Recommended Reading

ALA Library Fact Sheet 23

List of links to ALA's literature award winners and various notable reading lists for all ages, sorted by age group.

General Lists | For Children | For Young Adults/Teens | For Adults | Reference Books (for children, teens, and adults) | For Librarians | Reading Events, Programs, and Tips

Lists and Awards in the News

American Library Association announces 2013 youth media award winners

Katherine Applegate, Jon Klassen win Newbery, Caldecott Medals (2013)

The 2013 adult book and media awards (Notable Books, Listen List, etc.) winners presented by RUSA, the Reference and User Services Association, a division of ALA, appear on the RUSABlog.

Booklist announces influential 2012 Top of the List selections (December 2012)
Booklist magazine, the ALA's review journal, has announced its Top of the List winners for 2012. The eight winning titles were chosen from the annual Editors' Choice selections as the best books and media of 2012, and, as every year, the expert selections influence readers and book buyers in libraries, bookstores and beyond.

Choice releases 2012 Outstanding Academic Titles lists (December 2012)
Celebrating the best in scholarly publishing, Choice's annual Outstanding Academic Titles (OAT) list is widely recognized in the academic community for its sweeping coverage of the most significant scholarly titles published each year. The full Outstanding Academic Titles 2012 list will appear in the January 2013 issue of Choice, featuring 644 exceptional titles. Again this year, the Choice subject editors chose from the list their 25 favorite print titles and 10 digital resources. Their choices for 2012 represent the diversity of the OAT lists, with topics ranging from art, African American history, evolution and Islam, to prisons, poverty, music and life in general. The top lists can also be viewed on the Choice Reviews Online website.

Teens choose 'Divergent' as their favorite book in YALSA's Teens' Top Ten (October 2012)
Teen readers across the country chose "Divergent" by Veronica Roth as their favorite book in the annual Teens' Top Ten vote, sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). Teens voted online between Aug. 15 and Sept. 15, with the official list announcement during Teen Read Week™, Oct. 14-20.

Anne Enright, Robert K. Massie, first recipients of the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction (July 2012)
The American Library Association (ALA) is proud to announce the first recipients of the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction, funded through a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York. Anne Enright’s "The Forgotten Waltz" received the medal for fiction and Robert K. Massie’s "Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman" received the nonfiction prize. The medals recognize the best fiction and nonfiction books for adult readers published the previous year in the United States. The selections were unveiled during the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calif. This is the first time that the ALA, which sponsors the prestigious Youth Media Awards, including the John Newbery and Randolph Caldecott Medals for children’s literature, is offering single-book awards for adult trade fiction and nonfiction. Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction winners and finalists were selected based on the expert judgment and insight of library professionals who work closely with adult readers. This is a departure from most major book awards, which are judged by writers and critics.

Common Core State Standards: Resources from Booklist Publications
A new educational initiative brings enormous challenges for everyone, especially the teachers and librarians charged with summoning the energy and creativity required to implement the changes. We hope our coverage, including suggestions for linking individual titles with specific standards, will help educators address these new directives while extending our mission: to get the best books for children into the classroom and into the hands of students.

Top Ten Most Re-Read Books List
List of popular novels, plays, and poetry compiled for a news report by committee of librarians and book review editors -- including Nancy Pearl.

General Lists (across two or more age groups)

• ALA Professional Tips Wiki: Readers' Advisory for Children and Young Adults. A list of online and print resources for finding book titles for children and young adult/teen patrons.
• ALA Professional Tips Wiki: Selection. A list of online and print resources for selecting books for a library collection.
• YALSA announces 2013 Alex Awards - YALSA's Alex Awards - previous Alex Awards Winners. ALA's Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) spotlights ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18. The winning titles are selected from the previous year's publishing. The award is sponsored by the Margaret A. Edwards Trust and Booklist.
• 2013 Amelia Bloomer List highlights feminist books for young readers - Amelia Bloomer Project. The list presents well-written and well-illustrated books with strong feminist messages that affirm positive roles for girls and women. The works are recommended for young people from birth through eighteen years of age.
• Booklist Editor's Choice: Books for Youth, 2012 (Jan 2013). Committed to providing a broad selection of outstanding books that mixes popular appeal with literary excellence, the Books for Youth editorial staff has chosen the titles below as best-of-the-year nonfiction and fiction books and picture books (sorted into sections for older readers, middle readers, and young readers).
• Building a Home Library. The ALA-Children's Book Council (CBC) Joint Committee, with cooperation from the Quicklists Consulting Committee of ALA's Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC, a division of ALA), created these four bibliographies, released August 2012, to provide guidance to parents, grandparents, and others interested in assembling a high-quality library for their children at home.
• Día Book List. El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day) is celebrated every year on April 30. The Día book list brochure, provided in PDF format, includes suggestions for children's books available in several languages, resource websites, and literacy tips for parents in both English and Spanish. The list is divided into age groups: Ages Birth-4; Ages 4-8; Ages 8-12; and Ages 12-up.

