Selected Audiobooks for Young Adults

The Media Selection and Usage Committee of the Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of the American Library Association, announced its fourth Selected List of Audiobooks for Young Adults.

The titles appearing here have been selected from the past two years of spoken word releases. They have been selected for their appeal to a teen audience, the quality of their recording, and because they enhance the audience's appreciation of any written work on which they may be based. While the list as a whole addresses the interests and needs of young adults ranging in age from 12 to 18, individual titles may appeal to parts of that range rather than to its whole.

The full annotated list is available on the YALSA For Members Only section.

Bad Boy: a Memoir, by Walter Dean Myers, read by Joe Morton, Harper Audio, 2001, 4 cassettes, 5 hours, 0-694-52535-9

Borrowed Light, by Anna Fienberg, read by Rebecca Macauley, Bolinda Audio, 2000, 6 cassettes, 8 hours and 15 mins., 1-7403-141-2.

Cut, by Patricia McCormick, read by Clea Lewis, Listening Library, 2001, 3 cassettes, 3 hours and 59 mins., 0-8072-0523-0.

Esperanza Rising, by Pam Munoz Ryan, read by Trini Alvarado, Listening Library, 2001, 3 cassettes, 4 hours and 42 mins., 0-8072-6207-2.

Give a Boy a Gun, by Todd Strasser, read by various narrators, Recorded Books, 2001, 3 cassettes, 3.5 hours., 0-7887-9376-4.

The Grey King, by Susan Cooper, read by Richard Mitchley, Listening Library, 2001, 4 cassettes, 5 hours and 41 mins., 0-8072-8877-2.

Homeless Bird, by Gloria Whelan, read by Sarita Choudhury, Listening Library, 2001, 2 cassettes, 3 hours and 15 mins., 0-8072-8858-6.

Killing Aurora, by Helen Barnes, read by Suzi Dougherty, Bolinda Audio, 2000, 5 cassettes, 6 hours, 1-74030-228-1.

The Land, by Mildred D. Taylor, read by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Listening Library, 2001, 7 cassettes, 10 hours and 56 mins., 0-8072-0619-9.

The Last Book in the Universe, by Rodman Philbrick, read by Jeremy Davies, Listening Library, 2001, 3 cassettes, 4 hours and 25 mins., 0-8072-8843-8.

The Member of the Wedding, by Carson McCullers, performed by a full cast, LA Theatre Works, 2001, 2 cassettes, 1 hour and 32 mins., 1-58081-206-6.

Miracle's Boys, by Jacqueline Woodson, read by Dule Hill, Listening Library, 2001, 2 cassettes, 2 hours and 27 mins, 0-8072-0525-7.

Out of the Shadows, by Sue Hines, read by Caroline Lee, Bolinda Audio, 2001, 4 cassettes, 5 hours and 30 mins., 1-74030-362-8.

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning and The Reptile Room, by Lemony Snicket, read by Tim Curry, Listening Library, 2001, 2 cassettes each, 3 hours and 17 mins. for "Book the First" and 3 hours and 11 mins. for "Book the Second," 0-8072-8847-0 and -8868-3.

Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World, by Jennifer Armstrong, read by Taylor Mali, Audio Bookshelf, 2000, 4 cassettes, 4 hours, 1-883332-39-7.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, by Ann Brashares, read by Angela Goethals, Listening Library, 2001, 4 cassettes, 6 hours and 35 mins., 0-8072-0590-7.

Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli, read by John Ritter, Listening Library, 2001, 3 cassettes, 4 hours and 25 mins., 0-8072-0572-9.

Strange Objects, by Gary Crew, read by Stig Wemyss, Bolinda Audio, 2000, 4 cassettes, 5 hours and 45 mins., 1-876584-82-3.

Stuck in Neutral, by Terry Trueman, read by Johnny Heller, Recorded Books, 2001, 2 cassettes, 2.5 hours, 1-4025-0710-0.

Tangerine, by Edward Bloor, read by Ramon de Ocampo, Recorded Books, 2001, 8 cassettes, 10 hours, 1-4025-0778-X.

Touching Spirit Bear, by Ben Mikaelsen, read by Lee Tergesen, Listening Library, 2001, 4 cassettes, 5 hours and 52 mins., 0-8072-0515-X.

Walden, by Henry David Thoreau, read by William Hope, NAXOS Audiobooks, 2001, 4 cassettes, 5 hours and 14 mins., 9-62634-732-5.

When Kambia Elaine Flew in from Neptune, by Lori Aurelia Williams, read by Heather Alicia Simms, Listening Library, 2001, 6 cassettes, 8 hours and 31 mins., 0-8072-8850-0.

Witch Child, by Celia Rees, read by Jennifer Ehle with Carole Shelley, Listening Library, 2001, 4 cassettes, 5 hours and 38 mins., 0-8072-0628-8.

The Committee members are: Jerene Battisti (Renton, WA); Leslie Dann (New York, NY); Kathleen Degyansky (Woodside, NY); Francisca Goldsmith (Berkeley, CA), Chair; Susan Hawk (Decatur, GA); Mary Hennessey (East Lansing, MI); Dale McNeill (Dallas, TX); E.M. Roublow (Los Angeles, CA); and Amy Spaulding (New York, NY).