Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers is a book list created annually by the Young Adult Library Services Association. The list identifies fiction, nonfiction, and graphic novels that may encourage teenagers who dislike reading to read.
Researchers, educators, librarians, parents, and teenagers have used the list to identify books reluctant young adult readers may enjoy.
Criteria
When selecting books for the Quick Picks list, the judges consider:
- Physical appearance (e.g., the cover, print style, format, and artwork/illustrations)
- Writing style
For fiction novels, judges consider whether the book has:
- High interest "hook" in first 10 pages
- Well-defined characters
- Sufficient plot to sustain interest
- Plot lines developed through dialogue and action
- Familiar themes with emotional appeal for teenagers
- Believable treatment
- Single point of view
- Touches of humor when appropriate
- Chronological order
For informational books, judges consider the accuracy and objectivity of the book, as well as whether technical language is well-defined.
Recipients
| Award Year | Author | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Victoria Aveyard | Red Queen |
| Holly Black and Cassandra Clare | The Iron Trial | |
| Fonda Lee | Zeroboxer | |
| Sam Maggs | The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy: A Handbook for Girl Geeks | |
| Julie Murphy | Dumplin' | |
| E. C. Myers | The Silence of Six | |
| Daniel José Older | Shadowshaper | |
| Kate Schatz | Rad American Women A-Z: Rebels, Trailblazers, and Visionaries Who Shaped Our History | |
| ND Stevenson | Nimona | |
| Nicola Yoon | Everything, Everything | |
| 2017 | Julie Buxbaum | Tell Me Three Things |
| Jeff Garvin | Symptoms of Being Human | |
| Nadia Abushanab Higgins | Feminism: Reinventing the F-Word | |
| E. K. Johnston | Exit, Pursued by a Bear | |
| Jeff Lemire | Plutona | |
| Amy Lukavics | Daughters Unto Devils | |
| Marieke Nijkamp | This Is Where It Ends | |
| Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely | All American Boys | |
| Meredith Russo | If I Was Your Girl | |
| Sarvenaz Tash | The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love | |
| 2018 | Alison Deering with Bob Lentz (Illus.) | Sandwiches!: More Than You've Ever Wanted to Know About Making and Eating America's Favorite Food |
| Keith Giffen with Howard Porter (Illus.) | Scooby Apocalypse | |
| Karen M. McManus | One of Us Is Lying | |
| Doreen Rappaport | 42 Is Not Just a Number: The Odyssey of Jackie Robinson, American Hero | |
| Jason Reynolds | Long Way Down | |
| Jason Reynolds | Miles Morales: Spider-Man | |
| Jason Reynolds | Patina | |
| Nic Stone | Dear Martin | |
| Angie Thomas | The Hate U Give | |
| Scott Westerfeld with Alex Puvilland (Illus.) | Spill Zone | |
| 2019 | Elizabeth Acevedo | The Poet X |
| Laurie Halse Anderson with Emily Carroll (Illus.) | Speak: The Graphic Novel | |
| Tommy Greenwald | Game Changer | |
| Jarrett Krosoczka | Hey Kiddo: How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt with Family Addiction | |
| Gretchen McNeil | #MurderTrending | |
| Jason Reynolds | Track series (Sunny and Lu ) | |
| Aisha Saeed | Amal Unbound | |
| Chana Stiefel | Animal Zombies!: And Other Blood-Sucking Beasts, Creepy Creatures, and Real-Life Monsters | |
| Courtney Summers | Sadie | |
| Jen Wang | The Prince and the Dressmaker | |
| 2020 | Ashley Elston | 10 Blind Dates |
| Eva Darrows | Belly Up | |
| Mindy McGinnis | Heroine | |
| Colleen AF Venable with Ellen T. Crenshaw (Illus.) | Kiss Number 8 | |
| Rainbow Rowell with Faith Erin Hicks (Artist) | Pumpkinheads | |
| Danielle Vega | The Haunted | |
| Kim Liggett | The Unfortunates | |
| Karen McManus | Two Can Keep a Secret | |
| Jenni Hendriks and Ted Caplan | UNpregnant | |
| Malala Yousafzai | We Are Displaced: My Journey and Stories From Refugee Girls Around the World | |
| 2021 | Gretchen McNeil | #NoEscape |
| Mindy McGinnis | Be Not Far From Me | |
| Joseph Bruchac | Found | |
| Carl Deuker | Golden Arm | |
| Alice Oseman | Heartstopper Vol. 1 | |
| Jason Reynolds with Danica Novgorodoff (Illus.) | Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel | |
| Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam | Punching the Air | |
| Kat Leyh | Snapdragon | |
| Ben Oliver | The Loop | |
| Leah Johnson | You Should See Me in a Crown | |
| 2022 | B. B. Alston | Amari and the Night Brothers |
| Dusti Bowling | The Canyon's Edge | |
| Crystal Fraiser with Val Wise (Art) | Cheer Up! Love and Pompoms | |
| Abby Howard | The Crossroads at Midnight | |
| Molly Knox Ostertag | The Girl from the Sea | |
| L. L. McKinney | Nubia: Real One | |
| Isaac Fitzsimons | The Passing Playbook | |
| Christian Allaire | The Power of Style: How Fashion and Beauty Are Being Used to Reclaim Cultures | |
| Lily Sparks | Teen Killers Club | |
| Sugar Rodgers | They Better Call Me Sugar: My Journey from the Hood to the Hardwood |
References
- ^ "Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). 2012-03-02. Archived from the original on 2021-10-31. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
- Jones, Leigh Ann (May 2006). Do "Quick Picks" book covers appeal to middle school readers? The impact of covers on self-selection of fiction books in the middle school library setting (PhD dissertation). Texas Woman's University. hdl:11274/11177. ProQuest 3215110. Archived from the original on 2022-10-17. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
- Mundy, JaNae Jenkins (2000). Best books for young adults: An analysis of the structural, stylistic, and thematic characteristics of the 1998 Best Books for Young Adults and 1998 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (PhD dissertation). Texas Woman's University.
- Roy, Loriene (April 2008). "Circle of Knowledge: Sap Boiling Moon Month or Iskigamizige-Giizis" (PDF). American Libraries. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-10-31. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
- Carr, Carolyn Marie (2009). The portrayal of teenage sexuality in young adult literature (Graduate research paper). University of Northern Iowa. Archived from the original on 2021-11-04. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
- "Young Adult Literature". Children's Literature Association Quarterly. 23 (2): 109–110. 1998. doi:10.1353/chq.0.1250. ISSN 1553-1201.
- Blasingame, James; Pace Nilsen, Alleen; Donelson, Ken (September 2004). "The 2003 Honor List: A Book for All Reasons". The English Journal. 94 (1): 88–94. doi:10.2307/4128854. JSTOR 4128854.
- Broadway, Marsha (2016-08-09). "Children's Literary Awards and Recommended Lists on the Net". Children's Book and Media Review. 28 (2). Archived from the original on 2021-11-04. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
- "2016 Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). 2017-12-28. Archived from the original on 2022-01-06. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
- "2017 Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). 2017-01-22. Archived from the original on 2022-01-06. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
- "2018 Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). 2018-01-31. Archived from the original on 2022-01-06. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
- "2019 Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). 2019-01-17. Archived from the original on 2022-01-06. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
- "2020 Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). 2020-01-07. Archived from the original on 2022-01-06. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
- "2021 Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). 2021-01-05. Archived from the original on 2021-10-31. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
- Serbekian, Michael (2022-02-04). "YALSA names 2022 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers". American Library Association. Archived from the original on 2022-02-04. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
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