YALSA (Gesundheit)

So, my friends, I reach out to ask, “What’re you reading or listening to these days?” Oh, you’d like to hear about my selections first? How very kind!

I have a bit of a trek on my commute to-and-fro the library. As such, the dulcet tones of audiobook narration help to pass the time (and horses). Pushing through the winter, I wanted a selection to put me in the right frame of mind to coincide with this arduous season of weather. Little did one know, however, that these past few months would border more on spring-ish and not so full of hardship.

Anywho, not possessing this foresight I began my journey through the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Pioneer tales of homesteading, adapting to the landscape for means of survival. From the big woods, migrating to the prairie, travels to Plum Creek and Silver Lake, and all the trials and tribulations in-between. A near perfect choice of listening material as my car lazily navigated the long stretch of country and open expanse where, I too, could be a farmer boy.

Perhaps you're in search of a similar tonic to stoke and fuel the imagination. That’s where YALSA can be of great assistance. No, I didn’t just sneeze. The Young Adult Library Services Association is a division of the American Library Association and focuses specifically on meeting the needs and interests of tweens and teens. This focus includes providing readers’ advisory, a helpful tool when I’m not available to help you wander the stacks! So without further ado, here are several highly sought after recommendations that just happen to grace our shelves (click on any title to check current availability):

Kids of Appetite by David Arnold

Vic’s father died two years ago. Unable to accept his mother’s new relationship, he flees with his father’s urn. An unlikely gang of misfits brings Vic into their fold, helping him fulfill his dad’s final instructions regarding disposal of the ashes. A triumphant celebration of the many kinds of family.

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

In this reimagining of Sherlock Holmes, Charlotte Holmes is a distant relative of Sherlock and a high school student in America. James Watson, a distant relative of Dr. John Watson, is a student at the same school, and Watson and Holmes eventually meet up to solve a murder.

The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle

Quinn hasn’t left his room in six months since the death of his sister and filmmaking partner. After reluctantly going out with his best friend Geoff, Quinn falls in love, uncovers secrets, and comes to terms with his sister’s death.

Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse

In 1943 Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, Hanneke helps her family survive by procuring and distributing black-market goods for customers, one of whom is hiding a Jewish girl. When the girl vanishes mysteriously, Hanneke takes up the case, unwittingly joining the Resistance as her eyes are opened to the war’s horrors.

Character, Driven by David Lubar

Cliff is almost out of high school and he’s never had much luck with girls—or anything else. But when Jillian moves to town, he determines to have the girlfriend of his dreams and figure out what to do with his messed-up life.

Summer Days and Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories by Stephanie Perkins (editor) 

In turns humorous, touching, and atmospheric, this collection of short stories by 12 prominent, popular, and up-and-coming young-adult authors offers diverse tales of love and summertime in genres ranging from science-fiction and fantasy to realistic fiction.

Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew Quick

Nanette has a nice normal life—friends, high school, soccer. But after she discovers a cult-classic novel, “nice and normal” becomes instantly unappealing. Ditching everyday life for the book’s reclusive author and another obsessive teenage fan, Nanette explores her rebellious nonconformist side—and the risks that come with it.

Railhead by Philip Reeve

In the distant future, sentient trains carry passengers across the universe on the Great Network, and Zen Starling, a petty thief and “railhead,” darts from planet to planet in search of his next score until the mysterious Raven enlists his help for a mission.

This musing brought to you by YA Librarian, Chris.