Beyond the Youth Media Awards, Book Lists for Kids and Teens
Knowing that thousands of books are published every year, how do you help your children decide what to read? Beyond the Youth Media Awards, I discussed last week, ALA also offers a number of book lists for kids and teens.
These include both Notable lists identifying the best of the best in books, recordings (audiobooks), and digital media (apps, websites, interactive media). As well as, a number of lists created by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Let’s dig a little deeper and learn more!
Children’s Notable Lists
The Notable lists are really interesting because unlike the Youth Media Awards, you can actually sit in on committee discussions. You can hear what librarians are saying about the books and listen to them discuss their merits. You can also see all the titles they are discussing online. These lists are usually a little more accessible for kids and highlighting titles that you might not have seen elsewhere. Plus, “according to ALSC policy, the current year’s Newbery, Caldecott, Belpré, Sibert, Geisel, and Batchelder Award and Honor books automatically are added to the Notable Children’s Books list.” Making the Notable list quite comprehensive! The 2020 Notable Lists haven’t been announced yet. But, if you’re interested in checking out a previous list, here’s 2019’s Books, Recordings, and Digital Media.
YALSA Book & Media Lists
As for the lists created by YALSA, they changed their format a few times over the past couple of years. But, these are the current lists that are being released annually, in the following categories:
- Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults
- Best Fiction for Young Adults
- Great Graphic Novels for Teens
- Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
- Teens’ Top Ten
I love learning about amazing audiobooks as I don’t often read in this format. And as many graphic novels as I read, it’s not my wheelhouse so having a list like this is really helpful! Plus, a quick picks list is a great resource for teens coming in that have to read something – these are quick reads that you won’t want to put down!
