"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Saturday, June 11, 2011

My Favorite YA Novels of the 2010-11 School Year

The end of the 2010-11 school year looms. My professional life is completely swamped by textbooks, textbooks, textbooks. Evey night I come home completely exhausted so I haven't had much energy to read or blog. One more week then I begin my summer reading! In the meantime here is a list of my favorite YA novels that I read this school year:

1. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
This book is zany, funny, and very memorable. Not to be missed.  This was my favorite book of the year by far.

2. A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett
I was completely immersed in the world created by Pratchett. Luckily I finally found this author. The book is both whimsical and funny.

3. Stolen by Lucy Christopher
This is my favorite Printz Award/Honor book of the year. It took my breath away.

4. Jane by April Lindner
This modern retelling of Jane Eyre rekindled an interest in the classic book for me.

5.Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel
I laughed, I cried.  This book made me think and question what it means to be human.

6. Scorch Trials by James Dashner
The exciting sequel to the Maze Runner.  Equal if not better than the first book.

7. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
Aside from the whiny teenager, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I learned a ton  about the French Revolution.

8. Sledding Hill by Chris Crutcher
The topic is book banning and the author is Chris Crutcher.  Do I need to say more?

9. Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
Another Printz honoree.  This one has all the gritty, angsty stuff I like in YA lit.

10. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
A romantic book between a girl and a werewolf. Sounds terrible, but it really is a touching, wonderful love story.







Honorable Mentions:  Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Cohn and Levithan; Revolver by Sedgwick; Anna and the French Kiss by Perkins; Split by Avasthi; and Monsters of Men by Ness.

It was a school year of good books. I really had a hard time picking ten of my favorites.  If I made the list tomorrow I'd probably pick different books. This list does cover a wide range of reading genres and styles.  I purposely left nonfiction selections off the list though I read several very good books in that category this year.

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6 comments:

  1. Helen's Book BlogJune 11, 2011 at 9:46 AM

    Ack! How can your favorites be books I haven't even read yet? Panic! There are just so many good books to read, I can hardly stand it. Maybe the writers and publishers could take a break for a year or two while I catch up...

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  2. ChelleJune 11, 2011 at 10:34 AM

    I loved The Scorch Trials! I can't wait for the next book this fall (I think?). I've been wanting to read some of the others on your list, too.

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  3. UnknownJune 11, 2011 at 5:38 PM

    I was cheering for so many of your picks! The Scorch Trials! Shiver! MONSTERS OF MEN!! Honestly, can't believe I still haven't read The SleddingHill. Chris Crutcher is pure genius. And Revolver is literally the next book on my list! I've been dragging my feet, but still holding on to it b/c of the Printz honor... I'm going to go read your review now so that I can get a little more excited :)

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  4. Rummanah AasiJune 11, 2011 at 5:38 PM

    I've yet to get my hands on "Revolution" and "Stolen". They are always checked out! I do love the other books on your list.

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  5. ham1299June 13, 2011 at 3:53 PM

    I learned a lot from Revolution, too! It was fantastic. I just read Anna and the French Kiss and really enjoyed that one, too.

    Great list. I'll have to look into some of these!

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  6. Asheley @ Into the Hall of BooksJune 18, 2011 at 9:22 PM

    I have Shiver and The Maze Runner checked out right now in my giant pile of books from the library...I have heard amazing things about Shiver and I am excited to see that you think the sequel to Dashner's Maze Runner is possibly as excellent as the first. It will probably be the next book I read.

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