bbya2005

Teens Talk About Books

What is Best Books?

The Best Books Committee of YALSA, the Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of ALA, the American Library Association annually selects a list of the best books for teens published in the previous calendar year with books from the last four months of the year prior to that also eligible. Lists for the last 5 years as well as the nomination form and policies & procedures can be found at Best Books for Young Adults at the YALSA web site.

Comment Form

2004 Teen Top Ten list.

2003 Teen Top Ten list.

Di's Genrefluent Page

Teen comments on books nominated for BBYA 2004. See what teens said about the nominated titles. See what Canadian teens are saying about the books at Betsy's web site. Many of these titles are also discussed on YALSA-BK subscription list I rave about so often. For those who've asked, here is the subscription information:
Send a message to listproc@ala.org. Leave the subject line blank. For the message type "Subscribe YALSA-bk first name last name."

Book Club Meetings

1st and 3rd Wednesdays at lunch - GJHS

2nd and 4th Wednesdays at lunch -CHS

Send in your comments on the nominated books.

If clicking on the mailbox doesn't work for you send mail to me at:

or try the Comment Form.

To see what was nominated for the 2004 list and what teens thought about specific titles go to 2004 but make sure to check out the 72 titles that actually made the list at Best Books for Young Adults at the YALSA web site

Check out the titles that actually made the 2003 list at Best Books for Young Adults at the YALSA web site.

Teens, please send in your comments on the nominated books the Comment Form.

Teen Comments on books that were not nominated.

Some of the books that are going to be eligible for the 200l awards have started to come in. See what teens say about them.

Best Books for Young Adults 2005
Final Nomination List

The books listed here were nominated for the BBYA list. The final list was chosen in January 2005 by members of the YALSA BBYA committee of the American Library Association

