The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has announced its list of 99 books, drawn from 191 official nominations, at the ALA Midwinter Meeting. Canadian children’s authors, Erin Bow, Dan Calame, Hiromi Goto, Kenneth Oppel, Arthur Slade, Allan Stratton and Courtney Summers are among the honourees.Their respective books are listed below.

The books, recommended for ages 12-18, meet the criteria of both good quality literature and appealing reading for teens. The list comprises a wide range of genres and styles, including contemporary realistic fiction, fantasy, horror, science fiction and novels in verse.

Plain Kate
Written by Erin Bow
Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Books, 2010
After her father’s death, Plain Kate has nothing except her carving tools and her cat, Taggle. Alone, she is vulnerable to witches and to those who suspect she is one.

Beat the Band
Written by Dan Calame
Candlewick Press, 2010
Coop must win battle of the bands with his buddies to regain his mojo after getting paired with an infamous partner in Health class, only none of them play instruments.

Half World
Written by Hiromi Goto | Illustrated by Jillian Tamaki
Penguin Group (USA)/Viking Juvenile, 2010 | Published in Canada by Puffin Canada
Overweight and over-teased Melanie Tamaki must follow her mother into Half-world, where the cycles are out of balance and fight the horrible Mr. Glueskin.

Half Brother
Scholastic, 2010 | Published in Canada by HarperCollins Publishers
Ben begins to see the chimpanzee his father is using to study language acquisition as more than a test subject which leads to problems when funding runs low.

The Hunchback Assignments
Written by Arthur Slade
Random House Children’s Books, 2009 | Published in Canada by HarperCollins Publishers
Modo is a gifted spy, fighter and scholar, but so disfigured that he always hides his face. When children in London go missing, Modo’s skills just might save them.

Borderline
Written by Allan Stratton
HarperCollins/HarperTeen, 2010
Sami sets out to prove his father’s innocence after Homeland Security breaks into their house and hauls his father away as a person of interest in a possible terrorist attack.

Some Girls Are
Written by Courtney Summers
St. Martin’s Press/Saint Martin’s Griffin, 2010
Regina used to be a member of the Fearless Five but is now being frozen out by her friends and must find acceptance among the peers she used to terrorize.