YALSA names 2016 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults

CHICAGO – The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), announced its 2016 list of Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (PPYA).

The list, drawn from 176 official nominations, is presented annually at the ALA Midwinter Meeting. The complete list of 88 titles, including annotations, can be found at www.ala.org/yalsa/popular-paperbacks-young-adults.

This year’s PPYA committee produced four lists of titles arranged by the following topics:

• Fairy Tales Retold: Once Upon a Twisted Time. These titles feature both traditional fairy tale retellings and more contemporary titles that blend several tales together.

• Get Graphic: Graphic Novels. This list of graphic novels includes both fiction and non-fiction titles, as well as comic books, manga, and narratives.

• Post-Apocalyptic: It’s the End of the World As We Know It. Given the extreme popularity of dystopian novels, these titles will satiate the fans of the genre.

• Unreliable Narrators: Don’t Believe a Word. Twists and turns await readers in this list where you can’t take anyone’s word at face value.

In addition to the full list, the committee also selected the following titles as its top ten list:

• Anderson, Laurie Halse. Wintergirls. Speak, 2010.
• Bracken, Alexandra. The Darkest Minds. Disney Press, 2013.
• Hale, Shannon. Book of a Thousand Days. Bloomsbury USA, 2009.
• Jamieson, Victoria. Roller Girl. Dial Books for Young Readers, 2015.
• Kuehn, Stephanie. Charm & Strange. Griffin, 2014.
• Lewis, John, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell. March 1. Top Shelf Productions, 2013.
• Maberry, Jonathan. Rot & Ruin. Simon & Schuster, 2011.
• Meyer, Marissa. Cinder. Square Fish, 2013.
• Mullin, Mike. Ashfall. Tanglewood Press, 2012.
• Yolen, Jane. Briar Rose. Tor Teen, 2002.

“The committee paid close attention to the needs of our communities and teens when deciding on the four topics chosen for this year,” said Kathryn Salo, Committee Chair. “All four lists will appeal to a wide variety of teen readers. Fairy Tales Retold is a perennial favorite of teens and many titles will appeal to tweens and younger teens just beginning to read in the Young Adult/Teen section. Graphic Novels has both fiction and non-fiction titles featured, appealing to both fans of the genre and teachers looking to tie into Common Core Standards. Post-Apocalyptic highlights books that show the bleakest futures possible, which will speak to the uncertainties many teenagers face in their day-to-day lives. And Unreliable Narrators takes the reader on a journey or mystery that will have them guessing from the beginning. The committee strived to create balanced lists that took into account format, diversity, and characters. It is our hope that they will assist librarians in creating well-balanced collections and promotions (booklists, displays, etc.).”

Members of the Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults Committee are: Chair Kathryn (Katie) Salo, Indian Prairie Public Library, Darien, IL; Heather Love Beverley, Cook Memorial Public Library District, Libertyville, IL; Joan Callen, Currently unemployed librarian, Waukesha WI; Emma Carbone, Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn, NY; Alison Edwards, Prince of Wales Collegiate, St. John's, NL, Canada; Mark Flowers, Rio Vista Library, Rio Vista, CA; KE Hones, SFUSD Continuation High Schools, San Francisco, CA; Yolanda Hood, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL; Jennifer Kendall, Prescott Public Library, Prescott, AZ; Amanda Margis, Northbrook Public Library, Northbrook, IL; Ryan Paulsen, New Rochelle High School, New Rochelle, NY; Ileana Pulu, San Francisco Public Library - Visitacion Valley Branch, San Francisco, CA; Patty Ramirez, DPL-Grauwyler Park Branch Library, Dallas, TX; Staci Terrell, Anderson Public Library, Anderson, IN; Craig Varley, Canaan Schools & Alice M. Ward Public Library, Canaan VT; Kathleen Breitenbach, administrative assistant, Hamilton Township Public Library, Hamilton, NJ

YALSA’s portfolio of book and media awards helps strengthen library services for and with teens by identifying quality, age appropriate resources for librarians and library workers to share with the teens in their communities. Learn more about YALSA’s other book and media lists here.  

For more than 50 years, YALSA has worked to build the capacity of libraries and library staff to engage, serve and empower teens. For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources go to www.ala.org/yalsa, or contact the YALSA office by phone, 800-545-2433, ext. 4390; or e-mail: yalsa@ala.org.