In addition to the ten winning titles, the Alex Award committee also publishes its official nomination list. The following titles were official nominees for the 2012 award.
After the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn, published by Tor Books (ISBN 9780765325556).
Celia wants to be the exact opposite of her parents, even though they are both superheroes. Attempting to escape their shadow, villains and allies draw her back in.
Alice Bliss: A Novel by Laura Harrington, published by Pamela Dorman Books, an imprint of Viking (ISBN 9780670022786).
Teenager Alice is left to pick up the pieces and care for her heartbroken mother and younger sister after her father is deployed to Iraq.
American Boy by Larry Watso,n published by Milkweed Editions (ISBN 9781571310781).
When Louisa Lindahl comes into 17-year old Matthew’s life it is on an examination table with a bullet wound. Now his obsession with the mysterious woman threatens to derail his perfect future.
Among Others by Jo Walton, published by Tor Books (9780765321534).
Exiled to boarding school by her rich aunts, Mori immerses herself in a world of fairies, witches, and science fiction, beginning to come to terms with the death of her twin sister.
Blind Sight by Meg Howrey, published by Pantheon Books, a division of Random House (ISBN 9780307379160).
Luke spends the summer before senior year in Hollywood, meeting his famous father for the first time. Amidst the glamour, Luke discovers himself, his father, and family secrets.
The Central Park Five: A Chronicle of a City Wilding by Sarah Burns, published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House (ISBN 9780307266149).
A horrifying rape, the accused teenagers, and a city’s reaction take readers down a path that explores how criminal investigations, media coverage, and race relations intertwine.
Emory's Gift by W. Bruce Cameron, published by Forge Books (ISBN 9780765327819).
A grizzly bear, thought to be extinct in Northern Idaho, changes 13-year-old Charlie’s life in this charming coming-of-age story that reflects on faith, family, love, and loss.
The End of Everything by Megan Abbott, published by Reagan Arthur Books an imprint of Little, Brown & Co. / Hachette Book Group. (ISBN 9780316097796).
Teenage Lizzie’s best friend is kidnapped and the police seem clueless. Lizzie begins her own detective work and uncovers secrets and obsessions of friends and neighbors in midwestern suburbia.
The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth: Popularity, Quirk Theory, and Why Outsiders Thrive After High School by Alexandra Robbins, published by Hyperion (ISBN 9781401302023).
The fascinating psychology behind popularity and outsiderdom is illuminated through the roles of Popular Bitch, Gamer, Band Geek, and others. Being excluded doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you - outsiders often succeed.
Girls Like Us: Fighting for a World Where Girls Are Not for Sale, an Activist Finds Her Calling and Heals Herself by Rachel Lloyd published by Harper an imprint of HarperCollins (ISBN 9780061582059).
Rachel challenges readers to reframe how they think about the sex trade by recounting her own journey of exploitation, abuse and addiction.
Home to Woefield: A Novel by Susan Juby, published by Harper Perennial, an imprint of HarperCollins (ISBN 9780061995194).
When Prudence inherits a small farm she envisions a bountiful vegetable garden, fresh eggs and milk. Instead she gets fields that don’t produce and a houseful of zany tenants. Mayhem ensues.
The Language of Flowers: A Novel by Vanessa Diffenbaugh, published by Ballantine Books an imprint of Random House, Inc. (ISBN 9780345525543).
After a lifetime in the foster care system, Victoria is homeless at 18 until she finds employment with a florist where she can use her skills with the “language of flowers,” a Victorian code.
Marzi by Marzena Sowa with art by Sylvain Savoia, published by Vertigo (ISBN 9781401229597).
Perpetually ignored by her parents, Marzi tells the story of family, friendships, and revolution in Communist Poland.
Once Upon a River: A Novel by Bonnie Jo Campbell, published by W. W. Norton & Company (ISBN 9780393079890).
Margo is on a river odyssey through rural Michigan seeking the mother who abandoned her. This teen girl’s coming-of-age story details physical and spiritual survival in the face of violence and duplicity.
Pink Boots and a Machete: My Journey from NFL Cheerleader to National Geographic Explorer by Mireya Mayor published by National Geographic Society (ISBN 9781426207211).
Mayor breaks stereotypes and finds herself as she learns to survive in the jungle, exploring endangered primates in wild places around the world.
Sweet Jiminy by Kristin Gore, published by Hyperion (ISBN 9781401322892).
Jiminy quits law school and moves to her grandmother’s farm in rural Mississippi. She discovers there was another Jiminy - the daughter of her grandmother’s long time housekeeper who was murdered in a civil rights era hate crime.
Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away by Christie Watson, published by Other Press LLC (ISBN 9781590514665).
Blessing’s idyllic life is shattered when her father’s infidelity and drinking causes her mother to pack-up their things and move to rural Nigeria. There, she becomes an apprentice midwife.
Vietnamerica by GB Tran, published by Villard Books, an imprint of Random House. (ISBN 9780345508720).
GB spent his life running away from his family history. Now through a graphic novel he unravels the rich, fascinating story of his family’s journey from Vietnam to America.
Wingshooters by Nina Revoyr, published by Akashic Books (ISBN 9781936070718).
Racial tensions build and ignite beginning when Japanese-American Michelle is abandoned at her grandparent’s home in a small all white Wisconsin town.