2005 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has announced its 2004 annual recommended list of Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers.
The list was released during the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Boston, January 14-18.
Compiled by a
12-member committee, the 80 titles on the list were published late 2003 through 2004 and represent over 30 different publishers.
Thirty-three of the titles are non-fiction and forty-seven are fiction.
The Quick Picks committee seeks books that teens, ages 12-18, will pick up on their own and read for pleasure.
The list is geared to the teenager who, for whatever reason, does not like to read.
Teen input is a vital aspect in the final decision of the committee.
The visual appearance of a book and the standard considerations in the quality of content is equally important when selecting books for reluctant young readers.
The list is not intended for teenagers with reading disabilities, though some of the selected titles may be appropriate for those teens.
You can also view the
Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers.
CosmoGirl Quiz Book: All About You. $5.95 Sterling/Hearst, 2004. 1-58816-381-4.
Dr. Ernest Drake’s Dragonology. $18.99. Candlewick, 2003. 0-7363-2329-6..
The Homer Book. $9.95. Harper Collins/Perennial, 2004. 0-06-073884-7.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not. $25.95. Mint Publishing/Ripley, 2004. 1-893951-73-1.
So What? The Good, the Mad and the Ugly: The Official Metallica Illustrated Chronicles. $29.95. Broadway Books, 2004. 0-7679-1881-9.
YM’s The Best of Say Anything. $6.95. Random House/Bantam, 2004. 0-553-37601-2.
Abbott, Hailey.
Summer Boys. $8.99. Scholastic, 2004. 0-439-54020-8.
Brisick, Jamie.
Have Board, Will Travel. $19.95. Harper Entertainment, 2004. 0-06-056359-1.
Burnham, Niki.
Royally Jacked. $5.99. Simon and Schuster/Simon Pulse, 2004. 0-689-86668-2.
Coker, Cheo Hodari.
Unbelievable: The Life, Death and Afterlife of the Notorious B.I.G. $19.95. Three Rivers Press, 2004. 0-609-80835-4
Choyce, Lesley.
Thunderbowl. $7.95. Orca, 2004. 1-55143-277-3
Davidson, Dana.
Jason and Kyra. $16.99. Hyperion/Jump at the Sun, 2004. 0-7868-1851-4
De La Cruz, Melissa.
The Au Pairs. $14.95. Simon and Schuster, 2004. 0-68-987066-3
Ehrenhaft, Daniel.
Ten Things To Do Before I Die. $15.95. Random House/Delacorte, 2004. 0-385-73007-1
Flake, Sharon.
Who Am I Without Him? A Short Story Collection About Girls and the Boys in Their Lives.
$15.99. Hyperion, 2004. 0-7868-0693-1
Flinn, Alex.
Nothing to Lose. $15.99. Harper Tempest, 2004. 0-06-051751-4
Giles, Gail.
Playing in Traffic. $16.95. Roaring Brook, 2004. 1-59643-005-2
Gottlieb, Andrew.
In the Paint: Tattoos of the NBA and the Stories Behind Them. $16.95. Hyperion, 2003.
0-7868-8868-7
Grandits, John.
Technically, It’s Not My Fault: Concrete Poems. $15.95/$18.95. Clarion, 2004. 0-618-42833-X hc 0-618-80361-7 pb.
Hareas, John.
NBA’s Greatest. $30. DK, 2003. 0-7894-9977-0
Harrison, Lisi.
The Clique. $7.99. Little, Brown, 2004. 0-316-70129-7
Hartinger, Brent.
Last Chance Texaco. $15.99. Harper Collins, 2004. 0-06-050912-0
Heimberg, Jason and Justin Heimberg.
The Official Movie Plot Generator: 27,000 Hilarious Movie Plot Combinations. $16.45. Brothers Heimberg Publishing, 2004. 0-9740439-1-5
Heneghan, James.
Hit Squad. $7.95. Orca, 2003. 1-55143-269-2
Hirano, Kohta.
Hellsing series. $13.95 ea. Dark Horse Comics, 2003-2004.
Volume 1: 1-59307-056-X
Volume 2: 1-59307-057-8
Volume 3: 1-59307-202-3
Volume 4: 1-59307-259-7
Hobbs, Valerie.
