Essential Books for Young Adults

Amazon.com today announced Essentials in Young Adult Books, a new feature designed to offer teens and parents a selection of timeless fiction outside the classroom that young adult readers will enjoy. Essentials in Young Adult Books (www.amazon.com/youngadultessentials) will comprise two separate lists of ten books each: Editorial Essentials and Customer Selected Essentials.

"We're not sure which statement is truer: that teens can be insatiable readers or that they're hard to shop for," said Jessica Schein, Amazon.com Young Adult Books Specialist. "Our goal with Essentials in Young Adult Books is to help adults choose the best editorially curated must-have books for young adult readers. We also know that young adult readers rely on peer recommendations, and so we hope that the Customer Selected Essentials sparks a dialogue with our customers about the best books for that age group."

The Editorial Essentials list was compiled by Amazon Books Editors and will be revised regularly to remain relevant. Today, the Editorial Essential list is available for young adults or their parents and includes:

* "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson : Shunned by her peers, Melinda Sordino keeps quiet about the night in which everything changed. Will she ever rediscover her voice and tell the truth? "Speak" is an honestly-told, powerful look at the ways in which we cope with personal tragedy.
* "Monster" by Walter Dean Myers : Steve Harmon is on trial for murder, but is he the menace the prosecutor paints him out to be or was he merely in the wrong place at the wrong time? At the heart of this riveting novel is a teenager caught up in an adult world - a situation to which many young adults can relate.
* "The Giver" by Lois Lowry : This gripping dystopian novel published well before the current trend emerged centers on Jonas, a model member of the Community. As the next Receiver of Memory he is suddenly aware of his society's sacrifices for peace and predictability and begins to wonder what it's all worth.
* "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie : Disappointed with the schooling on his Indian Reservation and tired of being tormented for his physical problems, Arnold Spirit decides to attend an all-white high school and is immediately out of place. "Diary" is the humorous and honest story about one teenager's quest to do his best in the face of serious obstacles.
* "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak : Set against the backdrop of the impending WWII, "The Book Thief" is about Liesel Meminger, a curious girl who begins stealing books in her new town and along the way touches many - including Death - the unique narrator of this captivating novel.
* "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan : Two different teenage boys; one same name. Such is the premise of "Will Grayson, Will Grayson",a funny, smart novel where the characters literally take to the stage to find out who they really are.
* "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky : Charlie prefers observing over being observed in this must-read coming-of-age novel about the realizations that come with the firsts of high school - love, experimentation with drugs, losing friends, and generally trying out independence.
* "Crank" by Ellen Hopkins : A gritty novel-in-verse about one girl's descent into a dangerous drug addiction and the consequences of seeking out another high.
* "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher : Clay Jenson is one of 13 people who receive a series of tapes by a classmate that reveal what led to her suicide. Brilliant, beautiful, and devastating, "Thirteen Reasons Why" explores the cost of how people treat one another.
* "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman : Lyra Belacqua is suddenly in the middle of a world of intrigue that involves kidnappings, something called intercision, and a plan to undo the very foundations of her realm. After arriving in the Arctic Circle, she finds that she is the key to saving not just her parallel universe but our own as well in this exhilarating and spellbinding fantasy novel.

Starting today, Amazon.com customers can submit their votes for Customer Selected Essentials in the Amazon.com Customer Selected Essential Books for Young Adults Sweepstakes. Customers can visit /content-symphony-na.amazon.com/www.amazon.com/customeressentialsya/ref=amb_link_356644602_1/178-1116828-6562212?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-6&pf_rd_r=1K6ANQ9JMA1YR7F5YX9Y&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_p=0&pf_rd_i=1000697411 to submit suggestions and enter the sweepstakes, and the books with the most votes will be announced on 8/15/2011. Eligible customers who submit a nomination will be entered for a chance to win a set of the Editorial Essentials collection. There is no purchase necessary, and the sweepstakes ends 7/31/2011.

For more information on Essentials in Young Adult Books, please visit www.amazon.com/youngadultessentials.