YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) announced their Teens' Top Ten! These titles are chosen and voted on by teens as the best of the best for the year. Take a look and make note to read these! I have read quite a few and think they picked some great stories!
All Good Children
Catherine Austen, (2011).
Max, his sister Ally and their mother return home to Middleton to find Ally’s classmates acting strange. It is the future, and the government has created a “vaccine” to make kids easier to teach- they are less rowdy, less likely to question, and willing to obey any direction. Max’s family has a choice: to be “vaccinated”, to flee their home, or stay and fight.
Ashes
Ilsa Bick, (2011).
Alex, Tom, and Ellie join forces after an electromagnetic pulse sweeps through the sky. The pulse kills most of the world’s population and destroys all computer devices, but it also turns some who remain into zombies or gives them superhuman senses.
Abandon
Meg Cabot, (2012).
Pierce has experienced deathbefore and barely escaped. When she moves from her old town to a town called Isla Huesos - Island of Bones - for a new start, she realizes that death wants her back. Canshe escape death once again?
Julie Cross, (2012).
Jackson is a typical college kid until the day his girlfriend, Holly, is shot. Jackson decides he mustuse his one incredible gift, the ability to time travel. He goes back in time two years, trying to discover a way to alter the future so that Holly lives. The future is full of uncertainty and the past is full of betrayal- is there anyone Jackson can trust?
What Happened to Goodbye
Sarah Dessen, (2011).
Ever since Mclean’s parents divorced, she has lived in four towns in two years – each time taking on a new persona. Mclean expects to leave Lakeview in six months, but soon finds that she doesn’t want to – she just wants to be herself.
Wither
Lauren DeStefano, (2011).
In the future, experimental genetics ensures that males only live to 25 and females to 20. When 16-year-old Rhine is kidnapped and sold into marriage, she is determined not to let her walls down for anyone so she can escape and go home to her brother. But when she meets her sister wives and Gabriel, a handsome servant, she finds it harder than ever as she tries to plan her escape under the watchful eye of her sinister father-in-law.
Gayle Forman, (2011).
This sequel to Gayle Forman’s If I Stay is narrated by Adam, Mia’s ex-boyfriend. Shortly after the devastating accident that killed Mia’s family, the talented cellist moves to New York, where an accidental meeting brings them back together.
Scarlet
A.C.Gaughen, (2012).
Will Scarlett is one of the Merry Men, Robin Hood’s legendary band of thieves, but what few people know is that Will Scarlett is actually...a girl! Disguised as a boy to escape from her past, Scarlett robs from the rich and gives to the poor. When an old enemy of Scarlett’s appears, she must choose: Keep her identity hidden? Or keep the people of Nottingham safe?
Eona: The Last Dragoneye
Alison Goodman, (2011).
As the battle for ultimate control of her home draws near, Eona finds herself waging an internal battle that might cause more damage than the war threatening to break out across the kingdom.
John Green, (2012).
Hazel and Augustus meet and forge a relationship at a support group for kids battling cancer. As Hazel and Augustus struggle with the “side-effects of dying,” they come to learn the strength of wishes, the complexities of long human lives, and the wondrous ways of the universe.
Page by Paige
Laura Lee Gulledge, (2011).
When Paige Turner and her family move to Brooklyn from ruralVirginia, she tries to make sense of her new life through her sketchbook, which exposes her true personality and helps her find herself.
Legend
Marie Lu, (2011). (978-0399256752). June, a fifteen-year-old military prodigy, is hunting Day, the outlaw she believes is responsible for her brother’s death. What will happen when the two meet and discover the government is corrupt?
Myra McEntire, (2011).
Emerson Cole sees dead people- ghosts from the past blending in with her surroundings. When a new consultant from a secretive organization shows up at her door to try to cure her, everything changes. But diving into the world of the mysterious Hourglass Society proves to be dangerous as the past merges with the present.
Cinder
Marissa Meyer, (2012).
A futuristic retelling of the classic Cinderella, Cinder, a cyborg and talented mechanic, lives with her cruel stepmother and two stepsisters in the plague-ridden New Beijing. Soon after meeting Prince Kai, Cinder must find the truths of her past, which may help to save the future.
Shine
Lauren Myracle, (2011).
When her best friend falls victim to a horrible hate crime, sixteen-year-old Cat sets out to discover the culprits in her backwoods town in North Carolina.
Patrick Ness, (2011).
Conor suddenly wakes up just past midnight to find a monster outside his window. This monster wants something from Conor that he is reluctant to give: the truth.
This Dark Endeavor: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein.
Kenneth Oppel, (2011).
In this prequel to Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein is on a dark quest to save his twin’s life. With help from his best friend Henry and his lovely cousin Elizabeth, the three go on a quest to concoct the mythical Elixir of Life. How far is he willing to go to save his twin?
Across the Universe
Beth Revis, (2011).
Cryogenically frozen centuries ago, Amy and her parents are on their way to a new planet aboard the spaceship, Godspeed. Unplugged from her cryo chamber, Amy discovers she has been awoken 50 years early, in a failed murder attempt. With Elder, the future leader of the ship, by her side they are on an adventure filled with murder, lies, dreams, and stars.
Ransom Riggs, (2011).
When Jacob was little, his grandfather would tell him stories of the fantastical children’s home where he grew up and the seemingly magical kids who lived there with him. When his grandfather is killed, Jacob sets out to find the home where these children lived, unearthing a magical secret and uncovering his true heritage.
Divergent
Veronica Roth,(2011).
Abnegation (selfless), Erudite (intelligence), Candor (honesty), Amity (peace), or Dauntless (brave): where would you fit? Beatrice lives in a society where she must choose either to remain with her family’s faction or set off towards independence and her beliefs. And what happens when the unity between these factions begins to fall apart?
Between Shades of Gray
Ruta Sepetys, (2011).
In 1941, Lina, her mother, and younger brother are taken from their home in Lithuania and sent to Siberia. The only thing that keeps her going is her secretly created art and the hope that one day she’ll be be reunited with her father.
Maggie Stiefvater, (2011).
Every November, the beaches of Thisby come alive with the Scorpio Races. The water horses are vicious, the terrain is treacherous, and death is likely, but the reward can be beyond anything you could imagine. Puck Connolly is racing for her family, Sean Kendrick for his passion—but only one can win The Scorpio Races.
How to Save a Life
Sara Zarr, (2011).
A year after Jill’s father dies, her mother decides to adopt a baby. Mandy’s been living in different places, but now that she’s pregnant, she wants to make sure her baby has the love and support she never did. A story of two girls dealing with grief, new life, and everything in between when their paths cross.
All These Things I’ve Done
Gabrielle Zevin, (2011).
In 2083, water is rationed, paper is rare, and coffee and chocolate are illegal. Anya Balanchine balances a mobster family, ailing grandmother, and forbidden love - until it all comes crashing down.
