The Best Books for Young Adults (or BBYA, since everything in library world must have an acronym) is now gone.  In its place is BFYA- Best Fiction for Young Adults.  A technicality, but an important one, since all of my YA Library professors will now have to change their syllabi.

The 2011 BFYA list is out (well, technically it’s the only BFYA list out… just saying).  The list of 99 books comprises some of the best fiction that just came out.  The books are of high literary quality but remain approachable for teens, ages 12-18.  (Sidenote- why do we only care about teens until age 18?  I realize that is when they become legal adults, but 19 still has teen in it.  12 is a tween.  19 is a teen.  Sorry, it’s something that’s been bugging me.  Sidenote over.)

There are some big name YA authors in the BFYA list of 99- John Green, David Levithan, Laurie Halse Anderson, E. Lockhart, Holly Black, and Louis Sachar all jumped out to me.  (I’m not saying there weren’t other good or famous authors- those were literally the names that caught my eye as I skimmed through the list.)  I always like it when writers I like are acknowledged as writing another awesome thing.  I feel like it’s a small victory for me (Yay!  I’m reading the good stuff!) as well as a slightly bigger victory for them (Yay!  You’re writing the good stuff!)  However, I was a little sad to see that I had only read one of the books in the top ten.  It made me a little panicked because I spent much of the fall reading from the 2010 lists (Printz Award, BBYA, Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers, etc.).  All of a sudden, I read the new list and thought, “Oh, crap.  I’m already behind, again!  I need to get reading.”  Of course, that thought was immediately followed by looking wide eyed at my big stack of homework and reading for my MLIS classes and an even greater feeling of panic.  Luckily, I was able to resolve said panic with a couple reserves at the library and a look at my mostly free month of April where I can curl up and do nothing but read like the anti-social nerd we all aim to be.

Anyway, to catch you up on your own lists, here are the top ten YALSA BFYA books:

• Bacigalupi, Paolo. “Ship Breaker.” Little, Brown, & Co., 2010. (HAH!  I got this one done, already, and it’s double dipping because it also won the Printz Award.  Check and double check!!  Also, this is a good book.  I thought you would all like to know because even though it’s in the top ten BFYA and won the Michael L. Printz Award, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t read it until I say, “this is a good book.”  No review necessary.  My word is gold.)
• Donnelley, Jennifer. “Revolution.” Random House Children’s Books/Delacorte, 2010.
• Marchetta, Melina. “Finnikin of the Rock.” Candlewick, 2010.
• Matson, Morgan. “Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour.” 2010. Simon & Schuster, 2010.
• McBride, Lish.“Hold Me Closer, Necromancer.” Macmillan Children’s Book Group/Henry Holt, 2010.
• Mulligan, Andy. “Trash.” David Fickling Books, 2010.
• Perkins, Mitali. “Bamboo People.” Charlesbridge, 2010.
• Reinhardt, Dana. “The Things a Brother Knows.”  Random House Children’s Books/Wendy Lamb,  2010.
• Saenz, Benjamin. “Last Night I Sang to the Monster.” Cinco Puntos Press, 2009.
• Sedgwick, Marcus. “Revolver.” Roaring Brook Press,  2010.

Happy Reading!