2008 Best Books for Young Adults
(Listed in alphabetical order)
**All nominees are listed; Top Ten winners are in a larger font and italicized.
FICTION


7 DAYS AT THE HOT CORNER by Terry Trueman
101 WAYS TO DANCE by Kathy Stinson

THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie
ALABAMA MOON by Watt Key
ALMOST HOME by Jessica Blank
THE ARRIVAL by Shaun Tan
THE ASTONISHING ADVENTURES OF FANBOY AND GOTH GIRL by Barry Lyga

BEASTLY by Alex Flinn
BEFORE I DIE by Jenny Downham
BEIGE by Cecil Castellucci
BEING by Kevin Brooks
BEOWULF by Gareth Hinds
BIG SLICK by Eric Luper
BLACKBRINGER: FAERIES OF DREAMDARK by Laini Taylor
BLOOD BROTHERS by S. A. Harazin
BLOODSONG by Melvin Burgess
BONE BY BONE BY BONE by Tony Johnston
BOOK OF A THOUSAND DAYS by Shannon Hale
BOOT CAMP by Todd Strasser
BOOTH'S DAUGHTER by Raymond Wemmlinger
BOY TOY by Barry Lyga
THE BREAKUP BIBLE by Melissa Kantor
BREATHE MY NAME by R. A. Nelson
BURIED by Robin Merrow MacCready
BUSTED by Phil Bildner

CHASING TAIL LIGHTS by Patrick Jones
CLICK: ONE NOVEL, TEN AUTHORS edited by Scholastic, Inc.
COAL BLACK HORSE by Robert Olmstead
CONVERTING KATE by Beckie Weinheimer
THE CORPS OF THE BARE-BONED PLANE by Polly Horvath
CRACKER!: THE BEST DOG IN VIETNAM by Cynthia Kadohata
CRISPIN: AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD by Avi
CUPID by Julius Lester
CURES FOR HEARTBREAK by Margo Rabb

DEADLINE by Chris Crutcher
THE DECODING OF LANA MORRIS by Laura & Tom McNeal
DERBY GIRL by Shauna Cross
DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: A NOVEL IN CARTOONS by Jeff Kinney
DOES MY HEAD LOOK BIG IN THIS? by Randa Abdel-Fattah
DRAGON'S KEEP by Janet Lee Carey
DRAGONHAVEN by Robin McKinley
DRAMARAMA by E. Lockhart
DRAWING THE OCEAN by Carolyn MacCullough
DREAM FACTORY by Brad Barkley & Heather Hepler
DREAMQUAKE: BOOK TWO OF DREAMHUNTER DUET by Elizabeth Knox

ECHO by Kate Morgenroth
EDWARD'S EYES by Patricia MacLachlan
EIGHTH GRADE BITES: THE CHRONICLES OF VLADIMIR TOD by Heather Brewer
EPIC by Conor Kostick
EVERLOST by Neal Shusterman
EVIL GENIUS by Catherine Jinks
EVOLUTION, ME, AND OTHER FREAKS OF NATURE by Robin Brande

FAERIES OF DREAMDARK: BLACKBRINGER by Laini Taylor
THE FALCONER'S KNOT: A STORY OF FRIARS, FLIRTATION AND FOUL PLAY by Mary Hoffman
FALLING BOY by Alison McGhee
FINN by Jon Clinch
FIREHORSE by Diane Lee Wilson
FIRESTORM: THE CARETAKER TRILOGY BK. 1 by David Klass
FLIGHT by Sherman Alexie
FOR NOW by Gayle Friesen
FRANNIE IN PIECES by Delia Ephron
FREAK by Marcella Pixley
FREAK SHOW by James St. James
A FRIEND AT MIDNIGHT by Caroline B. Cooney

GENESIS ALPHA by Rune Michaels
GENGHIS: BIRTH OF AN EMPIRE by Conn Iggulden
GIRL AT SEA by Maureen Johnson
GLACIAL PERIOD by Nicolas De Crecy
GLASS by Ellen Hopkins
GOD SAVE THE QUEEN by Mike Carey
GOING NOWHERE FASTER by Sean Beaudoin
THE GOOD FAIRIES OF NEW YORK by Martin Millar
GUYAHOLIC by Carolyn Mackler
GYM CANDY by Carl Deuker

HARMLESS by Dana Reinhardt
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS by J. K. Rowling
HATERS by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
HEAD CASE by Sarah Aronson
HERO by Perry Moore
HOT LUNCH by Alex Bradley
HOW IT HAPPENED IN PEACH HILL by Marthe Jocelyn
HOW YA LIKE ME NOW by Brendan Halpin

