YALSA #YaLit

What does YALSA stand for? Young Adult Library Service Association. I actually utilized this website when filling out my Bingo Card for YaLit class this semester and I love it. This week I spent some more time exploring the sight and checking it out and of course I had to have my Goodreads account open to add more lists to a TBR list that I will never complete. I like having goals I will never accomplish because it keeps me going. If I had created a TBR list that I knew I could accomplish in one summer it would make me sad because there was nothing to look forward to after I had accomplished my goal.

There are a several different lists for book awards and book awards are a great way to find books. These books are obviously good since they received an award but book lists always get me thinking about the author and then I go find more books by them. I can never stop promoting Goodreads because it is the best but when you add books up in the right hand corner it gives you book recommendations based on the book you just added. I have found several books from Goodreads recommendations.

My favorite lists are Picks for Reluctant Readers and Teens’ Top Ten Award. Picks for Reluctant Readers are guaranteed to be good books because they are mean to get reluctant readers reading. Teen’s Top Ten are books picked by teens, and who is a better judge of YA lit than teens. I also explored the Odyssey award which is given to Audiobooks. I did not know there was an award for Audiobooks and it is extremely cool. I loved reading the descriptions and explanations for why the award was given. I found several books from that list that I am excited to read.

One thing that surprised me while reading through the lists were how many books I had read that were on the lists. I don’t really think about what award(s) the book has won before I read it so it was a big surprise to see all these books I had read had won an award(s).

I most definitely want to keep utilizing this site when I become a teacher. It’s a great site to find books that have been vetted but it is also a great site to tell my students to use. Students can explore the YALSA blog or the Hub, which is devoted to all things Literature and Teen. They can also explore the lists of books that have received awards and add them to their TBR lists. Students can follow YALSA on Twitter as well.