2010 Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award Nominees

The Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award recognizes the most popular books among middle and high school students in the State of Colorado. Teens nominate their favorite titles and select the winner–adults do not vote. For more information, please visit the Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award web site.

THE SWEET FAR THING
by Libba Bray
At Spence Academy, sixteen-year-old Gemma Doyle continues preparing for her London debut while struggling to determine how best to use magic to resolve a power struggle in the enchanted world of the realms, and to protect her own world and loved ones.

CROSS MY HEART AND HOPE TO SPY
by Ally Carter
Cammie Morgan is a CIA legacy and attends the premier school in the world...for spies. The school hosts some mysterious guests with the code name Blackthorne. When Cammie is blamed for a security breach that threatens to expose the school's top secret status, she and her friends face danger to clear Cammie's name and learn the truth about Blackthorne.

MARKED: A HOUSE OF NIGHT NOVEL
by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
In 16-year-old Zoey Redbird's world, vampyres have always existed. In this first book in the series, Zoey enters the House of Night, a school where, after having undergone the Change, she will train to become an adult vampire – that is, if she makes it through the Change.

CITY OF BONES
by Cassandra Clare
Suddenly able to see demons and the Darkhunters who are dedicated to returning them to their own dimension, fifteen-year-old Clary Fray is drawn into this bizarre world when her mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a monster.

ARTEMIS FOWL: THE LOST COLONY
by Eoin Colfer
Once again, Artemis will have to pair up with his old comrade, captain Holly Short, to track down the missing demon and rescue him before the time spell dissolves and the lost demon colony returns violently to Earth.

THE HUNGER GAMES
by Suzanne Collins
In a future North America, where the rulers of Panem maintain control through an annual televised survival competition pitting young people from each of the twelve districts against one another, sixteen-year-old Katniss' skills are put to the test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister's place.

LOCK AND KEY
by Sarah Dessen
When she is abandoned by her alcoholic mother, high school senior Ruby winds up living with Cora, the sister she has not seen for ten years, and learns about Cora's new life, what makes a family, how to allow people to help her when she needs it, and that she too has something to offer others.

INKDEATH
by Cornelia Funke
As Bluejay – Mo's fictitious double – tries to keep the Book of Immortality from unraveling, Adderhead kidnaps all the children in the kingdom, asking for Bluejay's surrender or the children will be doomed to slavery in the silver mines.

MARLEY AND ME
by John Grogan
The story of a family in the making and the wondrously neurotic dog who taught them what really matters in life. Is it possible for humans to discover the key to happiness through a bigger-than-life, bad-boy dog? Just ask the Grogans.

BURNED
by Ellen Hopkins
Seventeen-year-old Pattyn, the eldest daughter in a large Mormon family, is sent to her aunt's Nevada ranch for the summer, where she temporarily escapes her alcoholic, abusive father and finds love and acceptance, only to lose everything when she returns home.

SNAKEHEAD
by Anthony Horowitz
While working with the Australian Secret Service on a dangerous mission, teenaged spy Alex Rider uncovers information about his parents.

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: GREG HEFFLEY'S JOURNAL
by Jeff Kinney
Greg records his sixth grade experiences in a middle school where he and his best friend, Rowley, undersized weaklings amid boys who need to shave twice daily, hope just to survive, but when Rowley grows more popular, Greg must take drastic measures to save their friendship.

PENDRAGON BOOK 9: RAVEN RISE
by D.J. MacHale
While Pendragon is trapped on Ibara, Alder returns to Denduron and reluctantly goes into battle again, and other Travelers face obstacles of various sorts, Saint Dane gains the power he seeks on Second Earth and makes his push to destroy and rebuild Halla.

FABLEHAVEN
by Brandon Mull
When Kendra and Seth go to stay at their grandparents' estate, they discover that it is a sanctuary for magical creatures and that a battle between good and evil is looming.

MAXIMUM RIDE BOOK 4: THE FINAL WARNING
by James Patterson
While on a mission to Antarctica to save the world from global warming, fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride and the other members of the Flock – a band of genetically modified children who can fly – are pursued by their creator, the Uber-Director, who wants to auction them off to the highest bidder.

LIFE AS WE KNEW IT
by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Through journal entries sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family's struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS BOOK 4: THE BATTLE OF THE LABYRINTH
by Rick Riordan
When demonic cheerleaders invade his high school, Percy Jackson hurries to Camp Half Blood, from whence he and his demigod friends set out on a quest through the Labyrinth, while the war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near.

SEPTIMUS HEAP BOOK 4: QUESTE
by Angie Sage
Nicki and Snorri are trapped in Time, and Septimus Heap goes on a quest to find the House of Foryx, a place where all Time meets.

UNWIND
by Neil Shusterman
In a future world where those between the ages of thirteen and eighteen can have their lives "unwound" and their body parts harvested for use by others, three teens go to extreme lengths to uphold their beliefs – and, perhaps, save their own lives.

UGLIES SERIES BOOK 3: SPECIALS
by Scott Westerfeld
Tally has been transformed from repellent ugly to supermodel pretty. Now she's a super-amped fighting machine. Her mission is to keep the uglies down and the pretties stupid. But Tally's never been good at playing by the rules.

2009 Winner and Nominees