The Teens’ Top Ten is a “teen choice” list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year! Nominators are members of teen book groups in sixteen school and public libraries around the country. Nominations are posted on Support Teen Literature Day, the Thursday of National Library Week, and teens across the country vote on their favorite titles each year. The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) is a national association of librarians, library workers and advocates whose mission is to expand and strengthen library services for teens, aged 12-18.

The Top Ten!

1). Roth, Veronica   Divergent   2011
Abnegation (selfless), Erudite (intelligence), Candor (honesty), Amity(peace), or Dauntless (brave): where would you fit? Beatrice lives in a society where she must choose either to remain with her family’s faction or set off towards independence and her beliefs. And what happens when the unity between these factions begins to fall apart?

2). Green, John   The Fault in Our Stars  2012
Hazel and Augustus meet and forge a relationship at a support group for
kids battling cancer. As Hazel and Augustus struggle with the “side-effects of dying,”
they come to learn the strength of wishes, the complexities of long human lives, and the
wondrous ways of the universe.

3). Lu, Marie   Legend  2011
June, a fifteen-year-old military prodigy, is hunting Day, the outlaw she believes is
responsible for her brother’s death. What will happen when the two meet and discover
the government is corrupt?

4). Riggs, Ransom   Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children   2011
When Jacob was little, his grandfather would tell him stories of the
fantastical children’s home where he grew up and the seemingly magical kids who lived
there with him. When his grandfather is killed, Jacob sets out to find the home where
these children lived, unearthing a magical secret and uncovering his true heritage.

5). Dessen, Sarah  What Happened to Goodbye  2011
Ever since Mclean’s parents divorced, she has lived in four
towns in two years – each time taking on a new persona. Mclean expects to leave
Lakeview in six months, but soon finds that she doesn’t want to – she just wants to be
herself.

6). Revis, Beth  Across the Universe    2011
Cryogenically frozen centuries ago, Amy and her parents are on their
way to a new planet aboard the spaceship, Godspeed. Unplugged from her cryo
chamber, Amy discovers she has been awoken 50 years early, in a failed murder
attempt. With Elder, the future leader of the ship, by her side they are on an adventure
filled with murder, lies, dreams, and stars.

7). Meyer, Marissa   Cinder   2012
A futuristic retelling of the classic Cinderella, Cinder, a cyborg and talented mechanic,
lives with her cruel stepmother and two stepsisters in the plague-ridden New Beijing.
Soon after meeting Prince Kai, Cinder must find the truths of her past, which may help
to save the future.

8). Stiefvater, Maggie   The Scorpio Races   2011
Every November, the beaches of Thisby come alive with the Scorpio
Races. The water horses are vicious, the terrain is treacherous, and death is likely, but
the reward can be beyond anything you could imagine. Puck Connolly is racing for her
family, Sean Kendrick for his passion—but only one can win The Scorpio Races.

9). Forman, Gayle   Where She Went    2011
This sequel to Gayle Forman’s If I Stay is narrated by Adam, Mia’s
ex-boyfriend. Shortly after the devastating accident that killed Mia’s family, the talented
cellist moves to New York, where an accidental meeting brings them back together.

10). Cabot, Meg   Abandon   2012
Pierce has experienced death before and barely escaped. When she moves from her old town to a town called
Isla Huesos – Island of Bones – for a new start, she realizes that death wants her back.
Can she escape death once again?