ALA Book Picks 2006—Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults

-- School Library Journal, 3/1/2006

Books That Don’t Make You Blush

Abbott, Hailey. The Bridesmaid. Dela­corte. 2005. $7.95. ISBN 0-385-73220-1.
Alcott, Louisa May. Little Women. Signet Classics. 2004. $3.95. ISBN 0-451-52930-8.
––––. An Old-Fashioned Girl. Puffin. 1996. $5.99. ISBN 0-14-037449-3.
Avi & Rachel Vail. Never Mind!: A Twin Novel. HarperTrophy. 2005. $5.99. ISBN 0-06-054316-7.
Bauer, Joan. Backwater. Putnam. 2000. $6.99. ISBN 0-698-11865-0.
Beale, Fleur. I Am Not Esther. Hyperion. 2004. $6.99. ISBN 0-7868-1673-2.
Bruchac, Joseph. The Warriors. Darby Creek. 2003. $4.99. ISBN 1-58196-022-0.
Cabot, Meg. All-American Girl. HarperTrophy. 2003. $6.99. ISBN 0-06-447277-9.
Cappo, Nan Willard. Cheating Lessons. Simon/Pulse. 2003. $4.99. ISBN 0-689-86018-8.
Carlson, Melody. It’s My Life: Diary of a Teenage Girl. Multnomah. 2000. $12.99. ISBN 1-57673-735-7.
Cleary, Beverly. Fifteen. HarperTrophy. 1996. $5.99. ISBN 0-380-72804-4.
Ellis, Deborah. Looking for X. Groundwood. 2000. $5.95. ISBN 0-88899-382-X.
Ferris, Jean. Love Among the Walnuts. Harcourt. 1998. $5.99. ISBN 0-14-131099-5.
Fisk, Pauline. Midnight Blue. Bloomsbury. 2005. $6.95. ISBN 1-58234-998-3.
Fox, Paula. How Many Miles to Babylon? Front St. 2005. $8.95. ISBN 1-932425-39-X.
Hesse, Karen. Aleutian Sparrow. S & S/Aladdin. 2005. $5.99. ISBN 1-4169-0327-5.
Hilgartner, Beth. Murder for Her Majesty. Houghton. 1992. $5.95. ISBN 0-395-61619-0.
Karr, Kathleen. The Boxer. Farrar. 2004. $6.95. ISBN 0-374-40886-6.
Kidd, Sue Monk. The Secret Life of Bees. Penguin. 2002. $14. ISBN 0-14-200174-0.
Korman, Gordon. Jake, Reinvented. Hyperion. 2005. $5.99. ISBN 0-7868-5697-1.
Lubar, David. Dunk. Clarion. 2002. $6.99. ISBN 0-618-43909-9.
Mass, Wendy. A Mango-Shaped Space. Little, Brown. 2003. $6.99. ISBN 0-316-05825-4.
Matas, Carol. After the War. S & S/Aladdin. 1997. $4.99. ISBN 0-689-80722-8.
Mazer, Harry. A Boy at War: A novel of Pearl Harbor. S & S/Aladdin. 2002. $4.99. ISBN 0-689-84160-4.
Oppel, Kenneth. Airborn. HarperCollins/Eos. 2005. $6.99. ISBN 0-06-053182-7.
