According to my Goodreads.com account, I have read a grand total of 130 books this year. I also currently have two more in progress and reserve the right to finish them before the clock strikes midnight on December 31. Almost all of these books were written for children or teens, and most were written in 2011 (though several were published in late 2010, and a few were even older). But which of these books were my favorites?
In today's post we're going to take a look at books for the ever-elusive Teen.
Looking at the list of teen reads on my Goodreads account from this year, I really didn't read as much as I'd hoped. There are a number of titles that I've heard nothing but good things about that are still on my "to-read" list. However, I think I can safely say that this year the quality more than made up for the quantity.
Chime by Franny Billingsly
This book is simply brilliant. The eclectic writing style alone makes me love it to pieces. Briony knows that she is responsible for her family's misfortunes, but when Eldric comes to Swampsea she begins to see that maybe things aren't always what they seem. Some other readers that I know had trouble with Briony's self-loathing tendencies, but the beautiful storytelling made it easy for me to get through it. This is my top pick for the Printz Award when winners are announced next month.
Beauty Queens by Libba BrayAh, satire. In this book Bray manages to pick apart everything related to pop culture with her funny, poignant writing. We also get a good look at what is expected of girls today through the lens of a beauty pageant gone wrong. Bray is a smart writer and this book is lots of fun to read while also making readers think. Action, romance, and humor abound.
Across the Universe by Beth Revis
I'm a big science fiction fan, and in my opinion this book was the best of the bunch this year in the budding genre. Amy is cryogenically frozen and sent on a space ship to colonize a new planet. But when she is woken up 50 years early, she and Elder, who in in training to become the leader of the ship's crew, uncover the lies that surround the ship's society.
Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
I didn't quite realize just how much I loved Stiefvater's Shiver trilogy until I read the concluding chapter. In this installment the story really was about something more than young love, and I really appreciated this new direction. And as with the previous volumes, the writing is lovely and atmospheric.
What were your favorite teen reads of 2011? Discuss in the comments.
2 comments:
Speaking of teen sci fi, did you read Glow by... I think it was Amy Kathleen Ryan? Another great idea, which I thought would end up being romance-focused, but it had much bigger themes.
It's on my to-read list, but I haven't gotten to it yet. I've been witing for my library to finally get around to ordering/processing it rather than requesting it from elsewhere. But if my stack of books gets low again I may loose patience...
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