# YALSA’s Teen Book Finder

> Curated teen book and media recommendations from library professionals. (iPhone/iPad app by American Library Association.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/yalsas-teen-book-finder/id527674308 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [American Library Association](https://appshunter.io/developer/467667414)
- Category: Education, Books
- Price: Free
- Rating: 2.70/5 from 6 App Store ratings · 22 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 9.3 · 24 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2012-06-02
- Data updated: 2026-06-05
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/yalsas-teen-book-finder/id527674308/reviews.md

## What is YALSA’s Teen Book Finder?

Find the best books and media for teens, as selected by library staff and educators across the United States! The Teen Book Finder, generously funded by a grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, offers easy access to the titles honored each year by the Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of the American Library Association. Search for books by title, author, genre, award, or list; create a reading list with the favorites button; share what you’re reading on Facebook and Twitter; and find a copy of the book in your local library, all from one screen! Not sure where to start? YALSA offers three hot picks on the homepage each day.

## Key features

- Search books by title, author, genre, award, or list
- Create personalized reading lists
- Share reading progress on social media
- Find local library availability
- Daily featured 'hot picks'

## Recent user reviews (10 of 22)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/yalsas-teen-book-finder/id527674308/reviews.md

### 2/5 — Good books at my fingertips!

*2022-06-23*

I love that I have good books at my fingertips, but it seems it’s not being updated any longer. The Printz award list hasn’t been updated in a few years. YALSA, this is THE way to keep teens engaged in reading! Please update this with new titles!

### 1/5 — Rip off

*2019-07-25*

This is not what I thought it would have been I thought I would 
have been able to read books but I cannot this just really shows 
ware you can buy some

### 4/5 — Updated one year ago

*2018-04-28*

Since all the other reviews are older than one year I thought I would try this app out and review it.  The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars was I was surprised at how many books were missing from popular authors.  Brandon Sanderson only had two books listed when his Mistborn and other series are very popular for instance.

### 4/5 — About the App

*2015-04-01*

It would be great if you could put more hot picks in display and new books in display. 
It would be great if once that you locate the library it could give you a link to place a hold or the phone number to call the library directly and place a hold. I tried to call to the phone that you provide and even though there's a path to call to Reston Regional Library, the path is long and a teenager wouldn't invest this effort. I insist it would be such a great service just to link the library's location with the phone number. 
There's a lot of Library systems around the country but, why not? 
Thank you from an avid reader from Fairfax County.

### 1/5 — So

*2014-12-10*

This game will not do anything

### 3/5 — Alphabetical order please

*2014-04-25*

Why is a site associated with The American Library Association listing its authors by their FIRST names? Alphabetical order of people is by last name, first.

### 1/5 — Crap!

*2014-03-18*

This app is junk. Plain and simple. NONE of the books I want are on there! They're not too well known books but so what!?!?! This app should have them in its database! This app doesn't even recognize two amazing books, one a classic entertainment, Ragweed and the other a great series, the original Percy Jackson series and the dumb thing doesn't even have THAT!!!???!!!!

### 5/5 — Good

*2013-12-30*

Works well for when I'm looking for a new book to read. The app is simple, but I like that.

### 2/5 — Disappointing

*2013-03-05, version 1.0*

The most useful aspect of this app is the book lists, which seems to have been the intention. However because the book database is limited to the books on the list, it's not very functional for finding a new book to read. The "locate book" option only shows results for southern Indiana--a place I've never been--and there nowhere I can find to change that.

Ultimately I don't know how to use this app in a way that a quick google search doesn't offer.

### 3/5 — Good idea, clunky implementation

*2012-12-13*

So, I love the YALSA lists online. They are top-notch and a great place to go to find titles for my 9th grade classroom library. Actually, they're the best place I've found. And all the books are in this app, I suppose, but... a lot of buts. A few of the screens are missing "back" buttons, so once you get there you're kind of trapped and have to start over instead of just going back and searching for more "sci fi" titles or whatever.
I wish the reviews or synopses were a bit more substantial—there's all this app infrastructure but then not all that much that actually tells you about the actual titles once you find them.
And the searching—yikes! Authors names are actually NOT IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER. First, they seem like they're sorted by first name, but then you look closely and realize all the first names are L's, for example, but after that the names jump all around. Bizarre. The first time I tried searching by author, I was looking for other books by the same author of a book I'd just found through the app. When I finally found her name (not in alphabetical order), it said "NO TITLES LISTED." And I had just looked at a book by her in the app! (Lish McBride/"Hold Me Closer, Necromancer" if any folks who work on the app are reading).
So as a result, I fear this may not be a reliable way to locate books for kids as I'd hoped. If this worked the way it should, it'd be awesome!

## Frequently asked questions about YALSA’s Teen Book Finder

### What is YALSA’s Teen Book Finder?

YALSA’s Teen Book Finder helps users discover recommended books and media for teens. It provides access to titles honored by the Young Adult Library Services Association, selected by library staff and educators across the United States.

### How can I search for books on YALSA’s Teen Book Finder?

You can search for books by title, author, genre, award, or list. The app also features three 'hot picks' on the homepage daily to help you discover new reads.

### Can I save books I like on YALSA’s Teen Book Finder?

Yes, you can create a personalized reading list by using the favorites button to save the titles you enjoy. This allows you to keep track of your reading interests.

### Does YALSA’s Teen Book Finder show where I can find a book?

Yes, the app allows you to find a copy of the book in your local library directly from the app. This feature helps connect you with physical copies.

### What is the user sentiment for YALSA’s Teen Book Finder?

The app has a rating of 2.7 stars from 6 ratings, indicating mixed user sentiment. Specific user feedback is not detailed in the provided data.

### How often is YALSA’s Teen Book Finder updated?

The latest version, 2.3.0, was released on June 26, 2019. This suggests the app has not been updated recently, which may be a concern for some users.

### What devices support YALSA’s Teen Book Finder?

YALSA’s Teen Book Finder is supported on iPhone and iPod devices. It is available for free and has an age rating of 4+.

### Can I share books I find on YALSA’s Teen Book Finder?

Yes, you can share what you’re reading on Facebook and Twitter directly from the app. This feature allows you to easily share your literary discoveries with friends.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.3.0 — 2019-06-26

- Updated to include new titles for 2019
- Support for iOS 12

### 2.2.1 — 2018-08-15

New titles added

### 2.2 — 2018-06-05

Updated with new books for 2018

### 2.1.1 — 2017-04-26

Updated 2017 Book Titles

### 2.1 — 2017-03-10

Updated 2017 book titles

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All apps by American Library Association: https://appshunter.io/developer/467667414

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-05.*