I AM REMBRANDT'S DAUGHTER by Lynn Cullen
I LOVE YOU, BETH COOPER by Larry Doyle
IN SEARCH OF MOCKINGBIRD by Loretta Ellsworth
IN THE NAME OF GOD by Paula Jolin
INTERWORLD by Neil Gaiman & Michael Reaves
THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET by Brian Selznick
THE INVISIBLE by Mats Wahl

LARKLIGHT: A ROUSING TALE OF DAUNTLESS PLUCK IN THE FARTHEST REACHES OF SPACE by Philip Reeve
LAST DANCE AT THE FROSTY QUEEN by Richard Uhlig
LEAP OF FAITH by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
LEONARDO'S SHADOW: OR, MY ASTONISHING LIFE AS LEONARDO DA VINCI'S SERVANT by Christopher Grey
LESSONS FROM A DEAD GIRL by Jo Knowles
LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE by Mirjam Pressler
LITTLE (GRRL) LOST by Charles de Lint
LOOKING FOR JJ by Anne Cassidy

MEMOIRS OF A TEENAGE AMNESIAC by Gabrielle Zevin
MISTER PIP by Lloyd Jones
MISS SPITFIRE: REACHING HELEN KELLER by Sarah Miller
MISTIK LAKE by Martha Brooks
MOUSE GUARD, VOL. 1: FALL 1152 by David Petersen
MY MOTHER THE CHEERLEADER by Robert Sharenow
MY SWORDHAND IS SINGING by Marcus Sedgwick
THE MYSTERIOUS EDGE OF THE HEROIC WORLD by E. L. Konigsburg

NACKY PATCHER AND THE CURSE OF THE DRY-LAND BOATS by Jeffrey Kluger
NAOMI AND ELY'S NO KISS LIST by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
THE NATURE OF JADE by Deb Caletti
THE NEDDIAD: HOW NEDDIE TOOK THE TRAIN, WENT TO HOLLYWOOD, AND SAVED CIVILIZATION by Daniel Pinkwater
THE NEW POLICEMAN by Kate Thompson
NIGHT OF THE HOWLING DOGS by Graham Salisbury
NINETEEN MINUTES by Jodi Picoult
NOT LIKE YOU by Deborah Davis
NOTES FOR A WAR STORY by Gipi
NOTES FROM THE MIDNIGHT DRIVER by Jordan Sonnenblick

OFF-COLOR by Janet McDonald
THE OFF SEASON by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
ON THE WINGS OF HEROES by Richard Peck
ONE GOOD PUNCH by Rich Wallace
ONE WHOLE AND PERFECT DAY by Judith Clarke
OPHELIA by Lisa Klein
THE OPPOSITE OF MUSIC by Janet Ruth Young

PARROTFISH by Ellen Wittlinger
PAYBACK by James Heneghan
PEAK by Roland Smith
THE PENALTY by Mal Peet
THE PRINCESS AND THE HOUND by Mette Ivie Harrison

QUAKING by Kathryn Erskine

RE-GIFTERS by Mike Carey
RED GLASS by Laura Resau
RED MOON AT SHARPSBURG by Rosemary Wells
THE RED SHOE by Ursula Dubosarsky
RED SPIKES by Margo Lanagan
REPOSSESSED by A. M. Jenkins
THE RESTLESS DEAD: TEN ORIGINAL STORIES OF THE SUPERNATURAL edited by Deborah Noyes
THE RETURN OF DEATH ERIC by Sam Llewellyn
REVOLUTION IS NOT A DINNER PARTY by Ying Chang Compestine
THE RHYTHM OF THE ROAD by Albyn Leah Hall
RIGHT BEHIND YOU by Gail Giles
ROMEO AND JULIET: MANGA SHAKESPEARE by William Shakespeare, Adapted by Richard Appignanesi

SAINTS OF AUGUSTINE by P. E. Ryan
THE SECRET LIFE OF SPARROW DELANEY by Suzanne Harper
THE SERPENT AND THE ROSE: THE FIRST BOOK OF THE WAR OF THE ROSE by Kathleen Bryan
SHARK GIRL by Kelly Bingham
THE SILVER SHIP AND THE SEA by Brenda Cooper
SKIN HUNGER: A RESURRECTION OF MAGIC by Kathleen Duey
SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT by Derek Landy
SLAM by Nick Hornby
SOMEDAY THIS PAIN WILL BE USEFUL TO YOU by Peter Cameron
THE SONG OF KAHUNSHA by Anosh Irani
SONG OF THE SPARROW by Lisa Ann Sandell
SPANKING SHAKESPEARE by Jake Wizner
SPELLDOWN: THE BIG-TIME DREAMS OF A SMALL-TOWN WORD WHIZ by Karon Luddy
SPLIT SCREEN by Brent Hartinger
SPUD by John van de Ruit
STORY OF A GIRL by Sara Zarr
STRAYS by Ron Koertge
SUCH A PRETTY GIRL by Laura Wiess
THE SWAN MAIDEN by Heather Tomlinson
A SWIFT PURE CRY by Siobhan Dowd