Abernathy, Donzaleigh. Partners to History: Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph David Abernathy, and the Civil Rights Movement. #39
Adoff, Jaime. Names Will Never Hurt Me. #44
Aidinoff, Elsie V. The Garden. #55 Teen Comments
Almond, David Fire-Eaters #18 Teen Comments
Almond, Steve Candyfreak: A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America #116
Alvarez, Julia Finding Miracles #93 Teen Comments
Avi, and Rachel Vail. Never Mind!: A Twin Novel.
Barron, T. A. The Great Tree of Avalon: Child of the Dark Prophecy.
Barry, Dave & Ridley Pearson. Peter And The Starcatchers.
Bass, L. G. Sign of the Qin #3 Teen Comments
Bausum, Ann. With Courage and Cloth: Winning the Fight for a Woman's Right to Vote.
Bell, Hilari Flame. (new title -The Farsala Trilogy #1: Fall of a Kingdom)#31. Teen Comments
Bennett, Cherie and Jeff Gottesfeld A Heart Divided #87 Teen Comments
Bloor, Edward Story Time #146
Bolden, Tonya Wake Up Our Souls: A Celebration of Black American Artists #86
Bone, Ian. The Song of the Innocent Bystander.
Booth, Martin. Doctor Illuminatus: The Alchemist's Son. Teen Comments
Botha, Ted Mongo: Adventures in Trash #122
Boyce, Franks Contrell Millions #123
Braff, Joshua. The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green.
Brennan, Herbie. The Purple Emporer.
Brooks, Kevin Kissing the Rain #109
Brugman, Alyssa Walking Naked #88 Teen Comments
Burgess, Melvin Doing It #9 Teen Comments
Caletti, Deb. Honey, Baby, Sweetheart. #53 Teen Comments
Callahan, David The Cheating Culture: Why More Americans Are Doing Wrong To Get Ahead #6
Cann, Kate Hard Cash #34
Choldenko, Gennifer Al Capone Does My Shirts #5
Chotjewitz, David. Daniel Half Human and the Good Nazi
City Of One: Young Writers Speak to the World. From WritersCorps, edited by Colette DeDonato Teen Comments
Clugston-Major, Chynna Scooter Girl #124
Cofer, Judith Ortiz. Call me Maria: A Novel in Letters, Poems, and Prose
Cohn, Rachel Pop Princess #90 Teen Comments
Coleman, Michael. On The Run.
Constable, Kate. Singer of all Songs.
Cooley, Beth. Ostrich Eye. Teen Comments
Corder, Zizou. Lionboy. Teen Comments
Corrigan, Eireann. Splintering. #66
Croci, Pascal Auschwitz #108
Crossley-Holland, Kevin King of the Middle March #173
Curtis, Christopher Paul Bucking the Sarge #102
de Lint, Charles. The Blue Girl. Teen Comments
Delaney, Mark Pepperland #91
Dessen, Sarah The Truth About Forever #8 Teen Comments
Dr. Ernest Drake's Dragonology: The Complete Book of Dragons Dugald Steer, ed #20
Dunkle, Clare B. Close Kin #119 Teen Comments
Dunkle, Clare B. The Hollow Kingdom #29 Teen Comments
DuPrau, Jeanne. The People of Sparks.
Echlin, Kim. Inanna: From the Myths of Ancient Sumer. #49
Ehrenhaft, Daniel. 10 Things to Do Before I Die. #71. Teen Comments
Face Relations: 11 Stories About Seeing Beyond Color Singer, Marilyn, ed. #94
The Faery Reel: Tales from the Twilight RealmDatlow, Ellen and Windling, Terri, ed. #142. Teen Comments
Farmer, Nancy The Sea of Trolls #107
Fisher, Catherine. The Oracle Betrayed. #40 Teen Comments
Fisher, Catherine. Snow-Walker.
Fisher, Thomas B. George Washington, Spymaster. How the Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War
Flake, Sharon G. Who am I With Out Him? #28 Teen Comments
Flinn, Alex Nothing to Lose #4 Teen Comments
Freedman, Russell. The Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights.
Fromm, Pete As Cool As I Am #33
Fusco, Kimberly Newton Tending to Grace #96
Gardner, Graham. Inventing Elliot. #54
Gardner, James Alan. Radiant.
Giles, Gail. Playing In Traffic. Teen Comments
Glausiusz, Josie Buzz #132
Gothic! Ten Original Dark Tales Noyes, Deborah, ed #135
Graydon, Shari. Made You Look. #43
Greenberg, Jan and Sandra Jordan. Andy Warhol: Prince of Pop.
Hallowell, Janis. The Annunciation of Francesca Dunn. #64 Teen Comments
Halls, Kelly Milner. Albino Animals.
