2008 Favorites

With the end of the year, it's time for all the "best of" lists.   I choose to do "favorites" instead since I didn't read nearly enough to choose "the best."  Plus, it's too subjective anyway.  So these are just my favorites of the year.  

New York Times's Notable Children's Books of the Year

Amazon Editors' YA Picks for 2008

I'm pretty happy with the NYT picks, even though I never read Sunrise Over Fallujah.  I can't get behind any list with TDHOFL-B, however.

My favorites:

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell

As an aside, even though I read The Disreputable History months ago and loved it and have given it prime display space at the circulation desk and recommended it to students, it hasn't been checked out once.  I'm sad about this, and I don't know what else to do.

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell

Just after WWII, 15 year-old Evie goes on an off-season vacation with her bombshell mother and her step-father. Her step-father is a war veteran and owns some successful appliance stores. Evie adores her mother, not only because she's admired and beautiful, but also because her mother has always been there for her, even during tough times when she was raising Evie as a single mother. Evie also adores her step-father because she finally has a father in her life who takes care of her and gives her attention. A young veteran who served with her step-father in the war shows up, and Evie falls in love with him. Her mother chaperones secret outings for them since her step-father doesn't want them having anything to do with each other. [Achtung: Possible spoilers ahead] The young man, Peter, tells Evie some things about her step-father that are, to say the least, unflattering. When there is an investigation into Peter's suspicious death, Evie has to make a decision about what she will reveal and whether she will tell the truth about what she knows.

Loved it. Extra bonus: the cover is appealing and the title is intriguing and completely perfect for the novel. I think it would be appropriate for middle schoolers too. All my students who have read it have really liked it. Great characterization, perfect pace, and unique and interesting plot.