TALLGRASS by Sandra Dallas
TAMAR: A NOVEL OF ESPIONAGE, PASSION, AND BETRAYAL by Mal Peet
TANTALIZE by Cynthia Leitich Smith
THEY CAME FROM BELOW by Blake Nelson
THE THIEF QUEEN'S DAUGHTER: THE LOST JOURNALS OF VEN POLYPHEME by Elizabeth Haydon
THIRTEEN REASONS WHY by Jay Asher
THIS IS WHAT I DID: by Ann Dee Ellis
A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS by Khaled Hosseini
TOUCHING SNOW by M. Sindy Felin
TOWN BOY by Lat
THE TRAITORS' GATE by Avi
TWISTED by Laurie Halse Anderson
TWOC: TAKEN WITHOUT OWNER'S CONSENT by Graham Joyce

UN LUN DUN by China Mieville
UNWIND by Neal Shusterman
USEFUL FOOLS by C.A. Schmidt

WAVES by Sharon Dogar
THE WEDNESDAY WARS by Gary D. Schmidt
WHAT HAPPENED by Peter Johnson
WHAT MY GIRLFRIEND DOESN'T KNOW by Sonya Sones
WHAT THE MOON SAW by Laura Resau
WHAT THEY FOUND: LOVE ON 145TH STREET by Walter Dean Myers
THE WHITE DARKNESS by Geraldine McCaughrean
WICKED LOVELY by Melissa Marr
WILDERNESS by Roddy Doyle
WILDWOOD DANCING by Juliet Marillier
THE WOLF by Steven Herrick

YSABEL by Guy Gavriel King

ZEN AND THE ART OF FAKING IT by Jordan Sonnenblick



NON-FICTION


AMERICAN SHAOLIN by Matthew Polly

BEOWULF by Gareth Hinds
BORN ON A BLUE DAY, A MEMOIR: INSIDE THE EXTRAORDINARY MIND OF AN AUTISTIC SAVANT by Daniel Tammert

CROSS-X by Joe Miller

THE DEEP: THE EXTRAORDINARY CREATURES OF THE ABYSS edited by Claire Nouvian

E.E. CUMMINGS: A POET'S LIFE by Catherine Reef

FAITH AND DOUBT: AN ANTHOLOGY OF POEMS edited by Patrice Vecchione

THE GREAT ADVENTURE: THEODORE ROOSEVELT AND THE RISE OF MODERN AMERICA by Albert Marrin
GRIEF GIRL: MY TRUE STORY by Erin Vincent

HOUDINI: THE HANDCUFF KING by Jason Lutes & Nick Bertozzi

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH: THE CRISIS OF GLOBAL WARMING by Al Gore

JANE ADDAMS: CHAMPION OF DEMOCRACY by Judith Bloom & Dennis Brindell Fradin

KABUL BEAUTY SCHOOL: AN AMERICAN WOMAN GOES BEHIND THE VEIL by Deborah Rodriguez

THE LONG ROAD HOME: A STORY OF WAR AND FAMILY by Martha Raddatz
A LONG WAY GONE: MEMOIRS OF A BOY SOLDIER by Ishmael Beah

MALCOLM X: A GRAPHIC BIOGRAPHY by Andrew Helfer

QUEST FOR THE TREE KANGAROO: AN EXPEDITION TO THE CLOUD FOREST OF NEW GUINEA by Sy Montgomery

THE SNOW BABY: THE ARCTIC CHILDHOOD OF ROBERT E. PEARY'S DARING DAUGHTER by Katherine Kirkpatrick
SUCH A PRETTY FACE: SHORT STORIES ABOUT BEAUTY edited by Ann Angel

TASTING THE SKY: A PALESTINIAN CHILDHOOD by Ibtisam Barakat
TO DANCE: A BALLERINA'S GRAPHIC NOVEL by Siena Cherson Siegel
TOUGH BOY SONATAS by Curtis L. Crisler

UP CLOSE: JOHNNY CASH by Anne E. Neimark

THE WALL: GROWING UP BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN by Peter Sis
WAR, WOMEN, AND THE NEWS: HOW FEMALE JOURNALISTS WON THE BATTLE TO COVER WORLD WAR II by Catherine Gourley
WILDLY ROMANTIC, THE ENGLISH ROMANTIC POETS: THE MAD, THE BAD, AND THE DANGEROUS
by Catherine M. Andronik

YOUR OWN, SYLVIA: A VERSE PORTRAIT OF SYLVIA PLATH by Stephanie Hemphill

THE ZOOKEEPER'S WIFE: A WAR STORY by Diane Ackerman