Halpin, Mikki. It's your World - If you don't like it, change it: Activism for Teenagers.
Halpin, Brendan. Donorboy.
Hartinger, Brent. The Last Chance Texaco. Teen Comments.
Hautman, Pete Godless #74 Teen Comments
Heneghan, James and Bruce McBay Waiting for Sarah #25
Herrick, Steve The Simple Gift #139
Hill, Laban Carrick. Harlem Stomp! A Cultural History of the Harlem Renaissance. #47
Hinton, S. E. Hawkes Harbor #163
Hobbs, Valerie Letting Go of Bobby James, or How I found My Self of Steam #136
Holiday, Billie and Arthur Herzog Jr. God Bless the Child #110
Hoose, Phillip M. The Race to Save the Lord God Bird #99
Hornschemeier, Paul. Mother, Come Home. #68
Horowitz, Anthony Eagle Strike #35
Is This Forever or What? Poems�� & Paintings From Texas Nye, Naomi Shihab,ed.
Janeczko, Paul Worlds Afire: The Hartford Circus Fire of 1944 #16
Jinks, Catherine Pagan in Exile #153 Teen Comments
Jocelyn, Marthe. Mable Riley: A Reliable Record of Humdrum, Peril, and Romance. #57
Johnson, Angela Bird #106.
Johnson, Kathleen Jeffrie A Fast and Brutal Wing #115 Teen Comments
Johnson, Maureen. The Key to the Golden Firebird.
Jones, Patrick Things Change #101. Teen Comments
Juby, Susan Miss Smithers #103
Kadohata, Cynthia. Kira-Kira. #65
Kaplow, Robert Me and Orson Wells #7
Koertge, Ron Margaux with an X #120. Teen comments.
Koja, Kathe The Blue Mirror #73 Teen Comments
Konigsburg, E. L. The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place #1 Teen Comments
Koontz, Dean Odd Thomas #27
Krull, Kathleen. The Book of Rock Stars: 24 Musical Icons that Shine Through History. #50
Kubert, Joe. Yossel, April 19, 1943: A Story of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. #56
Kushner, Tony. Brundibar.
Lackey, Mercedes The Fairy Godmother #98
Lawrence Iain B for Buster #137 Teen Comments
Lawrence, Michael A Crack in the Line #97
Le Guin, Ursula. Gifts.#156
Leavitt, Martine Heck, Superhero #112
Lee, Tanith. Piratica: Being a Daring Tale of a Singular Girl's Adventure Upon the High Seas. Teen Comments.
Levithan, David The Realm of Possibility #2
Lynch, Chris The Gravedigger's Cottage #26
Macaulay, David. Mosque. #41
Mackler, Carolyn Vegan Virgin Valentine #140 Teen Comments
Marchetta, Melina. Saving Francesca. #52 Teen Comments
Mark, Jan Useful Idiots #157
Martin, Ann M. Here Today. Teen Comments
McAlpine, Gordon. Mystery Box. #42
McFann, Jennifer. Laveidem.
McGhee, Alison. Snap.
McKay, Hilary. Indigo's Star.
McKinley, Robin Sunshine #14
McMullan, Margaret. How I Found the Strong. #62
McNaughton, Janet. An Earthly Knight. #61 Teen Comments
McWhorter, Diane. A Dream of Freedom: The Civil Rights Movement from 1954 to 1968.
Meyer, L. A. Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Being an Accouint of the Misadventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman and Fine Lady #77 Teen Comments
Morgan, Nicola Fleshmarket #113
Morgenroth, Kate Jude #158
Moriarty, Jaclyn The Year of Secret Assignments #32
Morpurgo, Michael. Private Peaceful. Teen Comments.
Moses, Shelia P. The Legend of Buddy Bush. #46
Moynahan, Molly Stone Garden #30
Murkoff, Heidi. The What to Expect Baby-Sitter's Handbook. #51
Myers, Walter Dean. Antarctica: Journeys to the South Pole.
Myers, Walter Dean. Here in Harlem: Poems in Many Voices.
Myers, Walter Dean Shooter #100 Teen Comments
Napoli, Donna Jo. Bound. Teen Comments.
Nelson, Blake Rock Star, Superstar #125
Nilsson, Per Heart’s Delight #126
Nolan, Han When We Were Saints #11
Onassis, Jacqueline Kennedy The Eloquent Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis: A Portrait in Her Own Words #80
Oppel, Kenneth Airborn #36 Teen Comments
Peck, Richard. Past Perfect, Present Tense: New and Collected Stories. #38
Peck, Richard. The Teacher's Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts.
Perez, Marlene. Unexpected Development.
