YALSA's announces their Printz award for 2014!!!

YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association if you're not into that whole brevity thing) awards one and only one book with it's most coveted honor (and pretty much the biggest deal ibn YA fiction PERIOD), the Printz Award.  Named in honor of Michael L. Printz, a long time member of YALSA who has passed away, the Printz is given to the book that exemplifies the best of what young adult literature can do.  This year's winner is...

Midwinter Blood by Marcus Sedgwick YP FIC SEDGWICK
Seven linked vignettes unfold on a Scandinavian island inhabited--throughout various time periods--by Vikings, vampires, ghosts, and a curiously powerful plant. Stories of the future, the past, fate, and tragedy wrap in and out of each other in an ever widening tapestry.  A strange, beautiful, and intricate novel of quiet power that will stay with you far after the last page. You can find Midwinter Blood in our catalog here. Watch out for my review coming soon!


 
The also excellent, very prestigious, and just-an-honor-to-be-nominated honor books are:

2014 Honor Books

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell YP FIC ROWELL
Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits--smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.  Find it in our catalog here. Read my positively gushing review here.


Kingdom of Little Wounds by Susann Cokal YP FIC COKAL
The wedding festivities of Scandinavian Princess Sophia are thrown into turmoil by an illness plaguing the royal family and a courtier's plot that places a seamstress and a royal nursemaid at the center of an epic power struggle. Find it in our catalog here.
 
Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner, illustrated by Julian Crouch J FIC GARDNER
Following a stray football to the other side of a wall where there is a secret, Standish Treadwell discovers astonishing truths about a moon landing that the overseeing Motherland, a ruthless regime, is determined to hide. Find it in our catalog here.

Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool YP FIC VANDERPOOLOdyssey-like adventure of two boys' incredible quest on the Appalachian Trail where they deal with pirates, buried secrets, and extraordinary encounters. Find it in our catalog here.

2013 Teens Top ten

The votes are in and we have our 2013 picks for Teens Top Ten.  Below are the picks from teens across the country for the best fiction for teens this year.  Check them out to see what you've missed.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein YP FIC WEIN

In 1943, a British fighter plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France and the survivor tells a tale of friendship, war, espionage, and great courage as she relates what she must to survive while keeping secret all that she can. 

Find it in our catalog here. 

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen J FIC NIELSEN          In the country of Carthya, a devious nobleman engages four orphans in a brutal competition to be selected to impersonate the king's long-missing son in an effort to avoid a civil war.

 Find it in our catalog here.

Poison Princess by Kresley Cole YP FIC COLE   
In the aftermath of a cataclysmic event, sixteen-year-old Evie, from a well-to-do Louisiana family, learns that her terrible visions are actually prophecies and that there are others like herself--embodiments of Tarot cards destined to engage in an epic battle.                                                                       

 Find it in our catalog here.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth YP FIC ROTH   

As war surges in the dystopian society around her, sixteen-year-old Divergent Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves--and herself--while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love

 Find it in our catalog here.

Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross YP FIC CROSS
When sixteen-year-old Mira runs away to discover her secret past, she finds a place where Grimm's fairy tales come to life, and she cannot avoid her accursed fate.

 Find it in our catalog here.

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry YP FIC MCGARRY
Rendered a subject of gossip after a traumatic night that left her with terrible scars on her arms, Echo is dumped by her boyfriend and bonds with bad-boy Noah, whose tough attitude hides an understanding nature and difficult secrets. 

Find it in our catalog here.

 

Butter by Erin Jade Lange YP FIC LANGE 

Unable to control his binge eating, a morbidly obese teenager nicknamed Butter decides to make a live webcast of his last meal as he attempts to eat himself to death. 

Find it in our catalog here.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater YP FIC STIEFVAT  
Though she is from a family of clairvoyants, Blue Sargent's only gift seems to be that she makes other people's talents stronger, and when she meets Gansey, one of the Raven Boys from the expensive Aglionby Academy, she discovers that he has talents of his own--and that together their talents are a dangerous mix.

Find it in our catalog here.

