Anita Silvey -- Children's and Young Adult Book Expert

Thousands of books for teens are published each year. Now an expert in the field has provided the guide book that everyone has been waiting for. Parents will see what their teenagers are actually reading and then can lead them to excellent choices. Teachers can spot additions to summer reading lists. Booksellers will have a host of suggestions in each genre to offer customers. Librarians can round out collections, and teens can choose their own books.

Reviews for 500 Great Books for Teens

Horn Book. Former Horn Book editor Silvey selects and annotates five hundred titles for young adults, arranging them loosely in twenty-one chapters by genre and/or area of interest, from "Adventure and Survival" to "War and Conflict." Each book is coded for either younger (12-14) or older (14-18) teens and gets a couple of hundred words or so, including a summary, critical assessment, estimation of reader appeal, and sometimes references to similar titles. The selections are both sturdy and wide-ranging, particularly as Silvey includes both books published for young adults and those intended for an adult audience but with teen appeal. While the emphasis is on fiction of all genres (including graphic and verse novels), informational books -- mostly history -- get a chapter of their own and can also be found throughout the book. Useful appendices include indexes to both geographical and historical settings as well as a comprehensive general index that allows readers to cross-reference subjects that transcend the themes of the individual chapters.

Library Media Connection. What if you were able to get book selection suggestions from an expert with meaty summaries to remind you of old favorites and introduce you to new ones to fill in holes in your YA collection? Silvey does that and more in this information packed volume. In 21 genre-based chapters, we are treated to an introduction of the genre, read about some exemplars, and get those detailed summaries. These will prove handy for booktalks, display and bibliography creation, and even teens looking for more books like others they've liked. Silvey mentions why some titles are controversial or edgy. If you want to provide evidence for the need for more funds to elevate the quality of your collection, use this book as a checklist. And there are more lists: additional titles of interest in each genre; books listed by geographic location and timeline; and even audiobooks. I read this book with pencil in hand, marking the titles we had, and making lists of ones we need to get. It will remain on my desk and in my bag for a long time before I share it. Index. Highly Recommended. Jackie Keith, Librarian, Riverbend High School, Spotsylvania, Virginia

Publishers Weekly . Former editor of the Horn Book, publisher of children's books at Houghton Mifflin, and author of 100 Best Books for Children, Anita Silvey now turns her attention to young adult readers in 500 Great Books for Teens. After a brief introduction, Silvey separates her recommended titles (each succinctly summarized) by category, and includes books aimed squarely at teens as well as adult books that she believes teens would enjoy (for instance, Boy: Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl and Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt both appear in "Autobiography and Memoir"). She concludes with additional titles of interest, and organizes the 500 titles by their geographic and chronological setting.

School Library Journal. Silvey has put together contemporary and classic adult and YA titles that meet her criteria for exemplary writing and wide appeal. Familiar groupings such as "Fantasy," "Historical Fiction," and "Mystery" accompany newer subject areas such as "Many Cultures, Many Realities," "Edgy, Trendsetting Novels," and "Politics and Social Conscience." Nonfiction titles, such as Into Thin Air and Young Men and Fire, are included in the "Adventure and Survival" category, and a unique chapter called "Information" contains books such as Undaunted Courage, Nickel and Dimed, and Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story about Brain Science. All Printz Award-winners and honor books are included, as well as some Newberys, Pulitzers, National Book Awards, and other noteworthy winners. In a conversational tone, Silvey introduces each chapter, noting characteristics of the genre followed by a two- or three-paragraph description of each book briefly outlining the plot and other elements such as writing style, themes, and significance to young adult literature. Silvey's classics include Hound of the Baskervilles, Our Town, and To Kill a Mockingbird, but librarians will agree she has a pulse on contemporary titles that will endure, such as The Da Vinci Code, Looking for Alaska, I Am the Messenger, and A Certain Slant of Light. Extras include a time line, geographical location for settings, additional titles for each subject area, and a list of recommended audiobooks.-Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY

Raleigh (NC) News & Observer . "Best resource -- 2006. Organization, recommendations and writing are superb in this treasure trove of 21 genres from horror to graphic novels for young adults, or adults who are young."

Teacher Magazine.."If finding a book that will simultaneously captivate and enlighten the adolescent mind seems like a tall order, a new guide can help. In 500 Great Books for Teens, Anita Silvey, a professor of children’s literature and former book publisher, recommends works for 12- to 18-year-olds. Silvey categorizes her picks by theme, genre, geographic location, and time period. That makes it easy to find, say, a collection of bilingual poems or a novel about free speech. Short essays accompany each selection, detailing the basic plot and other interesting tidbits—like the fact that, in 1982, editors restored all the “damns” and “hells” to Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury’s novel about censorship, or that Louise Erdrich wrote The Game of Silence to provide a Native American counterweight to Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books."

The Ottawa Citizen, Canada. "The ultimate guide to books for teens, a reference area that, until now, has been a black hole. It offers extended essay of about 500 titles that lets parents see what their kids are reading as well as pointing out the best."

The Book Babes in Good Housekeeping. "Anita Silvey, author of 100 Best Books for Children, has a new book that would be a smart investment for you. Coming out this October, 500 Great Books for Teens suggests many fine books that give a sense of our nation's heritage. As Silvey points out, this is a "golden age" for young adult fiction -- so much so, I would add, that many full-fledged adults enjoy reading the books tagged for that age group."

Columbus Parent Magazine. "Author and expert Anita Silvey has provided parents, librarians and teachers with a young-adult literature guidebook that will help parents and other caregivers offer age- and content-appropriate literature to teens. If your teen likes controversial books -- and you approve of this -- Silvey lists the best of the best. Parents who want to avoid edgy topics will know which books to skip. The books are divided into 21 sections that represent different reading tastes and genres, e.g. Horror, Ghost, Gothic; War and Conflict and Many Cultures, Many Realities. The guidebook covers old favorites, such as the 60s classic One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and new literature such as the award-winning A Step from Heaven. Short descriptions offer the major focus of each title."