Perkins, Mitali. Monsoon Summer.
Peters, Julie Anne Luna: A Novel #22 Teen Comments
Philbrick, Nathan Sea of Glory: America's Voyage of Discovery: The U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842 #85
Picoult, Jodi My Sister’s Keeper #127
Pierce, Meredith Ann Waters: Luminous & Deep #13
Pratchett, Terry A Hat Full of Sky #23 Teen Comments
Provoost, Anne translated by John Nieuwenhuizen In the Shadow of the Ark #120
Prue, Sally. The Devil's Toenail.
Qualey, Marsha Too Big a Storm #17 Teen Comments
Rapp, Adam Under the Wolf, Under the Dog #105
Reeve, Philip Predator’s Gold #128
Revenge and Forgiveness: an anthology of poems. Patrice Vecchione.
Robinson, Sharon Promises to Keep: How Jackie Robinson Changed America #15
Rosoff, Meg How I Live Now #138
Runyon, Brent The Burn Journals. #58 Teen Comments
Ryan, Pam Munoz. Becoming Naomi Leon #207
Saenz, Benjamin Alire. Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood. #151
Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return.
Schmidt, Gary D. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminister Boy #78
Schneider, Helga Let Me Go #104
Seagle, Steven T. It's A Bird.#118
Searles, John Strange but True #133
Sedgwick, Marcus. The Book of Dead Days. #67
Shea, Pegi Deitz Tangled Threads: A Hmong Girl's Story #12
Shepard, Jim. Project X. #37
Shinn, Sharon The Safe-Keeper's Secret #134
Shusterman, Neal The Schwa Was Here #141
Silverstein, Ken The Radioactive Boy Scout: The True Story of a Boy and His Backyard Nuclear Reactor #76
Sixteen: Stories About That Sweet and Bitter Birthday. Megan McCafferty
Sones, Sonya One of those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies #92
Sonnenblick, Jordan Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie #129
Sosnowski, David. Vamped : A Novel. #145
Stanton, Tom Hank Aaron and the Home Run that Changed America #72
Stephens, J.B. The Big Empty. #177
Stewart, Robert. Mysteries of History. #45
Strasser, Todd Can't Get There from Here #24 Teen Comments
Stratton, Allan Chanda’s Secret #130
Stroud, Jonathan The Golem’s Eye #167
Sullivan, Robert. Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants. #70
Tashjian, Janet. Vote for Larry. #48
Tocher, Timothy. Chief Sunrise, John McGraw, and Me. #181
Townley, Roderick. Sky: A novel in 3 sets and an encore.
Traig, Jennifer Devil in the Details #117
Trottier, Maxine. Sister to the Wolf.
Turnbull, Ann. No Shame, No Fear. #155
Unger, Zac. Working Fire: The Making of an Accidental Fireman
Updale, Eleanor. Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman? #69
Van Der Vat, Dan D-Day: The Greatest Invasion - A Peoples History #83
Walton, Jo Tooth and Claw #19
Warren, Andrea. Escape from Saigon. How a Vietnam War Orphan Became an American Boy
Weatherly, Lee. Missing Abby. #203. Teen Comments.
Weeks, Sarah So B. It #111
Werlin, Nancy Double Helix #10 Teen Comments
Westerfeld, Scott Midnighters: The Secret Hour #82 Teen Comments
Westerfeld, Scott So Yesterday #81
Whedon, Joss Fray #75
Whitesel, Cheryl Aylward. Blue Fingers: A Ninja's Tale. #63
Whitney, Kim Ablon See You Down the Road #85 Teen Comments
Wild, Margaret. One Night. #59
Wilkins, Rose. So Super Starry. #209
Williams-Garcia, Rita. No Laughter Here.. #60 Teen Comments
Wittlinger, Ellen Heart on my Sleeve #131. Teen Comments
Wolf, Allan. New Found Land: Lewis and Clark's Voyage of Discovery.
Wooding, Chris Haunting of Alaizabel Clay #89
Woods, Brenda Emako Blue #143 Teen Comments
Woodson, Jacqueline Behind You #114
Wyatt, Melissa Raising the Griffin #21 Teen Comments
Wyeth, Sharon Dennis Orphea Proud #79
Yolen, Jane and Robert J. Harris. Prince Across the Water. #170
Zahn, Timothy. Dragon and Soldier: The Second Dragonback Adventure. #202. Teen Comments.
Zahn, Timothy. The Green and the Gray. #200
Zeises, Lara M. Contents Under Pressure. #169 Teen Comments