Letting Go of Bobby James, or How I Found My Self of Steam. $16. Farrar, Strauss and Giroux/Frances Foster, 2004. 0-374-34384-5
Hopkins, Cathy.
Truth or Dare series. $5.99 ea. Simon and Schuster, 2004.
The Princess of Pop. 0-689-87002-7
Teen Queens and Has-Beens. 0-689-87129-5
White Lies and Barefaced Truths. 0-689-87003-5
Hopkins, Ellen.
Crank. $6.99. Simon and Schuster, 2004. 0-689-86519-8
Horowitz, Anthony.
Eagle Strike. $17.99. Penguin/Philomel, 2003. 0-399-23979-0
Hrdlitschka, Shelley.
Kat’s Fall. $7.95. Orca, 2004. 1-55143-312-5
Jacobs, Thomas.
They Broke the Law; You Be the Judge: True Cases of Teen Crime. $15.95. Free Spirit, 2003. 1-57542-134-8
Johns, Geoff.
Teen Titans:
A Kid’s Game. $9.95. DC Comics, 2004. 1-4012-0308-6
Jones, Patrick.
Things Change. $16.95. Walker, 2004. 0-8027-8901-3
Kenner, Rob and Pitts, George.
VX: 10 Years of Vibe Photography. $40. Abrams/Vibe Books, 2003. 0-8109-4546-0
Klancher, Lee.
Monster Garage: How to Customize Damn Near Everything. $19.95. Motorbooks International/ MBI Publishing, 2003. 0-7603-1748-8
Kool Moe Dee.
There’s a God on the Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs. $24.95. Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2003. 1-56025-5331
Leiker, Ken.
Unscripted. $45. Simon and Schuster, 2003. 0-7434-7761-8
Lynch, Clam.
Ruby Gloom’s Keys to Happiness. $12.95. Abrams, 2004. 0-8109-5036-7
Mackler, Carolyn.
Vegan Virgin Valentine. $16.99. Candlewick, 2004. 0-7636-2155-2
Manning, Sarra.
Guitar Girl. $15.99. Dutton, 2004. 0-525-47234-7
McGrath, Jeremy.
Wide Open: A Life in Supercross. $23.95. Harper Entertainment, 2004. 0-06-053727-2
McManners, Hugh.
Ultimate Special Forces. $30. DK, 2003. 0-7894-9973-8
Miller, Timothy and Steve Milton.
Nascar Now. $19.95. Firefly, 2004. 1-55297-829-X
Milner-Halls, Kelly.
Albino Animals. $18.95/$8.95. Darby Creek, 2004. 1-58196-012-3 hc 1-58196-019-0 pb
Minter, J.
The Insiders. $8.95. Bloomsbury, 2004. 1-58234-895-2
Morgan, David Lee.
LeBron James: The Rise of a Star. $14.95. Gray, 2003. 1-886228-74-4
Myers, Walter Dean.
Shooter. $15.99. Harper Collins/Amistad, 2004. 0-06-029519-8
Myracle, Lauren.
TTYL.
$15.95. Abrams/Amulet, 2004. 0-8109-4821-4
Nagatomo, Haruno.
Draw Your Own Manga: All the Basics. $20. Kodansha America, 2004. 4-7700-2951-9
Nash, Naomi.
You are So Cursed. $5.99. Dorchester/Leisure, 2004. 0-8439-5310-1
Naylor, Caroline.
Beauty Trix for Cool Chix: Easy-to-Make Lotions, Potions, and Spells to Bring Out a Beautiful You. $9.95. Watson-Guptill, 2003. 0-8230-6957-5
Nelson, Blake.
Rock Star, Superstar. $16.99. Viking, 2004. 0-670-05933-1
O’Connell, Tyne.
Pulling Princes. $16.95. Bloomsbury USA, 2004. 1-58234-957-6
Oppell, Kenneth.
Airborn. $16.99/$17.89 Harper Collins, 2004. 0-06-053180-0 trade 0-06-053181-9 lib bind.
Parker, Daniel and Lee Miller.
Watching Alice series. $7.99 ea. Penguin/Razorbill, 2004
Break the Surface 1-59514-001-8
Walk On Water 1-59514-002-6
Perez. Marlene.
Unexpected Development. $16.95. Roaring Brook, 2004. 1-59643-006-0
Rabb, M.E.
