Best Books Lists

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In addition to awards, a number of organizations and associations develop lists of outstanding books for young adults. While the New York Public Library issues an annual Books for the Teen Age, the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of ALA) produces a number of these lists including: Best Books for Young Adults, Top 10 Best Books for Young Adults, Outstanding Books for the College Bound, Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, Selected Audiobooks for Young Adults, and Selected DVDs & Videos for Young Adults. Some of the lists are general in nature, while others are more specific. For example, each year the YALSA popular paperbacks committee identifies several themes (not necessarily in specific genres) and selects materials related to those themes. The 2004 themes were heroes, music and musicians, mystery and suspense, and science fiction.

Some lists are based on suggestions by young readers themselves. The Young Adults’ Choices is a yearly list created by adolescents in grades 7 to 12 at participating schools throughout the United States. Students make their selections from books nominated by publishers; in order to be nominated, each book must have received at least two positive reviews from recognized review sources. The Literature for Young Adults Committee of the International Reading Association supervises the voting. A companion Teacher’s Choices list includes a category for grades 6 to 8. The American Library Association also sponsors an annual Teens Top Ten where adolescents vote online for their favorite books.

Each year, the Children’s Literature and Reading Special Interest Group of the International Reading Association identifies the Notable Books for a Global Society, K–12. The books, including past notables such as Walter Dean Myers’ The Beast (2003), Beverly Naidoo’s Out of Bounds: Seven Stories of Conflict and Hope (2001), and Pegi Deitz Shea’s Tangled Threads: A Hmong Girl’s Story (2003), are culturally authentic and enhance understanding of world cultures while showing the common bonds that exist (2000 Notable Books for a Global Society, 2001).