Pinkwater, Daniel. The Education of Robert Nifkin. Houghton. 2005. $6.99. ISBN 0-618-55208-1.
Rabb, M. E. The Rose Queen. Penguin. 2004. $ 6.99. ISBN 0-14-250041-0.
Rallison, Janette. All’s Fair in Love, War, and High School. Walker. 2005. $6.95. ISBN 0-8027-7725-2.
Rinaldi, Ann. A Break with Charity: A Story of the Salem Witch Trials. 2003. ISBN 0-15-204682-8.
––––. The Fifth of March: A Story of the Boston Massacre. 2004. ISBN 0-15-205078-7.
ea vol: Harcourt/Gulliver. $6.95.
Schindler, Nina. An Order of Amelie, Hold the Fries. tr. by Rob Barrett. Annick. 2004. $8.95. ISBN 1-55037-860-0.
Shaw, Tucker. Flavor of the Week. Hyperion. 2005. $5.99. ISBN 0-7868-5698-X.
Sheldon, Dyan. Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. Candlewick. 2005. $7.99. ISBN 0-7636-2827-1.
Shusterman, Neal. What Daddy Did. HarperTrophy. 1993. $5.99. ISBN 0-06-447094-6.
Smith, Greg Leitich. Ninjas, Piranhas, and Galileo. Little, Brown. 2005. $6.99. ISBN 0-316-01181-9.
Sturtevant, Katherine. At the Sign of the Star. Farrar. 2002. $5.95. ISBN 0-374-40458-5.
Takaya, Natsuki. Fruits Basket Vol. 1. TokyoPop. 2004. $9.99. ISBN 1-59182-603-9.
Trottier, Maxine. Sister to the Wolf. Kids Can. 2004. $6.95. ISBN 1-55337-520-3.
Van Draanen, Wendelin. Flipped. Knopf. 2003. $8.95. ISBN 0-375-82544-4.
Vaughan, Brian K. Runaways Vol. 1: Pride & Joy. illus. by Adrian Alphona. Marvel. 2004. $7.99. ISBN 0-7851-1379-7.
Voigt, Cynthia. The Runner. Simon/Pulse. 2005. $5.99. ISBN 0-4169-0341-0.
Weaver, Will. Memory Boy. HarperTrophy. 2003. $5.99. ISBN 0-06-440854-X.
Westerfeld, Scott. Uglies. Simon/Pulse. 2005. $6.99. ISBN 0-689-86538-4.
Whelan, Gloria. A Time to Keep Silent. Eerdmans. 1994. $8. ISBN 0-8028-5255-6.
Willis, Connie. To Say Nothing of the Dog: How We Found the Bishop’s Bird Stump at Last. Bantam/Spectra. 1998. $7.99. ISBN 0-553-57538-4.
Wright, Kirby. Punahou Blues : A Hawaiian Novel. Lemon Shark. 2005. $14.95. ISBN 0-9741067-1-2.
Wynne-Jones, Tim. The Maestro. Groundwood. 2004. $6.95. ISBN 0-88899-637-3.
Zeises, Lara M. Contents under Pressure. Laurel-Leaf. 2005. $5.99. ISBN 0-440-23787-4.

