BOOKS
I LIKE
I read a lot of YA, middle grade, and picture books in 2007. Below, in alphabetical order by title,
are a few that I particularly enjoyed.
I should note that not all of these books were National Book Award
contenders (for technical reasons), and that there were a good number of books
that I have NOT mentioned here that were considered very seriously. In other words, if you are an author
seeking clues as to how “close” you came in the NBA competition, you will not
find them here. If, on the other
hand, you are a reader looking for some good books, you can’t go too far wrong
with these titles.
Almost Home by Jessica Blank
The stories of seven teens
surviving on the streets of L.A.
This book starts out kind of rough—as in, I wasn’t sure I wanted to
spend time in such a bleak and depressing world—but it quickly engages and by
page 20 or 30 I couldn’t stop reading.
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
A wordless graphic novel, and a real jaw-dropper. Surreal, brilliant, and beautiful.
Billie Standish was Here by
Nancy Crocker
Surprising, powerful, and very
unusual study in cross-generational functional dysfunction. I’ll say no more.
Booth’s Daughter by Raymond
Wemmlinger
I think part of what got me excited
about this one was that I couldn’t believe how much I was enjoying what amounts
to an historical romance. But it’s very readable, and it stuck in my head
as did few others.
Defect by Will Weaver
Loved the premise and Will
Weaver’s engaging style. Weaver is
pretty tapped-in to his adolescence, and his books are always well worth
reading.
Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren
Tarshis
A beautifully balanced, funny, smart, and satisfying
middle-grade novel. The two viewpoint characters are loveable, flawed,
archetypical, and driven by forces just about anybody can relate to. The
humor is fine-tuned to appeal to both kids and adults. The ending was
particularly strong. I loved this
book.
Evolution, Me and Other Freaks
of Nature by Robin Brande
A Christian teen deals with
fundamentalism and Creationism while remaining Christian. I just wish
Brande had chosen a sneakier, more subversive title, as the current title will
prevent this book from reaching a lot of middle-school libraries. I think it deserves to be read widely.
Harmless by Dana Reinhardt
Three girls make up a lie and all hell breaks loose. A superb example of the teen “problem novel,” told from
three distinct and fully-realized points-of-view.
The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti
Deb Caletti is simply one of the best writers working in YA
fiction, okay? In fact, she is so
good at what she does that I don’t even know how she does it. Reading her work is like watching magic
happen.
Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins
A devil takes over the body of a
teenage boy. Hilarious and
useful. I wish I’d had this book
when I was thirteen. Clear, clean,
unpretentious, direct, and utterly readable.
Robot Dreams by Sara Varon
A smart and insightful graphic
novel. Quality graphics.
Quirky but well-shaped story. Sweet and dark. Kind of
spooky. Re-readable, again and again. No words. Short.
Runaround by Helen Hemphill
Maybe I’m just a sucker for spunky young heroines, but I loved this book.
The Snows by Sharelle Byars
Moranville
This book is published as a YA
novel, but it works just as well as an “adult” novel. Four stories about three generations to the Snow family, all
from the POVs of sixteen-year-olds.
Unusual in concept, superb in execution.
Someday This Pain Will Be
Useful To You by Peter Cameron
Although I disliked this book as
a “young adult” novel, and I personally had trouble sympathizing with the
protagonist, it has stayed with me.
Check it out for the writing, at least…and maybe more. It deserves to be read, especially by
“teenagers” in their twenties.
The Year of My Miraculous
Reappearance by Catherine Ryan Hyde
This book stands out for it’s
readability, momentum, voice, and focus. A tale of redemption, and an
inspirational story--18 months in the life of a young alcoholic, from beer #1
to her one year AA medallion, all in about 200 pages.