2013 Best Teen Books

| Tasha

Here are my picks for the top books for teens in 2013.  Share yours in the comments!  Scroll down to the end to see my pick for book of the year too.

all the truth thats in me bird king black helicopters

All the Truth That’s in Me by Julie Berry

A great pick to book talk for teens, the premise of this historical novel should be more than enough to get teens to pick it up.  The writing and the mystery will keep them reading.

The Bird King: An Artist’s Notebook by Shaun Tan

This is a book to get in the hands of teens who enjoy art and writing, for it is a look at the unformed and the just formed.  It is a book of pure creativity and the creative process.  Beautiful.  Haunting.  Inspiring.

Black Helicopters by Blythe Woolston

Well written and carefully paced, this book is tantalizingly taut and thrilling.  In the end though, it is about a girl caught in a web of lies that she cannot see past.

boxers saints dark triumph

Boxers and Saints by Gene Luen Yang

Highly recommended, this graphic novel duo has a place in every library collection.  Its violence and questions about faith, duty and responsibility make it a good choice for teens and tweens.

Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers

A killer book, this is a strong sophomore book in a riveting series.  Not for the faint of heart, this book has abuse, murder and true tragedies in its pages.

eleanor and park engines of the broken world fangirl

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Her book is just like first love.  It is stunning, honest and raw.  It is unforgettable.

Engines of the Broken World by Jason Vanhee

A horror book for teens, this is also something much more.  It is a beautifully written apocalypse that is harrowing, striking and powerful.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Rowell does it again with this second book for teens.  Her writing voice is uniquely hers, so that her books could only be written by her.

fat angie forgive me leonard peacock freakboy

Fat Angie by E. E. Charlton-Trujillo

Beautifully written, dark and wildly funny, this book will have you crying, raging and cheering.

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

Harrowing, frightening and astonishingly hopeful, this book is a strong and passionate look at a boy willing to destroy everything, especially himself.

Freakboy by Kristin Elizabeth Clark

A powerful blazing novel that gives insight into teens struggling with gender variance and also offers a book where those teens can see themselves and a way forward.

Farizan_IfYouCouldBeMine_REV.indd just one day ketchup clouds

If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan

This book depicts in life in Iran but also offers a diverse look at GLBTQ issues in the Middle East.  With a piercingly strong heroine, it is a powerful pick for public library collections.

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

This exceptional teen novel is a whirlwind romantic trip to Europe that will have you wrapped up in its arms much faster than just one day.

Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher

This is a book that is burning and compelling.  It is a book that is beautifully honest, vibrantly written.  This is Zoe’s heart on a page in all of its wounds and glory.

little fish love in the time of global warming maggot moon

Little Fish by Ramsey Beyer

This is a very strong, dynamic look at the first year of college.  Teens will enjoy looking into their own future plans with a little laughter and lots of optimism.

Love in the Time of Global Warming by Francesca Lia Block

Block has created another amazing read in this book.  Her fans will rejoice at a new book from her, but this is also one that will create new fans.

Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner

This book defies description by genre and really is impossible to summarize well.  Let me just say that it is powerful, brutal and set in bleakness but never far from hope.

midwinterblood more than this openly straight

Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick

This compelling novel is amazing teen literature.  It has enough depth to be used in a classroom where the symbolism and incredible writing can be celebrated.  It is also a riveting combination of romance and horror that will thrill discriminating teen readers.

More Than This by Patrick Ness

Complex, gritty and profoundly beautiful, this book is a wonder of writing.  It is beyond inventive, taking readers to a place they never expected to find.  You are in the hands of a master storyteller here in one of his best books yet.

Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg

Beautifully written with wit and style, this book takes a new look at being gay and out.

picture me gone reality boy relish

Picture Me Gone by Meg Rosoff

A virtuoso book that is rather quiet, very thoughtful and filled with insights just like Mila herself.

Reality Boy by A. S. King

Gerald is a magnificent character, and the book is compelling and harrowing.

Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley

Funny and delicious, this book is sure to whet the appetite for more books by Knisley.  Get it into the hands of teens who enjoyed the books by Telgemeier.

sorrows knot two boys kissing

Sorrow’s Knot by Erin Bow

Unique and amazing, this book offers a fresh take on horror and an incredible teen heroine who faces death in many ways.

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

Beautifully written with strong characters and a brilliant concept, this book is breathtaking, just like a great kiss should be.  It is also easily my pick for book of the year.

2013 Costa Award Winner

| Tasha

Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse

The 2013 Costa Award category winners have been announced.  The winner for the children’s book category is Chris Riddell for Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse.  All category winners now go on to compete for the overall prize.