• Graphic novels - core collection: K-2 | Grades 3-5 | Grades 6-8. In 2011, the ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children, a division of ALA) Board of Directors directed the Quicklists Consulting Committee to create a list of core titles than can be used when starting or maintaining a children’s graphic novel collection. The intended audience is librarians selecting books for inclusion in public libraries serving elementary school-age children. We attempted to create a list of core titles that can be used when starting or maintaining a children's graphic novel collection.
• 2013 Rainbow Books list highlights quality GLBTQ books for children and teens - Rainbow Project. The Rainbow Project is a joint project of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table and the Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association. The Rainbow Project presents an annual bibliography of quality books with significant and authentic GLBTQ content, which are recommended for people from birth through eighteen years of age.
• Schneider Award Select Bibliography of Children's Books about the Disability Experience (PDF). This list contains some outstanding books that portray emotional, mental, or physical disability experiences, most published between 2000 and 2008. The grade level designations are intended as guidelines.
• 2013 Schneider Family Book Awards recipients named - Schneider Family Book Award. The Schneider Family Book Awards honor an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences. Three annual awards each consisting of $5000 and a framed plaque, will be given annually in each of the following categories: birth through grade school (age 0–8), middle school (age 9–13) and teens (age 14–18). (Age groupings are approximations).
• 2013 Stonewall Book Awards Announced - Stonewall Book Awards List (1971 through the present) - Stonewall Book Awards. The Stonewall Book Awards of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Round Table of ALA are given annually to English-language works of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience, and include the Stonewall Book Awards – Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children's and Young Adult Literature Award, the Stonewall Book Awards – Barbara Gittings Literature Award, and the Stonewall Book Awards – Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award.
• Top Titles for Tweens 2013 - ALSC's School-Age Programs and Services Committee is happy to share with you a list of this year's Youth Media Award winners that are especially suited to those in-between patrons, those who straddle that line between little kid and teenager, ages 10 to 14. Also, look back at the 2012 Tween Award Book List.

• University Press Books for Public and Secondary School Libraries. An annual collection development tool published with the help and support of two divisions of the American Library Association (ALA): the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and the Public Library Association (PLA). University presses represent an often-undiscovered gold mine of resources for school and public libraries. Many books and reference works from scholarly publishers are valued far beyond the walls of any ivory tower. They can be the building blocks of learning and growing for high-school students, general readers, independent researchers, and involved citizens. For more than 20 years, a volunteer panel of PLA and AASL librarians review and select 400+ titles published by AAUP member presses to build this valued collection development resource. The bibliography is released in both print and online editions, distributed freely to 13,000+ librarians. Book entries include key bibliographic data, a thumbnail description, and a PLA and/or AASL rating.

