2002 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

Draft - January 2002

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has announced its 2002 annual recommended list of Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. The list was released during the ALA Midwinter Meeting in New Orleans.

Compiled by an eleven-member committee, the sixty-one titles on the list were published from late 2000 through 2001 and represent more than thirty-three different publisher imprints. Twenty-seven of the titles are Fiction and thirty-four are Non-Fiction.

The Quick Picks Committee seeks books that teens, ages twelve to eighteen, will pick up on their own and read for pleasure. The list is geared to the teenager who, for whatever reason, does not like to read. Teen input is a vital aspect in the final decision of the committee. The visual appearance of a book and the standard considerations in the quality of content is equally important when selecting books for reluctant young readers. The list is not intended for teenagers with reading disabilities, though some of the selected titles may be appropriate for those teens.

Members of the YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers Committee were: Lora Bruggeman, chair, Downers Grove Public Library (IL); Sallie H. Barringer, Walnut Hills High School (OH); Linda W. Braun, LEO: Librarians & Educators Online (NY); Michelle D. Carnes, Atlanta-Fulton Public Library; Tammy Daubner, Perrysburg, OH; Kimberley Hrivnak, F.O.R. STO-ROX Library (PA); Caryl McKellar, Alachua County Library District (FL); Melanie Rapp-Weiss, Cuyahoga County Public Library (OH); Victor Schill, Fairbanks Branch Library (TX); Henrietta M. Smith, University of South Florida; Cheryl K. Ward, Penney Alumni Library, East Hartford High School (CT); John Sexton, adm. asst., Ashland Branch Library (OR); Gillian Engberg, Booklist consultant.

The final annotated list will appear in the March 15 issue of Booklist. For more information, contact the YALSA office by phone at 800-545-2433 x 4390 or e-mail,
yalsa@ala.org.

Nonfiction

Angst! Teen Verses from the Edge . Ed. by Karen Tom and Kiki. illus. Workman, paper, $8.95 (0-7611-2383-0).

Discover poetry that's raw and outspoken.

Beatty, Scott.

Batman: the Ultimate Guide to the Dark Knight . illus. Dorling Kindersley, $19.95 (0-7894-7865-X).

Batman, Robin, the bat car, bat cave and the hero's foes come to life in action-packed graphics.

blink-182 with Anne Hoppus.

blink-182: Tales From Beneath Your Mom . illus. Pocket Books, paper, $14.95 (0-7434-2207-4).

The lowdown on blink-182.

Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul Letters: Letters of Life, Love, and Learning . Ed. by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Kimberly Kirberger. Health Communications, lib. ed. $24 (1-55874-805-9); paper., $12.95 (1-55874-804-0).

Your letters about Chicken Soup.

Devito, Basil V., Jr with Joe Layden.

WWF Wrestlemania . illus. HarperCollins/Regan Books, $49.95 (0-06-039387-4).

Go behind the scenes of Wreslemania!

Eminem.

Angry Blonde . illus. HarperCollins/ReganBooks, $26 (0-06-620922-6).

Rap on..

Fishbein, Amy.

The Truth About Girlfriends . HarperCollins/Parachute Press, paper, $5.95 (0-06-447243-4).

Got a question? Got an answer.

Galvez, Jose.

Vatos . illus. Cinco Puntos Press, $19.95 (0-93817-52-0).

"I am Somebody!"

Genat, Robert.

Funny Cars . illus. MBI Publishing, paper, $14.95 (0-7603-0795-4).

"300 miles per hour in less than five seconds."

Genat, Robert.

Lowriders . illus. MBI Publishing, paper, $14.95 (0-7603-0962-0).

"How low can you go?" (from back cover)

Gottesman, Jane.

Game Face: What Does a Female Athlete Look Like? illus. Random House, $35 (0-375-50602-0).

Sports are not just for guys.

Gravelle, Karen.

5 Ways to Know About You . illus. Walker, lib. ed., $16.95 (0-8027-8749-5); paper, $10.95 (0-8027-7586-1).

Guide to the real you through handwriting, horoscopes, astrology, numerology, palmistry, and handwriting analysis.

Hart, Christopher.

Manga Mania: How to Draw Japanese Comics . illus. Watson-Guptill, paper, $19.95 (0-8230-3035-0).

Wanna draw manga? Here's how.

Hip Hop Divas . illus. Crown/Three Rivers Press, paper, $17.95 (0-609-80836-2).

Combines a "Hip Hop Herstory" with profiles of the divas from Vibe magazine.

Jackman, Ian.

TRL: the Ultimate Fan Guide . illus. Pocket Books, paper, $12.95 (0-7434-1850-6).

Everything you want to know about TRL.

Jeter, Derek.

Game Day: My Life On and Off the Field . Kiser, Kristen. illus. Crown/Three Rivers Press, paper, $22.95 (0-609-80794-3).

