Young Adult Library Services Association 2011 Teen’s Choice Nominees

It’s time to vote for the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teen’s Top Ten, a "teen choice" list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books from the previous year. Every year, 30+ publishers send recent young adult titles to teen book discussion groups in libraries and schools across the country. These groups evaluate the books and nominate their favorites for YALSA’s Teen’s Top Ten list. Being a big fan of previous winners – like Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney, Inkheart by Cornelia Funke and Twilight by Stephenie Meyer – I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth (no pun intended) into this year’s list. Of the twenty-five nominees, here are my two favorite picks for the YALSA Teen’s Top Ten.

before i fall by Lauren Oliver

Sam, a popular senior girl at Thomas Jefferson High School, gets into a car accident coming home from a party and dies, but instead of a white light or pearly gates, she wakes up in her own bedroom and must live through the day of her death again. Now, she is stuck in a loop and every time she goes to sleep, she wakes up the morning of her accident, and every day she discovers something new about herself, about her accident and about how her actions affect other people. A definite must read, with an ending I didn’t expect. Be prepared for a few tears.

Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld

The second book in the Leviathan series, continues the adventures of Deryn/Dylan, a girl (Deryn) dressed as a boy (Dylan) serving as a British airman during World War I. Though constantly worried that someone will discover her secret, Deryn makes friends with Alek, an Austrian prince who has a few secrets of his own, and together they plan a revolution, destroy the Germans' hold on the Ottoman empire and save the British airship “The Leviathan” from the Germans new weapon, the Teslaa canon. This series was my first experience with the steampunk genre, and I can’t wait to read the third book – Goliath is scheduled for release in September.

Other books on the list include I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore, Love Inc. by Yvonne Collins, and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, the third and final installment of the Hunger Games trilogy. 

Be sure to check out the complete list of the 25 YALSA Teen’s Top Ten nominees. Voting will begin August 22 for readers ages 12-18 and the winners will be announced during Teen Read Week, October 16-22.  

Which is your pick? And who do you think will make it to the top ten?

-- Julie