From Booklist
What makes a book outstanding? Who says so? Who are the college bound? Many of these issues are discussed in the YA Talk feature "Loose Canon" about what belongs in a high-school library. Here editor Lewis points out that there are no rigid answers to these questions and no fixed canon. The latest edition of this authoritative, widely used bibliography brings together all the books chosen between 1959 and 1994 by the specially appointed YALSA committees. More than 1,000 books are arranged by genre (the arts, biography, fiction, nonfiction, now/current, and poetry), with brief reader annotations; they are then arranged by year of appearance on the list (just author and title here). Almost all are adult titles. The book begins with a fascinating chart of the 36 books that made the most repeat appearances: Pride and Prejudice, The Great Gatsby, Cry, the Beloved Country, and Huck Finn top the list. The design is clear and spacious, making this an accessible tool for readers' advisory service and for YAs and adults to search through on their own. Hazel Rochman
