Favorite YA Books of 2011

When all the "Best of" lists come out at the end of the year, I always feel frustrated because there are always books I haven't read. I feel like a slacker no matter how much I read. Here, in alpha author order, are the books I DID read and loved. Some are new this year, some are older titles.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
Copper Sun by Sharon Draper
The Lonely Hearts Club and Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg
Warped by Marissa Guibord
The Summer series by Jenny Han
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Legend by Marie Lu
The ENTIRE Bloody Jack series by L. A. Meyer (audiobook preferred)
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
Shine by Lauren Myracle
The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal
Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
The Queen of Water by Laura Resau
Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Lost and Found by Shaun Tan
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

If I had to name a favorite "new" book of 2011...I'd probably have to say I'll Be There and Anna and the French Kiss would be tied for first.  For my favorite "old book," I'll cheat and say the entire Bloody Jack series.

Many of the books that are showing up on the lists now I've tried to read and just haven't gotten into. I'm going to keep trying on Chime and The Scorpio Races.

2012 is shaping up to be a good year in YA fiction. New John Green, new Markus Zusak, and lots of new additions to series I love.  What's more exciting though, are all the new authors out there whose voices we haven't yet heard.

I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Nitty Gritty
Sam Border and his brother Riddle know how to lay low--how to fend for themselves and how to avoid their volatile father Embry. Sam meets Emily Bell, a nice girl from a nice family with a not-so-nice singing voice. A chance encounter at her church while Emily is singing the Jackson Five's "I'll Be There" sets events into motion that have ramifications far beyond themselves.

Touchy Feely
This book is like the best hot chocolate on Christmas Day. Can it get any better? This story is engrossing, the characters are fully fleshed out (including the vile father) and the narrative style gives readers the sense that they are witnessing something magical. Which they are. I've heard this book described as "emotionally satisfying" which it is. I think that guys and girls would like this book. There's enough romance and action and adventure to suit most tastes. It's also heartening to see a kind, functional family in a YA book. So many times, the mother's dead or the father's emotionally distant or whatever. Sam's family is like that, but Emily's family is loving and supportive of their relationship. It just makes the book that more authentic.

Nerdy Bits
Beyond their budding romance, Sam has a hidden talent propels Emily's family to rescue him and Riddle from the influence of their father. It looks a little something like this (spoiler alert!)

Full Coverage
I love this original cover by Neil Swaab. The awesomeness of this book is magnified by not having any half exposed windblown faces or a guy and a girl allllmost kissing. This cover is timeless to me, and hints at the special, heartwarming story within.

Dewey Love
I'm blanking on any sort of non-fiction tie-in at the moment, but now would be the perfect time to listen to the titular song.



Inspirational Moment
Holly Goldberg Sloan has a brilliant website with character playlists, inspirations, and other info. Here's a quote from that site about the book.

"I’ll Be There is about the importance of time and place and individual action. It’s about finding your way when you are lost. And it is about the joy of being found. It is about families, personal responsibility and individual talent. It’s also about consequences."

Final Thoughts
This book is going on my "I-bought-it-so-I-can-loan-it-to-other-people-just-call-me-a-book-evangelist" shelf. Sloan is a rather accomplished movie producer, so I'm crossing my fingers that this book will be made into a movie. It's a story that people will respond to. So until that happens...you know what to do.

YA National Book Award Nominees

The nominees for the 2011 National Book Award were announced this week. Here are the finalists in the Young People's Literature category.

Franny Billingsley, Chime
Debby Dahl Edwardson, My Name Is Not Easy
Thanhha Lai, Inside Out and Back Again
Albert Marrin, Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy
Lauren Myracle, Shine
Gary D. Schmidt, Okay for Now

Check out the judges: Marc Aronson, Ann Brashares, Matt de la Peña, Nikki Grimes, Will Weaver. They know their stuff!

I've only read three of the titles (Shine, Inside Out and Back Again, and Okay for Now). I am terrible at "calling" these sorts of contests because each book has a different audience and a difference. The most powerful read for me was definitely Shine (which has an amazing epigraph), but the book I just want to pick up and hug and read again someday is Okay for Now. I've heard great things about all of these titles--except for My Name is Not Easy. Which means that this title will probably win because it's the one book I haven't heard of and haven't read. That's how it always is.

Happy reading and may the best book win!

Great Printz Award Post

I just discovered Sarah Couri's blog Someday My Printz Will Come over at SLJ. She's written a great post today about how the Printz Award is chosen. It's long, but well worth the read.

Coming soon: A review of Holly Goldberg Sloan's I'll Be There.

Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber by L.A. Meyer

I've known about this series for a long time, but I'd never read any of the books until now. Except I didn't *read* this one; I listened to the audiobook. I've heard narrator Katherine Kellgren described as the "female Jim Dale." All I can say is that Kellgren brings this book to swashbuckling life. It's SOOO good! I love Mary "Jacky" Faber's character--she's strong and sassy while still being relatable. I think she's on track to becoming one of my favorite female literary characters of all time. I rank this up there with The Help and The True Meaning of Smekday as audiobooks that are even better than their already-awesome paper counterparts. I'm just glad there are at least eight more! (The ninth book, The Mark of the Golden Dragon: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, Jewel of the East, Vexation of the West, and Pearl of the South China Sea, comes out October 3!

Fixed Comments

I was informed that my comments were not working, so if you've wanted to comment on my blog you should be able to do so at this point.

Huzzah!

Gale and Peeta: Thoughts?

Here's the new cover of Entertainment Weekly with the Gale and Peeta (aka Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson).



Some of the reactions seem to be negative (the awesomes over at Forever Young Adult aren't too happy).

I think they look delish.

Thoughts?

Asheville to Nashville Book Tour

SO Excited for this!

3 Authors
8 Cities
From Asheville to Nashville

Alan Gratz, author of Fantasy Baseball and other titles
Myra McEntire, author of Hourglass
Beth Revis, author of Across the Universe <----READ IT! It's awesome!
Victoria Schwab, author of The Near Witch

For more info visit http://ash2nash.blogspot.com/

They're be at Union Avenue Books in Knoxville on August 7 at 3-5 PM. UAB is a super-cute new used/new bookstore in downtown Knoxville AND Knoxville's only independent new bookstore. GO AND SUPPORT this cool new store and these fab authors!

The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen

Nitty Gritty
Jessica wakes up in a hospital bed and learns she's lost her leg below the knee in a terrible school bus crash. Jessica is a also a runner, so this presents more than the usual problem of losing a leg. She slowly adapts to her new way of life, struggling with the practicalities of moving around, as well as the weightier psychological implications of being an amputee. She befriends Rosa, a girl with cerebral palsy, who sits with Jessica in the back of their math class. Jessica's dream is to somehow run again, and together with the help of her family and friends, she is determined to make it happen.

Touchy Feely
Flippin' loved this one. The writing is direct, honest, and the book moves along like a fifty yard dash. Jessica is an inspirational character, and her struggles are neither too Pippi Longstocking-ishly easy nor too mopey-dopey depressing.

Nerdy Bits
Prosthetic limbs
Oscar Pistorius

Full Coverage
Less is more. Lovely white space, nifty font, and cool shoes. I think the paperback cover will be different thought, probably with a faceless girl running into the sunset.

Dewey Love
796.42

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall

Inspirational Moment


Final Thoughts
I think that even though this not be a book that people will like "Oooh! Teenage amputees!" that once they read the first chapter, they'll be hooked. Highly recommended.