The American Library Association's Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults, formerly Selected Audiobooks for Young Adults, is a recommendation list of audiobooks presented yearly by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) division.

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) released the first list of Selected Audiobooks for Young Adults in 1999.[1] In 2009, the list was renamed as Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults.[1]

The list can be used to help young adult readers find suitable audiobooks, which "are an underused treasure in school libraries. Teacher librarians can use them to draw new readers into the library and find new ways to connect with teachers."[2] However, finding quality audiobooks can be difficult as one must consider the audiobook's sound quality, pacing, variety, cultural authenticity, narrators (professional versus volunteer; computer versus human), as well as matching readers' interests, reading ability, the audiobook's length, and more.[2] To help address these challenges, several librarians and organizations recommend parents and teachers use the Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults list to find audiobooks for young adults.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Criteria

To be eligible for the list, the audiobook "must have been produced or released within the 24 months previous to the list’s release."[7] The audiobooks cover a range of topics and are targeted toward individuals between the ages of 12 and 18.[7] To land a place on the list, audiobooks are judged on the following criteria:[7]

Honorees

After honoring all amazing audiobooks, the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) selects ten books every year, which are "the best of the best."[8]

American Library Association's Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults (Top 10 Audiobooks per Year)
Award Year Genre Author Book Title Reader(s)
2011[9] Fantasy Laini Taylor Dreamdark Silksinger Cassandra Campbell
Melina Marchetta Finnikin of the Rock Jeffrey Cummings
Fantasy, Science-Fiction Patrick Ness The Knife of Never Letting Go Nick Podehl
Fiction LouAnne Johnson Muchacho Ozzie Rodriguez
Sapphire Precious Bahni Turpin
John Green and David Levithan Will Grayson, Will Grayson MacLeod Andrews and Nick Podehl
Historical fiction Kristin Levine The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had Kirby Heyborne
Rita Garcia Williams One Crazy Summer Sisi Aisha Johnson
L. A. Meyer Rapture of the Deep Katherine Kellgren
Kekla Magoon The Rock and the River Dion Graham
2012[10] Biography Georgia Bragg How They Croaked L. J. Ganser
Fantasy Rick Yancey The Curse of the Wendigo Steven Boyer
Philip Reeve Fever Crumb Philip Reeve
Andrew Smith Marbury Lens Mark Boyett
Jonathan Stroud The Ring of Solomon Simon Jones
Fiction Louise Rennison Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me? Stina Nielson
Libba Bray Beauty Queens Libba Bray
Brent Crawford Carter’s Big Break Nick Podehl
Historical fantasy Franny Billingsley Chime Susan Duerden
Historical fiction L.A. Meyer The Wake of the Lorelei Lee Katherine Kellgren
2013[11] Autobiography Melba Pattillo Beals Warriors Don’t Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High Lisa Renee Pitts
Fantasy Libba Bray The Diviners January LaVoy
Christopher Paolini Inheritance Gerard Doyle
Rick Yancey The Isle of Blood Steven Boyer
Fiction Jeff Kinney Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever Ramón de Ocampo
E.M. Kokie Personal Effects Nick Podehl
R.J. Palacio Wonder Diana Steele, Nick Podehl, and Kate Rudd
Historical fiction Elizabeth Wein Code Name Verity Morven Christie and Lucy Gaskell
Allan Wolf The Watch That Ends the Night Michael Page, Phil Gigante, Christopher Lane, Laurel Merlington, and Angela Dawe
Mystery, Thriller Niall Leonard Crusher Daniel Weyman
2014[12] Biography Leon Leyson The Boy on the Wooden Box Danny Burstein
Fantasy Gail Carriger Etiquette & Espionage Moira Quirk
DC Pierson Crap Kingdom DC Pierson
Terry Pratchett Dodger Stephen Briggs
Fantasy, Horror Paolo Bacigalupi Zombie Baseball Beatdown Sunil Malhotra
Fiction Sara Farizan If You Could Be Mine Negin Farsad
Rainbow Rowell Eleanor & Park Rebecca Lowman and Sunil Malhotra
Historical Fiction L.A. Meyer Viva Jacquelina!: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, Over the Hills and Far Away Katherine Kellgren
Horror, Thriller Daniel Kraus Scowler Kirby Heyborne
Science-Fiction Ian Doescher William Shakespeare's Star Wars Full cast
2015[13] Fiction Emma Pass ACID Fiona Hardingham with Nicholas Guy Smith and Suzan Crowley
Gail Carriger Curtsies and Conspiracies Moira Quirk
Julie Anne Peters Define Normal Christine Lakin
Geoff Herbach Fat Boy vs. the Cheerleaders Nick Podehl
A.S. King Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future Christine Lakin
Sally Green Half Bad Carl Prekopp
Ava Dellaira Love Letters to the Dead Julia Whelan
Deborah Wiles Revolution Stacey Aswad and Francois Battiste with J.D. Jackson and Robin Miles
Carl Hiaasen Skink--No Surrender Kirby Heyborne
Ian Doescher William Shakespeare’s Star Wars Collection Danny Davis, Jonathan Davis, Ian Doescher, Jeff Gurner, January LaVoy, and Marc Thompson
2016[14] Fiction Gail Carriger Waistcoats & Weaponry Moira Quirk
Dawn Kurtagich The Dead House Charlotte Parry and Christian Coulson