Criminal Elements

Abagnale, Frank W. & Stan Redding. Catch Me if You Can: The Amazing True Story of the Youngest and Most Daring Con Man in the History of Fun and Profit! Broadway. 2000. $14.95. ISBN 0-7679-0538-5.
Bing, Leon. Do or Die. HarperPerennial. 1992. $13. ISBN 0-06-092291-5.
Brooks, Kevin. Martyn Pig. Scholastic. 2003. $6.99. ISBN 0-439-50752-9.
Cormier, Robert. Rag and Bone Shop. Laurel-Leaf. 2003. $6.50. ISBN 0-440-22971-5.
Corrigan, Eireann. Splintering. Scholastic/Push. 2005. $7.99. ISBN 0-439-48992-X.
Ewing, Lynne. Drive-By. HarperTrophy. 1998. $4.95. ISBN 0-06-440649-0.
Ferris, Jean. Bad. Farrar. 2001. $5.95.ISBN 0–374-40475-5.
Flinn, Alex. Nothing to Lose. HarperTempest. 2004. $6.99. ISBN 0-06-051752-2.
Foon, Dennis. Skud. Groundwood. 2004. $6.95. ISBN 0-88899-549-0.
Gantos, Jack. Hole in My Life. Farrar. 2004. $8. ISBN 0-374-43089-6.
Hartinger, Brent. Last Chance Texaco. HarperTempest. 2005. $6.99. ISBN 0-06-050914-7.
Heneghan, James. Hit Squad. Orca. 2003. $7.95. ISBN 1-55143-269-2.
Highsmith, Patricia. The Talented Mr. Ripley. Vintage. 1966. $13. ISBN 0-679-74229-8.
Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders. Puffin. 1997. $7.99. ISBN 0-14-038572-X.
Jacobs, Thomas A. They Broke the Law, You Be the Judge: True Cases of Teen Crime. Free Spirit. 2003. $15.95. ISBN 1-57542-134-8.
Koertge, Ron. The Brimstone Journals. Candlewick. 2001. $6.99. ISBN 0-7636-1742-3.
Kyi, Tanya Lloyd. Truth. Orca Soundings. 2003. $7.95. ISBN 1-55143-265-X.
McClintock, Norah. Snitch. Orca. 2005. $7.95. ISBN 1-55143-484-9.
McDonell, Nick. Twelve. Grove. 2003. $12. ISBN 0-8021-4012-2.
Mikaelsen, Ben. Touching Spirit Bear. HarperTrophy. 2002. $5.99. ISBN 0-380-80560-X.
Myers, Walter Dean. Monster. HarperCollins/Amistad. 2001. $6.99. ISBN 0-06-440731-4.
––––. Scorpions. HarperTrophy. 1990. $5.99. ISBN 0-06-447066-0.
Oates, Joyce Carol. Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang. Plume. 1994. $13.95. ISBN 0-452-27231-9.
––––. Freaky Green Eyes. HarperTempest. 2003. $6.99. ISBN 0-06-447348-1.
Picoult, Jodi. The Pact: A Love Story. HarperPerennial. 1998. $14. ISBN 0-688-17052-8.
Polak, Monique. Home Invasion. Orca. 2005. $7.95. ISBN 1-55143-482-2.
Pullman, Philip. The White Mercedes. Laurel-Leaf. 1997. $4.99. ISBN 0-679-88623-0.
Sachar, Louis. Holes. Yearling. 2003. $6.50. ISBN 0-440-41946-8.
Sanchez, Reymundo. My Bloody Life: The Making of a Latin King. Chicago Review. 2001. $16.95. ISBN 1-55652-427-7.
Shakur, Sanyika. Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member. Grove. 2004. $14. ISBN 0-8021-4144-7.
Shepard, Jim. Project X: A Novel. Vintage. 2005. $12. ISBN 1-4000-3348-9.
Sikes, Gini. 8 Ball Chicks: A Year in the Violent World of Girl Gangsters. Anchor. 1998. $14.95. ISBN 0-385-47432-6.
Soto, Gary. The Afterlife. Harcourt. 2005. $6.95. ISBN 0-15-205220-8.
Stapinski, Helene. Five-Finger Discount: A Crooked Family History. Random. 2002. $12.95. ISBN 0-375-75870-4.
Strasser, Todd. Give a Boy a Gun. Simon/Pulse. 2000. $5.99. ISBN 0-689-84893-5.
Vona, Abigail. Bad Girl: Confessions of a Teenage Delinquent. Rugged Land. 2003. $9.95. ISBN 1-59071-051-7.
Weber, Lori. Klepto. Lorimer. 2004. $4.99. ISBN 1-55028-836-9.
Westerfeld, Scott. Uglies. Simon/Pulse. 2005. $6.99. ISBN 0-689-86538-4.
Whitney, Kim Ablon. See You Down the Road. Laurel-Leaf. 2005. $5.99. ISBN 0-440-23809-9.
Williams, Stanley “Tookie” & Barbara Cottman Becnel. Life in Prison. illus. by D. Stevens and others. SeaStar. 2001. $4.95. ISBN 1-58717-094-9.
Wittlinger, Ellen. The Long Night of Leo and Bree. Simon/Pulse. 2003. $6.99. ISBN 0-689-86335-7.

