| Books, books, books! |
[2009-12-09 20:14] |
I loved reading Jenn Reese's roundup of her favorite MG books from 2009, and since I am (of course!) mostly buying books as Christmas presents, I thought many of you guys might be, too. So I figured I'd share the list of my top favorite YA and MG books that I read in 2009. (This only includes the ones that have already been published in America - it would just be mean to taunt you with ARC recommendations or UK-only editions when you're busy holiday-shopping!).
- Sarah Dessen's Just Listen: beautiful, intense and deeply romantic. Something terrible happened to Annabel Greene this summer, and now she has to learn how to heal...with the help of my very favorite romantic hero of the year, Owen Armstrong. I loved this book so, so much. I only discovered Sarah Dessen as an author this past January, but after I read Just Listen, she became one of my favorite YA authors in the world. I love pretty much all of her books (and if you're looking for a lighter YA read, I'd recommend This Lullaby instead, which is a funny, snarky romantic comedy with an edge)...but Just Listen remains my very favorite of all her books, and one of my favorite novels ever. (YA)
- Maureen Johnson's Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes: funny, quirky, emotionally true, and full of the sheer joy of world travel and exploration. Maureen Johnson was another author I only discovered this year, but I'm so glad I did. She's my very favorite comic YA author now, partly because there's always such a deep layer of emotion underneath the zany comedy. This book brought back to me all the joy and fear and excitement of going abroad on your own for the first time, and I loved every bit of it. (YA)
- Lisa Mantchev's Eyes Like Stars: SO much fun! This novel is just bursting with joy and passion and imagination. Seventeen-year-old Bertie Shakespeare Smith lives in a magical theater where her sidekicks are the trouble-making fairies from A Midsummer Night's Dream, her maybe-could-be-boyfriend is a sweet, sexy pirate, and her nemesis - or is he actually her true love? - is Ariel, the trapped elemental from The Tempest. It's wildly inventive, funny, and romantic, and I loved it. (YA)
- Linda Urban's A Crooked Kind of Perfect: sweet, wacky, laugh-out-loud funny and full of heart. Eleven-year-old Zoe dreams of playing the piano at Carnegie Hall - but her father gets painfully nervous outside their own house, and when he comes back from his musical shopping expedition, he isn't exactly bringing her a piano... ;) If you liked the movie "Little Miss Sunshine" (I did), then you will LOVE this book. (MG)
- Jo Knowles's Jumping Off Swings: beautiful, heartbreaking, and true. When one teenage girl becomes pregnant, her whole circle of friends find their lives changed forever. The characters were so real, their choices so heartbreakingly difficult... I cried and cried, but it was SO worth it - and there's real light and hope in here as well as sadness. I usually don't like "issues novels", but I really loved this book and plan to re-read it many times. (YA)
- Ysabeau Wilce's Flora's Dare: funny, wild, magical, and heartwrenching. This book won the Andre Norton Award this year, and oh, did it deserve it! I loved Book 1 in this series (Flora Segunda), but Flora's Dare just completely blew me away! It was even tighter, even more magical, and it was full of truly astonishing family revelations. It mingled fun, rich fantasy world-building with deep emotions. This is Book 2 in the series, but it stands alone beautifully - you don't need to have read Book 1 to enjoy it. (MG)
- Sarah Prineas's Magic Thief: Lost: magical, exciting, and pure fun! Again, this is Book 2 in a series, but you don't need to read Book 1 to enjoy Book 2. Conn is one of my favorite heroes in kids' fantasy: smart, sharp, and funny in a perfectly understated way. Book 1 showed Conn discovering his own magic powers and his ties to the city he was born in; Book 2 takes him far out of his comfort zone, separated from his magic and his city, and forces him to fly. It's full of magic and adventure, and I can't imagine any fantasy-loving kids not loving it. (MG)
What about you guys? What were your favorite books this year?
__ PS: I bought myself copies of all these books except Ysabeau Wilce's Flora's Dare, which I was lucky eough to get as a free ARC. I'm friends with Ysa, Sarah, and Lisa, and I feel very lucky to be friends with some of my favorite authors. Even if I didn't know them, I would still love their books! |
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