Question: Best Books for Youth in Detention?

Dear Readers,

We love Amy Cheney's list of her Top Picks for Youth in Detention published yesterday by School Library Journal. The book students at Passages checked out most frequently in the last year was Coe Booth's Tyrell. Students in secure detention haven't been able to get their hands on Bronxwood because it hasn't been released in paperback yet (or many other books on this list, for that matter). What would you pick as the top book(s) for youth in detention in 2011? What are you the most excited about for 2012?

--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Top Ten Books In Your Facility: What are they?

Amy Cheney, the programming goddess who works in Cali, recently asked those of us on the Yalsa-lockdown listserv “What are the 10 most popular titles right now?” While I can’t speak for the entire school as I am only serving youth at one site this summer, I can say that at that one site, Horizon, the most popular books seem to be:

1) Anything at all by Walter Dean Myers (he just visited and there is nothing on the carts which is driving everyone crazy)

2) Tyrell by Coe Booth

3) Street Pharm by Alison Van Diepen

3) Homeboyz by Alan Sitomer

4) 16 on the Block series by Babygirl Daniels

5) Where’s Waldo

6) The Power of Birthdays

7) Rikers High by Paul Volponi

8) Played by Dana Davidson

9) Anything at all by Ni Ni Simone

10) Random Family by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc

We'll do an official school-wide list this fall. What are *your* top ten? Post in the comments!