Disease and Disorder

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Fever 1793. S & S/Aladdin. 2002. $5.99. ISBN 0-689-84891-9.
Armstrong, Lance & Sally Jenkins. It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life. Berkley. 2001. $14. ISBN 0-425-17961-3.
Benson, Ann. The Plague Tales. Dell. 1997. $6.99. ISBN 0-440-22510-8.
Brooks, Bruce. Vanishing. HarperTempest. 1999. $6.95. ISBN 0-06-447234-5.
Brooks, Geraldine. Year of Wonders. Penguin. 2002. $10.50. ISBN 0-14-200143-0.
Bull, Emma. Finder: A Novel of the Borderlands. Tor Teen. 2003. $6.99. ISBN 0-7653-4777-6.
Cook, Karin. What Girls Learn: A Novel. Vintage. 1998. $13. ISBN 0-679-76944-7.
Cook, Robin. Fever. 2000. ISBN 0-425-17420-4.
––––. Outbreak. 1991. ISBN 0-425-10687-X.
ea vol: Berkley. $7.99.
Corrigan, Eireann. You Remind Me of You: A Poetry Memoir. Scholastic/Push. 2002. $6.99. ISBN 0-439-29771-0.
Dominick, Andie. Needles: A Memoir of Growing up with Diabetes. S & S. 2000. $13. ISBN 0-684-85654-4.
Ehrenhaft, Daniel. The Last Dog on Earth. Yearling. 2003. $5.99. ISBN 0-440-41950-6.
Gerritsen, Tess. Bloodstream. Pocket. 1999. $7.99. ISBN 0-671-01676-8.
Golden, Christopher & Rick Hautala. Throat Culture. S & S. 2005. $5.99. ISBN 0-689-86527-9.
Gottleib, Lori. Stick Figure: A Diary of My Former Self. Berkley. 2000. $12. ISBN 0-425-17890-0.
Gregory, Julia. Sickened: The Memoir of a Munchausen by Proxy Childhood. Bantam. 2004. $12. ISBN 0-553-38197-0.
Haddon, Mark. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Vintage. 2004. $12. ISBN 1-4000-3271-7.
Harrar, George. Not as Crazy as I Seem. Houghton. 2003. $6.99. ISBN 0-618-49480-4.
Hart, Tony. Microterrors: The Complete Guide to Bacterial, Viral and Fungal Infections. Firefly. 2004. $19.95. ISBN 1-55297-970-9.
Hautman, Pete. Hole in the Sky. ISBN 0-689-84428-X.
––––. Sweetblood. ISBN 0-689-87324-7.
ea vol: Simon/Pulse. 2005. $5.99.
Hesser, Terry Spencer. Kissing Doorknobs. Laurel-Leaf. 1998. $5.99. ISBN 0-440-41314-1.
Hooper, Mary. At the Sign of the Sugared Plum. Bloomsbury. 2005. $6.95. ISBN 1-58234-695-X.
Hrdlitschka, Shelley. Kat’s Fall. 2004. ISBN 1-55143-312-5.
––––. Sun Signs. 2005. ISBN 1-55143-338-9.
ea vol: Orca. $7.95.
King, Steven. The Stand. Gramercy. 1980. $12.99. ISBN 0-517-21901-8.
Koontz, Dean. Fear Nothing. Bantam. 1999. $7.99. 0-553-57975-4.
Lavender, Bee. Lessons in Taxidermy: A Compendium of Safety and Danger. Akashic/Punk Planet Bks. 2005. $12.95. ISBN 1-888451-79-3.
Levitin, Sonia. The Cure. HarperTrophy. 2000. $5.99. ISBN 0-380-73298-X.
McDaniel, Lurlene. Garden of Angels. Laurel-Leaf. 2005. $5.50. ISBN 0-553-49432-5.
––––. Six Months to Live. Darby Creek. 2003. $4.99. ISBN 1-58196-003-4.
Napoli, Donna Jo. Breath. Simon/Pulse. 2005. $5.99. ISBN 0-689-86177-X.
Newth, Mette. The Dark Light. Farrar. 2004. $6.95. ISBN 0-374-41688-5.
Pennebaker, Ruth. Both Sides Now. Laurel-Leaf. 2002. $5.50. ISBN 0-440-22933-2.
Picoult, Jodi. My Sister’s Keeper. S & S. 2005. $14. ISBN 0-7434-5453-7.
Preston, Richard. The Hot Zone. 1995. Random House. $7.99. ISBN 0-385-47956-5.
Sparks, Beatrice, ed. It Happened to Nancy: By an Anonymous Teenager, a True Story from Her Diary. Avon. 1994. $5.99. ISBN 0-380-77315-5.
Stephens, J. B. The Big Empty. Penguin/Razorbill. 2004. $6.99. ISBN 1-59514-006-9.
Tashjian, Janet. Multiple Choice. Scholastic. 1999. $4.99. ISBN 0-439-17484-8.
Terris, Susan. Nell’s Quilt. Farrar. 1996. $5.95. ISBN 0-374-45497-3.
Trueman, Terry. Inside Out. HarperTempest. 2001. $6.99. ISBN 0-06-447376-7.
Vaughn, Brian K. Y the Last Man: Unmanned. DC Comics. 2003. $12.95. ISBN 1-56389-980-9.
Werlin, Nancy. Double Helix. Puffin. 2005. $5.99. ISBN 0-14-240327-X.

