YALSA to select 100 “Best of The Best” young adult books
Contact: Nichole Gilbert
312-280-4387
ngilbert@ala.org
For Immediate Release
March 24, 2005
YALSA to select 100 “Best of The Best” young adult books
CHICAGO - The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), plans to select the best books for young adults from the past decade. The selection process will take place at a preconference prior to ALA's Annual Conference in Chicago, June 23 – 29, 2005.
Preconference participants will choose 100 titles from YALSA's annual Best Books for Young Adults, ALEX and Michael L. Printz awards lists. The books on these lists have lasted, or should last, through the years, remaining the “Best of the Best” books for young adults. Registration is available for this event at
www.ala.org/annual.
To insure no title is left behind, the preconference committee also will invite nominations from YALSA members and others who wish to suggest books the awards committees did not cite at the time of their publication.
To facilitate selection, participants will be divided into 10 groups. Each group will discuss titles published during a designated year from 1994 through 2004. The book lists that will provide the basis for discussion are available on the web at
www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists. The goal of each group will be to select 10 titles from its assigned year. At the end of the preconference, all lists will be combined and named the "100 Best of the Best for the 21 st century."
"The decade beginning in 1994 is widely regarded as a new golden age of young adult literature,” said Michael Cart, Best of the Best Committee Chair. “Here's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for people to make literary history by selecting the best of the best titles published during that transformative period."
“I am very pleased and excited that YALSA is offering another “Best of the Best” Preconference,” said YALSA President David Mowery. “Participants will take part in great book discussions and have a hands-on opportunity to work through the selection process.”
This is the sixth time YALSA is selecting a ‘Best of the Best' list. For more information visit
www.ala.org/annual, contact the YALSA office at 800-545-2433 x 4390 or e-mail,
yalsa@ala.org.
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