‘‘My goal right now is to meet all of the people who voted for me [on American Idol],” said Young, who has been making book-signing appearances up and down the East Coast over the past few weeks. He’s also promoting his first self-titled album, which will be released in June.

‘‘There’s a lot [my fans] still don’t know about me,” he said. ‘‘They want to know what I’ve been writing about.

But at Borders on Saturday, fans seemed to know a good deal about Young. They adore him for more than his seventh-place finish on ‘‘American Idol.” Many said they admire his volunteerism with Children’s Hospital of Denver, his love of children, his genuine interest in his fans and his charming personality.

‘‘He’s an awesome person. It’s definitely worth driving two hours to see him,” said Bridget Duvall, 34, who traveled from Middletown, Pa., to see Young. ‘‘He’s my favorite. He’s a genuine person, he has a big heart, he’s truly hot. He’s Ace.”

Fans from age 5 to well into their 50s waited in a line snaking through bookshelves for a chance to meet Young and get a book or T-shirt signed.

Bethesda resident Rhonda Zahler, a general ‘‘American Idol” fan, said Young made an impression on her during his time on the show.

‘‘I’m here because he stood out to me the season he was on,” she said. ‘‘He’s talented, he’s good looking, he’s very respectful and decent. He’s one of my favorites.”

‘‘Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul” is a collection of inspirational stories by Idols and their fans about overcoming obstacles and achieving their dreams. Young said he wrote about how he had to make a decision to pursue college football, which would make his father happy, or to follow his own dream to move to Los Angeles and become a musician.

Luckily, for Young and his fans, his choice seems to be paying off.

As Young approached the book-signing table, the waiting fans screamed, shrieked and fanned themselves to keep from fainting. A group of women in their 20s and 30s who had traveled from New York and New Jersey to see Young spontaneously started singing his songs.

‘‘Ace has a heart of gold,” said Leslie Crater, 36, of Palmyra, Pa. ‘‘I think he’s the most genuine person I’ve ever met.”

She’s met him several times at various appearances.

‘‘His fans come first, Crater said. ‘‘That’s why I think he has so much of a following.”

Daniel Fromme, district marketing manager for Borders, said the White Flint location was chosen to host Young because the store has a good track record of attracting crowds for famous people.

‘‘Our White Flint store always does a super job hosting celebrities — like Joan Baez, Jane Fonda, Valerie

Bertinelli — and customers come out to see them there,” he wrote in an e-mail to The Gazette.

Amy Niles of Glen Echo brought her children Justin, 6, and Hannah, 10, to meet one of their favorite Idol contestants.‘‘We think he’s really cute, we love him and he’s a good singer,” Hannah said after posing for a picture with Young.

Her mother agreed, adding, ‘‘He’s very low-key and he loves kids and that comes through.”

For other fans, Young is more of an inspiration. Twelve-year-old Krissy Jordan of Rockville had a special question she wanted to ask him: ‘‘I want to ask him for some advice because all my friends think I should try out for ‘American Idol,’” she said.

Phyllis Plitt of Baltimore said she came to see Young because watching him on ‘‘American Idol” kept her going when she was laid up in a hospital after surgery two years ago.

‘‘I haven’t found a flaw in him yet,” she said. ‘‘It’s the hair, the teeth, the voice, the goodness of him. He’s all of our fantasies.”