For Children

• 2013 Notable Children's Books - previous Notable Children's Books lists. The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), selects titles for this annual list, which usually includes fiction, nonfiction, poetry and picture books of special interest, quality, creativity and value to children 14 years of age and younger. According to ALSC policy, the current year's Newbery, Caldecott, Belpré, Sibert, Geisel, and Batchelder Award and Honor books automatically are added to the Notable Children's Books list. For your convenience, Notable Children's Books that have also received other ALA awards, such as the Coretta Scott King Award, Michael L. Printz Award, Alex Award, and Schneider Family Book Award, are noted on this list.
• 2013 Batchelder Award honors Dial Books for 'My Family for the War' - (Mildred L.) Batchelder Award - previous Batchelder winners. The Batchelder Award is given to an American publisher for a children's book considered to be the most outstanding of those books originally published in a foreign language in a foreign country, and subsequently translated into English and published in the United States.
• David Diaz, Benjamin Alire Sáenz win Pura Belpré Awards (2013) - David Díaz y Benjamín Alire Sáenz ganan premios Pura Belpré (2013) - (Pura) Belpré Award – previous Belpré winners. Established in 1996, this award is presented to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth. The award is now given annually.
• Books on Islam for Children and Teens - This list was developed by the Quicklists Consulting Committee of ALA's Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC, a division of ALA) in September 2010.
• Katherine Applegate, Jon Klassen win Newbery, Caldecott Medals (2013) - (Randolph) Caldecott Medal – previous Caldecott winners - Translated Caldecott Titles. This award is given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picturebook for children.
• Children's Book List for Parents® Magazine (Books about manners) - This list, dated August 2010, was developed by the Quicklists Consulting Committee of ALA's Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC, a division of ALA) for an article in Parents Magazine.
• Andrea Davis Pinkney, Bryan Collier win 2013 Coretta Scott King Book Awards - Demetria Tucker 2013 recipient of the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement - Coretta Scott King Book Award Recipients - Coretta Scott King Book Awards. Given to African American authors and illustrator for outstanding inspirational and educational contributions, the Coretta Scott King Book Award titles promote understanding and appreciation of the culture of all peoples and their contribution to the realization of the American dream. The John Steptoe Awards for New Talent affirm new talent and offer visibility to excellence in writing or illustration at the beginning of a career as a published book creator. The Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to authors, illustrators or author/illustrators in even-numbered years; practitioners will be recognized in odd-numbered years.
• Ethan Long wins Geisel Award for 'Up, Tall and High!' (2013) - (Theodor Seuss) Geisel Award – previous Geisel winners. The Geisel Award is given annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States.
• Great Early Elementary Reads. The ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children, a division of ALA) 2011-2012 School-Age Programs and Services Committee recommends these titles for children who are just learning to read and beginning to read on their own. The books included were published between 2009 and 2011. However, many are part of a larger series that young readers also will enjoy. Librarians, educators, and others who work with families are encouraged to download and print the brochure, dated December 2011, and share it with parents, grandparents, and caregivers in their community.
• Growing Up Around the World. Books as Passports to Global Understanding for Children in the U.S. - Five Bibliographies (PDFs) by the ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children, a division of ALA) International Relations Committee, December 2005.
• Hi-Lo Books for Upper Elementary Grades. The 2009 ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children, a division of ALA) School-Age Programs and Services Committee recommends these titles to reluctant readers in grades 3-6, available as a PDF.
• Nature-focused books for children. This list was created by the Quicklists Consulting Committee of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC, a division of ALA) for the American Camp Association’s Explore 30 Camp Reading program, released May 2012.

• Katherine Applegate, Jon Klassen win Newbery, Caldecott Medals (2013) - (John) Newbery Medal – previous Newbery winners - Translated Newbery Titles. This award is given annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
• Resources for Children and Their Parents and Educators: Dealing with the Hurricane Katrina Tragedy. Compiled resources for children and their parents and educators dealing with the Hurricane Katrina tragedy in September 2005 by the Quicklists Consulting Committee of ALA's Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC, a division of ALA).
• Resources for Children and Their Parents and Educators: Dealing with the Tragic Events of September 11, 2001: Books on Separation and Loss. Resources that were compiled to aid parents, teachers and caregivers in discussing with children and teens the terrorist attacks that took place in New York City, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania on Tuesday, September 11, 2001.
• The Service Network for Children of Inmates Book List. This list of recommended books for children of inmates, also available as a PDF, was developed by the Quicklists Consulting Committee of the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, October 2009.
• Sheinkin wins 2013 Sibert Medal - (Robert F.) Sibert Informational Book Medal – previous Sibert winners. The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award is awarded annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished informational book published in English during the preceding year. Information books are defined as those written and illustrated to present, organize, and interpret documentable, factual material for children.
• Summer Favorites reading list. Dated June 2012, the Quicklists Consulting Committee of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC, a division of ALA) worked with NEH (National Endowment for the Humanities) to update this reading list, which has been offered since 1998. More than 90 new titles appear on the updated list, which is arranged by grade level and offers more than 230 titles selected for children in Kindergarten through 8th grade.

• Katherine Paterson Wins 2013 Wilder Award - (Laura Ingalls) Wilder Award – previous Wilder winners. The Wilder Award honors an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have made, over a period of years, a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children. Beginning in 2001, it has been awarded every two years.