 

 Crewel by Gennifer Albin YP FIC ALBIN
Gifted with the unusual ability to embroider the very fabric of life, sixteen-year-old Adelice is summoned by Manipulation Services to become a Spinster, a move that will separate her from her beloved family and home forever.

Find it in our catalog here.

 Every Day by David Levithan YP FIC LEVITHAN

Every morning A wakes in a different person's body, in a different person's life, learning over the years to never get too attached, until he wakes up in the body of Justin and falls in love with Justin's girlfriend, Rhiannon.









Find it in our catalog here.

Funny YA Reads

Earlier this month, Sharon Rawlins over at The Hub, the blog for the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), posed the question "Where has all the humor gone in YA books?"

A fair question. Sometimes, you're not in the mood for vampires, dystopias or melodramatic dramas. Luckily Rawlins included several suggestions to get the ball rolling when it comes to funny YA reads (be sure to check out comments left on Rawlin's post for even more ideas!).

Will Grayson, Will Grayson
by John Green and David Levithan
YP FIC GREEN
also on audiobook
Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie
by David Lubar
YP FIC LUBAR
Going Bovine
by Libba Bray
YP FIC BRAY
Beauty Queens
by Libba Bray
YP FIC BRAY
The Wee Free Men
(part of the Discoworld series)
by Terry Pratchett
J FIC PRATCHET
also on audiobook
An Abundance of Katherines
by John Green
YP FIC GREEN
All-American Girl
by Meg Cabot
Y FIC CABOT
I'd Tell You I Love You, but Then I'd Have to Kill You
(first in the Gallagher Girls series)
by Ally Carter
YP FIC CARTER
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
by Alexie Sherman
YP FIC SHERMAN
Son of the Mob
by Gordon Korman
YP FIC KORMAN
The Death-Defying Pepper Roux
by Geraldine McCaughrean
J FIC MCCAUGHR
Hold Me Closer, Necromancer
by Lish McBride
YP FIC MCBRIDE
My Awesome Awful Popularity Plan
by Seth Rudetsky
YP FIC RUDETSKY

2012 Alex Awards

Every year the Young Adult Library Services Association bestows the Alex Awards, which recognize novels written for adults but still have a unique appeal to youths ages 12 to 18. Check out the list below:

Big Girl Small by Rachel DeWoskin
The acclaimed author of Repeat After Me presents a scathingly funny and moving novel about a 16-year-old girl who becomes caught in a controversy that might bring down her whole school — a scandal that has something to do with the fact Judy is three feet nine inches tall.
In Zanesville by Jo Ann Beard
The beguiling fourteen-year-old narrator is a late bloomer used to flying under the radar. Luckily, she has a best friend, a similarly undiscovered girl with whom she shares the everyday adventures of a 1970s American girlhood but in time, their friendship is tested.
The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan
The nameless narrator of David Levithan's The Lover's Dictionary has constructed the story of his relationship as a dictionary. Through these short entries, he provides an intimate window into the great events and quotidian trifles of being within a couple, giving us an indelible and deeply moving portrait of love in our time.
The New Kids: Big dreams and brave journeys at a high school for immigrant teens by Brooke Hauser
A singular work of narrative journalism, The New Kids chronicles a year in the life of a remarkable group of these teenage newcomers — a multicultural mosaic that embodies what is truly amazing about America.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
It is called Cirque des Rêves and it is only open at night. But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway - a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will.
Ready Player One by Earnest Kline
It’s the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place. Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be. Wade dreams of being the one to discover a series of fiendish puzzles hidden inside the OASIS that will yield massive fortune — and remarkable power — to whoever can unlock them.
Robopacalypse by Daniel H. Wilson
In the near future, at a moment no one will notice, all the dazzling technology that runs our world will unite and turn against us. Robopocalypse is a brilliantly conceived action-filled epic, a terrifying story with heart-stopping implications for the real technology all around us and an entertaining and engaging thriller unlike anything else written in years.
Salvage The Bones by Jesmyn Ward
A hurricane is building over the Gulf of Mexico, threatening the coastal town of Bois Sauvage, Mississippi. As the twelve days that make up the novel's framework yield to their dramatic conclusion, this unforgettable family — motherless children sacrificing for one another as they can, protecting and nurturing where love is scarce — pulls itself up to face another day.
The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt by Caroline Preston
A spirited, visually lush, and stunning novel, inspired by the art of scrapbooking and told through a kaleidoscopic array of vintage postcards, letters, magazine ads, ticket stubs, catalog pages, fabric swatches, candy wrappers, fashion spreads, menus, and more, starring an unforgettable heroine and set in the burgeoning bohemian culture of the 1920s.

