So, here are the books at the top of my 2005 list. They are not in any particular order as that is too difficult for me to do right now. These are simply the ones I read that I think should be considered for Printz and Newbery and BBYA and all that jazz. Of course, any list is a reflection of the person who creates it, so this is pretty idiosyncratic. Feel free to argue with me about what is and is not on the list. I am certain that I have not read all the books out there either, so if your favorite is missing, that could be why as well. So, here goes. You can read my blogs about each of these titles at: www.livejournal.com/users/professornana/
1. Inexcusable by Chris Lynch
This one blew me away and I read it on one sitting. Lynch exactly captures the voice of a young man rationalizing every action he takes no matter how heinous. There are few other authors out there who could pull off this story.
2. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
I liked this one so much I wrote a Discussion Guide for it for FSG (BSP). Zevin's book about the afterlife of a teen killed at 14 avoids all the pitfalls: nothing maudlin, nothing predictable. Instead, she manages to surprise readers at every turn.
3. Zap by Paul Fleischmann
Fleischman can turn any genre on its head. He did it for poetry with JOYFUL NOISE and for serial fiction with A FATE TOTALLY WORSE THAN DEATH. Now, he turns his attnetion to drama in this novel approach to the usual fare of high school plays.
4. Peeps by Scott Westerfeld
Here is a new author who first 4 books have all been stellar. SO YESTERDAY, PRETTIES, UGLIES, THE MIDNIGHTERS all demonstrate that this guy can write fantasy and sci-fi even for reluctant teens. PEEPS is a vampire book and so much more.
5. Full Service by Will Weaver
I have loved Weaver's books for a long time. This one is a bit of a departure as it looks at the Vietnam era through the eyes of a teen who has led a very sheltered life until one fateful summer pumping gas.
6. Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar
The king of humor strikes again in this dead on book that tackles the terrible freshman year, crushes on girls, and parents determined to make your life miserable.
7. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Natalie, my 12 year old, has already read this gothic vampire romance 6 times and wants her own copy for Christmas. I hear rumors that this is the first of a proposed trilogy!
8. Bang! by Sharon Flake
If this book does not cement Flake's position as one of the preminent YA authors, there is no justice in the world, which is, BTW, part of what Flake is tackling in this intense novel.
9. 47 by Walter Mosely
You either love or hate this book that blurs genre lines as it relates the story of Slave 47 rescued from a life of misery by an alien from the future.
10. Autobiography of my Dead Brother by Walter Dean Myers and Christopher Myers.
My only criticism of this book is that I would have loved to see it done as a full-fledged graphic novel. Obviously the NBA committee did not share my view as it was a finalist for this year's award.
11.Looking for Alaska by John Green
Catcher in the Rye for a new generation.
12. Best Foot Forward by Joan Bauer
It was wonderful to see Jenna back in action after RULES OF THE ROAD. Bauer is someone who can deal with tough issues with such a delicate touch.
13. Sledding Hill by Chris Crutcher
How to even begin to talk about this one. Crutcher inserts himself into the novel making some scenes laugh out loud. He also shows those censors that they are afraid, not of language, but of IDEAS.
14. Day of Tears by Julius Lester
Lester's finest work is this multiple narrator story of a slave auction that separated families and changed the lives of all involved.
15.Wreath for Emmett Till by Marilyn Reynolds
An heroic crown of sonnets about a lynching? How can that ne possible? Nelson shows once again that poetry can be a most powerful tool for telling even the most unspeakable stories.