The Missing Persons series. $5.99 ea. Penguin/Speak, 2004.
The Chocolate Lover 0-14-250042-9
The Rose Queen 0-14-250041-0
The Unsuspecting Gourmet 0-14-250044-5
The Venetian Policeman 0-14-250043-7.
Riley, Andy.
The Book of Bunny Suicides. $10. Penguin/Plume, 2004. 0-452-28518-6
Rohrer, Russ.
Ten Days in the Dirt: Spectacle of Off-Road Motorcycling. $19.95. Motorbooks International, 2004. 0-7603-1803-4
Rothbart, Davy.
Found: The Best Lost, Tossed and Forgotten Items from Around the World. $14. Simon and Schuster/Fireside, 2004. 0-7432-5114-8
Seate, Mike.
Choppers: Heavy Metal. $40. Motorbooks International, 2004.
Shaw, Maria.
Maria Shaw's Star Gazer: Your Soul Searching, Dream Seeking, Make Something Happen Guide to the Future. $17.95. Llewellyn, 2003. 0-7387-0422-9
Shaw, Tucker.
Confessions of a Backup Dancer. $8.99. Simon and Schuster/Aladdin, 2004. 0-689-87075-2
Sleator, William.
The Boy Who Couldn’t Die. $16.95. Abrams/Amulet, 2004. 0-81094-824-9
Sones, Sonya.
One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies. $15.95. Simon and Schuster, 2004. 0-689-84169-8
Stephens, J.B.
The Big Empty series. $6.99 ea. Penguin/Razorbill, 2004.
The Big Empty 1-59514-006-9
Paradise City. 1-59514-007-7
Stolarz, Laurie F.
Blue is for Nightmares. $8.99. Llewellyn, 2003. 0-73-870391-5
Strasser, Todd.
Can’t Get There From Here. $15.95. Simon and Schuster, 2004. 0-8118-4033-6
Sweeney, Joyce.
Takedown. $15.95.Marshall Cavendish, 2004. 0-7614-5175-7
Takaya, Natsuki.
Fruits Basket series. $9.99 ea. Tokyopop, 2004.
Volume 1 1-59182-603-9
Volume 2. 1-59182-604-7
Volume 3. 1-59182-605-5
Volume 4. 1-59182-606-3
Volume 5. 1-59182-607-1
Thomson, Celia.
The Nine Lives of Chloe King series. $6.99 ea. Simon and Schuster/Simon Pulse, 2004.
The Fallen 0-689-86658-5
The Stolen 0-689-86659-3
Thorley, Joe.
Avril Lavigne: The Unofficial Book. $14.95. Virgin Publishing, 2003
1-85227-0497
Vizzini, Ned.
Be More Chill. $16.95.
Hyperion/Miramax, 2004. 0-7868-0995-7
Walters, Eric.
Overdrive. $7.95. Orca, 2004. 1-55143-318-4
Westerfeld, Scott.
The Secret Hour. $15.99. Harper Collins/Eos, 2004. 0-06-051951-7
Weyn, Suzanne.
Bar Code Tattoo. $5.99. Scholastic, 2004. 0-43-939562-3
Whedon, Joss.
Fray. $19.95. Dark Horse Comics, 2003. 1-56971-751-6
Woods, Brenda.
Emako Blue. $15.99. Penguin Putnam, 2004. 0-399-24006-3
Woodson, Jacqueline.
Behind You. $15.99. Penguin Putnam, 2004. 0-399-23988-X
Members of the YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers committee are:
Maureen Hartman, Chair, Minneapolis Public Library, Ty R. Burns, Cypress Springs (Texas) High School; Sarah Couri, New York Public Library; Stacy L. Creel-Chavez, Harris County (Texas) Public Library; MaryAnn Harlan, Arcata High School (Calif.); Sara Catherine Howard, Sam Houston State University (Texas); Teri S. Lesesne, Sam Houston State University (Texas); Kimberly A. Patton, Lawrence (Kansas) Public Library; Jennifer M. Stencel, Akron-Summit County (Ohio) Public Library; Jamie Watson, Harford County (Maryland) Public Library; Rollie Welch, Cleveland Public Library; Jennifer Mattson, consultant
Booklist, Chicago; Administrative Assistant Victor Schill, Harris County (Texas) Public Library.