Review: Wild by Emily Hughes

| Tasha

wild

Wild by Emily Hughes

When the baby girl was found in the woods by the animals, the entire woods took her in.  Bird taught her to talk.  Bear taught her to fish.  Fox taught her how to play.  Everything was good, until she met some people in the woods.  They took her home with them.  A famous psychiatrist took her in and tried to make her civilized.  They combed her hair, tried to teach her to speak, frowned at her table manners and didn’t appreciate the way she played.  Everything they did was wrong.  The girl was not happy at all.  But then one day, she found her wild once more. 

Told only in brief sentences, Hughes lets her art tell much of the story here.  And what a glorious story it is.  It’s the story of a child perfectly at home in the wild and with the animals.  She doesn’t long for society or civilization in any way.  She’s the opposite of many classic book characters like Curious George.  She rejects the rules and substitutes her own.

The art has a wonderful wild quality as well.  It is lush and filled with details.  The woods have a flowing green that is mesmerizing.  Once the humans enter the story, things become more angular and rigid.  The return to the woods is beautiful and completely satisfying. 

Hughes has tapped into what every child dreams of, living in the woods with the animals and thriving.  Everyone who reads this will want to be wild themselves.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Who Goes There? by Karma Wilson

| Tasha

who goes there

Who Goes There? by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Anna Currey

On this bitter cold day in Wisconsin, it’s a treat to review a book that has a little mouse preparing for the winter cold.  Lewis lived alone in the base of a tall tree.  He prepared for winter by stuffing his home with leaves, twigs and grass.  Once he was cozy inside though he realized that something was missing.  Then he heard a noise that wasn’t the wind.  It was a scratching and tapping noise.  Lewis shouted “Who goes there!” but no one answered.  Could it be a cat?  An owl?  A bear?  As the noise repeated, Lewis continued to yell.  Eventually, he was out in the wind and night investigating the sounds.  Lewis will discover not only what is making the sound but exactly what he is missing too.

Wilson, author of the very popular Bear Snores On series, has another winning animal character.  Lewis is a gutsy little mouse who shouts at strange noises and then investigates them despite his fears.  Wilson uses lots of repetition here, making it perfect for sharing aloud.  The noises always have the same pattern of sounds and Lewis always shouts back the same reply.  This helps build tension in the story as well, just enough for little ones to be fully engrossed in the tale.

Currey’s illustrations have a great play of contrasts between the warm light of Lewis’ hole filled with tiny furniture and nuts and the wild blue of the outside at night.  Both are equally lovely, the browns and golds of Lewis’ home shine while the deep blues of the outside glimmer with moonlight. 

A perfect bedtime read for a cold day, this book is also a great choice for autumn story times.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Margaret K. McElderry Books.

2013 Best Children’s Fiction

| Tasha

Here are my picks for the best children’s fiction of the year.  Let me know what yours were with a comment!

bluffton counting by 7s doll bones

Bluffton by Matt Phelan

Strong characterization, a glimpse of summers gone by, and one amazing true story create a graphic novel that is pure radiance.

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

This is a tragic story with an indomitable heroine that will leave you smiling through the tears.

Doll Bones by Holly Black

Friendship, a creepy doll, and adventures, what more could one want in a book!

flora and ulysses fortunately the milk garden of my imaan

Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by K. G. Campbell

A great read-aloud, this unlikely superhero pair are sure to fly off the shelves.

Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Skottie Young

Hilarious, wacky and wonderful, get this into the hands of elementary aged kids now.

The Garden of My Imaan by Farhana Zia

Filled with giggles between girlfriends, this book reveals the warmth of family and faith in a completely approachable and joyful way.

great trouble hokey pokey hold fast

The Great Trouble: A Mystery of London, the Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel by Deborah Hopkinson

This is a dark and thrilling novel that will not let you escape until the epidemic is over and the mystery solved.

Hokey Pokey by Jerry Spinelli

Gloriously fun to read, this book was impossible for me not to love.  Spinelli writes with a lovely playfulness and yet beneath it all is truth.  A truly outstanding read for middle graders.

Hold Fast by Blue Balliett

Another fine offering from Balliett, get this one into the hands of her fans.  It will also be great choice for reading aloud in classrooms with its wordplay and strong African-American characters and family.

jinx life of ty listening for lucca

Jinx by Sage Blackwood

Blackwood has written an impressive fantasy novel for middle grade readers that is both dazzling and dangerous.

The Life of Ty: Penguin Problems by Lauren Myracle, illustrated by Jed Henry

Perfect for both reading aloud and for a child reading on their own, this book will be enjoyed by fans of the Stink series as well as those who like Clementine.

Listening for Lucca by Suzanne LaFleur

This lovely book transcends genres with its mix of mystery, historical fiction, and fantasy.  It’s a winning combination.

one came home real boy rooftoppers

One Came Home by Amy Timberlake

Beautiful with a strong heroine, this book is a dazzling read for tweens.

