YALSA

YALSA builds the capacity of libraries and librarians to engage, serve and empower teens.
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For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources go to www.ala.org/yalsa. YALSA aims to support library staff in alleviating the challenges teens face, and in putting all teens ‒ especially those with the greatest needs ‒ on the path to successful and fulfilling lives.

03/07/2026

Getting THAT book to THAT kid with Ellen Cochrane

We sat down with debut author Ellen Cochrane to discuss how vital nonfiction is for young readers...

We sat down with debut author Ellen Cochrane to discuss how vital nonfiction is for young readers

02/28/2026

“We Learn through Story”: an interview with Angeline Boulley

We sit down with Printz Honor and Winner Angeline Boulley to discuss novels as a teaching opportunity, exploring and celebrating identity through storytelling, and revisiting her wildly successful Sugar Island saga....

We sit down with Printz Honor and Winner Angeline Boulley to discuss novels as a teaching opportunity, exploring and celebrating identity through storytelling, and revisiting her wildly successful …

02/23/2026

Best Fiction for Young Adults ( ) Featured Review: And the Trees Stare Back by Gigi Griffis

And the Trees Stare Back offers all the elements that make for outstanding YA literary fiction: evocative, atmospheric prose; a deeply authentic first-person voice; and historical grounding in a late-1980s moment of political unrest tied to folk horror and speculative twists....

And the Trees Stare Back offers all the elements that make for outstanding YA literary fiction: evocative, atmospheric prose; a deeply authentic first-person voice; and historical grounding in a la…

02/18/2026

Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers ( ) Feature Review: Almost Sunset Wahab Algarmi

This graphic novel offers a thoughtful portrayal of a teenager navigating the balance between family expectations during Ramadan and the everyday demands of school, sports, and peer relationships....

This graphic novel offers a thoughtful portrayal of a teenager navigating the balance between family expectations during Ramadan and the everyday demands of school, sports, and peer relationships.

02/16/2026

Best Fiction for Young Adults ( ) Featured Review: When Devils Sing by Xan Kaur

Readers interested in southern horror will love this book....

Readers interested in southern horror will love this book.

02/13/2026

Books for kids like me with Matthew A. Tower

Matthew A. Tower opens up about growing up in the middle of his parents’ divorce and revisiting that story in his debut memoir, Love Wars: Clash of the Parents.

Matthew A. Tower opens up about growing up in the middle of his parents’ divorce and revisiting that story in his debut memoir, Love Wars: Clash of the Parents.

02/12/2026

2026 Great Graphic Novels for Teens

Congratulations to the 2026 Great Graphic Novels for Teens! *Denotes a Top Ten Non-Fiction Breadcrumbs: Coming of Age in Post-Soviet Poland by Kasia Babis. Art by the author, 2025. 256 p. 23rd St., paper, $19.99 (9781250877888). General Adult. 943.805. A coming of age graphic memoir about growing up in post Soviet-Poland, seen through the eyes of a young girl navigating family, sexual identity, and change....

Congratulations to the 2026 Great Graphic Novels for Teens! *Denotes a Top Ten Non-Fiction Breadcrumbs: Coming of Age in Post-Soviet Poland by Kasia Babis. Art by the author, 2025. 256 p. 23rd St.,…

02/11/2026

2026 Amazing Audiobooks List

The Dead of Summer. By Ryan La Sala. Read by Pete Cross, A'rese Emokpae & Ryan La Sala. 2025. 10.5 hr. Scholastic Inc., DD (9798225001186). Gr. 9-12. Ollie returns to his home of Anchor’s Mercy, a popular tourist destination where locals frequently experience health issues. Following the onset of a severe storm and the emergence of an unexplained illness affecting both visitors and inhabitants, significant disorder ensues....

The Dead of Summer. By Ryan La Sala. Read by Pete Cross, A’rese Emokpae & Ryan La Sala. 2025. 10.5 hr. Scholastic Inc., DD (9798225001186). Gr. 9-12. Ollie returns to his home of Anchor’s…

02/10/2026

2026 Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers

The members of the Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers Blogging Team are: Coordinator Leanna Chappell, Swanton Public Library, Swanton, OH, Katie Bruechert, Thoreau Middle School, Vienna, VA Jacqueline Bush, Stratford Library Association, Stratford, CT, Jessica DeWitz, King County Library System, Sammamish and Fall City, WA, Bridget Healey, Washington Irving Middle School, Springfield, VA, Lily Mayfield, Thomas Ford Memorial Library, Western Springs, IL, Maryanne Olson, Haverford Township Free Library, Havertown, PA , Josie Snow, Montrose High School, Montrose, CO, Emily Williams, Metropolitan Library System, Oklahoma City, OK, Gail Zachariah, Whiting Library, Chester, VT…...

The members of the Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers Blogging Team are: Coordinator Leanna Chappell, Swanton Public Library, Swanton, OH, Katie Bruechert, Thoreau Middle School, Vienna…

02/09/2026

2026 Best Fiction for Young Adults List

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), announces its 2026 Best Fiction for Young Adult (BFYA) book list. The list of 61 titles is drawn from 65 official nominations, which were posted and discussed in blog posts on The Hub. The list identifies titles to provide librarians and library workers with a resource to use for collection development and reader’s advisory purposes....

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), announces its 2026 Best Fiction for Young Adult (BFYA) book list. The list of 61 titles i…

02/08/2026

A conversation with Printz Honor author Andrew Joseph White

What's more terrifying than ghosts? Books by Andrew Joseph White Hell Followed with Us Published June 7, 2022 Peachtree Teen Length: 416 pg Grade: 9-12 Reading: 14-17 The Spirit Bares Its Teeth Published Sept. 5, 2023 Peachtree Teen Length: 400 pg Grade: 9-12 Reading: 14-17 Compound Fracture Published Sept. 3, 2024 Peachtree Teen Length: 384 pg Grade: 9-12 Reading: 14-17 Learn More, Follow Andrew Joseph White

What’s more terrifying than ghosts? Books by Andrew Joseph White Hell Followed with Us Published June 7, 2022 Peachtree Teen Length: 416 pg Grade: 9-12 Reading: 14-17 The Spirit Bares Its Tee…

01/20/2026

2026 Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers Winter Round-Up

At the end of the year, each team will choose the final list of nominations and determine the Selected List’s Top Ten from these titles....

At the end of the year, each team will choose the final list of nominations and determine the Selected List’s Top Ten from these titles.

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225 N. Michigan Avenue Suite 1300
Chicago, IL
60601

Website

http://www.ala.org/yalsa, http://www.ala.org/teenread, http://www.ala.org/teentechweek, http://www.ala.org/teenstopten,

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