Earlier this year, Persnickety Snark joined forces to create a Top 100 List of All Time YA Books. Here's the list from the site and I've put the results below 
735 people from around the world voted by choosing their top ten YA novels of all time. Votes were weighted.
In bold are all the titles I have read. Let me know if you post the books you have read on your blog :)
1. The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
2. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J.K. Rowling
3. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
4. Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson
5. Northern Lights, Philip Pullman
6. The Truth About Forever, Sarah Dessen
7. The Book Thief, Markus Zusak Go Aussie! :)
8. The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton
9. Twilight, Stephenie Meyer
10. This Lullaby, Sarah Dessen
11. Looking for Alaska, John Green
12. Just Listen, Sarah Dessen
13. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling
14. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
15. City of Bones, Cassandra Clare
16. On the Jellicoe Road, Melina Marchetta (yay!)
1 7. The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
18. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J.K. Rowling
19. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
20. Along for the Ride, Sarah Dessen
21. Shiver, Maggie Stiefvater
22. Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead
23. Graceling, Kristin Cashore
24. Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher
25. Sloppy Firsts, Megan McCafferty
26. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien
27. Alanna: The First Adventure, Tamora Pierce
28. Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card
29. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling
30. Uglies, Scott Westerfeld
31. A Great and Terrible Beauty, Libba Bray
32. Tomorrow, When the War Began, John Marsden (wahoo!)
33. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, E. Lockhart
34. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
35. The Westing Game, Ellen Raskin
36. Paper Towns, John Green
37. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling
38. Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins
39. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, Betty Smith
40. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie
41. Lock and Key, Sarah Dessen
42. The Amber Spyglass, Philip Pullman
43. Evernight, Claudia Gray
44. Sabriel, Garth Nix
45. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling
46. Beautiful Creatures, Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl
47. Forever, Judy Blume
48. I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith
49. Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine
50. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
51. Stargirl, Jerry Spinelli
52. Howl’s Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones
53. The Dark is Rising, Susan Cooper
54. Hush, Hush, Becca Fitzpatrick
55. Saving Francesca, Melina Marchetta (yeah!)
56. Second Helpings, Megan McCafferty
57. Dreamland, Sarah Dessen
58. Eclipse, Stephenie Meyer
59. Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Rachel Cohn, David Levithan
60. Fire, Kristin Cashore
61. The Chocolate War, Robert Cormier
62. Weetzie Bat, Francesca Lia Block
63. The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank
64. Looking for Alibrandi, Melina Marchetta :)
65. How I Live Now, Meg Rosoff
66. City of Glass, Cassandra Clare
67. Keeping the Moon, Sarah Dessen
68. Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer
69. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging, Louise Rennison
70. If I Stay, Gayle Forman
71. The King of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner
72. Wintergirls, Laurie Halse Anderson
73. Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast, Robin McKinley
74. The Blue Sword, Robin McKinley
75. Feed, M.T. Anderson
76. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, Ann Brashares
77. Go Ask Alice, Anonymous
78. Wicked Lovely, Melissa Marr
79. Lord of the Flies, William Golding
80. Someone Like You, Sarah Dessen
81. The Forest of Hands and Teeth, Carrie Ryan
82. Jacob Have I Loved, Katherine Paterson
83. The Knife of Never Letting Go, Patrick Ness
84. Poison Study, Maria V. Snyder
85. Shadow Kiss, Richelle Mead
86. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Avi
87. An Abundance of Katherines, John Green
88. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Haddon
89. A Ring of Endless Light, Madeleine L’Engle
90. Glass Houses, Rachel Caine
91. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I:The Pox Party, M.T. Anderson
92. Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech
93. Whale Talk, Chris Crutcher
94. Perfect Chemistry, Simone Elkeles
95. Going Too Far, Jennifer Echols
96. The Last Song, Nicholas Sparks
97. Before I Fall, Lauren Oliver
98. Hatchet, Gary Paulsen
99. The Pigman, Paul Zindel
100. The Hero and the Crown, Robin McKinley
Persnickety Snark will conduct the poll again in 2011 (yay!)
735 people from around the world voted by choosing their top ten YA novels of all time. Votes were weighted.
In bold are all the titles I have read. Let me know if you post the books you have read on your blog :)
1. The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
2. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J.K. Rowling
3. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
4. Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson
5. Northern Lights, Philip Pullman
6. The Truth About Forever, Sarah Dessen
7. The Book Thief, Markus Zusak Go Aussie! :)
8. The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton
9. Twilight, Stephenie Meyer
10. This Lullaby, Sarah Dessen
11. Looking for Alaska, John Green
12. Just Listen, Sarah Dessen
13. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling
14. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott15. City of Bones, Cassandra Clare
