Iowa High School Book Award Titles 2010-2011

2011-2012 Iowa Highschool Book Award Nominees

Th1rteen R3asons Why -Jay Asher

Why did Hannah Baker commit suicide?

When high school student Clay Jenkins receives a box of audio tapes, he discovers that they contain Hannah’s explanation for her death.

 

Iron Heart: The True Story of How I Came Back from the Dead-Brian Boyle

At 18, Brian Boyle was the victim of a terrible car crash that demolished his car and changed his life from that of a bodybuilder to a shattered man.   In a coma for two months, he lived to regain his strength and fulfill his dream of competing in the Iron Man competition.

 

Shift -Jennifer Bradbury

The summer after graduation, Chris and Win leave to bike cross country to Seattle. When Win decides to go his own way, his unexpected disappearance surprises and hurts Chris, who finds himself the main suspect in the disappearance.

 

After - Amy Efaw

Devon seems to have the perfect life. She’s a straight “A” student and a star soccer player.  But she has a secret, one so devastating that she herself can’t acknowledge. She’s pregnant.

 

Paper Towns- John Green

For as long as he can remember, Quentin, or “Q”, has admired glamorous, popular Margo.  “Q” is devastated when, a month before graduation, Margo takes him out for a midnight adventure and then mysteriously disappears. Working from a series of clues that Margo might have left behind, “Q” enlists the help of friends to discover what has become of her.

Liar- Justine Larbalestier

Micah will freely admit that she’s a compulsive liar. Over the years she’s duped everyone , until her boyfriend dies under brutal circumstances and her dishonesty begins to catch up with her.

 

Flash Burnout- L.K. Madigan

Blake finds balancing his time between his girlfriend, and best friend, Marissa, really hard. When he takes a picture of a homeless woman who turns out to be Marissa’s mom, their friendship takes a challenging turn.

 

The Knife of Never Letting Go- Patrick Ness

In a town infected by the Noise germ, allowing everyone to hear what another is thinking, Todd is the only boy.  He knows the town is hiding something from him, something so awful he is forced to flee. With hostile men in pursuit, Todd stumbles upon a strange and eerily silent girl.

 

Streams of Babel- Carol Plum-Ucci

The bizarre deaths of two people in Trinity Falls, New Jersey, isn’t just coincidence, the government is sure it’s something far more sinister. At the same time, a boy in Pakistan is tracking the potential source of what’s slowly starting to infect Trinity Falls.

 

The Forest of Hands and Teeth- Carrie Ryan

Generations ago, a horrible plague destroyed the cities, creating roving gangs of zombies that threaten everyone.  Mary’s small village is protected by the strict control of the Sisterhood.   Is she alone in wondering what life was really like before?

 

Shiver- Maggie Stiefvater

In all the years she has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house, Grace has been particularly drawn to an unusual yellow-eyed wolf who, in his turn, has been watching her with increasing intensity.

 

The Assist: Hoops, Hope, and the Game of Their Lives- Neil Swidey

The story of a basketball coach at an iconic high school and of his players, each struggling to rise above the many forces pulling them down.