Summary

Along with material that spans the gamut of fiction and non-fiction subgenres, from action and adventure to fantasy to history to science-fiction, author Rollie James Welch includes a number of innovative new sections dedicated to more specific interests, like supernatural beings, edgier "almost-street" literature, coming-of-age tales, graphic novels, religious-themed fiction and new classics.

Each title includes full bibliographic information along with an annotation that provides a brief plot and character summary, an audience recommendation, and content advisories. A companion CD-ROM offers titles and lists in various formats (Excel, Word) to facilitate easy collection maintenance, selection, and acquisition.

Novice and veteran librarians alike will find this to be the ultimate go-to-source for YA collection development.

School Library Journal Review

In this expanded and revised edition of the original title (2003), Welch takes on the singular task of updating and adding to a suggested core list. Citations to reviews from Booklist, School Library Journal, VOYA, and Kirkus are included with each of the 1386 title entries. Fiction is broken down by subject; it includes more widely known genres such as classics, romance, and science fiction as well as more eclectic ones like "Cautionary Novels" and "Inspirational Fiction." While the book as a whole may seem daunting to many librarians, the subject breakdown provides an interesting and practical list of titles for collections that might be lacking in one area or another. While some lists are larger than others, including a very spare section on graphic novels, the appendixes with "Top 10" lists from various ALA committees and the inclusion of several years' worth of award winners help to give the volume an overall refined execution.-Ryan Donovan, New York Public Library (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

The purpose of this second edition is evident: librarians often burdened with many warehousing tasks and instructional activities while they strive to remain current with new technologies welcome assistance with their development of print collections for young adult readers. More than 1,300 mostly annotated titles, a good mix of current and older noteworthy books, are grouped into 13 genres, such a. Coming-of-Age Stories. Fantasy Novels. Graphic Novels. an. Readable Nonfiction. For each title, author Welch provides author; number of pages; bibliographical information for the various available print and nonprint book formats (paperbacks, trade, large print, CD, Playaway, and e-books); prices; number of pages; copyright date; grade level of target audience; and a brief summary of the story. Additional information includes a listing of professional periodicals that reviewed the book and literary awards or recognition. (The Pura Belpre and Coretta Scott King Awards, Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, and the new YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction are not included, but librarians may want to consult these lists as well.) Finally, a user-friendly companion CD listing the book's content by chapter, titles, authors, and grade levels allows for immediate ease of search. A helpful resource for public and school teen librarians who need to build or update their collections.--Ward, Chery. Copyright 2010 Booklist