16. On the Jellicoe Road, Melina Marchetta (yay!)
1 7. The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
18. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J.K. Rowling
19. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
20. Along for the Ride, Sarah Dessen21. Shiver, Maggie Stiefvater
22. Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead
23. Graceling, Kristin Cashore
24. Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher
25. Sloppy Firsts, Megan McCafferty
26. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien
27. Alanna: The First Adventure, Tamora Pierce
28. Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card
29. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling
30. Uglies, Scott Westerfeld
31. A Great and Terrible Beauty, Libba Bray
32. Tomorrow, When the War Began, John Marsden (wahoo!)
33. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, E. Lockhart
34. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
35. The Westing Game, Ellen Raskin
36. Paper Towns, John Green
37. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling
38. Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins
39. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, Betty Smith
40. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie
42. The Amber Spyglass, Philip Pullman
43. Evernight, Claudia Gray
44. Sabriel, Garth Nix
45. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling
46. Beautiful Creatures, Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl
47. Forever, Judy Blume
48. I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith
49. Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine
50. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
51. Stargirl, Jerry Spinelli
52. Howl’s Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones
53. The Dark is Rising, Susan Cooper
54. Hush, Hush, Becca Fitzpatrick55. Saving Francesca, Melina Marchetta (yeah!)
56. Second Helpings, Megan McCafferty
57. Dreamland, Sarah Dessen
58. Eclipse, Stephenie Meyer
59. Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Rachel Cohn, David Levithan
60. Fire, Kristin Cashore
61. The Chocolate War, Robert Cormier
62. Weetzie Bat, Francesca Lia Block
63. The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank64. Looking for Alibrandi, Melina Marchetta :)
65. How I Live Now, Meg Rosoff
66. City of Glass, Cassandra Clare
67. Keeping the Moon, Sarah Dessen
68. Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer
69. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging, Louise Rennison
70. If I Stay, Gayle Forman
71. The King of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner
72. Wintergirls, Laurie Halse Anderson73. Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast, Robin McKinley
74. The Blue Sword, Robin McKinley
75. Feed, M.T. Anderson
76. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, Ann Brashares
77. Go Ask Alice, Anonymous
78. Wicked Lovely, Melissa Marr
79. Lord of the Flies, William Golding
80. Someone Like You, Sarah Dessen
81. The Forest of Hands and Teeth, Carrie Ryan
82. Jacob Have I Loved, Katherine Paterson
83. The Knife of Never Letting Go, Patrick Ness
84. Poison Study, Maria V. Snyder85. Shadow Kiss, Richelle Mead
86. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Avi
87. An Abundance of Katherines, John Green
88. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Haddon
89. A Ring of Endless Light, Madeleine L’Engle
90. Glass Houses, Rachel Caine
91. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I:The Pox Party, M.T. Anderson
92. Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech
93. Whale Talk, Chris Crutcher
94. Perfect Chemistry, Simone Elkeles95. Going Too Far, Jennifer Echols
96. The Last Song, Nicholas Sparks
97. Before I Fall, Lauren Oliver
98. Hatchet, Gary Paulsen
99. The Pigman, Paul Zindel
100. The Hero and the Crown, Robin McKinley
- I've read 25 in the top 30. Go me! ;)
- And 67 out of the 100
- I do really like Sarah Dessen but was surprised that all her books but one made it in - and two of them are in the top 10. I guess I underestimated just how well loved she is?
- Don't hate or freak out - but, yes, it's true - I've only read the first Harry Potter. I read it in 1998 (while @ University) and I really did like it. I fact, I remember thinking it was pretty awesome. Not really sure why I haven't read the rest? (or seen any of the movies).
Persnickety Snark will conduct the poll again in 2011 (yay!)
Which books that I haven't read in from this list should I give a go?
Any books you think should be on there?
Did you vote?
x Nomes
x Nomes
YAY for the Hunger Games
ReplyDeleteYAY for Harry Potter
YAY for Alanna
YAY for... wait you haven't read Harry Potter?!
YAY for Howl's Moving Castle
YAY for Poison Study
and maybe I should read Perfect Chemistry I've heard so much about it
I think MT Anderson is awesome -- so definitely read his books on the list. And Harry Potter (you missed out on the magic! That was the best. I so remember being seven and sneaking the light on at midnight to read those books :)).
ReplyDeleteAnd Ella Enchanted, definitely! The Knife of Never Letting Go is a really cool dystopian. I don't think I liked it quite as much as everyone else, but it is awesome, and I do recommend you read it :D
I love this list, overall, but I didn't realise Sarah Dessen was that well loved, either!!
In my opinion, Jellicoe Road is better than the Hunger Games. JR ends in hope, that gives it like a ton of points in my book.
ReplyDeleteI think I've read roughly like 40 books in the list.
Yay! There's both Harry Potter and A Great and Terrible Beauty in the list. They are my favorite YA series.
ReplyDeleteI like Hunger Games but I can't believe its above Harry Potter and To Kill a Mockingbird! Its just my opinion...
How wonderful to see so many Aussie entries! Go us! WOOT-WOOT!
ReplyDeleteI have read quite a few of them, I'm surprised to see. This could be my TBR list for 2011, there's so many awesome titles on there!
