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1. Feed by M.T. Anderson---This was my favorite YA read of summer 2007. The feed is an implanted computer in brains. Teenagers are constantly bombarded with consumerism and marketing messages as the world falls apart. (July 2007, published in 1999.)
2. Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock--- I sing the praises of this series quite often on my blog, but I have never actually reviewed it. DJ Schwenk is a jock and works on her family dairy farm. She helps out a family friend by working with the quarterback from the neighboring team. This story is very touching and fun. I like the whole series. (September 2007, published in 2004.)
3. Black Swan Green by David Mitchell--- a coming-of-age tale set in England. Jason Taylor is the protagonist who experiences many trials because he is also a stutterer. Both my husband and I could relate to Jason and his troubles. (September 2007, published in 2006.)
4. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli--- This story is just about as perfect as any YA story I've ever read. I listened to the audiobook version of it and the performer was John Ritter, the late, great actor. He did a magical job. (October 2007, published in 2000.)
5. Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L.Going---my favorite book of the Fall of 2007. Though there is plenty in the book to make the book-burners prepare their coals, I loved the book. It is very funny. (October 2007, published in 2004.)
6. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak--- I'm guessing that I will see this book on others Top Ten lists today. This book is remarkable for many reasons. One, the narrator is death. Two, the setting is Nazi Germany during WWII with a view of the war from within Germany. Three, the book is masterfully written and is very inventive. This book is on my Top Ten favorite YA books of all time. (November 2007, published in 2006.)
7. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie--- this book is amazing on many levels. Reluctant readers actually will read this book and come back to tell me how much they liked it. It is also on my Top Ten YA favorites list. (April 2008, published in 2007.)
8. Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank--- Published in 1959, this book addresses the question of what life would be like after a nuclear holocaust. Even though we know today that a lot of things that they thought about nuclear weapons were wrong, the book is very insightful about leadership, self-reliance, inventiveness, and the importance of community. (July 2008.)
9. Paper Towns by John Green--- Actually I should have all of John's book on this list since I think he is one of the premiere YA authors writing today. His characters are all multifaceted, interesting, and edgy. This book has quite a bit of humor, too. (January 2009, published in 2008.)
10. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart--- I love this book about a plucky character, Frankie L-B. I have the hardest time getting kids to read it, though. Perhaps if I mention it 100 times on my blog, some will finally give it a try. (April 2009, published in 2008.)
