YALSA names 2016 Best Fiction for Young Adults

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

The list of 64 titles, drawn from 114 official nominations, is presented annually at the ALA Midwinter Meeting. The full list can be viewed at www.ala.org/yalsa/best-fiction-young-adults.

In addition to the full list, the committee has also chosen the following titles as the top ten:

• Albertalli, Becky. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. Harper/Balzer and Bray. 2015.
• Bardugo, Leigh. Six of Crows. Holt. 2015.
• Brooks, Kevin. The Bunker Diary. Lerner/Carolrhoda Lab. 2015.
• Crowder, Melanie. Audacity. Philomel. 2015.
• Older, Daniel José. Shadowshaper. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Books. 2015.
• Reynolds, Jason. The Boy in the Black Suit. Atheneum. 2015.
• Ruby, Laura. Bone Gap. Harper/Balzer and Bray. 2015.
• Shabazz, Ilyasah and Kekla Magoon. X: A Novel. Candlewick. 2015.
• Shusterman, Neal. Challenger Deep. HarperTeen. 2015.
• Silvera, Adam. More Happy than Not. Soho Teen. 2015.

“The 2016 list reflects the results of our Committee members’ dedicated reading of hundreds of YA novels to determine a final list that balanced both high quality and teen appeal,” said Chair Thea Hashagen. “This list highlights the diverse and unique array of voices and formats used to tell these compelling stories. The titles include a novel in verse about a young female immigrant who becomes a leading suffragette, a powerful and imaginative novel about a boy with bipolar disorder, and a novelization of the life of the young Malcolm X.”

The members of the Best Fiction for Young Adults Committee are: Chair Thea Hashagen, San Francisco, CA; Laurie Bartz, Hedberg Public Library, Janesville,Wisconsin; Elizabeth Bast, Starbuck Middle School, Racine WI; Julia Casas, Los Angeles Public Library, Los Angeles, CA; Shelley M. Diaz, Senior Editor, Reviews, School Library Journal, New York, NY; Rachel Fryd, Free Library of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA; Adele Lamphier, Toronto Public Library, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Kefira Philippe, Nichols Middle School, Evanston, IL; Edwin Rodarte, Los Angeles Public Library, Los Angeles, CA; Jessi Schulte-Honstad, Senior Library Manager, Washington County Library, Minnesota; Audrey Sumser, Kent State University Tuscarawas, New Philadelphia, OH; Kelly Trowbridge, Union County Public Library, Monroe, NC; Marney (Marina) Welmers, Tucson, Arizona, Retired middle school librarian, Tortolita Middle School, Marans USD; C. Ellen Wickham, Raytown South High School, Raytown, Missouri; Whitney Winn, King County Library System, Auburn, Washington; and Daniel Kraus, 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. 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.