I love Dessen too but don't think I would include all of her books that are one this list. I am going to check and see how many I have read though. Thanks for the post.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about using this list for a new reading challenge for 2011. Like, I'd start at number one and work my up, reading all the books that I hadn't. I thought it would be a good way to read a broad range of books.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see my old favorite Sisterhood made the list. I'm ashamed to say I've never read Tomorrow When the War Began...You should absolutely finish Harry Potter!!
ReplyDeleteHate. Hate. Hate. :)
ReplyDeleteThis list is a little sketch, in my humble opinion. There are tons of great titles on this list, but I just don't see Hush, Hush (among others) as being a top book on any list of 'all time' greats.
Seems like 'all time' would mean we'll remember these books forever for their excellent writing, remarkable stories, social impact, literary impact, and/or astronomical sales achievement.
I can validate a few of my not-so-favorites on the list by using at least one or two of the criteria I mentioned above, but some of them (i.e. H,H) wouldn't hit on any them. I just can't imagine some of these books being relevant 50 years from now.
AND I'M NOT SAYING H,H (or any of the others) ISN'T A FUN OR GOOD BOOK. (Don't want tweens hunting me down with pitchfork and flame!) It just doesn't deserve anywhere near that kind of merit.
Lastly, I love The Hunger Games, but it's no Harry Potter. HP is the reason why the YA section is larger than the general fiction section at most big market bookstores, and probably why 90% of current YA is successful. It got adults to give fiction intended for younger readers a shot, and basically re-invented literature as a form of entertainment in the internet/TV/video game era. (I know, most of us never stopped reading 'the fun stuff', but there were hordes of adults who had until that book came around.)
Oh well, that's why lists and reviews are great. We get to debate them! Great post, as always.
EJW
Fun list! I'm going to save this one to do after the Countdown. Have you seen the BBC list, I guess it's the adult version of this. I think it's called top reads.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see some of my favourite books up there, but Melina Marchatta should definitely be higher up, at NO 1 in fact :)
I know you're not a huge fantasy fan but you should read Northern Lights by Philip Pullman, the whole trilogy, it's amazing! Also The Dark is Rising (five books in all, but you can skip the first) I love these books so much they influenced the naming of my son :)
I love the list but I'm really surprised to see Jenny Downham's Before I Die missing from the list. And um, I also did want to see at least one of Jaclyn Moriarty's books up there.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'd say, catch up on Harry's magic :D
I voted! Most of the books I voted for are on there too. I totally agree with you about being shocked at Sarah Dessen. I thought JUST LISTEN was the most boring of her books, but meh, that just shows how subjective taste is.
ReplyDeleteThis is cool! I think I've read all but 3 on the top 20. I'll have to post it on my blog. I think the thing to remember here is that the voting is a little biased in that it's probably all writers or industry people voting. Otherwise S. Meyer and JK Rowling would be higher up. This is probably good in a way because I'd rather get recommendations from writers, but it doesn't necessarily represent what's most popular. I'm a little surprised by Sarah Dessen too. And yes, Nomes you have to read the rest of the HP series - preferably before you see the movies. :)
ReplyDeleteI posted my list...
ReplyDeletehttp://derapsreads.blogspot.com/2010/12/persnickety-snarkss-top-100-ya-reads.html
And, you should read The Perks of Being a Wallflower ASAP. It's tremendously good!
Perhaps I should refine my comment above. Just read it from Persnickety's actual blog and she said that most pollsters consider themselves just readers. Interesting.
ReplyDeleteThat's one heck of a list! I didn't vote because I didn't know about it, but wow! I have to admit I'm surprised to see Shiver so high on the list. I really didn't enjoy it all that much...that said, I was glad to see some of my all-time favourites like Pride & Prejudice on the list! :)
ReplyDeleteNomes, you are not alone on HP. I haven't even read the first one!
ReplyDeleteI have read only 28 on the list. Love all the Aussie books on there. I agree with Alexa On The Jellicoe Road should be number 1!
Nomes, you are not alone on HP. I haven't even read the first one!
ReplyDeleteI have read only 28 on the list. Love all the Aussie books on there. I agree with Alexa On The Jellicoe Road should be number 1!
Okay, I'm freaking out right now about HP. :P I hope you read the rest soon. :)
ReplyDeleteThe list is awesome! (And you got 64/100! That's really good! I know I definitely read less than that, but gosh, there's so much I have to catch up on!)
Hey Nomes I don't read a lot of YA but I've read a few of these. Go TKAM and Book Thief! I have read 13.
ReplyDeleteBTW I came by to tell you that you have an award to collect from my blog!
Sorry to sidetrack but, the new layout Nomes!!! Sooooooooo preeeeeeeeettttyyyy!!! :)
ReplyDeleteTye x
I think you'd like A Great And Terrible Beauty, on balance. You should try that one. And I personally love Feed and The Knife of Never Letting Go, which are both genuinely unusual reads.
ReplyDeleteI'm stunned this was the result of 735 people voting, because some authors feature more heavily than I'd expect them to. There's some really great ones mentioned though, and I'm impressed by your total. I think mine is probably closer to 50 overall.