The Real Boy by Anne Ursu

Ursu weaves such beauty into her books.  She lingers over small things, taking the time to build a world in which her characters live.

Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell

Profoundly original and filled with shining prose, this novel is a wondrous read.

salt seraphinas promise thing about luck

Salt: A Story of Friendship in a Time of War by Helen Frost

An exquisite verse novel that fills history with real people and war with real loss.

Serafina’s Promise by Ann E. Burg

This is a powerful look at the Haitian earthquake through the eyes of one extraordinary young woman.

The Thing about Luck by Cynthia Kadohata

A beautiful and intense look at a Japanese-American family struggling with an interesting lifestyle and just surviving a year of bad luck.

water castle year of billy miller

The Water Castle by Megan Frazer Blakemore

Complex and multilayered, this middle grade book will be embraced by historical fiction, science and fantasy fans.

The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes

A tip top chapter book, this one is destined to be a classic.  I’d think that sharing it would be a great way to start any 2nd grade school year.

Review: Jinx’s Magic by Sage Blackwood

| Tasha

jinxs magic

Jinx’s Magic by Sage Blackwood

In this second book in a trilogy, Jinx’s entire life has changed since his death.  He can now listen to the voices of the trees in the huge Urwald forest and they tell him things.  But his life is also in danger still.  The Bonemaster has been defeated but Jinx’s master, Simon believes he is stronger than the bindings that surround him.  Yet none of the other magic wielders of the Urwald will help Simon keep the Bonemaster restrained.  Jinx is sent to Samara, a land reached via a portal in Simon’s house and also the place where Simon’s wife lives.  Jinx must find a way to enroll in the school in order to discover the magic he needs to save their own world.  But magic is forbidden in Samara and Jinx may put the Urwald at risk as he desperately tries to save it.

Blackwood takes her already impressive world and adds onto it with Samara, a desert land where knowledge and magic intertwine.  She also deepens the readers’ understanding of the Urwald and its own sort of magic.  This interplay between different types of magic and societies makes for a book that is rich and layered. 

Blackwood also takes time to develop Jinx’s own character further, pushing him to reach the extent of his power and yet also allowing readers to see that there is more there as well.  Jinx is a hesitant hero and never quite believes he is doing the right thing along the way.  Even as his power grows, he remains fully the same character and yet changes and grows in a real way throughout. 

A web of magic and mystery, this book is a fitting follow up to one of my favorite reads of 2013.  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from digital galley received from Edelweiss and Katherine Tegen Books.

Review: The Secret Pool by Kimberley Ridley

| Tasha

secret pool

The Secret Pool by Kimberley Ridley, illustrated by Rebekah Raye

Vernal pools are easy to miss, but also necessary to the life of many animals.  This nonfiction picture book explores the amazing things that happen in vernal pools throughout the seasons.  It begins with defining what a vernal pool is and then quickly moves into spring.  The fascinating lives of frogs are described, including the way they make it through the winter.  Soon salamanders join them and breed in the pool.  Tiny fairy shrimp appear too.  As summer comes, the eggs of the salamanders and frogs hatch and soon there are tadpoles and larvae in the pools.  Now the race begins to see if they can climb ashore before the pool dries up.  The vernal pool disappears and the animals that live there and were born there move away.  They will return again with the spring and the vernal pools.

Ridley has nicely created a book that can be used at two levels.  The larger text can be shared as almost a story about the pools.  Then the smaller text provides deeper information about the vernal pools and the animals.  Her words work together well, the simpler text offers a poetic voice to the factual information that serves to remind us how amazing all of this actually is.

Raye’s illustrations are lush and minutely detailed.  She offers both larger scale images of the animals and then others done with finer lines that show more details and more animals on the page.  You never know what you will see on the next page, and I guarantee a jump of surprise when you see the bullfrog with the tadpole hanging out of his mouth like a tongue. 

This book reveals a world right under our feet that most children never knew existed.  Appropriate for ages 5-9.

Reviewed from library copy.

2013 Best Children’s Nonfiction

| Tasha

Here are my 20 picks for the best of children’s nonfiction this year.  There were a lot that I didn’t read, so please share your favorites in the comments!

africa is my home brush of the gods eat like a bear

Africa Is My Home: A Child of the Amistad by Monica Edinger, illustrated by Robert Byrd

Beautifully written and illustrated, this book gives a first-person account of the Amistad, looking beyond the revolt into the trial and what happened to one little girl caught in history.

Brush of the Gods by Lenore Look

This is a very impressive biography of an incredible artist that few children will be aware of before reading this book, making it perfect to share with children in art classes.

Eat Like a Bear by April Pulley Sayre, illustrated by Steve Jenkins

A glorious look at bears, this book is a fantastic introduction to a creature, its habitat and its diet.

etched-in-clay frog song

Etched in Clay: The Life of Dave, Enslaved Potter and Poet by Andrea Cheng

This powerful book informs middle grade readers about a man who could have been one of the many lost faces of slavery but who through art and bravery had a voice.