For Young Adults/Teens

• YALSA names 2013 Best Fiction for Young Adults - 2013 Best Fiction for Young Adults - 2013 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults - Best Fiction for Young Adults - previous Best Fiction for Young Adults list. The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association, present the annual Best Fiction for Young Adults list after ALA's Midwinter Meeting. The books, recommended for ages 12-18, usually meet the criteria of being both good quality literature and appealing reading for teens.
• Booklist Editors' Choice: Adult Books for Young Adults, 2012 (Jan 2013). Selected by the Books for Youth editors, the following titles constitute the year’s best personal reading for teenagers among adult books published in 2012.
• Tamora Pierce wins 2013 Edwards Award for Song of the Lioness series and The Protector of the Small quartet - Margaret A. Edwards Award - previous Edwards Award winners. The Margaret A. Edwards Award, honors an author, as well as a specific body of his or her work, that have been popular over a period of time.
• YALSA names 2013 Great Graphic Novels for Teens - Great Graphic Novels 2013 - Great Graphic Novels Top Ten 2013 - Great Graphic Novels for Teens - previous Great Graphic Novels for Teens lists. List of recommended graphic novels and illustrated nonfiction for those aged 12-18. Updated yearly.
• In Light of Hurricane Katrina. This list from ALA's Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA, a division of ALA) features fiction and nonfiction, was created to help librarians, educators and concerned adults guide teens to books that may help them cope after Hurricane Katrina.
• 'Seraphina' wins 2013 William C. Morris Award - YALSA names 2013 William C. Morris Award finalists (December 2012) - William C. Morris YA Debut Award - previous Morris winners. The William C. Morris Award honors a book written for young adults by a first-time, previously unpublished author.
• 2009 Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners (most current list) - Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners - previous Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners lists. The 2009 list, which is the most current version, is divided into five academic disciplines: arts and humanities, history and cultures, literature and language arts, science and technology, and social sciences. It is a combination of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama. Titles were selected based on criteria including readability, racial and cultural diversity, balance of viewpoints, variety of formats and genres, and title availability. The previous 2004 list has similar sections, for history, humanities, literature and language arts, science and technology, and social sciences.
• YALSA names 2013 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults - 2013 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults - 2013 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults Top Ten - Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults - previous Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults lists. A collection of lists of books by topic/category -- which includes, among others, lists of read a-likes for the Harry Potter, Gossip Girl, and Chronicles of Narnia book series. 2013 themes: Boarding Schools to Summer Camps; Gowns, Greasepaint and Guitars; I'm New Here Myself; Feel Good Reads: Who says safe has to be boring?
• 'In Darkness' wins 2013 Printz Award - Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature – previous Printz winners. This is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature.
• YALSA names 2013 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers - 2013 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers - 2013 Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers - Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers - previous Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers lists. The list is for young adults (ages 12-18) who, for whatever reasons, do not like to read. The purpose of this list is to identify titles for recreational reading, not for curricular or remedial use.
• Teens' Top Ten Books (2012). The Teens' Top Ten is a "teen choice" list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year! Nominators are members of teen book groups in sixteen school and public libraries around the country. Nominations are posted on Support Teen Literature Day, the Thursday of National Library Week in April, and teens across the country vote on their favorite titles. Readers ages twelve to eighteen vote online in August & September with winners announced during Teen Read Week in October.
• 'Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon' wins 2013 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults - YALSA announces 2013 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults finalists (December 2012) - YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults - previous Nonfiction winners. The YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of ALA) Award for Excellence in Nonfiction honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12-18) during a November 1 – October 31 publishing year.
• YALSA's Readers' Choice Booklist (2013) - YALSA's Readers' Choice Booklist (2012). The list for 2012 was the first ever YALSA's Readers' Choice Booklist (See the press release introducing it dated February 9, 2011, Nominate a title for YALSA's newest booklist, Readers' Choice). The Readers' Choice list from YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of ALA) seeks to engage a wide audience of librarians, educators, teens and young adult literature enthusiasts in choosing the most popular teen titles in a given year, as organized by broad genres. The list will also provide librarians with a timely means of identifying popular teen titles on an ongoing basis. Nominations will be posted monthly, with a final vote taking place each November. Any individual, provided he/she is not the author or an employee of the publisher, or a current member of the Readers' Choice List Committee may nominate a title via an online form, while only YALSA members are eligible to vote for the final ballot, which is sent in the November issue of YALSA E-News.
• YALSA Ultimate Teen Bookshelf. The Ultimate Teen Bookshelf from YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of ALA) highlights must-have teen materials for libraries -- books; magazines; and audiobooks.

