Young Adults' Choices for 2007

The 2007 Young Adults' Choices list is the 21st that U.S. teenagers (grades 7–12) have helped create. This project began in 1986, funded by a special grant given to the International Reading Association (IRA) and supervised by the Association's Literature for Young Adults Committee.

The goals of the project are to encourage young people to read; to make teens, teachers, librarians, and parents aware of new literature for young adults; and to provide middle and secondary school students with an opportunity to voice their opinions about books being written for them.

The 30 books on this year's list are the result of voting by students in five different regions of the United States. Trade books (books other than textbooks) published in 2005 were submitted by more than 50 publishers. Each book had to have at least two positive reviews from recognized sources such as The Horn Book, School Library Journal, Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, Booklist, Language Arts, or Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA). Submitted books were read by students in grades 7–12 between September 2006 and February 2007 in selected school districts throughout the United States. More than 11,000 ballots were counted for the books submitted for this year's project. Students marked, “I liked the book,” “It was OK,” or “I didn't like the book.” The results were announced in May at the 2007 Annual Convention of the International Reading Association in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Publishers sent the books to the five team leaders in different regions of the United States. The team leaders' and trainees' responsibilities included selecting the school districts and schools in which the project would take place; making sure the books were distributed to the schools; working with the teachers, librarians, supervisors, and principals to implement the program; and writing the annotations. They were also responsible for collecting the ballots and mailing them to the International Reading Association headquarters for the final tally.

The following schools participated in the 2007 project:

Team 1: Bonnie Purcell and Kristen D. Taylor (team leader); Blanding, Utah, and Helper, Utah; six high schools, two junior high schools, and one middle school; rural.

Team 2: Jane Gross (team leader); Attleboro, Massachusetts; one high school and three middle schools; urban.

Team 3: Mary F. Long (team leader); Plano, Texas; five high schools and five middle schools; suburban. Karen Rubin (trainee); Cape Coral, Florida; three high schools and four middle schools; urban, suburban, and rural.

Team 4: Stephanie A. Burdic and Elizabeth Olson (team leaders); Omaha, Nebraska; two high schools and three middle schools; suburban and urban.

Team 5: Barbara A. Sears (team leader); Clifton, Virginia; one high school and two middle schools; suburban. Maxine Levy (trainee); Chattanooga, Tennessee; three high schools and three middle schools; urban, suburban, and rural.

The participating schools represented various types of students, economic levels, cultural groups, and geographic regions. The team leaders were enthusiastic and expressed appreciation for the opportunity to participate in this worthwhile and exciting project.

The committee wishes to thank Alida von Krogh Cutts and Mary Cash of the International Reading Association staff for helping to coordinate the project. Thanks are also extended to Natalie Babbitt for her logo design and to the International Reading Association for its continued support of the project. Gratitude and appreciation go to all of the students, teachers, librarians, school district administrators, and team leaders who participated in the project and made it a success.

Members of the Literature for Young Adults Committee, cochaired by Cathy L. Denman and Gretchen C. Hamilton, have written annotations for each title. Their initials indicate annotations written by individual committee members. Reviewers include Bonnie Purcell, Kristen D. Taylor, Jane Gross, Mary F. Long, Karen Rubin, Stephanie A. Burdic, Elizabeth Olson, Barbara A. Sears, Sherryl K. Shannon, Ann A. Pinion, and Maxine Levy.

Annotations include the publisher, number of pages, and price. Publishers furnished information in May 2007 but prices are subject to change.

The annotated 2007 Young Adults' Choices list is downloadable from the International Reading Association website www.reading.org. Single copies of offprints are available for US$1.00 for postage and handling and a self-addressed 9″ × 12″ envelope from the International Reading Association, Department EG, 800 Barksdale Road, PO Box 8139, Newark, DE 19714-8139, USA, Attention YA Choices. To order bulk copies by phone with a credit card, call (in the U.S. and Canada only) 1-800-336-READ or send order to Order Department, 800 Barksdale Road, PO Box 8139, Newark, DE 19714-8139, USA, or fax to 302-731-1057.

13 Little Blue Envelopes.

Maureen Johnson.

Aunt Peg was an artist, a free spirit, who left New York City to paint and travel in Europe until her untimely death. Now, 17-year-old Ginny is reliving her adventure, one envelope at a time, according to the rules and instructions that Aunt Peg mysteriously left for her. Alone, carrying only a backpack, Ginny follows Peg's footsteps to addresses in London, Rome, Paris, and throughout Europe, hoping to better understand her eccentric aunt. Instead, this magnificent journey leads Ginny to a better understanding and appreciation of herself. JG