Frog Song by Brenda Z. Guiberson

Beautiful, intriguing and great fun to read, this book is an impressive testament to the importance of frogs in our ecosystems.

henry-and-the-cannons lifetime

Henry and the Cannons by Don Brown

Strong and noteworthy, this picture book nonfiction title has history and also plenty of action and adventure.

Lifetime by Lola M. Schaefer

One of the most visually stimulating and smart concepts for a nonfiction picture book, this one is sure to beat the averages and be read more than once.

locomotive look up nelson mandela

Locomotive by Brian Floca

Gorgeous illustrations, fascinating facts and a clear love of the subject make this a riveting read whether you are a train buff or not.

Look Up! Henrietta Leavitt, Pioneering Woman Astronomer by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Raul Colon

This picture book biography invites children to follow their own passions and get involved in science as well.

Nelson Mandela by Kadir Nelson

This is the story of Nelson Mandela captured fully in a picture book that celebrates all of his accomplishments and what he stands for as a human being.  Beautiful.

on a beam of light parrots over puerto rico

On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne, illustrated by Vladimir Radunsky

A great read about a great man, this picture book biography should be welcomed by young scientists as well as in science classrooms.

Parrots Over Puerto Rico by Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore

A dazzling nonfiction book that will be welcome in classroom discussions and units about conservation and environment.

picture a tree price of freedom primates

Picture a Tree by Barbara Reid

An awesome addition to any Arbor Day, Earth Day, tree-related or seasonal story time or unit, this book should inspire all of us to wonder about trees.

The Price of Freedom: How One Town Stood Up to Slavery by Dennis Brindell Fradin and Judith Bloom Fradin, illustrated by Eric Velasquez

This is a nonfiction picture book that is sure to inform children about an aspect of slavery that they will not have heard of as well as a tale of what a group of brave citizens can do.

Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas by Jim Ottaviani and Maris Wicks

A great graphic novel, this is a stellar pick for school libraries and public libraries that will have children learning about scientific history without even realizing it!

rotten pumpkin splash of red

Rotten Pumpkin: A Rotten Tale in 15 Voices by David M. Schwartz, photos by Dwight Kuhn

Perfect for autumn and Halloween, this book will have kids looking at their slumping pumpkins with new eyes.

A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Another very successful collaboration of these two masters, this biographical picture book should serve as its own splash of red on every library’s shelves.

when the beat was born when thunder comes wild boy

When the Beat Was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop by Laban Carrick Hill, illustrated by Theodore Taylor III

A great nonfiction picture book biography, this book will help fill in gaps in library collections and will speak to the history of the music kids are listening to right now.

When Thunder Comes by J. Patrick Lewis

Strong and powerful, this book of poetry deserves to be shared widely and these names known and understood.

Wild Boy: The Real Life of the Savage of Aveyron by Mary Losure, illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering

An engaging, wrenching read that brings history to life in the form on one amazing person.

Review: Knock Knock by Daniel Beaty

| Tasha

knock knock

Knock Knock: My Dad’s Dream for Me by Daniel Beaty, illustrated by Bryan Collier

Every morning a young boy plays a game with his father.  His father knock knocks at the door and the boy pretends to be asleep until his dad is right next to him and they give each other a huge hug.  But then one day, his father isn’t there to play the game any more.  His father isn’t there to get him ready for school either.  Morning pass with no father.  The boy thinks that maybe his father is just there when the boy is at school, so he writes him a letter about how much he misses his dad and how much he expected to learn from him.  The boy waits for months and nothing happens, then one day he gets a letter from his father.  A letter that speaks to their separation but also one that encourages him to continue to live and knock on new doors.

Beaty’s text is deep hearted and searingly honest.  As his author’s note says, he had an incarcerated father who had been his primary caregiver as a young child.  So Beaty has revealed much in this picture book about the gaping hole left from a missing parent.  Yet the genius of this book is that it will work for any child missing a parent for any reason.  And I adore a book with such a strong connection between father and child.  Beaty manages to convey that in a few pages, leaving the rest of the book to reveal the mourning and grief of loss but also a hope that shines on each page.

Collier’s illustrations shine as well. Done in a rich mix of paint and collage, they are filled with light as it plays across faces, dances against buildings, and reveals emotions.  His illustrations are poetry, filled with elephants, showing the boy growing into a man, and the man turning into a father.  They are illustrations that tell so much and are worth exploring again after finishing the book.

This book belongs in my top picks for 2013.  It is beautifully done both in writing and illustrations.  I’m hoping it is honored by the Coretta Scott King awards and I’d love to see a Caldecott as well.  Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from library copy.