For Adults

• RUSA's 2013 Notable Books List announced; outstanding fiction, nonfiction and poetry for adult readers - Notable Books for Adults: The List for America's Readers - previous Notable Books for Adults lists (1998 to the present available online only). Since 1944, the goal of the Notable Books Council has been to make available to the nation's readers a list of 25 very good, very readable, and at times very important fiction, nonfiction, and poetry books for the adult reader.
• ALA Professional Tips Wiki: Readers' Advisory for Adults. A list of online and print resources for finding book titles for adult patrons.
• Booklist Editors' Choice: Adult Books, 2012 (Jan 2013). The Adult Books editors have selected the following titles as representative of the year's outstanding books for public library collections. Our scope has been intentionally broad, and we have attempted to find books that combine literary, intellectual, and aesthetic excellence with popular appeal.
• 'Pacific Glory' wins the W.Y. Boyd Literary Award (April 2012) - W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction. This is an award honoring the best fiction set in a period when the United States was at war. It recognizes the service of American veterans and military personnel and encourages the writing and publishing of outstanding war-related fiction for young adults or adults.
• 'The Aleppo Codex' wins RUSA's Sophie Brody Medal for achievement in Jewish literature; 3 honor books also selected (2013) - The Sophie Brody Award. The Sophie Brody Award from RUSA (Reference and User Services Association, a division of ALA) was first awarded in 2006, and includes a medal for the winner, as well as citations for selected honor books. It is funded by Arthur Brody and the Brodart Foundation, and is given to encourage, recognize and commend outstanding achievement in Jewish literature. List of winners, from 2006 to the present, at the bottom of the page.
• Anne Enright, Robert K. Massie, first recipients of the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction (July 2012) - Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction & Nonfiction. The Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction were established in 2012 to recognize the best fiction and nonfiction books for adult readers published in the U.S. the previous year. The winners (one for fiction, one for nonfiction) are announced at an event at the ALA Annual Conference; winning authors receive a $5,000 cash award, and two finalists in each category receive $1,500.

• Choice releases 2012 Outstanding Academic Titles lists (December 2012) - Celebrating the best in scholarly publishing, Choice's annual Outstanding Academic Titles (OAT) list is widely recognized in the academic community for its sweeping coverage of the most significant scholarly titles published each year. The full Outstanding Academic Titles 2012 list will appear in the January 2013 issue of Choice, featuring 644 exceptional titles. Again this year, the Choice subject editors chose from the list their 25 favorite print titles and 10 digital resources. Their choices for 2012 represent the diversity of the OAT lists, with topics ranging from art, African American history, evolution and Islam, to prisons, poverty, music and life in general. The top lists can also be viewed on the Choice Reviews Online website.

• 2013 Over the Rainbow List: 84 LGBT Books for Adult Readers - Over the Rainbow Project. Over the Rainbow Books is an ad hoc committee of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table (GLBTRT) of the American Library Association. Each year, the Over the Rainbow Project creates a bibliography of books that exhibit commendable literary quality and significant authentic lgbt content and are recommended for adults over age 18.
• RUSA’s 2013 Reading List announced: Librarian’s top picks in adrenaline, mystery, romance, sci-fi, women’s fiction and other genres - The Reading List: Honoring the Best Adult Genre Fiction - previous Reading List compilations: Reading List 2012, Reading List 2011, Reading List 2010, Reading List 2009, Reading List 2008. This list from RUSA (Reference and User Services Association, a division of ALA) highlights outstanding genre fiction that merits special attention by general adult readers and the librarians who work with them.
• Resources for Children and Their Parents and Educators: Dealing with the Tragic Events of September 11, 2001: Resources for Parents and Other Adults. Resources that were compiled to aid parents, teachers and caregivers in discussing with children and teens the terrorist attacks that took place in New York City, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania on Tuesday, September 11, 2001.
• 2011 ACRL STS Oberly Award to William R. Shurtleff - STS Oberly Award for Bibliography in the Agricultural or Natural Sciences. The STS (Science & Technology Section) Oberly Award was established in 1923 in memory of Eunice Rockwood Oberly, librarian of the Bureau of Plant Industry, United States Department of Agriculture from 1908 to 1921. She was the Bureau of Plant Industry's representative to the Congressional Joint Commission on Reclassification of Government Employees and was instrumental in gaining a fairer recognition of library activities. This biennial award is given in odd-numbered years for the best English-language bibliography in the field of agriculture or a related science.