What's it like being Derek Jeter?

Koertge, Ron.

The Brimstone Journals . Candlewick Press, $15.99 (0-7636-1302-9).

Branston High School Class of 2001..all are different, but will their lives end the same way?

Laurer, Joanie.

Chyna: If They Only Knew . illus. HarperCollins/Regan Books, $26 (0-06-039329-7).

She is what she is.

Locker, Sari.

Sari Says: the Real Dirt on Everything from Sex to School . Harpercollins, paper, $11.95 (0-06-447306-6).

Answers to life.

The Mad Gross Book . Ed. by Nick Meglin and John Ficarra. illus. Time Warner/Mad Books, paper, $9.95 (1-56389-758-X).

How grossed out can you get?

Masoff, Joy.

Oh, Yuck!: the Encyclopedia of Everything Nasty . illus. Workman, paper, $14.95 (0-7611-0771-1).

Snot, pus, vomit, and bloody nose burritos.

McFarlane, Evelyn and James Saywell.

If..Questions for Teens . Random House/Villard Books, $9.95 (0-375-50555-5).

If..a book of questions about YOUR life.

MTV Uncensored . Ed. by Jacob Hoye. illus. Pocket Books, $40 (0-7434-2682-7).

"Enter Indulge Exit" (from flyleaf)

Myers, Walter Dean.

The Greatest: Muhammed Ali . illus. Scholastic, $16.95 (0-590-54342-3).

Ali + Myers = Greatest Read

O'Donnell, Kerri.

Inhalants and Your Nasal Passages: the Incredibly Disgusting Story . illus. Rosen, $25.25 (0-8239-3392-X).

No big deal? Wrong!

Piven, Joshua and David Borgenicht.

The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook : Travel. illus. Chronicle, paper, $14.95 (0-8118-3131-0).

How to survive the world's most difficult situations.

Shaw, Tucker.

Who Do You Think You Are: 12 Methods for Analyzing the True You . Penguin Putnam/Alloy, paper, $6.99 (0-14-131091-X).

Twelve ways to find the real you.

Shaw, Tucker and Fiona Gibb.

This Book is About Sex . illus. Penguin Putnam/Alloy, paper, $5.99 (0-14-131019-7).

Things you wanted to know about sex but were afraid to ask.

Smith, Charles R. Jr..

Short Takes . illus. Penguin Putnam/Dutton, $17.99 (0-525-46454-9).

"Visual Jazz"..

Stine, Megan.

Seventeen Trauma-Rama: Life's Most Embarrassing Moments…and How to Deal . illus. HarperCollins/Parachute Press, paper, $5.95 (0-06-440873-6).

Don't laugh..it could happen to you!

Teen People: Real Life Diaries: Inspiring True Stories from Celebrities and Real Teens . Ed. by Linda Friedman and Dana White. HarperCollins/Avon, paper, $12.95 (0-06-447329-5).

12 lives, 12 stories.

Teen People: Sex Files . HarperCollins/Avon, paper, $6.95 (0-06-447319-8).

Sex..everybody's talking about it.

Things I Have to Tell You: Poems and Writings by Teenage Girls . Ed. by Betsy Franco. illus. Candlewick Press, $15.99 (0-7636-0905-6); paper, $8.99 (0-7636-1035-6).

Poems, stories, and essays by teens for teens--14 yrs to 19 yrs.

Thrasher: Insane Terrain . illus. Rizzoli/Universe, paper, $27.50 (0-7893-0536-4).

What's your favorite photo?

Atwater-Rhodes, Amelia.

Shattered Mirror . Delacorte, $9.95 (0-385-32793-5).

Forbidden love between a witch and a vampire.

Bird, Isobel.

Circle of Three Series . HarperCollins/Avon, paper, $4.99.

v. 1:

So Mote It Be (0-06-447291-4)

v. 2:

Merry Meet (0-06-447292-2)

v. 3:

Second Sight (0-06-447293-0)

v. 4:

What the Cards Said (0-06-447294-9)

v. 5:

In the Dreaming (0-06-447295-7)

v. 6:

Ring of Light (0-06-447296-5)

v. 7:

Blue Moon (0-06-447297-3)

Will Kate learn how to cast a successful spell?

Black, Jonah.

The Black Book (Diary of a Teenage Stud) series . HarperCollins/Avon, paper, $4.99

v.1:

Girls, Girls, Girls (0-06-440798-5)

v.2:

Stop, Don't Stop (0-06-440799-3)

Inside the head of a 17 year old guy.

Cabot, Meg.

Princess in the Spotlight: Princess Diaries volume II . HarperCollins, $15.95 (0-06-029465-5); lib ed., $15.89 (0-06-029466-3).

Just when she thought she'd figured it out.

Carroll, Jenny.

The Mediator Series . Pocket Books, paper, $4.99

v. 1:

Shadowland (0-671-78791-8)

v. 2:

Ninth Key (0-671-78798-5)

Some ghosts you love. Some ghosts you hate.

Chandler, Elizabeth.

Dark Secrets: Don't Tell . Pocket Books, paper, $4.99 (0-7434-0029-1).

Who is the murderer?

David, Peter.

Spyboy: the Deadly Gourmet Affair . illus. Dark Horse Comics, paper, $8.95 (1-56971-463-0).

Is Alex Fleming a teenage James Bond?

Draper, Sharon M..

Darkness Before Dawn . Simon and Schuster/Atheneum, $16 (0-689-83080-7).

Who can you trust?

Eberhardt, Thom.

Rat Boys: a Dating Experiment . Hyperion, $15.99 (0-7868-0696-6).

Be careful what you wish for..it just might come true.

Flinn, Alex.

Breathing Underwater . Harpercollins, $15.95 (0-06-029198-2); lib ed., $15.89 (0-06-029199-0).

Nick, 16, re-examines his behavior and anger in counseling following dating violence.

Griffin, Adele.

Amandine . Hyperion, $15.99 (0-7868-0618-4); lib ed., $16.49 (0-7868-2530-8).

A best friend can be your worst enemy.

Groening, Matt.

Simpsons Comics Royale . illus. HarperCollins/HarperPerennial, paper, $14.95 (0-06-093378-X).

It's a super-sized Simpson soireee. (on back cover)

Haddix, Margaret Peterson.

Among the Impostors . Simon and Schuster, $16 (0-689-83904-9).

Who knows Luke's secret?

Horowitz, Anthony.

Stormbreaker . Penguin Putnam/Philomel Books, $16.99 (0-399-23620-1).

Will teen spy Alex save the day?

Jemas, Bill and Brian Michael Bendis.

Ultimate Spider-Man: Power and Responsibility . illus. Marvel Comics, paper, $14.95 (0-7851-0786-X).

The origins of Spider-Man!

Lester, Julius.

When Dad Killed Mom . Harcourt, $17 (0-15-216305-0).

Their mother's murder is just the beginning of the story as Jenna and Jeremy uncover the truths behind their family.

Love & Sex: Ten Stories of Truth . Ed. by Michael Cart. Simon and Schuster, $18 (0-689-83203-6).

"..sex is not going away, but, then, neither is love."

MacDougal, Scarlett.

Have a Nice Life series . Penguin Putnam/Alloy, paper, $4.99

v.1:

(Start Here) (0-14-131020-0)

v.2:

(Play) (0-14-131021-9)

v.3:

(Popover) (0-14-131090-1)

v.4:

(Score) (0-14-131228-9).

Do you wish you had a fairy godmother?

Metz, Melinda.

Fingerprints Series . HarperCollins/Avon, paper, $4.99

v. 1:

Gifted Touch (0-06-447265-5)

v. 2:

Haunted (0-06-447266-3)

v. 3:

Trust Me (0-06-447267-1)

v. 4:

Secrets (0-06-447281-7)

Crazy? Not!

Millar, Mark.

Ultimate X-Men: the Tomorrow People . illus. Marvel Comics, paper, $14.95 (0-7851-0788-6).

The origins of the X-Men.

Rennison, Louise.

On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God . HarperCollins, $15.95 (0-06-028813-2); lib ed., $15.89 (0-06-028872-8).

More days and nights with Georgia Nicolson

Scott, Jerry and Jim Borgman.

Are We an "Us"?: A Zits Collection Sketchbook #4 . illus. Andrews McMeel, paper, $10.95 (0-7407-1397-3).

The ups and downs of Jeremy and Sara.

Smith, Roland.

Zach's Lie . Hyperion, $15.99 (0-7868-0617-6).

Does the witness protection program really work?

Sones, Sonya.

What My Mother Doesn't Know . Simon and Schuster, $17 (0-689-84114-0).

Sophie keeps finding Mr. Wrong.

Spears, Britney and Lynne Spears.

A Mother's Gift . Delacorte, $14.95 (0-385-72953-7).

What is Wanda's secret?

Tiernan, Cate.

Sweep Series . Penguin Putnam/Puffin, paper, $4.99

v.1:

Book of Shadows (0-14-131046-4)

v.2:

The Coven (0-14-131047-2)

v.3:

Blood Witch (0-14-131111-8)

v.4:

Dark Magick (0-14-131112-6)

v. 5:

Awakening (0-14-230045-4)

When wicca rules your world.

Zindel, Paul.
Night of the Bat. Hyperion, $15.99 (0-7868-0340-1); lib ed., $16.49 (0-7868-2554-5).

On Jack's first day along the Brazilian Amazon, he makes a horrifying discovery-mutilated bodies- and the cause of the deaths is even more horrific. Jack must find a way to stop the nightmarish creature before it kills everyone in his expedition!