Pam Munoz Ryan Echo Mark Bramhall, David De Vries, MacLeod Andrews, and Rebecca Soler
Isabel Quintero Gabi, a Girl in Pieces Kyla Garcia
Sally Green Half Wild Carl Prekopp and Kyla Garcia
Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff lluminae Olivia Taylor Dudley, Lincoln Hoppe, and Johnathan McClain
Libba Bray Lair of Dreams January LaVoy
Ransom Riggs Library of Souls Kirby Heyborne
Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus Trollhunters Kirby Heyborne
Nonfiction Randall Munroe What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions Wil Wheaton
2017[15] Fiction Gavriel Savit Anna and the Swallow Man Allan Corduner
Brie Spangler Beast Andrew Eiden
Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff Gemina Carla Corvo, MacLeod Andrews, Steve West, and a full cast
Goldy Moldavsky Kill the Boy Band Barrett Wilbert Weed
ND Stevenson Nimona Marc Thompson, Rebecca Soler, January LaVoy, Peter Bradbury, Jonathan Davis, David Pittu, and Natalie Gold
Gary D. Schmidt Orbiting Jupiter Christopher Gebauer
Ruta Sepetys Salt to the Sea Jorjeana Marie, Will Damron, Cassandra Morris, and Michael Crouch
E.K. Johnston Star Wars: Ahsoka Ashley Eckstein
Ellen Hopkins Traffick Kirby Heyborne, Julia Whelan, Madeleine Maby, Rebekkah Ross, and Jacques Roy
April Genevieve Tucholke Wink Poppy Midnight Michael Crouch, Alicyn Packard, and Caitlin Davies
2018[16] Fantasy J.K. Rowling and Newt Scamander Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Eddie Redmayne
Neal Shusterman Scythe Greg Tremblay
Fiction Ellen Oh (editor) Flying Lessons and Other Stories Various
Angie Thomas The Hate U Give Bahni Turpin
Benjamin Alire Sáenz The Inexplicable Logic of My Life Robbie Daymond
Elizabeth Wein The Pearl Thief Maggie Service
Nicola Yoon The Sun is Also a Star Dominic Hoffman, Raymond Lee, and Bahni Turpin
Historical fiction Mackenzi Lee The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue Christian Coulson
Memoir Lynda Blackmon Lowery, as told to Elspeth Leacock and Susan Buckley Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March Damaras Obi
Memoir, Graphic novel Maggie Thrash Honor Girl Ensemble Cast
2019[17] Fantasy Nnedi Okorafor Akata Witch Yetide Badaki
M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge Gildart Jackson
J.K. Rowling and Kennilworthy Whisp Quidditch Through the Ages Andrew Lincoln
Neal Shusterman Thunderhead Greg Trembley
Fiction Gayle Forman I Have Lost My Way Nicole Lewis, Michael Crouch, and Sunil Malhotra
Jason Reynolds Lu Guy Lockard
Courtney Summers Sadie Rebecca Soler, Fred Berman, Dan Bittner, Gabra Zackman, and a full cast
Jason Reynolds Sunny Guy Lockard
Memoir Tara Westover Educated Julia Whelan
Poetic Fiction Elizabeth Acevedo The Poet X Elizabeth Acevedo
2020[18] Fantasy A.S. King Dig A.S. King, Mike Chamberlain, Tonya Cornelisse and Kirby Heyborne
Fiction Mindy McGinnis Heroine Brittany Pressley
Tiffany D. Jackson Let Me Hear a Rhyme Adenrele Ojo, Korey Jackson, Adam Lazarre-White, and Nile Bullock
Angie Thomas On the Come Up Bahni Turpin
Elizabeth Acevedo With the Fire on High Elizabeth Acevedo
Historical fiction Ruta Sepetys The Fountains of Silence Maite Jáuregui with Richard Ferrone, Neil Hellegers, Joshua Kane, Liza Kaplan, and Oliver Wyman
Memoir Michelle Obama Becoming Michelle Obama
Memoir, Graphic novel Jarrett J. Krosoczka Hey Kiddo Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Jeanne Birdsall, Richard Ferrone, and Jenna Lamia
Poetic Memoir Laurie Halse Anderson Shout Laurie Halse Anderson
Science Fiction Samira Ahmed Internment Soneela Nankani
2021[19] Biography, Graphic Novel Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed When Stars Are Scattered Full cast
Fantasy Tracy Deonn Legendborn Joniece Abbott-Pratt
Aiden Thomas Cemetery Boys Avi Roque
Elizabeth Acevedo Clap When You Land Melania-Luisa Marte and Elizabeth Acevedo
Holly Jackson A Good Girl's Guide to Murder Bailey Carr, Melissa Calin, Michael Crouch, Gopal Divan, Robert Fass, Kevin R. Free, Sean Patrick Hopkins, Carol Monda, Patricia Santomasso, Shezi Sardar and Amanda Thickpenny
Allan Wolf The Snow Fell Three Graves Deep: Voices from the Donner Party Bahni Turpin, Whitney Dykhouse, Teri Schnaubelt, Tim Gerard Reynolds, Lauren Ezzo, Eric G. Dove, Ramón de Ocampo, and Shaun Taylor-Corbett
Deborah Wiles Kent State Christopher Gebauer, Lauren Ezzo, Christina Delaine, Johnny Heller, Roger Wayne, Korey Jackson, and David de Vries
Jordan Ifueko Raybearer Joniece Abbott-Pratt
Historical fiction Traci Chee We Are Not Free Scott Keiji Takeda, Dan Woren, Ryan Potter, Ali Fumiko, Sophie Oda, Andrew Kishino, Christopher Naoki Lee, Grace Rolek, Erika Aishii, Brittany Ishibashi, Kurt Sanchez Kanazawa and Terry Kitagawa
Nonfiction Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
2022[20] Biography Andrew Maraniss Singled Out: The True Story of Glenn Burke Kevin R.
Fiction Mahogany L. Browne Chlorine Sky Mahogany L. Browne
Angie Thomas Concrete Rose Dion Graham
Angeline Boulley Firekeeper’s Daughter Isabella Star LeBlanc
Raquel Vasquez Gilliland How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe Kyla Garcia
Stephan Lee K-Pop Confidential Joy Osmanski
Pamela N. Harris When You Look Like Us Preston Butler, III
Historical fiction Malinda Lo Last Night at the Telegraph Club Emily Woo Zeller
Nonfiction Eric Gansworth Apple: Skin to the Core Eric Gansworth
Science Fiction Neal Shusterman Game Changer Andrew Eiden and Jennifer Jill Araya

