Trying to devise a slate of categories is hard work when the genre you’re attempting to award and highlight the best of is as diverse as romance. Or YA. But the Young Adult Library Services Association has come up with four very very cool categories to divide and examine the YA books for their Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults category:
- Dead, Dying and the Undead: Death can be an adventure, but not everyone lives to tell about it. Join us in exploring the often mysterious world of death and those who experience it . . . and those who come back.
- Fame & Fortune: Stardom! Wealth! Notoriety! Read all about teens aspiring to make it big.
- Journey>Destination: Take a journey of your own by reading about authentic and imagined road trips and journeys by any and all means of transport in the world.
- Spies & Intrigue: Political intrigue, daring deeds, great escapes, and more in this thrilling list of fiction and nonfiction about those who operate within the world of shadow.
The variation in titles that were nominated within each subcategory is very cool. The “Death” category includes Meg Cabot, 
And the Fame & Fortune category includes Cabot, JK Rowling, and RWA-Winner Caridad Ferrer’s Adios to My Old Life
It is no secret I love me some YA. I’m tickled as hell at the varying categories for book lists and awards from the YALSA as much as the subcategories. Books for reluctant readers? Books for the college bound? Multiple awards for audiobooks? Holy crapping damn, that’s cool. Who ever came up with these slates is seriously creative and has given me a serious yen to go hide out in the NYPL YA section for, like, six hours.
I miss my teen years. YA books, if you ask me, are better than most of the adult fare these days. It just feels like more effort goes into them and the stories are just plain better.
I really wish I’d taken the Children’s/YA Literature course when I was in library school, because the YA market really seems to be where it’s at in terms of experimentation, book design, and all-around coolness. Or maybe it’s just something about getting young adults involved in books that professionals (publishers, authors, librarians) in the area work really hard to expand boundaries and innovate.
Ri L – while I love me some YA like nothin’ else, I disagree with you on that one. There’s just as much a percentage of crap in the YA genre as there is in any other. But as Chicklet says, the YA field is definitely getting a lot of attention art, design, production and experimentation-wise. Which is so cool.
Makes me wonder what would happen to romance is the same edge of experimentation and design were applied to its production.
Hey, SBs! Thanks so much for highlighting PPYA in this post. We had a ton of fun coming up with our list themes this year and are having even more fun reading and nominating titles for inclusion on the lists. If any of your readers have ideas of titles that would be good fits, we welcome field nominations! Anyone can nominate a title by going here and filling out the form.
Thanks again,
Karen Brooks-Reese
Chair, PPYA 2009
The YA section in the library on Galveston Island leaves a lot to be desired. They don’t have any Meg Cabot, that I’ve been able to find, and only one Megan Whalen Turner—and that not the most famous.
I love me some YA’s too. I was thrilled when I could take a YA lit course for my library degree.
When I lived in MN, we had a teen librarian in our library system. She was the first teen librarian in the entire state and I loved that they had someone who focused on teen readers.
Reading teenage romance books is what got me started down this dark and dangerous road to adult romance novels.
Ri L: Why not read YA books now? No one said adults can’t enjoy them, too.
I love reading YA fantasy. I am so pleased to see Garth Nix listed above. Anyone who has not read the Sabriel trilogy should go check it out. Actually, in an interview Garth Nix says that he did not write the books for the YA audience. It is only in America where they have been classified as such. My best guess is that this happened due to the fact that his main characters are around 17 years old. I wish I could recommend the books to my jr. high students, but between the fact that Sabriel is a necromancer and an uncircumsized penis is mention (only once!) I could find myself in hot water with parents. Darn over protective parents… ::grumble::
Y’all understand I’m still giggling like a fiend at seeing my name on that list, right? Even if it’s only a preliminary list, still—J.K. Rowling and Meg Cabot. *is boggled*
And thanks SB Sarah, for the mention and just talking about the YALSA lists in general. Glancing through those lists, what I love (aside from the fact that I’m on one of them *g*) is the sheer variety. There are some really cool things on there, including manga, all designed to get kids reading.
I LOVE being on this list.
I haunt YALSA’s lists often – for ideas of books to read, of titles and topics to display in my YA area, for bibliography ideas – it’s an amazing resource.
I didn’t have a chance to see the new lists though, so thanks for letting me know they were up!
YA fiction does have it’s horrific messes, but it also has books that have been the best I’ve ever read (i.e. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak).
YA books are amazing. I don’t read enough of them right now (or really any book), but I love them.
I’ve been reading more YA…that means “young at heart” right?