GLBTQ

Acito, Marc. How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship, and Musical Theater. Broadway. 2005. $9.95. ISBN 0-7679-1854-1.
Boyer, David. Kings and Queens: Queers at the Prom. Soft Skull. 2004. $24.95. ISBN 1-932360-24-7.
De Oliveira, Eddie. Lucky. Scholastic. 2004. $6.99. ISBN 0-439-54655-9.
Freymann-Weyr, Garrett. My Heartbeat. Puffin. 2003. $7.99. ISBN 0-14-240066-1.
Garden, Nancy. Annie on My Mind. Farrar. 1992. $5.95. ISBN 0-374-40414-3.
Griffith, Nicola. Slow River. Ballantine. 1995. $13.95. ISBN 0-345-39537-9.
Hear Me Out: True Stories of Teens Educating and Confronting Homophobia. Second Story. 2004. $9.95. ISBN 1-896764-87-8.
Huegel, Kelly. GLBTQ*: The Survival Guide for Queer and Questioning Teens *(Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning). Free Spirit. 2004. $15.95. ISBN 1-57542-126-7.
Johnson, Maureen. The Bermudez Triangle. Penguin/Razorbill. 2005. $7.99. ISBN 1-59514-033-6.
Kannagi, Satoru & Hotaru Odagiri. Only the Ring Finger Knows. Digital Manga. 2004. $12.95. ISBN 1-56970-980-7.
Kluger, Steve. Almost Like Being in Love. HarperPerennial. 2004. $13.95. ISBN 0-06-059583-3.
Kushner, Ellen. Swordspoint: A Melodrama of Manners. Bantam/Spectra. 1987. $6.99. ISBN 0-55358-549-5.
Lackey, Mercedes. Magic’s Pawn. (The Last Herald Mage Series, Bk #1). DAW. 1994. $6.99. ISBN 0-88677-352-0.
Levithan, David. Boy Meets Boy. Knopf. 2005. $8.95. ISBN 0-375-83299-8.
Loukes, Keith. Ask Dr. Keith: Candid Answers to Queer Questions. Whitecap. 2004. $16.95. ISBN 1-55285-607-0.
Malloy, Brian. The Year of Ice. St. Martin’s/Griffin. 2003. $12.95. ISBN 0-312-31369-1.
Matoh, Sanami. Fake. illus. by author. TokyoPop. 2004. $9.95. ISBN 1-59182-332-3.
Matthews, Andrew. The Flip Side. Laurel-Leaf. 2005. $5.50. ISBN 0-440-23824-2.
Moore, Terry. Strangers in Paradise: Pocket Book 1. illus. by author. Abstract Studios. 2005. $17.95. ISBN 1-892597-26-8.
Myracle, Lauren. Kissing Kate. Puffin. 2004. $5.99. ISBN 0-14-240241-9.
Peters, Julie Anne. Keeping You a Secret. ISBN 0-316-00985-7.
––––. Luna. ISBN 0-316-01127-4.
ea vol: Little, Brown/Megan Tingley Bks. 2005. $7.99.
Rachel, T. Cole & Rita Costello, eds. Bend, Don’t Shatter: Poets on the Beginning of Desire. Soft Skull. 2004. $11.95. ISBN 1-93236017-4.
Revoyr, Nina. The Necessary Hunger: A Novel. St. Martin’s. 1998. $14.95. ISBN 0-312-18142-6.
Rucka, Greg. Gotham Central Vol 2: Half a Life. illus. by Michael Lark. DC Comics. 2005. $14.99. ISBN 1-40120-438-4.
Sanchez, Alex. Rainbow Boys. Simon/Pulse. 2003. $7.99. ISBN 0-689-85770-5.
Selvadurai, Shyam. Funny Boy. Harcourt/Harvest. 1997. $14. ISBN 0-15-600500-X.
Summer, Jane, ed. Not the Only One: Gay and Lesbian Fiction for Teens. Alyson. 2004. $13.95. ISBN 1-55583-834-0.
Trachtenberg, Robert, ed. When I Knew. illus. by Tom Bachtell. Regan. 2005. $22.95. ISBN 0-06-057146-2.
Winick, Judd. Green Lantern: Brother’s Keeper. DC Comics. 2003. $12.95. ISBN 1-40120-078-8.
Woodson, Jacqueline. From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun. Scholastic. ISBN 0-590-45881-7.
––––. The House You Pass on the Way. Puffin. ISBN 0-14-250191-3.
ea vol: 2003. $5.99.
Yates, Bart. Leave Myself Behind. Kensington. 2003. $15. ISBN 0-7582-0349-7.