Best Books for Young Adults 2007
Contact: Nichole Gilbert
YALSA
312-280-4387
For Immediate Release
January 29, 2007
YALSA announces 2007 Best Books for Young Adults
SEATTLE - The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), the fastest growing division of the American Library Association (ALA), has announced its 2007 recommended list of Best Books for Young Adults. The list, prepared annually, was released during the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Seattle, Washington, held January 19-24, 2007.
In Seattle, the 14-member committee worked hard to narrow the list of 232 official nominations to the final list of 82 significant adult and young adult titles. The books, recommended for ages 12-18, meet the criteria of both good quality literature and appealing reading for teens.
A teen session held on Jan. 21 drew 40 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 in groups from Shoreline Library, King County, Wash.; Edmonds Library, Snohomish County, Wash.; and Jesuit High School, Portland, Ore. to advise the committee.
The winning titles comprise an extremely diverse list that includes verse novels, graphic novels, fantasy, realistic fiction, comedy, historical fiction, and nonfiction.
The committee also selected a Top Ten list of titles that exemplify the quality and range of literature being published for teens:
Anderson, M.T. “The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume 1: The Pox Party.” Candlewick, 2006. $17.99. (0-7636-2402-0; 9780763624016).
Gratz, Alan. “Samurai Shortstop.” Penguin Group USA/Dial, 2006. $17.99. (0-8037-3075-6; 9780803730755).
Hartnett, Sonya. “Surrender.” Candlewick, 2006. $16.99. (0-7636-2768-2; 9780763627683).
McCormick, Patricia. “Sold.” Hyperion, 2006. $16.99. (0-7868-5171-6; 9780786851713).
Sayres, Meghan Nuttall. “Anahita’s Woven Riddle.” Abrams/Amulet, 2006. $16.95. (0-8109-5481-8; 9780810954816).
Smelcer, John. “The Trap.” Henry Holt, 2006. $15.95. (0-8050-7939-4; 9780805079395).
Turner, Megan Whalen. “The King of Attolia.” HarperCollins/Greenwillow, 2006. $16.99. (0-06-083577-X; 9780060835774).
Werlin, Nancy. “The Rules of Survival.” Penguin Group USA/Dial, 2006. $16.99. (0-8037-3001-2; 9780803730014).
Yang, Gene Luen. “American Born Chinese.” Roaring Brook/First Second, 2006. $16.95. (1-59643-152-0; 9781596431522).
Zusak, Markus. “The Book Thief.” Random House/Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. $16.95. (0-375-83100-2; 9780375831003).
Members of the 2007 Best Books for Young Adults Committee were Karyn N. Silverman, chair, Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School, New York, N.Y.; Rose M. Allen, Mount Prospect Public Library, Mount Prospect, Ill.; Lynn E. Evarts, Sauk Prairie High School, Prairie du Sac, Wis.; Ashley Flaherty, Columbus Metropolitan Library, Columbus, Ohio; Caroline Kienzle, Coppell, Texas; Holly Koelling, King County Library System, King County, Wash.; Jeanette Larson, Austin, Texas; Gregory Lum, Jesuit High School, Portland, Ore.; Rick Orsillo, King County Library System, Shoreline, Wash.; Sharon Rawlins, New Jersey Library for the Blind and Handicapped, Trenton, N.J.; Hollis Rudiger, Cooperative Children’s Book Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wis.; Lynn M. Rutan, West Ottawa Public Schools, Holland, Mich.; Edward A. Spicer, Michigan Reading Journal, Allegan, Mich.; Deborah Taylor, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore, Md.; Jennifer Mattson, consultant, Booklist, Chicago, Ill.; Amy Chow, administrative assistant, New York Public Library, New York, N.Y.
The Best Books for Young Adults list is available at www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists. An annotated list will be available on the YALSA For Members Only Web site.
For 50 years, YALSA has been the world leader in selecting books, videos, and audiobooks for teens. For more information about these awards or for additional lists of recommended reading, go to www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists. For more information about YALSA, please contact us via e-mail, yalsa@ala.org; or by phone at 1-800-545-2433 ext. 4390.
