Teens' Top Ten 2008 Results

The results are in. Teens across the country voted online for the top ten books of 2008. And here are your results (wow, that sounded a little like Ryan Seacrest):

1. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
   
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
   
3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
   
4. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
   
5. Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson
   
6. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
   
7. The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
8. Extras by Scott Westerfeld
   
9. Before I Die by Jenny Downham
   
10. Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

Did your favorite book make the cut? Sound off in the comments section!

Breaking news! National Book Award finalists announced!

Today at noon, the National Book Award finalists for Young People's Literature were announced. They are:

Laurie Halse Anderson, Chains (Simon & Schuster)
Kathi Appelt, The Underneath (Atheneum)
Judy Blundell, What I Saw and How I Lied (Scholastic)
E. Lockhart, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks (Hyperion)
Tim Tharp, The Spectacular Now (Alfred A. Knopf)

I've read The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks and thought it was awesome, and Chains is sitting in my to-read pile. I'll have to get my hands on the other three! The winner will be announced on November 19 in New York.

Have you read any of these books? Who do you think should win? Sound off in the comments section!

Have you voted yet?

And no, I don't mean for McCain, Obama, etc... I mean, have you voted for the Teens' Top Ten? Vote for your favorite books from the past year by clicking on the Teen's Top Ten button above! You can vote through midnight, Saturday, October 18. Anyone ages 12-18 can vote.

Check back to find out which books made the list this year!
Go here for last years' results.

May the voting begin!

Book Review - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

If you remember reading and enjoying books like Lois Lowry's The Giver, you will love The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Sometime in the future, after wars have ravaged what we know as the United States of the America and turned this country into a land of 12 districts, there is a yearly televised competition: The Hunger Games. Each district sends two teenagers, one of each gender, so that twenty-four teens in all will compete, killing each other until only one remains: the victor. Sounds grim, huh? The competitors are randomly chosen, and once selected, head to the capital city of Panem where they are trained and presented to the television audience like celebrities before beginning the Games. The Hunger Games follows a 16-year-old girl named Katniss, hailing from one of the poorest districts, as her life is forever changed by her participation in the Hunger Games.

This thrilling read will keep you up late into the night (or keep you tethered to a couch for 4 hours without moving, as I found myself last weekend). Suzanne Collins completely sucks you into Katniss's dystopian world. I highly recommend this one! Put your holds in now because this book is flying off shelves libraries and bookstores.

***** (five stars)
Recommended to: sci-fi fans, anyone who enjoyed The Giver, fans of Gregor the Overlander, anyone looking for a fantastic, captivating read

Breaking news for Sarah Dessen fans!

The NYTimes best-selling author whose books usually come out only every other year, is having a book out next summer! Instead of having to wait two years, you only have to wait one! (And not even that, because it's already September!)

Dessen announced the news on her blog yesterday, and Publisher's Weekly provides the details:

In Along for the Ride, which is scheduled to pub in June 2009, an 18-year-old high school graduate befriends a fellow insomniac, and together they explore their small town by night.

Yay!

Not breaking news any longer, but perhaps devastating news for some rabid fans

Over Labor Day weekend word came trickling in that the partial first draft of Stephenie Meyer's companion novel to the Twilight series, to be told from Edward's POV, was indeed leaked. Yes, friends, if you saw it, it was indeed the real deal. She has since announced that the book is officially on hold. Possibly forever.

Feel free to sound off/vent in the comment section below. Was it fair, to her fans, to do this? Will the publishing house really allow this?

Book Review - Wild Girls by Pat Murphy

Have you judged a book by the cover before? Really? You never have? Well, I'm going to admit that sometimes, even I do. And it is for that reason that The Wild Girls sat in my to-read pile for way too long. If there is ever a time to look beyond the cover, this is it.

When Joan's family moves from Connecticut to California, no one is less enthusiastic than Joan. But one day, exploring the orchard in her back yard, she comes upon another house and finds that there's a girl her age, 12, who lives there with her dad. Sarah, or "Fox", as she calls herself, is a wild girl, and she and Joan become quick friends, exploring the northern California wilderness and writing stories together. When their teacher tells them about a creative writing contest, they co-write a story about the Wild Girls, leading them into a summer they'll never forget.

The Wild Girls was so well-written, I felt like I was watching a movie when reading it. I was completely transported to northern California in the 1970s, and felt like I knew the Wild Girls and their families. This is a powerful book that's an inspiration for writers, dreamers, and anyone going through a rough patch.

* * * * * (Five stars!)

Recommended to: anyone who's ready to overlook the less than amazing cover, especially writers