References

  1. ^ a b c Cahill, Maria; Moore, Jennifer (Spring 2017). "A Sound History: Audiobooks Are Music to Children's Ears". Children and Libraries. 15 (1): 22–29. doi:10.5860/cal.15n1.22. Archived from the original on 2021-06-01. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  2. ^ a b c Lamb, Annette (December 2017). "Listeners' Advisory Part 1". Teacher Librarian. 45: 2 – via ProQuest.
  3. ^ Young, Renee (2019-10-25). "The Alert Collector: Listen Up: Best Practices for Audiobooks in Libraries". Reference & User Services Quarterly. 58 (4): 210–214. doi:10.5860/rusq.58.4.7146. ISSN 1094-9054. Archived from the original on 2021-04-30. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  4. ^ Reading by right : successful strategies to ensure every child can read to succeed. Chris Riddell, Joy Court. London. 2017. ISBN 978-1-78330-209-3. OCLC 968905071.((cite book)): CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. ^ Lesesne, Teri S. (Summer 2016). "Benefits and Practical Applications of Audiobooks". The ALAN Review. 43 (3): 107–109.
  6. ^ Wolfson, Gene (2008). "Using Audiobooks to Meet the Needs of Adolescent Readers". American Secondary Education. 36 (2): 105–114. ISSN 0003-1003. JSTOR 41406113. Archived from the original on 2021-04-30. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  7. ^ a b c "Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults". American Library Association. Archived from the original on 2014-11-25. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
  8. ^ "An Enthusiastic Earful". American Libraries Magazine. Archived from the original on 2021-04-30. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  9. ^ Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) (2010-12-27). "2011 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults". American Library Association. Archived from the original on 2021-04-28. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  10. ^ Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) (2012-01-24). "2012 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults Top Ten". American Library Association. Archived from the original on 2012-04-24. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  11. ^ Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) (2013-01-31). "2013 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults Top Ten". American Library Association. Archived from the original on 2013-03-18. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  12. ^ Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) (2014-01-30). "2014 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults Top Ten". American Library Association. Archived from the original on 2014-03-13. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  13. ^ Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) (2015-02-03). "2015 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults". American Library Association. Archived from the original on 2015-02-07. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  14. ^ Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) (2016-01-11). "2016 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults". American Library Association. Archived from the original on 2016-01-14. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  15. ^ Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) (2017-01-25). "2017 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults". American Library Association. Archived from the original on 2017-03-22. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  16. ^ Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) (2018-01-09). "2018 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults". American Library Association. Archived from the original on 2018-01-10. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  17. ^ Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) (2019-01-10). "2019 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults". American Library Association. Archived from the original on 2019-01-30. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  18. ^ Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) (2020-01-06). "2020 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults". American Library Association. Archived from the original on 2020-06-06. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  19. ^ Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) (2021-01-04). "2021 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults". American Library Association. Archived from the original on 2021-01-04. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  20. ^ "2022 Top Ten Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). 2022-02-03. Archived from the original on 2022-02-09. Retrieved 2022-02-09.
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