YALSA drops it's Best fiction for Teens list like it's hot! And it is!

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has announced their best of lists.  You can read their best fiction list here and their best graphic novels list here.  Below are their top teen fiction books and our call numbers.  Check them out!

Carson, Rae. The Girl of Fire and Thorns YP FIC CARSON

Cohen, Joshua C. Leverage YP FIC COHEN

King, A.S. Everybody Sees the Ants YP FIC KING

McCall, Guadalupe Garcia. Under the Mesquite YP FIC MCCALL

Myracle, Lauren. Shine YP FIC MYRACLE

Ness, Patrick. A Monster Calls. Illus by Jim Kay YP FIC NESS

Sepetys, Ruta. Between Shades of Gray YP FIC SEPETYS

Stiefvater, Maggie. The Scorpio Races YP FIC STIEFVAT

Taylor, Laini. Daughter of Smoke and Bone  YP FIC TAYLOR

Zarr, Sara. How to Save a Life YP FIC ZARR

YALSA announces best fiction of 2010

YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) has put together a list of the absolutely best fiction books from the year 2010(it seems like just yesterday!). So if you are looking for something GREAT to read or new authors to obsess over, then you should check out the list and then check out the book from our library! Here, I’ll get you started with the top ten best books according to YALSA and their library call numbers (you’re welcome!):

Bacigalupi, Paolo. Ship Breaker.
Nailer is a light crew scavenger tearing up old hulks of ships, living day to day, until a rich girl and her gleaming ship run ashore in a storm on the beach and his life gets more dangerous. Call Number: YP FIC BACIGALU

Donnelley, Jennifer. Revolution.

Haunted by the death of her brother, Andi is taken to Paris by her estranged father where an encounter with a mysterious diary may bring her back from the edge. Call Number: YP FIC DONNELLEY

Marchetta, Melina. Finnikin of the Rock.
Finnikin and his fellow exiles from Lumatere wish to return to their cursed homeland. Finnikin must go on an epic journey with a mute novice named Evanjalin to return home. Call Number: YP FIC MARCHETT

Matson, Morgan. Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour.2010.
Amy and Roger must both learn to deal with loss while on a road trip across the country which doesn't go as expected. Call Number: YP FIC MATSON

McBride, Lish. Hold Me Closer, Necromancer.

When Sam discovers he is a necromancer he must learn to control his power in order to defeat a powerful and corrupt rival and save his friends. Call Number: YP FIC MCBRIDE

Mulligan, Andy. Trash.

Three garbage-picker boys find an item of great value to a corrupt politician on their rounds, setting off a tense hunt to see who will triumph. Call Number: YP FIC MULLIGAN

Perkins, Mitali. Bamboo People.
Chiko, a Burmese soldier and Tu Reh, a Kerenni refugee meet on opposite sides of war and each must learn what it means to be a man of his people. Call Number: J FIC PERKINS

Reinhardt, Dana. The Things a Brother Knows.

Boaz is back and hailed as the hometown hero, but he is not at all the same. Can his younger brother Levi help him truly make his way home? Call Number: YP FIC REINHARD

Saenz, Benjamin. Last Night I Sang to the Monster.

Weeks in therapy go by and 18-year-old Zach is still unable to remember the monstrous events that left him alone and haunted by nightmares. Call Number: YP FIC SAENZ

Sedgwick, Marcus. Revolver.
Sig is alone with his father’s body when the lawless man his father had managed to escape appears out of the icy wilderness. Call Number: YP FIC SEDGWICK

And just click on this link to go to the full list of best fiction books: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/bestficya/bfya2011.cfm