YALSA Book and Media Awards for Libraries

YALSA's Book and Media Awards and lists of recommended reading.

Awards & Seals | Selected Lists I Teen Book Finder app & database I Committee Contacts | Additional Resources

While these books and media have been selected for teens from 12 to 18 years of age, the award-winning titles and the titles on YALSA's selected lists span a broad range of reading and maturity levels. We encourage adults to take an active role in helping individual teens choose those books that are the best fit for them and their families. For recommended media, such as apps, visit the YALSAblog and ALA TechSource. Also, check out AASL's Best Websites for Teaching and Learning. For more in-depth information about library collections for and with teens, visit the Collections & Content Curation page on YALSA's wiki.

Visit YALSA's Teen Book Finder Database, a one-stop shop for finding titles featured on its selected lists and award winners. Users can search this free resource by award, list name, year, author, genre and more, as well as print customizable lists.

Book Awards & Seals

Learn more about each award below and read speeches from winners.

Purchase seals for award winners, honor books, and nominees. Learn more.

Selected Book & Media Lists

Learn more about YALSA's Book and Media Lists, including:

View Past Lists (that are currently inactive)

Suggest a Title

To suggest a title for YALSA's committees to consider, click on the link above for the particular award or list you're interested in. Note: publishers and authors may not suggest a title and a nomination is only official when it is accepted and seconded by the committee.

Teen Book Finder App & Database

Find YALSA's latest award-winning books and media and selected lists wherever you are with this app and this database, funded by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.

Best of the Best

Download bookmarks and other materials, as well as a full list of YALSA's best reading for teens as published each year, to promote teen reading in your community.

Committee Contacts

Publishers interested in submitting books for consideration for a YALSA award or selected list can access committee member rosters online or contact Nichole O'Connor for assistance.

Use and Reproduction of YALSA's Awards and Lists

YALSA’s lists of recommended reading may be reproduced under "fair use" standards. As stated in Section 107 of The Copyright Act of 1976, factors to be considered shall include:

  1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
  2. the nature of the copyrighted work;
  3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole

Additional Resources

Find more collection development resources on our wiki. YALSA is part of the American Library Association, which develops additional recommended reading resources of interest to library staff, educators and afterschool providers who serve teens: