Awards & Recognition
Celebrating the 2020 YALSA Amazing Audiobooks!
The YALSA Amazing Audiobooks list is aimed towards young adults aged 12-18 and is drawn from the previous year of spoken-word releases. Read on for the fantastic listens from BOT & Listening Library—including 4 Top Ten selections—that made the list this year! You can view the YALSA Committee’s comments and full list here.
Top 10
“In a rich, warm timbre, Michelle Obama treats us to reminiscences and reflections on her life as though we were friends seated in her living room…This intimate listening experience allows us behind the public exterior and into the warm embrace of private revelations by one of our nation’s most beloved role models.”—AudioFile Earphones Award
“In a rich, warm timbre, Michelle Obama treats us to reminiscences and reflections on her life as though we were friends seated in her living room…This intimate listening experience allows us behind the public exterior and into the warm embrace of private revelations by one of our nation’s most beloved role models.”—AudioFile Earphones Award
“Deliciously funny…a shrewd and spirited adaptation that will leave audiences hoping for another installment.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“The full cast works together in perfect harmony to deliver an unforgettable listening experience.”—AudioFile Earphones Award
Top 10
“A.S. King’s novels…are in another solar system entirely.”—Bookpage, starred review
“Give this to your King fans and your patient listeners, who will become immersed in the story as it unfolds.”—School Library Journal, starred review
“All three narrators provide the perfect combo of teen angst…[King] magnifies the surrealism in her writing with an unflinching fierceness that’s hard to imagine coming from anyone else.”—AudioFile
“A.S. King’s novels…are in another solar system entirely.”—Bookpage, starred review
“Give this to your King fans and your patient listeners, who will become immersed in the story as it unfolds.”—School Library Journal, starred review
“All three narrators provide the perfect combo of teen angst…[King] magnifies the surrealism in her writing with an unflinching fierceness that’s hard to imagine coming from anyone else.”—AudioFile
Also the 2020 Printz Winner!
Top 10
“Riveting…An exemplary work of historical fiction.”—The Horn Book, starred review
“Riveting…An exemplary work of historical fiction.”—The Horn Book, starred review
“Lee’s emotionally and culturally authentic performance will have listeners rooting for Frank through many twists and turns, all the way to the audiobook’s lovely conclusion.”—AudioFile Earphones Award
“A dream team of narrators is assembled to give voice to this unique book about love and war.”—Booklist, starred review
Also a Booklist Editors’ Choice Youth Audio
“An impassioned debut memoir…Grit and defiance infuse a revealing self-portrait.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Thoughtful and thorough, Ribay and de Ocampo meld coming-of-age drama, family dysfunction, and contemporary sociopolitical awareness into a riveting thriller with affecting results.”—Booklist, starred review
“Full of the best kind of punk-rock energy, narrator Almarie Guerra and a full cast take listeners on a rollicking ride around the roller derby track.”—AudioFile
Top 10
“SHOUT, read by the author, arrives at the perfect moment, is carried by the perfect voice, and will inspire listeners to shout their own truths.”—Booklist
“SHOUT, read by the author, arrives at the perfect moment, is carried by the perfect voice, and will inspire listeners to shout their own truths.”—Booklist
Also a Booklist Editors’ Choice Top of the List Winner
“Compelling and terrifying, this volume is science fiction at its finest.”—School Library Journal, Starred review
“An #ownvoices story that empowers its female heroines, giving them pride in their lineage and power in remembering.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred
Also a School Library Journal Best Audiobook: “Miranda Tapsell’s narration enhances this thriller with touches of magical realism.”
“McManus follows up her smash hit debut, One of Us Is Lying, with another twisted mystery…[that will have readers] speeding their way to the end.”—Booklist
“…this full-cast audio is presented as more of a radio-play-style audio drama with sound effects as well as musical enhancement. The effect is fully immersive…”—Booklist
“This is urban fantasy as readers have not seen it before: steeped in Korean folklore…Fresh and fast paced, weaving together action and romance.”—School Library Journal
