YALSA names 2010 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

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

NEWS
For Immediate Release,
January 20, 2010

BOSTON —The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA a division of the American Library Association (ALA), announced its 2010 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers selection list. The list is presented annually at the ALA Midwinter Meeting.

The Quick Picks list suggests books that teens, ages 12-18, will pick up on their own and read for pleasure; it is geared to the teenager who, for whatever reason, does not like to read.
The complete list of 101 titles, including annotations, can be found at www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/quickpicks.

The Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers committee also selected a Top Ten list:

· Blackshaw, Ric and Farrelly, Liz. Street Art Book: 60 Artists in Their Own Words. HarperCollins. 2009. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

· Brown, Marvelyn. The Naked Truth: Young, Beautiful and (HIV) Positive. Amistad. 2008.

· Elkeles, Simone. Perfect Chemistry. Walker Books. 2008.

· Fagerstrom, Derek and Smith, Lauren. Show Me How: 500 Things You Should Know Instructions for Life From the Everyday to the Exotic. Collins Design, 2008.

· Knowles, Jo. Jumping Off Swings. Candlewick Press. 2009.

· Myers, Walter Dean. Dope Sick. Amistad. 2009.

· Regan, Sally. The Vampire Book. DK Books, Ltd. 2009.

· Smith, Alexander Gordon. Lockdown: Escape from Furnace. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 2009.

· Von D, Kat. High Voltage Tattoo. HarperCollins. 2009.

· Willin, Melvyn. Paranormal Caught on Film. David and Charles. 2008.

“Reluctant readers will find books they like on this list, guaranteed” said Amy Cheney, committee chair. “We have it all: from action-packed fiction to vampires, tattoos, ghosts, true stories and laugh-out-louds.”

Members of the Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers Committee are: Amy Cheney, chair, Alameda County Juvenile Hall Library, San Leandro, Calif.; Susan Hawk, Dunwoody (Ga.) High School.; Diana Tixier Herald, Mesa County Valley School District #51, Grand Junction, Colo.; Lisa Lindsay, Fresno County Public Library, Calif.; Joy Millam, Valencia High School, Placentia, Calif.; Diane Monnier, Tucson, Ariz.; Lalitha Nataraj, Chula Vista (Calif.) Public Library; Anne Rouyer, The New York Public Library; Christopher Shoemaker, The New York Public Library; and Heather Gruenthal, administrative assistant, Western High School, Anaheim, Calif.

For more than 50 years, YALSA has been the world leader in selecting books, videos, and audio books 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.