Popular Paperbacks announces 2002 picks
Contact: Linda Waddle
312-280-4390
lwaddle@ala.org
For Immediate Release
January 2002
Popular Paperbacks announces 2002 picks
The Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults Committee, sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) of the American Library Association (ALA), announced its 2002 selections finalized at the ALA Midwinter Meeting, held January 18 - 23 in New Orleans. This year's committee produced four lists of selected titles. This year's lists are: Relationships: Friends and Families; War: Conflict and Consequences; Tales of the Cities; and Graphic Novels: Superheroes and Beyond.
Relationships: Friends and Families is comprised of 24 titles concerning relationships that are something other than romance. "The list's strongest asset is its variety - fiction and nonfiction, prose and poetry, comedy and tragedy are all represented," said Shari L. Johnson, coordinator of this subcommittee.
War: Conflict and Consequences was conceived at last year's midwinter meeting, and has proven to be more timely than could have predicted. According to Barbara Meisenheimer, who coordinated the War subcommittee, "Since September 11th, we've seen an increase in requests for war-related materials, about historic conflicts as well as the current one. This list represents 23 of the best and most popular titles available for teens." Included are fiction and nonfiction paperbacks from a variety of perspectives.
Tales of the Cities are stories of urban life. From Bristol to Brooklyn with numerous stops along the way, these 24 titles reflect varying ways teens experience life in the city. Formats and genres also vary, including horror, memoirs and even a picture book. Bill Stack coordinated this list.
Graphic Novels: Superheroes and Beyond
marks the second list the committee has created made up exclusively of illustrated materials. These 25 titles cover a broad spectrum of current materials popular with teens. Subcommittee coordinator Mike Pawuk said, "There is something here for everyone, from the 12-year-old just moving out of the comic strip collections to the 18-year-old who has read almost everything else. We even have titles to appeal to people who have never tried out the format."
Sarah Dentan, committee chair, was enthusiastic about the selections on all four lists: "I'm very pleased with the quality and breadth of these lists. I'm confident both older and younger teens will find something new to try."
The members of the 2001-2002 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults committee are: Sarah A. Dentan, chair, Berkeley, Calif.; Dawn Rutherford, Bellevue, Wash.; Emily Dagg, Seattle; Rhonda Glazier, Emporia, Kans.; Shari L. Johnson, Pearl River, N.Y.; Brenda S. Kilmer, Miami; Eileen M. Kuhl, Towson, Md.; Barbara Meisenheimer, Vancouver, Wash.; Michael G. Pawuk, Brooklyn, Ohio; Nancy Reich, Los Angeles; Tom K. Reynolds, Edmonds, Wash.; Gail A. Richmond, San Diego; Bill Stack, Jamaica, N.Y.; Tricia A. Suellentrop, Kansas City, Kans.; and Sally Anne M. Thompson, Scottsdale, Ariz.
A draft of the 2002 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults is available
online. An annotated list is available on the YALSA Member's Only Web site. For more information, contact the YALSA office by phone at 800-545-2433 x 4390 or e-mail,
yalsa@ala.org.
