YALSA names 2016 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults

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

The list, aimed towards young adults aged 12-18, is drawn from the previous two years of spoken-word releases and presented annually at the ALA Midwinter Meeting. The full list can be viewed at http://www.ala.org/yalsa/amazing-audiobooks.

The 2016 Amazing Audiobooks list, comprised of fiction titles and nonfiction, features recordings that cover a wide range of interests for young adults from historical fiction, to horror, to realistic fiction.

In addition to the full list, the committee chose the following recordings as its top ten:

• "The Dead House" by Dawn Kurtagich, read by Charlotte Parry and Christian Coulson. Hachette Audio, 2015.
• "Echo" by Pam Munoz Ryan, read Mark Bramhall, David De Vries, Macleod Andrews, and Rebecca Soler. Scholastic, 2014.
• "Gabi, A Girl in Pieces" by Isabel Quintero, read by Kyla Garcia. Listening Library, 2015.
• "Half Wild" by Sally Green, read by Carl Prekopp. Listening Library, 2015.
• "Illuminae: The Illuminae Files_01" by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, read by Olivia Taylor Dudley, Lincoln Hoppe, Jonathan McClain. Listening Library, 2015.
• "Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray," read by January LaVoy. Listening Library, 2015.
• "Library of Souls" by Ransom Riggs, read by Kirby Heyborne. Blackstone Audio, 2015.
• "Trollhunters" by Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus, read by Kirby Heyborne. Recorded Books, 2015.
• "Waistcoats & Weaponry" by Gail Carriger, read by Moira Quick. Hachette Audio, 2015.
• "What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions" by Randall Munroe, read by Wil Wheaton. Blackstone Audio, 2014.

“We were really blown away by the quality of this year’s audiobooks,” said Chair Sarah Hashimoto. “These titles take audios to the next level of excellence, with thrilling sound effects, music, character voices, and more. There’s something here for every teen, including fast-paced adventure, fantasy, horror, and romance.”

Members of the 2016 Amazing Audiobooks Committee are: Chair Sarah Hashimoto, Jackson District Library, Jackson, MI; Claire Covington, Broadway High School Library, Broadway, VA; Emily Farmer, Nashville Public Library, Nashville, TN; Janis Fox, Forsyth County Public Library, Winston-Salem, NC; Charlene Hsu Gross, DeKalb County Public Library, Atlanta, GA; Marcus Lowry, Ramsey County Library, Roseville, MN; Debi Shultz, Centralia School District, Centralia, WA; Daniel Gray Tackett, Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest, Vestavia Hills, AL; Cynthia S. Vanderbrink, Toledo Lucas County Public Library, Toledo, OH; and administrative assistant Melanie Wachsmann, Lone Star College, Cyfair Branch, Cypress, TX.

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.