YALSA names 2013 Best Fiction for Young Adults

SEATTLE — The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), announced its 2013 list of Best Fiction for Young Adults (BFYA). This year’s list of 102 books was drawn from 200 official nominations.

The books, recommended for ages 12-18, meet the criteria of both good quality literature and appealing reading for teens. The list comprises a wide range of genres and styles, including contemporary realistic fiction, fantasy, horror, science fiction and novels in verse. The full list can be found at http://www.ala.org/yalsa/best-fiction-young-adults.

The Best Fiction for Young Adults committee also created a Top Ten list of titles from the final list:

• Andrews, Jesse. "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl." Abrams/Amulet Books, 2012.
• Bray, Libba. "The Diviners." Little. Brown Books for Young Readers, 2012.
• Hartman, Rachel. "Seraphina." Random House/Random House Books for Young Readers, 2012.
• Kontis, Alethea. "Enchanted." Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Harcourt Children’s Books, 2012.
• Levithan, David. "Every Day." Random House/Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2012.
• McCormick, Patricia. "Never Fall Down." HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, 2012.
• Quick, Matthew. "Boy 21." Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2012.
• Saenz, Benjamin. "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe." Simon & Schuster/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2012.
• Stiefvater, Maggie. "The Raven Boys". Scholastic, 2012.
• Wein, Elizabeth. "Code Name Verity." Disney/Hyperion, 2012.

“I am very proud of the hard work, patience and dedication each committee member took this year in selecting the 2013 BFYA list,” said committee chair Ted Schelvan. “After much deliberation and discussion, our final list is comprised of books a library can be proud to add to their Young Adult collection.”

The members of the Best Fiction for Young Adults Committee are: Ted Schelvan, chair, Chief Umtuch Middle School Library, Battle Ground, Wash; Rachel Cornelius, Sparta (Wis.) Free Library; Valerie Davis, Campbell County Public Library, Newport, Ky.; Veronica McKay, Rita & Truett Smith Public Library, Wylie, Texas; L. Lee Butler, Keefe Memorial Library Boston (Mass.) Latin School; Julie Vaught, Florence (S.C.) County Library; Abby Moore, University of South Dakota University Libraries, Vermillion, S.D.; Stacey McCraken, W.F. West High School, Chehalis, Wash.; Elizabeth Schneider, Monrovia (Calif.) Public Library; Shanna Swigert Smith, Mesa County Libraries, Grand Junction, Colo.; Carol Edwards, Denver Public Library; Sherry Rampey, Gaston S.C.) First Baptist Church Library; Christopher Lassen, Brooklyn (N.Y.) Public Library-Bay Ridge; Diana Tixier Herald, Libraries Unlimited, Grand Junction, Colo.; and Ann Kelley, Booklist consultant, Chicago.

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.

For more than 50 years, YALSA has been the world leader in selecting books, videos, and audio books for teens. For more information about YALSA or for lists of recommended reading, viewing and listening, go to www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists, or contact the YALSA office by phone, 800-545-2433, ext. 4390; or e-mail: yalsa@ala.org.