This website contains, not only book lists and book awards, but activities and contests to support teachers and to engage students in reading.
I used several sources to devise my book list, and I will continue consult these as new books are published. First, I looked to coworkers. Two fellow English teachers, who are fiends for reading, recommended several titles, like The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I also listened to my students, one of whom demanded I read The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things. And I will never stop enjoying the simple pleasure of just wandering the stacks in the library. I found some of the best books, like Raven's Gate, that way. Finally, I sought out professional organizations like those to the left. I have described them in more detail below:
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YALSA. The Young Adult Library Services Association keeps multiple lists. Three are listed here, but check out the whole site by clicking on the link to the left. Alex awards are given to books that "have special appeal to young adults." They are adult literature with YA themes. The Time Traveler's Wife is on this list. Margaret A. Edwards awards celebrate an author's lifetime achievement. Past winners include Walter Dean Meyers and Chris Crutcher. The Printz award goes to outstanding young adult literature, and the novel Speak has been a recipient. Walter Dean Meyers has also won this award for a previous novel, Monster. YALSA also has a list of Quick Picks for Young Adult Readers. Things Change, a book I hope to read soon, is on this list, and many of my students love this book. In fact, one commented that it was the best book she had ever read. I picked these three lists because of their variety from each other, though all of YALSA is reputable. |
| Teen Read Week. Though this is headed by YALSA, I've separated Teen Read Week out from the rest of the organization, which are created by adults only. As I mentioned before, I take student recommendations into account, and this site contains a list of student chosen books. Each year, from October 16-22, YALSA supports special activities to keep teenagers reading. While Teen Read Week hadn't yet occurred while I was making my book selections, I recognize it as a noteworthy site and I will consult it for future picks. |
| ALAN. The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the National Council for the Teachers of English. This site is geared toward educators, not teens, but has a valuable books list called Bill's Best Books, which gives an annotated bibliography complete with suggestions for high school, middle school, and reluctant readers. Publishers send ALAN books, and ALAN reviews the ones they enjoy. I recognize that this list may be lopsided toward publishers who know about Bill's Best Books, but it is one way to get recently published books. At the same time, BBB re-reviews "oldies" but goodies. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes (2003) is on the May 2005 list, but is such a wonderful novel, I'm guessing they thought it would be a good summer read. |
I also looked for professional literature to help me make my decisions about book choices. YALSA's Knowledge of Materials page contains electronic and print resources, but I also performed a few database and internet searches myself. I picked up Reading Don't Fix No Chevys from such a search, but I had seen it on other teacher's books shelves, at conferences by notable organizations like MCTE, and in graduate student presentations.
Even when I started this project, I never expected The Matrix to have a definite end. It is dynamic, and it should be. I wanted the option of adding and deleting books and features. A website, then, was the perfect medium to publish it. I will continue to update it as I deepen my knowledge of ya lit and my students.
Jump right to Teen Read week, a subsection of YALSA and ALA. Make sure you check out the book lists. This site is for teens and adults.
The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE is dedicated to studying young adult literature. Its website contains awards lists, recommendations, reviews, author interviews and more.