Reference Books (for children, teens, and adults)

• Booklist Editor's Choice: Reference Sources, 2012 (Jan 2013). Selected by the Reference Books Bulletin section of Booklist, these titles are the year's best publications and databases for specific subjects, topics, and events.
• Booklist Encyclopedia Update: Reboot, 2012 (September 15, 2012 issue of ALA's Booklist) - This year, we decided our once-revered “Encyclopedia Update” needed rebooting with a kind of environmental scan of the reference world - and, in particular, encyclopedia publishing in its present form. To do our scanning, we asked some of the publishers who were once known for print encyclopedias to talk to us about the future of encyclopedias in particular and print reference in general.
• Booklist Fall E-reference Update, 2012: Databases and E-books. We asked publishers “What's new?,” and they responded with information about their new reference databases, e-books, and e-book platforms as well as significant updates and enhancements to existing products.

• 'Dictionary of American Regional English' wins RUSA's Dartmouth Medal for excellence in reference publications (2013) - Dartmouth Medal. Established in 1974, this medal from RUSA (Reference and User Services Association, a division of ALA) honors the creation of a reference work of outstanding quality and significance, including, but not limited to: writing, compiling, editing, or publishing books or electronic information. Complete list of winners, from 1975 to the present, at the bottom of the page.
• RUSA reveals 2013 Outstanding Reference Sources List: Reference publications for small and medium-sized public and academic libraries - Outstanding Reference Sources - Previous Outstanding Reference Sources lists (2002 to the present available online only): 2012 Outstanding Reference Sources, 2011 Outstanding Reference Sources, 2010 Outstanding Reference Sources, 2009 Outstanding Reference Sources, 2008 Outstanding Reference Sources, 2007 Outstanding Reference Sources, 2006 Outstanding Reference Sources, 2005 Outstanding Reference Sources, 2004 Outstanding Reference Sources, 2003 Outstanding Reference Sources, 2002 Outstanding Reference Sources. The Outstanding Reference Sources Committee of RUSA (Reference and User Services Association, a division of ALA) was established in 1958 to recommend the most outstanding reference publications for small and medium-sized libraries.

For Librarians

• Lankes receives 2012 award for Best Book in Library Literature (Feb 2012) - ABC-CLIO/Greenwood Award for Best Book in Library Literature - previous ABC-CLIO/Greenwood Award for Best Book in Library Literature winners (2009-present). To recognize those who improve management principles and practice, understanding and application of new techniques, or further the education of librarians or other information specialists.
• Booklist Core Collection articles - Dozens of articles by Booklist staff, naming pertinent titles in various book genres.

• Common Core State Standards: Resources from Booklist Publications - A new educational initiative brings enormous challenges for everyone, especially the teachers and librarians charged with summoning the energy and creativity required to implement the changes. We hope our coverage, including suggestions for linking individual titles with specific standards, will help educators address these new directives while extending our mission: to get the best books for children into the classroom and into the hands of students.

• Library History Round Table announces Bernadette Lear as the Donald G. Davis Article Award recipient (June 2012) - Donald G. Davis Article Award. Presented by the Library History Round Table of the American Library Association every second year to recognize the best article written in English in the field of United States and Canadian library history including the history of libraries, librarianship, and book culture.

