Announcing the Young Adult Library Services Association 2008 Teens’ Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults

1. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie
2. A Long Way Gone : Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
3. Before I Die by Jenny Downham
4. Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath by Stephanie Hemphill
5. Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
6. Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
7. Tamar; A Novel of Espionage, Passion, and Betrayal by Mal Peet
8. American Shaolin: Flying Kicks,  Buddhist Monks, and the Legend of the Iron Crotch: An Odyssey in the New China by Matthew Polly
9. The Invention of Hugo Cabret: A Novel by Brian Selznick
10. The Arrival by Shaun Tan

Nominees for the 2009 Top Ten Best Books for Young Adult are:

1. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
2. Untamed by P.C. Cast
3. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
5. Truancy by Isamu Fukui
6. Truancy: Orgins by Isamu Fukui
7. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
8. Paper Towns by John Green
9. Runemarks by Joanne Harris
10. Identical by Ellen Hopkins
11. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
12. Daughter of the Flames by Zoe Marriott
13. Wake by lais McMann
14. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
15. Bloodline by Katy Moran
16. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
17. Evermore by Alyson Noel
18. Geek Charming by Robin Palmer
19. Melting Stones by Tamora Pierce
20. Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
21. Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith
22. Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith
23. Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten
24. Impossible by Nancy Werlin
25. Absolutely Maybe by Lisa Yee

The following reviews are from members of the Teen Advisory Board

Enthusiasm
By Polly Shulman

Enthusiasm is not your typical "chick lit" . True, it contains a good amount of romance, but it rises above the fluffy romance found in many romantic chick lit novels. Julie, from whose perspective Enthusiasm is written, is a down to earth teen not at all inclined to chase romance until her close friend Ashleigh discovers Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. The "Enthusiast " , as Julie calls her friend, is quick to plan how she and Julie can enact Austen's novel in their own lives.

Julie reluctantly complies with Ashleigh's over exuberant plans, only to find that perhaps she does have a Mr. Darcey, who goes by the name of Parr. Unfortunately, Ashleigh believes that this same Parr is meant to be her Mr. Darcy. Julie hesitates to pursue a friendship with Parr because she is afraid of hurting Ashleigh's feelings, yet at the same time, is afraid of losing her chance at True Love by standing in her friends shadow once again.

As the novel continues, Julie cannot help spending time wiht Parr, and enjoying it. Ashleigh discovers a musical at Parr's boys' prep school, Forefield Academy, and forces Julie to audition with her. Of course, they are both cast in the play, and therefore wind up spending a lot of time around Parr and his best friend, Ned.

Throughout the novel, Julie begins to wonder quite seriously whether or not Parr really will end up being Ashleigh's Mr. Darcy. She cannot seem to work up the courage to tell Ashleigh about her feelings for Parr, and the thought of telling Parr petrifies her.

So does Parr end up being Ashleigh's Mr. Carcy, forcing Julie once more into the shadows? Or will Julie find True Love? You will just have to read the book yourself!

Mutiny's Daugther
By Ann Rinaldi

"Mutiny's Daughter" is an excellent book! It tells the story of Mary Christian, daughter of the famous mutineer, Fletcher Christian. Mary's father committed mutiny on the HMS Bounty, sailed to Tahiti, married a Tahitian woman, and founded a colony on Petcairn Island.

When the book starts, half-Polynesian Mary is sent to a progressive boarding school in London. She has to tell all the other girls that her Uncle Charles is her father, as her absent father is a wanted man on the British Isles. Although Mary cannot remember her biological family, one girl figures out her parentage and blackmails her horribly. While this is going on, the school receives visits from a "scientist", Dr. Katterfelt. The doctor bears much resemblance to Mary's father. Is he Fletcher Christian?

This book is most entertaining as it moves quickly, and there are few slow parts. The plot is unique, and makes you want to keep reading. Fletcher Christian was a real man, really committed, and a daughter named Mary on Pitcairn Island. However, there is no evidence that he or Mary ever came to England. Their story remains one of the world's many unsolved mysteries. The book is an excellent story of what might have happened to the Christian family.

Reviewed by Catherine Gluszek, **** Excellent!

Eclipse
By Stephanie Meyer

In this third installment of a dark and thrilling series, we learn more of werewolf mythology, of newborn vampires, of Rosalie's and Jasper's pasts, and of Bella herself.

A string of horrifying attacks in Seattle is a cause for great concern, as is a visit from a mysterious vampire. Victoria is sniffing around the edges; the Volturi are not far behind her. A surprising alliance is formed from necessity, and Jacob Black eases his way into everything. Even more interesting, Bella has the beginnings of a backbone when it comes to getting what she wants from Edward.

Stephanie Meyer has redefined both vampires and werewolves alike in this suspenseful and engaging book that is more humorous that its predecessors, and we continue to strain to see the future like Alice, to know what happens in the end, for Bella has finally found something that might be worth staying human for.

Haunted
By Chuck Palahniuk

Disclaimer: This book has MAJOR shock value.

Be warned. Haunted is dark and graphic, but by far one of the most interesting things you will ever read. It is set up like a frame story, but with a twist. It much ways like The Canterbury Tales, Haunted is composed of twenty-three gut wrenching, spooky, yet inspiring "ghost stories."

Haunted is the ninth book by the clever and crafty author Chuck Palahniuk (author of Fight Club and Lullaby). Palahniuk constructs his sentences in a way that is grotesque and horrifying, yet at the same time whimsical and poetic. Reading Chuck Palahniuk requires an open-mind, and an understanding that everything he writes is some deep and complex comparison to life. Haunted tells the story of writers who reply to a flyer encouraging them to join a "writer's retreat" where they'll leave everything behind for three months to write their masterpieces. These characters are not given real names - more like descriptions such as "Miss America", "Lady Baglady" and "Saint Gut-Free." Yet these 25 or so people do not realize that they are locked inside an old abandoned theater (location of the "writer's retreat"). Haunted tells the story of the trapped "guests" survival, and also the reasons for the writers "getting away" is revealed through their personal narratives.

I recommend Haunted to anyone (who is open!) that can appreciate literature. It is intense, and very, very shocking.

Review by Samantha Stanley