This reference book combines the last three revisions of the Young Adult Library Services Association and the Association of College and Research Libraries’ collective work, Outstanding Books for the College Bound, intended to “provide reading recommendations to students of all ages who plan to continue their education beyond high school” (vii).

The book opens with the origin, history, and committee processes for this project, for those who care to know, and gives context for the valuable work that continues today. The following chapters outline interesting and creative ways to put this list to work for your library users—whether they be high school students, members of the public, postsecondary students, educators, or lifelong learners of any age.

The lists, of course, support collection development (and the selection work is done for us!), but they can also support “merchandising” in one's library, providing readers’ advisory, preparing book talks (annotations are included for all titles), creating displays, and even producing programs. One writer suggests highlighting selected titles by inviting speakers from corresponding areas of discipline to speak to students, integrating book displays and book talks into the program. There are many inspiring ideas contained in a few short chapters here that could be very effective in sharing books. “By using these power lists of outstanding books, [library users] can add depth and breadth and creativity to their reading experiences. The lists … are a cornucopia for those seeking a lifetime of self-education” (40).

The annotated lists from 1999, 2004, and 2009 make up the bulk of the book, and in the last section, all three lists are combined and arranged by genre (arts and humanities, science and technology, etc.), providing another glimpse of the diversity and range the list holds. An appendix provides the committee's policies and procedures, and a title and author index is included.

It is important to note that the complete lists are available online through YALSA's website (as are policies and procedures for the committee) and also through Novelist Plus. Thus libraries with budgetary concerns that choose not to purchase this title can still benefit from online access to the lists and skip the marketing and programming advice that is available in this book.