2010 ALA Best Books for Young Adults - Nominees (Pt. 3)
Discover the 2010 ALA Best Books for Young Adults nominees in Part 3, featuring standout titles like *The Stolen One*, *Silver Phoenix*, and *Tales of the Madman Underground*. This curated list of juvenile fiction and compelling reads—from *The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie* to *Prophecy of the Sisters*—highlights award-worthy storytelling for teens and young adults. Explore these top YA book nominees, rich with adventure, mystery, and unforgettable characters, perfect for your next must-read selection.
Book
Prophecy of the Sisters
by Michelle Zink
In late nineteenth-century New York state, wealthy sixteen-year-old twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe find that they are on opposite sides of an ancient prophecy that has destroyed their parents and seeks to do even more harm.
Book
Shine, Coconut Moon
by Neesha Meminger
Samar is an Indian-American teenager whose mother has kept her away from her old-fashioned family. It's never been a problem for Sam, until after 9/11. A man in a turban shows up at Sam's house and turns out to be her uncle, who wants to reconcile the family and teach Sam about her Sikh heritage.
Book
Silver Phoenix
by Cindy Pon
No one wanted Ai Ling. And deep down she is relieved—despite the dishonor she has brought upon her family—to be unbetrothed and free, not some stranger's subservient bride banished to the inner quarters. But now, something is after her. Something terrifying—a force she cannot comprehend. And as pieces of the puzzle start to fit together, Ai Ling begins to understand that her journey to the Palace of Fragrant Dreams isn't only a quest to find her beloved father but a venture with stakes larger than she could have imagined. Bravery, intelligence, the will to fight and fight hard . . . she will need all of these things. Just as she will need the new and mysterious power growing within her. She will also need help. It is Chen Yong who finds her partly submerged and barely breathing at the edge of a deep lake. There is something of unspeakable evil trying to drag her under. On a quest of his own, Chen Yong offers that help . . . and perhaps more.
Book
The Stolen One
by Suzanne Crowley
No one wanted you. But I did. Kat's true identity is a secret, even from her. All she has ever known are Grace and Anna and their small village. Kat wants more—more than hours spent embroidering finery for wealthy ladies and more than Christian, the gentle young farmer courting her. But there are wolves outside, Grace warns. Waiting, with their eyes glowing in the dark . . . and Grace has given Kat safety and a home when no one else would. Then a stranger appears in their cottage, bringing the mystery of Kat's birth with her. In one night, Kat's destiny finds her: She will leave. She will journey to London, and her skill with the needle will attract the notice of the magnificent Queen Elizabeth—and of the wolves of the court. She will discover what Grace would never tell her. Everything will unravel.
Book
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
by C. Alan Bradley
Eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison, is propelled into a mystery when a man is found murdered on the grounds of her family's decaying English mansion and Flavia's father becomes the main suspect.
Book
Tales of the Madman Underground
by John Barnes
In September 1973, as the school year begins in his depressed Ohio town, high-school senior Kurt Shoemaker determines to be "normal," despite his chaotic home life with his volatile, alcoholic mother and the deep loyalty and affection he has for his friends in the therapy group dubbed the Madman Underground.
Book
Tales from Outer Suburbia
by Shaun Tan
Fifteen illustrated short stories, some humorous and some haunting, set in the Australian suburbs.
