Cart’s Top 200 Adults Books for Young Adults: Two Decades in Review. By Michael Cart. Chicago: ALA, 2013. 136 p. Paper $50 (ISBN: 978-0838911587).

Booklist columnist and critic Michael Cart uses his expertise in young adult literature to select 200 adult fiction and non-fiction titles with high appeal to young adults. Each entry gives an overview of the plot and themes of the title in question. Cart’s enthusiasm for his subject comes through clearly in his peppy, conversational tone, and his wide knowledge base is evident in the plentiful read-alike suggestions.

Entries are coded by genre in fiction, by subject in non-fiction, and by other factors, such as whether they have won the Alex Award or fall under the category of “literature of inclusion.” Category names appear as abbreviations following the appropriate titles. A title and author index is included, but works are not indexed by the genre, which somewhat limits the book’s potential usefulness as a quick reference. Two brief appendixes provide lists of “Books Notable for Their Overall Excellence” and “Books Notable for Their Originality.” These lists single out titles from the body of the text rather than mentioning additional worthy titles, a rather perplexing decision given that all of the titles included in the larger work surely were chosen based on overall excellence and originality. Cart might have added value and substance to the book had he drawn on his considerable knowledge to provide booklists of other applicable works.

Although this is an enjoyable read for anyone interested in YA/adult crossovers, the scope and date range (no titles older than 1994 or newer than 2010) make this slim volume a supplemental purchase for professional development collections with high demand for information on readers’ advisory for young adults.