Young Adults' Choices for 2006

The 2006 Young Adults' Choices list is the 20th that United States teenagers (grades 7–12) have helped create. This project began in 1986, funded by a special grant given to the International Reading Association (IRA) and supervised by the Association's Literature for Young Adults Committee.

The goals of the project are to encourage young people to read; to make teens, teachers, librarians, and parents aware of new literature for young adults; and to provide middle and secondary school students with an opportunity to voice their opinions about books being written for them.

The 30 books on this year's list are the result of voting by students in five different regions of the United States. Trade books (books other than textbooks) published in 2004 were submitted by more than 50 publishers. Each book had to have at least two positive reviews from recognized sources such as The Horn Book, School Library Journal, Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, Booklist, Language Arts, or Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA). Submitted books were read by students in grades 7–12 between September 2005 and February 2006 in selected school districts throughout the U.S. More than 11,000 ballots were counted for the books submitted for this year's project. Students marked, “I liked the book,” “It was OK,” or “I didn't like the book.” The results were announced in May at the 2006 Annual Convention of the International Reading Association in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Publishers sent the books to the five team leaders in different regions in the U.S. The team leaders' and trainees' responsibilities included selecting the school districts and schools in which the project would take place; making sure the books were distributed to the schools; working with the teachers, librarians, supervisors, and principals to implement the program; and writing the annotations. They were also responsible for collecting the ballots and mailing them to the International Reading Association headquarters for the final tally.

The following schools participated in the 2006 project.

Team 1: Lisa Morris-Wilkey (team leader); Casa Grande, Arizona; two high schools, two middle schools, and one K–8 Catholic school; rural. Bonnie Purcell and Kristen Taylor (trainees); Utah; six high schools, two junior high schools, and one middle school; rural.

Team 2: Lorrie Gallo and Kathleen Broskin (team leaders); Pennsylvania; two high schools, one middle school, and one junior high school; rural. Jane Gross (trainee); Attleboro, Massachusetts; one high school and three middle schools; urban.

Team 3:Mary Long (team leader); Texas; five high schools; five middle schools; suburban.

Team 4: Patrice Kraus, Kathy Meyer, and Julie Powell (team leaders); West Des Moines, Iowa; one junior high school, two high schools, and one alternative high school; suburban and urban. Stephanie Burdic and Elizabeth Olson (trainees); Omaha, Nebraska; two high schools and three middle schools; suburban and urban.

Team 5: Barbara Sears (team leader); Clifton, Virginia; one high school, two middle schools; suburban.

The participating schools represented various types of students, economic levels, cultural groups, and geographic regions. The team leaders were enthusiastic and expressed appreciation for the opportunity to participate in this worthwhile and exciting project.

The committee wishes to thank Alida von Krogh Cutts and Mary Cash of the International Reading Association staff for helping to coordinate the project. Thanks are also extended to Natalie Babbitt for her logo design and to the International Reading Association for its continued support of the project. Gratitude and appreciation go to all of the students, teachers, librarians, school district administrators, and team leaders who participated in the project and made it a success.

The project was directed this year by members of the Literature for Young Adults Committee and its chair, Cathy L. Denman.

Annotations contain bibliographic data, number of pages, and price. Publishers furnished information in May 2006, but prices are subject to change.

The annotated 2006 Young Adults' Choices list is downloadable from the International Reading Association website www.reading.org. Single copies of offprints are available for US$1.00 for postage and handling. Send a self-addressed 9″ × 12″ envelope to the International Reading Association, Department EG, 800 Barksdale Road, PO Box 8139, Newark, DE 19714-8139, USA, Attention YA Choices. To order bulk copies by phone with a credit card, call (in the U.S. and Canada only) 800-336-7323 or (for international orders) 302-731-1600. To order by mail, send order to Order Department, 800 Barksdale Road, PO Box 8139, Newark, DE 19714-8139, USA, or fax to 302-731-1057. E-mail questions about orders to customerservice@reading.org.

Alosha

Christopher Pike

The first in a series, Alosha begins the story of Ali Warner, 13, who is determined to increase awareness of logging issues in her community. In the midst of her struggle, Ali and her friends find themselves at war with the elementals—dark fairies, trolls, and dwarves. This fantasy novel leads Ali, her friends, a leprechaun, and a troll on a quest to discover the secrets to controlling the Yanti—a window that will prevent the elementals from destroying humankind.