ALAN Picks: New YA Books To Add To Your Classroom Library Looking for some inspiration to refresh your classroom library or curriculum this year? Check out the books featured in this month’s column. Our first book recommendation comes from several current and former leaders of the ALAN organization! They reviewed What We Did to Survive by Megan Lally, a YA thriller that explores friendship during a crisis event.

Join us Saturday, September 26th at 5 pm EST for our book club discussion of 2025 Walden Award finalist, Libertad by Bessie Flores Zaldivar. Sign up here: #ALANReadsBookClub

Monday, November 23rd from 4:35pm to 5:00pm We are so excited to share that A.S. King will close the 2026 ALAN Workshop as our final keynote speaker. Her books have received numerous awards including two Michael L. Printz Awards, one for Dig in 2020 and The Collectors in 2024. She also won the LA Times Book Prize for Ask the Passengers.

Saturday, November 21st from 5:45pm to 7:00pm Join us for an evening with Daniel Nayeri. He is the author of Everything Sad is Untrue (A True Story) and winner of the Michael L. Printz Award, the Christopher Medal, and the Middle Eastern Book Award. He also wrote The Many Assassination's of Samie, The Seller of Dreams, winner of the Newberry Honor, and…

Texts Talking Together: Book Pairings in Young Adult Literature Save the date for our Back-to-School Webinar discussing book pairings in young adult literature. Register by going to

Join us Saturday, July 25th at 5 pm EST for our book club discussion of 2025 Walden Award finalist, Rez Ball by Byron Graves. Sign up here: #ALAN Reads Book Club

Amelia Elizabeth Walden Committee Applications Open Until Friday, June 26th! Are you a voracious reader? Are you a current ALAN member? Does discussing the literary excellence, widespread appeal, and a positive approach to life in current YAL titles sound exciting to you? Then apply for the AEWA committee. All committee applicants are asked to review the Walden Policies & Procedures document, to become more familiar with the role and responsibilities of a committee member.

The  ALAN Mentorship Webinar Planning sub-committee is planning an awesome Back-to-School event, and they are looking for ALAN members who would be interested in presenting at the webinar.  Are you pairing classic texts with YAL? Graphic texts with “traditional” texts? Similar themed texts? Opposing themed texts? YAL nonfiction with fiction? TELL US ABOUT IT! We are looking for classroom teachers 

Winter 2027: Challenging & Expanding Traditional Notions of the Hero’s Journey For this themed issue, to subvert, nuance, or counter the negative effects of literary heroism often left behind by characterizations of cis-het white boy and man heroes, we invite pieces that (1) explore teaching literary heroism with diverse protagonists from YA and middle grades literature, who exist outside of historical narratives of oppression, and (2) pieces where educators are teaching in ways that present heroism in critical, more pluralistic, and/or diverse ways.

Winter 2027: Challenging & Expanding Traditional Notions of the Hero’s Journey For this themed issue, to subvert, nuance, or counter the negative effects of literary heroism often left behind by characterizations of cis-het white boy and man heroes, we invite pieces that (1) explore teaching literary heroism with diverse protagonists from YA and middle grades literature, who exist outside of historical narratives of oppression, and (2) pieces where educators are teaching in ways that present heroism in critical, more pluralistic, and/or diverse ways.

Join us Saturday, May 30th at 5 pm EST for our book club discussions of 2025 Walden Award finalist, Grief in the Fourth Dimension by Jennifer Yu. Sign up here: #ALAN Reads Book Club

ALAN Picks: Addressing Relationships Through Fiction In this month’s ALAN Picks we feature a mix of young adult and middle grade books that deal with mental health issues, the experiences of children with undocumented family and fantasy folklore. Stuck in Her Head by Kylie Wang and Liana Tang is a contemporary YA graphic novel about intense expectations for a child prodigy and the relationships she is trying to navigate.

The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN) of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is pleased and proud to announce the 2026 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award for Young Adult Fiction winner. Established in 2008 to honor the wishes of young adult author Amelia Elizabeth Walden, the award allows for a monetary prize to be presented annually to the author of a young adult title selected by the ALAN Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award Committee as demonstrating a positive approach to life, widespread teen appeal, and literary merit.  

The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN) of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is pleased and proud to announce the 2026 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award for Young Adult Fiction finalists. Established in 2008 to honor the wishes of young adult author Amelia Elizabeth Walden, the award allows for a monetary prize to be presented annually to the author of a young adult title selected by the ALAN Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award Committee as demonstrating a positive approach to life, widespread teen appeal, and literary merit.

Call for proposals! Are you heading to Philadelphia in November for the 2026 ALAN Workshop! We are excited to learn from you! Write a proposal for either the Poster Session or Antiracist Session! Learn more about each proposal by heading here: Antiracist Session Proposal Application: Poster Session Proposal Application:

ALAN Picks: Feminism, Coming of Age and Stories of Resistance In this month’s ALAN Picks we feature several books that will appeal to students who may be interested in the coming-of-age, romance, dystopian, historical fiction and fantasy genres. This column also features several books that explore literature from a feminist lens in honor of Women's History Month. Not Here to be Liked…

Join us this year for our book club discussions of 2025 Walden Award finalists and winner. Sign up here: #ALAN Reads Book Club