Teen Top Ten of 2012

Every year, YALSA gathers nominations for books that comprise the list of finalists for the  Teens Top Ten. This year's list of 24 nominees has been released. Check out the voting site at http://www.ala.org/yalsa/teenstopten. Any reader between the ages of 12 - 18 may vote on their favorites when the voting site is open in August and September. For the next two weeks, we'll be featuring books on the nomination list. All you have to do is read!

When Librarians Gather

Twice a year, the American Library Association holds a conference. Can you imagine? Thousands of librarians converge on an unsuspecting city, trodding down sidewalks in sensible shoes, lugging huge canvas bags loaded with books.... But wait! Some librarians are out fighting crime!Even Spidey needs a good research librarian at his side. 

Not only librarians attend the ALA conference. Publishers and authors are there to promote their books. Since authors are like rock stars to librarians, it can be incredibly exciting to meet a favorite author! Here is Libba Bray, author of the Gemma Doyle series, Printz Award winner Going Bovine, and my personal favorite, Beauty Queens. Libba was there signing her new book, The Diviners, due to be published in September.
It's a pleasure to realize that authors are people, too, and once they were kids thinking about maybe some day writing a book.
Derek Dirk Kim (left) and Gene Luen Yang (right) are the illustrator and author of The Eternal Smile. Gene is also the first graphic novel author to win a Printz award, for American Born Chinese.