YALSA names 2010 Best Books for Young Adults

Contact: Stephanie Kuenn
Communications Specialist
312-280-2128
skuenn@ala.org

NEWS
For Immediate Release
Jan. 20, 2010

BOSTON —The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), the fastest-growing division of the American Library Association (ALA), today announced its 2010 list of Best Books for Young Adults. The list of 90 books, drawn from 203 official nominations, is presented annually at the ALA Midwinter Meeting. The books, recommended for those ages 12-18, meet the criteria of both good quality literature and appealing reading for teens. The list comprises a wide range of genres and styles, including contemporary realistic fiction that reflects the diversity of the teen experience, nonfiction that brings to teens an awareness of the world they live in and its history and fantastical stories told in both narrative and graphic formats.

In addition, the Best Books for Young Adults committee created a Top Ten list of titles from the final list that exemplify the quality and range of literature being published for teens: Brennan, Sarah Rees. Demon's Lexicon. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing/Margaret K. McElderry. 2009.

  • Brennan, Sarah Rees. Demon's Lexicon. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing/Margaret K. McElderry. 2009. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

  • Griffin, Paul. The <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Orange Houses. Penguin/Dial Books. 2009.

  • Herlong, M.H. The Great Wide Sea. Penguin/Viking. 2008.

  • Jinks, Catherine. The Reformed Vampire Support Group. Harcourt/ Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2009.

  • Napoli, Donna Jo. Alligator Bayou. Random House / Knopf. 2009.

  • Small, David. Stitches: A Memoir. W.W. Norton & Co. 2009.

  • Stead, Rebecca. When You Reach Me. Random House/Wendy Lamb Books. 2009.

  • Stork, Francisco X. Marcelo in the Real World. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Books. 2009.

  • Taylor, Laini. Lips Touch: Three Times. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine. 2009.

  • Walker, Sally M. Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland. Lerner/Carolrhoda Books. 2009.

The complete list, with annotations, can be found at www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/bbya.

“This year’s list was the result of exceptional work from the Best Books for Young Adults committee, ” said Summer Hayes, committee chair. “With the ever increasing volume of reading material published for teens each year, identifying significant titles with both literary merit and teen appeal can be quite a challenge. The BBYA 2010 list represents the strongest offerings from a wide variety of genres and, while many of the titles will appeal to a broad selection of teens, we are especially pleased to have identified a number of books that will resonate with teens looking for a unique reading experience.”

The members of the Best Books for Young Adults Committee are: Summer Hayes, chair, King County Library System, Foster Library, Tukwila, Wash.; Martha Baden, Alice Boucher World Languages Academy, Lafayette, La.; Teresa Brantley, Salem Middle School, Apex, N.C.; Louise Brueggemann, Morton West High School, Forest Park, Ill.; Megan P. Fink, Charlotte (N.C.) Country Day Middle School; Michael Fleming, Pacific Cascade Freshman Campus Library, Issaquah, Wash.; Rebecca Hunt, Wayne State University School of Library and Information Science, Detroit, Mich.; Alissa Lauzon, Haverhill (Mass.) Public Library; Rachel McDonald, King County Library System, Auburn, Wash.; Diane Roberts, St. Thomas High School Library, Houston, Texas; Elsworth Rockefeller, Martin Luther King Library, Washington, D.C.; Terri S. Snethen, Blue Valley North High School, Overland Park, Kans.; Rollie Welch, Cleveland (Ohio) Public Library; Cassie Wilson, Rowlett (Texas) Public Library; Brook Young, Salt Lake City (Utah) Public Library; Gillian Engberg, consultant, Booklist, Chicago; and Amanda Hirst, administrative assistant, King County Public Library, Redmond, Wash.

For more than 50 years, YALSA has been the world leader in selecting books, videos and audiobooks for teens. For more information about YALSA or for lists of recommended reading, viewing and listening, go to www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists, or contact the YALSA office by phone, 800-545-2433, ext. 4390, or e-mail, yalsa@ala.org.