Young Adult books, as a genre, has enjoyed a recent resurgence. It started with Harry Potter, survived a lean year or two, and then leapt back into the spotlight with Twilight.
But good Young Adult — or YA as it's known — is far, far more than just wizards and vampires. That's why I turned to the experts, more than a dozen Book Bloggers who focus on Yound Adult books, and asked them to name their pick for the Best Young Adult Book of 2009. Enjoy.
]]>P.S. I was aiming for 10 books but I had such overwhelming response that I ended up with 13. Seems like a fitting number for crime fiction, don't you think?
]]>With these challenges in mind, I consulted the experts: I asked a dozen great graphic novel and manga bloggers for their picks from this year's new titles. Below are their choices for the best graphic novels of 2009.
]]>The other food item that makes me a bit heady doesn’t really grab me by its aroma... no, this attraction is all about how its look. Of course, I'm talking about hamburgers, cheeseburgers, burgers, burgers, burgers! If I see someone chomping down on a Big Mac, I look at it longingly — like a bear that’s just come out of hibernation would look at a jumping salmon.
Here are some of my favorite books about a food that tempts me to become a carnivore:
]]>The books serve two purposes: they provide a starting point for conversation with kids, and a safety net if the conversation totally fails. The first time my husband tried to talk to his adolescent son about sex, they had a short, mutually monosyllabic conversation. But at the end of that talk, my husband gave his son a book about sexual health and safety. Even if he wasn’t willing to talk about it, we knew the kid had access to the information should he need it.
Here are the books we've shared with our young kids:
]]>In my experience, you can't raise readers. Readers are born. Kids want stories — good ones — great ones even. It’s our job to give them great stories. So here’s a list — in no particular order — of what I think are the best books for Tweens that came out in 2009. (Ok, I admit it. Some of them are originally from 2008. Their inclusion is explained below.)
]]>When I’m reading a great novel — one where the author has created a world that truly captures your mind — it stays with me long after I’ve finished reading. You know the kinds of books I’m talking about: the ones where you can see the world in your head. The ones that really amaze me are the inventive and immersive fantasy worlds that some authors build — places you’d like to visit, even if they’re quite scary. Here are a just a few of my favorites (and there are many, many more great fantasy books I’d list if I had the time!).
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