Your Favorite Books in 2009

Teens’ Top Ten is a “teen choice” list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year. Among the nominees for 2009 are:

Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith tells the story of a young woman who fights against all odds to chase her dream.

Truancy, written when author Isamu Fukui was 15, explores student rebellion in an alternative universe.

Impossible by Nancy Werlin describes 17-year-old Lucy Scarborough’s struggles to free herself from a centuries-old family curse. 

Members of teen book groups in school and public libraries around the country nominate 25 books. Then teens choose their 10 favorites via online voting. This year’s winners will be announced in a webcast featuring World Wrestling Entertainment Superstars and Divas, plus the winning author, during Teen Read Week, October 18-24.

Teen Read Week and the Teens’ Top Ten are sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Click here to view the 25 nominated books.

What Teens Are Reading

Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series is hugely popular among teens, but “teens read a wide variety of titles and genres,” says Linda Braun, YALSA president. “Some enjoy the Twilight series, others are reading Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother, other teens are reading manga titles such as Death Note and Dramacon, and others are reading non-fiction such as Body Drama by Nancy Redd and No Choirboy by Susan Kuklin.”

What does 15-year-old Hannah Hart look for in a book? At times, she’s in the mood for fantasy and adventure. J.K. Rowling and Brian Jacques are favorites. At other times, she explores works that deal with serious issues in a realistic style. Among these are The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier and Dicey’s Song by Cynthia Voight.

Why do teens choose the books they do? “Teen reading interests vary based on what’s going on in their lives and what meets their interest at a particular time,” says Linda Braun. “Overall, teens are attracted to materials that help them to understand their own lives; for example, characters in a book are similar to the teen that is reading the book, or they like to read books that help them learn about another way of life.” 

Check out the following to see what teens are reading:

Hannah Hart, 15 

Favorite authors: Cynthia Voight, J.K. Rowling, Brian Jacques, Robert Cormier
What Hannah is reading now: The Hot Zone by Richard Preston and A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar

“I recently finished Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos for a school project and ended up loving it. It tells about Gantos going to prison for dealing drugs. What made this story so interesting was that what happened was real and he was so young when everything happened. Hole in My Life is inspiring because he changed his life for the better.”

Max Hart, 15

Favorite book: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
What Max is reading now: Day of the Locust by Nathanael West

“I liked Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone because it takes place in a universe similar to our own, however with wizards and witches and magic. The book presents the question whether magic is real in our universe, but hidden from us—just like it’s hidden from non-magic people in the book.”

Yousef Amer, 13

Favorite book: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
What Yousef is reading now: Daniel X by James Patterson

“I like fiction: aliens, ghosts, monsters, etc. I read fiction books every day, every night, all the time.”

Aaron Sens, 12

Favorite author: Orson Scott Card
What Aaron is reading now: Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson and Airborn by Kenneth Oppel

“My favorite genre is fantasy, because anything can happen and reality can be changed. Also, fantasy can vary from something like Redwall to Harry Potter.”

 Related Links

Learn more about Teen Read Week.