Best Books for Young Adults 2006
Contact: Nichole Gilbert
YALSA
312-280-4387
ngilbert@ala.org
For Immediate Release
January 30, 2006
Best Books for Young Adults 2006
CHICAGO - The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), the fastest growing division of the American Library Association (ALA), has announced its 2006 recommended list of Best Books for Young Adults. The list, prepared annually, was released during the ALA Midwinter Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, held January 20–25, 2006.
In beautiful San Antonio the 15-member committee worked hard to narrow its list of 217 official nominations to the final list of 91 significant adult and young adult titles. The books, recommended for ages 12-18, meet the criteria of both good quality literature and reading appeal for teens. With the Alamo adjacent to the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center, the committee was excited to know that these wonderful books for young adults will be remembered and enjoyed.
A teen session held on Sunday drew 75 teens to speak to the committee about their favorite books. A crowded audience of committee members, publishers, authors and librarians listened to these passionate teen readers who came from Texas, Washington and California to advise the committee.
The winning titles make up an extremely diverse list that includes non-fiction, science fiction and fantasy, graphic novels, contemporary and historical fiction and verse novels.
The committee also selected a Top Ten list of titles that exemplify the quality and range of literature being published for teens.
Akbar, Said Hyder and Burton, Susan. “Come Back to Afghanistan: A California Teenager's Story.” Bloomsbury, 2005. $24.95. (1-58234-520-1).
Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. “Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow.” Scholastic, 2005. illus. $19.95. (0-439-35379-3)
Buckhanon, Kalisha. “Upstate.” St. Martin's, 2005. $19.95. (0-312-33268-8).
Green, John. “Looking for Alaska.” Dutton, 2005. $15.99. (0-525-47506-0).
Lynch, Chris. “Inexcusable.” Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, 2005. $16.95. (0-689-84789-0).
Meyer, Stephanie. “Twilight: A Novel.” Little, Brown/Megan Tingley, 2005. $17.99. (0-316-16017-2).
Vaughan, Brian K. “Runaways: Volume 1” HC. Illus. by Adrian Alphona. Marvel, 2005. $34.99. (0-7851-1876-4).
Westerfeld, Scott. “Peeps.” Penguin/Razorbill, 2005. $16.99. (1-59514-031-X).
Wooding, Chris. “Poison.” Scholastic/Orchard, 2005. $16.99. (0-439-75570-0).
Zusak, Markus. “I Am the Messenger.” Knopf, 2005. $16.95. (0-375-83099-5
Members of the 2006 Best Books for Young Adults Committee were Lynn M. Rutan, chair, Macatawa Bay School, Holland, Mich.; Leslie A. Acevedo, Flint Public Library, Flint, Mich.; Edith E.H. Cummings, Allen County Public Library, Hessen Cassel Branch, Fort Wayne, Ind. ; Gretchen Haynes, Kansas City Public Library Southeast Branch, Kansas City, Mo.; Lynn E. Evarts, Sauk Prairie High School, Prairie du Sac, Wis. ; Rick Orsillo, King County Library System, Shoreline Branch, Shoreline, Wash.; Adela Peskorz, Metropolitan State University, St. Paul, Minn.; Sharon Rawlins, New Jersey Library for the Blind and Handicapped; Hollis Rudiger, Cooperative Children's Book Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison, Wis.; Karyn Silverman, Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School, New York; Edward A. Spicer, Reviewer, Michigan Reading Journal, Allegan, Mich.; Karen J. Tannenbaum, Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library, Evansville, Ind.; Deborah Taylor, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore; Cheryl Karp Ward, East Hartford High School, East Hartford, Conn.; Beth Wright, Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, Vt.; Gillian Engberg, consultant,
Booklist, Chicago; Cindy Dobrez, administrative assistant, Harbor Lights School, Holland, Mich.
