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February 19, 2007
My Favorite Books of 2006 - A Baker's Dozen
There have been lots of books published in 2006, some good and some not so good. Here are my baker's dozen list of favorites. I hope you like them.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
This is, by far, my favorite book of the year. Narrated by Death, this is the story of a young German girl, Liesel, during World War II. Liesel is enamored by books, stealing them when the opportunity arises. But she is also attached to the Jewish man that her accordian playing father is hiding in their basement. The two form a strong bond as they tell each other stories, draw on the basement wall and try to live while death surrounds them. The book is much better than any annotation I can write to describe it. Give it a try. (It is a Printz Award honorable mention book.)
Incantation by Alice Hoffman
Estrella, whose secret name is Esther, is a converso, a Jew during the Spanish Inquisition living outwardly as a Catholic but practicing the Jewish faith in secret. When her next door neighbor and best friend learns that the man she hopes to marry is in love with Estrella, she 'outs' Estrella's family. Estrella must now confront a world she's never imagined for herself, only seen from afar, in which Jews are tortured and their possessions confiscated. She also encounters the love of a boy who will stay with her despite the danger. Incantation is a lyrically written book that I could not put down.
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Margaret Lea, the daughter of a rare-books dealer, lives a quiet life helping her father and occasionally writing short pieces on obscure literary figures. She is summoned by the famously mysterious writer Vida Winter, who proposes that Margaret be her biographer. Flattered, Margaret agrees, enticed by the writer's desire to lay bare the truth of her past. But as Margaret churns up the ghosts of Miss Winter's past, she will end up confronting her own ghosts as well. A gothic tale of the highest caliber, The Thirteenth Tale will draw you in and keep you going until the very end. A must for any fan of the gothic genre.
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
So you're a guy at a band show and your ex, the girl who dumped you, walks in with the new guy. Looking for a safe exit, you ask the girl sitting next to you to be your girlfriend for five minutes…. You're a girl at a get-together and your least favorite female strolls in. The stranger sitting next to you asks you to be his five-minute date. So what do you? You lock lips…. Nick and Norah's instant connection begins a roller-coaster "first date" that takes them through Manhattan and into themselves. A novel concept that works and a totally fun read.
The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga
Fanboy has never had it good, but his sophomore year is turning out to be its own special hell. The bullies have made him their favorite target, his best (and only) friend seems headed for the dark side (sports and popularity), and his pregnant mother and the step-fascist (his step father) are eagerly awaiting the birth of the alien life form known as Fanboy's new little brother or sister. Fanboy, though, has a secret: a graphic novel he's been working on without telling anyone. When Fanboy meets Kyra, a.k.a. Goth Girl, he finds an outrageous, cynical girl who shares his love of comics as well as his hatred for jocks and bullies. Fanboy can't resist someone who actually seems to understand him and soon he finds himself willing to heed her advice-to ignore or crush anyone who stands in his way.
Born to Rock by Gordon Korman
Leo - president of the Young Republicans club, 4.0 GPA, future Harvard student - has his entire future perfectly planned out. That is, until the X factor. As in Marion X. McMurphy, aka King Maggot, the lead singer of Purge, the most popular, most destructive band punk rock has ever seen. As in the biological father Leo never knew. A great read.
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
Last year, Annabel was the girl who has everything. This year, she’s the girl who has nothing: no best friend because mean-but-exciting Sophie dropped her, no peace at home since her older sister became anorexic, and no one to sit with at lunch. Until she meets Owen Armstrong. Tall, dark, and music-obsessed, Owen is a reformed bad boy with a commitment to truth-telling. With Owen’s help, maybe Annabel can face what happened the night she and Sophie stopped being friends. As a Sarah Dessen fan, I loved the book. Her best. Give it a read. (Do you recognize references to her previous books?)
Notes from a Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick
Alex decides to get even. His parents are separated, his father is dating his former third-grade teacher, and being 16 isn't easy, especially when it comes to girls. Instead of revenge though, Alex ends up in trouble with the law and is ordered to do community service at a senior center where he is assigned to Solomon Lewis, a "difficult" senior with a lot of gusto, advice for Alex, and a puzzling (yet colorful) Yiddish vocabulary. Eventually, the pair learn to deal with their past and each other in ways that are humorous, entertaining, and life changing.
Ptolemy's Gate by Jonathan Stroud
In this final volume of the Bartimaeus trilogy, three years have passed since the magician Nathaniel helped prevent a cataclysmic attack on London. Now an established member of the British Government, he faces unprecedented local and foreign problems. Nathaniel is treating Bartimaeus worse than ever and the djinni is growing weak and vulnerable from too much time in this world. Nathaniel’s longtime rival Kitty has been completing her research on magic, demons, and Bartimaeus’s past. She has a daring plan to break the endless cycle of conflict between djinn and humans. But will anyone listen to what she has to say? A great ending to a great trilogy.
Under the Baseball Moon by John H. Ritter
Andy, a free-style skateboarding trumpeter, has dreams as big as a baseball moon. Born into a family of musicians, Andy wants to take his unique fusion of Latin jazz, rock, and hip-hop straight to the top. But when he crosses paths with Glory, a softball pitcher who has Olympian dreams of her own, the mysterious fusion of their athletic and musical skills changes everything. Or is that due to the elegant, but eerie man in black? A great fusion of sports and music.
A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life by Dana Reinhardt
Simone's starting her junior year in high school. Her mom's a lawyer for the ACLU, her dad's a political cartoonist. She's got a terrific younger brother and amazing friends. And she's got a secret crush on a really smart and funny guy--who spends all of his time with another girl. Then her birth mother contacts her. Simone's always known she was adopted, but she never wanted to know anything about her. She's happy with her family just as it is, thank you. Why has she contacted Simone? Why now? A must read.
Dairy Queen by Catherin Gilbert Murdock
D. J. Schwenk is a football-loving 15-year-old who takes over the chores on her family's small Wisconsin dairy farm when her dad is sidelined by an injury. Like the rest of the tongue-tied Schwenks, D.J. is not much of a talker. Then she meets Brian, a snooty quarterback from a rival team who she agreed to train, and she finally learns who she is and what she wants. A unique look at girls who like 'guy' sports.
In the Belly of the Bloodhound: Being an Account of a Particularly Peculiar Adventure in the life of Jacky Faber by L.A. Meyer
In this fourth installment of Jacky Faber's adventures, the British crown has placed a price on thirteen-year-old Jacky's head, so she returns to the Lawson Peabody School for Young Girls in Boston to lay low. But laying low isn't in the cards for a spunky lass who finds trouble even when she's not looking for it. A school outing goes awry as Jacky and her classmates are abducted and forced into the hold of the Bloodhound, a ship bound for the slave markets on the Barbary Coast. All of Jacky's ingenuity, determination, and plain old good luck will be put to the test as she rallies her classmates to fight together to avoid being sold on the auction block.
Posted by egoldberg at February 19, 2007 2:19 PM
Comments
Hello. Thanks.
Posted by: Anonymous at March 12, 2007 2:12 PM