Never Enough Nonfiction: December 2011

YALSA announced the five finalists for the 2012 Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults today:

I've been derelict in my reading and commenting (too much time spent on NaNoWriMo) but promise to try to try to get to Music Was It and Wheels of Change this month.

Of the three on the list that I have read, Bootleg and The Notorious Benedict Arnold were two of my favorites for the whole year.

Why Review YA Nonfiction?

A lot of people like to read nonfiction for pleasure, including teens. There's a stereotype that guys prefer nonfiction, and while I hardly think this is a universal truth, there are a lot of guys who prefer it. A lot of gals like to read nonfiction, too.

Nonfiction also figures prominently in the goals of the Common Core standards. This makes sense to me, because most of the material that people read in college and as an adult for jobs and daily life is nonfiction. Everyone should be able to interpret graphs and charts, recognize the difference between facts and opinions and understand primary versus secondary sources.

The YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award honors the best nonfiction book published for 12-18 year-olds during each November 1 - October 31 publishing year. The winner is announced at the ALA Midwinter meeting each January. For more information, visit the YALSA website.

I read YA nonfiction books with the criteria of this award in mind.

Never Enough Nonfiction

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

YALSA 2012 Nonfiction Award Shortlist

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