the recognition.
As much as it looks like you're having picking out wine glasses, I can't say that I'm looking forward to doing that in a few months. ;)
Dude, that is definitely awesome. You have no idea how much your book deserved that awrad. Just don't be a one hit wonder.
Please/
Awesome news. I just forwarded the link to our school librarian. Her daughter read "Alaska" last week and loved it. Good to hear someone in the Green family is on the ball. ;)
Congratulations on the award. I am so glad you got it.
I saw you pictures of when you were receiving the call, funny.
Now I can force my english teacher to read it, and she can't do a thing about it!
(I was going to post this on your myspace. but the login is down, or something like that)
A Million Congratulations. It couldn't have gone to anyone else.
My most recent excitement was finding your blog, finally. I'm glad I have. Much better to hear your version of the news than any other.
Congrats from all of us here in Sugar Hollow, John.. Awesome! We are so thrilled we tied you down and got all our copies signed!!! Diana Phillips
But for my knowing your mother, I would be more and more convinced that you were adopted. For a squirrel, you have a hell of a nose! Congratulations, John!
Look, Mr. Holley, just because I was one of the few men to sleep with you all those years ago* is no reason to discount my contribution to John Green's genetic code...
Mike Green
author's dad
* in separate sleeping bags in a tent... really it was... really...
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Congratulations. It is tremendous to see you and your book receive well-deserved recognition. Keep up the great work. I know your sophomore effort will be just as well-received. I'm truly in awe of my fellow Green family writer.
Well, I hope that you at least took the cell phone out to dinner...
Congrats!!
I so TOTALLY LOVE that your Dad captured all that on film! See, win the Printz, get instant papparazzi. (I'm sure I spelled that wrong.)
Congratulations! I am so proud / happy for you!
that is the cutest photo novella I've ever seen. Even better than the photo adaptation of Ice Castles that I bought in 7th grade.
John, I read your book on a six-hour plane ride and didn't stop from cover to cover. I'm just a few years older than you, a freelancer writer with a pair of unpublished YA's sitting in a drawer, and have dreamed about what you're living right this moment, so now I'm just trying to do so vicariously through your website. Congrats man, ride the wave...
OH LORD! I JUST READ IT TOO! Congratulations! All the kids I've given the book to love it and you deserve it. I think it's the best book I've read in years!
Therese
YA Librarian
Park Ridge, IL
Congratulations. You definitely deserve it.
I work at a bookstore, and I've been reccomending this book to every single person I can. Amazing. Thank you.
I've had your book on my "to read" list for a while now and just finished it this morning - congratulations on the award. I'm glad the Printz committee had their heads on straight even if the Newbery committee, sadly, didn't.
Oh, and I think all award winning authors should have blogs with photo essays.
John, Congratulations! I am a high school librarian and we have three copies of your book that stay checked out constantly! It is a wonderful book and it is on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list this year. I know that won't be QUITE as big as the Printz but I hope you win that too!
Well, this couldn't happen to a better person. I just ordered the book and will see what all the fuss is about.
Keep changing the world
Adam Smith
Old highschool friend
You totally deserve that award- your first book is brilliant. Can't wait to read the next one!
Hi John,
When I read that you won the Pritz Award I requested Looking for Alaska from my library. Just finished it last night. It will leave a lasting impression on me. The format was interesting, with counting days before an event then after. The characters were so real. Congratuations!Please say you will write another!
Congratulations. You definitely deserve it.
Also, tomorrow, it will have been a whole month since your last entry. Not. Cool.
axl,
maybe you should re-name your daily blog "chinese democracy."
slash
Those are some fantastic in the moment shots.
Go you and the person who took them.
To John Green
Thank you for Alaska and the love for her, so touching in words, said by Miles. I hope everyone meets a boy or a girl like Alaska in his/her live. I have! And it makes me extremely happy and on the other hand extremely sad.
I just published my new book in Holland, a father far away. I read your book to find inspiration for my new book. And I have! Thank you!
Mr. Green, as a (very humble) writer of poetry, I would like to congratulate you for your success. But are you aware of the fact that your book is available to minor children in Public Libraries? The American Library Association actually encourages minor children to read it. I sure you do not think it is appropriate to have the kind of language used in your book, available to minors.
Milla
great photo reportage, yo. and congratualations on being named indian springs alumni of the year. i'm sure that is almost as big of an honor.
Congrats.
you deserve it 100%
i love looking for alaska
and i dont know if you actaully read this but i work in a book store and we would love to have you come do a book signing!
i cant wait for your next book.
email if you are interested//can. i know your publisist//publisher would probally ussually have to set these types of things up... but it is: starrrr888@aol.com
~Rebecca
I just finished Looking For Alaska not two hours ago in school. It was amazing! To think, I picked it up on the way home...because I like candles! The first time judging a book by it's cover turned out to be a wonderful thing. I love it when you can finish a book and feel truely impacted by it. Congratulations on the award! You very much deserved it.
John,I really enjoyed your book on many fronts.My father was headmaster of Indian Springs from its inception to 1982.Professor Hyde reminded me of him.
It was a fun read.I'll pass the book along to my children.Much luck to you in the future with your writing.At least I hope you continue to write! Kay Armstrong Carter
And I quote...
"p.s. Now that Katherines is finished, I cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die promise to blog more."
*taps foot impatiently*
I have to say, you really deserved it. I'm a Springs student (I've still got my autographed copy... Though you did put, "To Sara;" which is grammatically incorrect. Just FYI...) and also wanted to congradulate you on getting outstanding alum. Are you going to go to the ceremony? That seems like quite the stupid question, but valid?
Oh, another D-Day tommorow! Though I doubt the speaker can beat you.
I'm hoping that the lack of posting on this thing means you're fine tuning "Katherines" in order to turn it into a crap-your-pants amazing book. If so, than feel free to lay this thing to the wayside as much as you want!
I just want to tell you this is -- maybe the best thing I've ever seen.
I'm getting my Masters in Library Science right now, I plan to be a youth services librarian and I have to tell you that ... when I am working in my own library (soon!) the first thing I am going to do is post a HUGE quote from the end of Looking for Alaska. (...Those awful things are survivable...) I've rarely heard someone speak so honestly about teenagers.
I can't wait to hear your lecture and have you sign my book at ALA! (can you believe you get to speak at ALA? Heh!)
Thanks again.
Hey John, I thought the Brotherhood 2.0 joke was that no one gets to see "the yeti" aka Sarah. But now several nerdfighters have and we are pretty happy :)
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