• Lavona Kay Broadnax wins RUSA's Zora Neale Hurston Award for leadership in promoting African-American literature (2013) - The Zora Neale Hurston Award. This annual award from RUSA (Reference and User Services Association, a division of ALA), founded in 2008, is given to any ALA member who has demonstrated leadership in promoting African American literature. Complete list of winners, from 2009 to the present, at the bottom of the page.
• Resources for Children and Their Parents and Educators: Dealing with the Tragic Events of September 11, 2001: Resources for Teachers/Professionals. Resources that were compiled to aid parents, teachers and caregivers in discussing with children and teens the terrorist attacks that took place in New York City, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania on Tuesday, September 11, 2001.
• Ilene F. Rockman Instruction Publication of the Year Award (Feb 2012). Char Booth, instruction services manager and e-learning librarian at Claremont Colleges, has been chosen as the winner of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Instruction Section (IS) Ilene F. Rockman Publication of the Year Award for her book Reflective Teaching, Effective Learning: Instructional Literacy for Library Educators, published in 2011 by ALA Editions. This annual award recognizes an outstanding publication related to instruction in a library environment published in the preceding two years. The award honors Ilene F. Rockman's professional contributions to academic librarianship in the area of information literacy. This award is administered by the Instruction Section. Complete list of winners, from 1993 to the present, at the bottom of the page. Prior to 2006, this award was known as the IS Publication of the Year Award.
• NoveList's NextReads recognized with RUSA's Louis Shores Award for excellence in book reviewing (2013) - Louis Shores Award. Established in 1990, this award from RUSA (Reference and User Services Association, a division of ALA) recognizes an individual reviewer, group, editor, review medium or organization for excellence in book reviewing and other media for libraries. Award winners receive a citation. Complete list of winners, from 1991 to the present, at the bottom of the page.
• Ashley Maynor receives the 2012 Justin Winsor Essay Award from the Library History Round Table (June 2012) - Justin Winsor Library History Essay Award. Named in honor of the distinguished 19th century librarian, historian, and bibliographer who was also ALA's first president, consists of a $100 cash award. It includes an invitation to have the winner's paper considered for publication in Libraries & the Cultural Record.

• YALSA Handouts and Flyers: Advocacy Tools | Canned Presentations | Bibliographies, Competencies, and Guidelines | Membership | Professional Development | Teen Reading | Technology. YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of ALA) offers several downloadable resources about its events and resources. You can download these presentations, handouts, and flyers for use at conferences, presentations, workshops, and other events.
• YALSA's Professional Tools - YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of ALA) developed the tools on this page -- Career Development; Recruitment; Toolkits and Bibliographies; Collection Development Tools; and Online Resources -- to help school librarians, young adult specialists, and others who work in libraries with their work with teens. Please use the resources listed on this site to find practical tools for your day-to-day work, as well as tools for developing your career.

Reading Events, Programs, and Tips

See list of ALA's Celebration Weeks & Promotional Events 2013

Andrea Davis Pinkney to deliver 2014 Arbuthnot Honor Lecture - Michael Morpurgo to deliver 2013 Arbuthnot Honor Lecture - The May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award. ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children, a division of ALA) established the lecture series in 1969 with sponsorship from Scott, Foresman and Company. The lectureship is now funded by the ALSC May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Endowment, and administered by ALSC. The lecturer, announced annually at the ALA Midwinter Meeting, may be an author, critic, librarian, historian or teacher of children’s literature, of any country, who shall prepare a paper considered to be a significant contribution to the field of children’s literature. This paper is delivered as a lecture each April, and is subsequently published in Children and Libraries, the journal of ALSC.

The ALA Online Store at http://www.alastore.ala.org
Supports the reading events and programs listed here -- Banned Books Week, Born to Read, National Library Week, Teen Read Week -- with the celebrated celebrity READ posters and matching bookmarks, along with various other items, including banners, pens, and t-shirts.

Shortcut URL for this page: http://www.ala.org/readinglists

More lists of books for various age groups can be found in the continuously updated collection of reading lists from various library, news, and reading sources online that the ALA Library has bookmarked at Delicious.com.

Some additional award details available on the Media Awards page of the ALA Professional Tips Wiki, compiled by the ALA Library. Also consult the list of books compiled at the free OCLC WorldCat.org web site, Books with more information on ALA's literary awards and reading lists.

This page is part of ALA Recommends... compiled by the ALA Library. Contact us at library@ala.org with any questions. See the other lists of recommendations compiled by ALA member committees - ALA Recommended Listening: List of links to ALA's recommended music and spoken-word recordings and audiobooks for all ages, sorted by age group; ALA Recommended Viewing: List of links to ALA's recommended DVDs and videos for all ages, sorted by age group; and ALA Recommended Web Sites: List of links to ALA's recommended web sites for all ages, sorted by age group.

Last updated: February 2013

For more information on this or other fact sheets, contact the ALA Library Reference Desk by telephone: 800-545-2433, extension 2153; fax: 312-280-3255; e-mail: library@ala.org; or regular mail: ALA Library, American Library Association, 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611.