Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults was an annual list of popular books geared toward young adult readers, collated by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), which was published from 1988 to 2017. The aim of the list was "to encourage young adults to read for pleasure by presenting to them lists of popular or topical titles which are widely available in paperback and which represent a broad variety of accessible themes and genres".[1] Unlike other lists published by the American Library Association and its subsidiaries, books on the list did not have to be published recently.[2] Researchers, librarians, and educators have used the list to better understand books popular amongst young adults.[3] [4] [5] [6]
YALSA first released the Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults list in 1988. Working with book distributor Baker & Taylor, representatives from YALSA reviewed books available in paperback in five genres: "romance, horror, science fiction, sports, and mystery". In following years, YALSA added more genres to the list (e.g., fantasy, humor, and historical fiction).
To be eligible for the list, books "must be in print and available in paperback",[2] which ensures wider availability across socioeconomic statuses. The judges committee considers the opinions of young adult readers, looking at both young adult and adult books, both fiction and nonfiction.[2] Furthermore, "Popularity is more important than literary quality."
Between 1997 and 2010, YALSA did not select the top ten books annually; instead, they composed longer lists in selected categories.[7]
The top ten books for 2011 to 2017 are listed below.
| 2011[8] | Burger Wuss | |
| Other | ||
| Zombie Haiku Good Poetry for Your…Brains | ||
| Shadoweyes | ||
| Unwind | ||
| Tantalize | ||
| with Chihiro Hattori (illus.) | The Manga Cookbook | |
| Wherever Nina Lies | ||
| with Keith Thompson (illus.) | Leviathan | |
| with Dan Chernett (ilus.) | Malice | |
| 2012[9] | and Cecil Castellucci (ed.) | Geektastic Stories from the Nerd Herd |
| Super Human | ||
| Brain Jack | ||
| Shattering Glass | ||
| Here Lies Bridget | ||
| Jane | ||
| SideScrollers | ||
| Hero | ||
| My Boyfriend is a Monster | ||
| Tripping | ||
| 2013[10] | Prom and Prejudice | |
| Name of the Star | ||
| The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks | ||
| Struts and Frets | ||
| Drama | ||
| First Crossing:Stories about teen immigrants | ||
| The New Kids: big dreams and brave journeys at a high school forimmigrant teens | ||
| Heist Society | ||
| The Running Dream | ||
| Putting Makeup on the Fat Boy | ||
| 2014[11] | Audrey, Wait! | |
| Beauty Queens | ||
| Swim The Fly | ||
| Carter Finally Gets It | ||
| Beautiful Music for Ugly Children | ||
| Ash | ||
| Hold Me Closer, Necromancer | ||
| Between Shades Of Gray | ||
| Courage Has No Color The True Story of the Triple Nickles: America'sFirst Black Paratroopers | ||
| Boxers & Saints | ||
| 2015[12] | My Friend Dahmer | |
| Catching Fire | ||
| Hole in My Life | ||
| The Fault in Our Stars | ||
| I Hunt Killers | ||
| Lockdown | ||
| The Rithmatist | ||
| Maus I: A Survivor's Tale | ||
| Lockwood & Co The Screaming Staircase | ||
| 2016[13] | Wintergirls | |
| The Darkest Minds | ||
| Book of a Thousand Days | ||
| Roller Girl | ||
| Charm & Strange | ||
| and Andrew Aydin | March | |
| Rot & Ruin | ||
| Cinder | ||
| Ashfall | ||
| Briar Rose | ||
| 2017[14] | Life in Motion An Unlikely Ballerina | |
| The Distance Between Us: A Memoir | ||
| Persepolis The Story of a Childhood | ||
| The Diviners | ||
| The Monstrumologist | ||
| The Good Braider | ||
| Just One Day | ||
| All the Bright Places | ||
| Vanishing Girls | ||
| Rani Patel in Full Effect |