Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is Great Book Club Picks. Last summer, I did a series of blog posts about how to run a tween book group (Part 1, part 2, part 3), so I was eager to jump on this topic and recommend more book club friendly titles.

1. The Fault in our Stars, by John Green
The book everyone's buzzing about right now, and for very good reason-- this is one of those perfect YA books that would impress a book club filled with adults.

2. Little Princes, by Conor Grennan
Kind of the opposite of the above-- a book marketed to an adult audience with a great deal of teen appeal. (See my review of the Little Princes audiobook.)

3. Across the Universe, by Beth Revis
Its cross-genre appeal and dual narration with both a male and a female narrator make this a good book club choice. So often, especially with YA book clubs, it's hard to find a book that will please the guys and the girls. This one should solve that problem! (See my review of Across the Universe and its excellent sequel, A Million Suns.)

4. Scored, by Lauren McLaughlin
With its fascinating commentary on standardized testing and morality, I think this book would generate thoughtful discussion in a book club setting. It's a genuinely fun and engaging read with a lot of substance behind it-- a book club dream come true! (Stay tuned for an Authors are ROCKSTARS! interview with Lauren McLaughlin.)

5. Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher
Teens will be drawn into this book by the intense subject matter about suicide and placing blame, and those same elements will give book club members a lot to talk about. The characters in this one are interestingly flawed, making room for some good debate.

6. The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin
A quirky book with a crowd-pleasing mystery and a large ensemble cast, I think a book club would have fun delving into the various characters' motivations. Especially those of Mr. Westing himself! I would love to hear other readers' interpretations of his character.

7. Warp Speed, by Lisa Yee
With themes of feeling out of place, bullying, and friendship, this is a book that will speak to most any reader. Any of Lisa Yee's books would be a great choice for a book club.

8. Okay For Now, by Gary D. Schmidt
Almost universally enjoyed by anyone who reads it, this book has a lot of material for discussion. I was fascinated by the conversation about whether it's meant to be realistic or not at School Library Journal's Heavy Medal blog, and would love to that type of exploration play out at a book club setting. (See my review. I'm still mourning the fact that this one didn't get a Newbery nod!)

9. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, by E. Lockhart
This is perhaps my ultimate book club pick! The plot is intriguing, the boarding school pranks are entertaining, and there's SO much to discuss regarding feminism and Frankie's motivations.

10. Wonderstruck, by Brian Selznick
There are so many themes to discuss here-- disability, loss, the historical details, as well as the way the text and images interact. Anyone who's read it has a lot to say. (See my review.)

Top Ten Tuesday

Have you noticed I'm only posting on Tuesdays this month? It's not on purpose, but between planning teen events at the library, trying to get my two-year-old to nap, being a wife, podcasting at Authors are ROCKSTARS!, occasionally doing some laundry (maybe), reviewing books and apps for School Library Journal, preparing a presentation for KidLitCon, chairing a YALSA committee, and planning the baby's first birthday party... well, I've got a few things going on! This blog is the one thing I can do at my own pace, and dear reader, that pace happens to be s-l-o-w right now. I'm okay with that, and I hope you are, too.

Since I'm only posting on Tuesdays, I thought I'd participate in the Top Ten Tuesday meme hosted at The Broke and the Bookish! This week's topic is: Books I Loved but Never Reviewed.

1. Huntress, by Malinda Lo
I've been wanting to review this one, but somehow just can't fully articulate my thoughts on this beautiful book. I loved the descriptions of the lush settings, and the fact that it's a story about two girls who fall in love, but it isn't an "issue" book.

2. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, by E. Lockhart
Smart, funny, thought-provoking, relatable... such a perfect book. I love to recommend this when students need something for a school report, because it's a truly fun read and it has enough substance for academic purposes.

3. Audrey, Wait!, by Robin Benway
The casual swearing in this book is so perfect. Just-- YES. This is how a lot of teens talk, whether adults like it or not.

4. Girl at Sea, by Maureen Johnson
Possibly my favorite Maureen Johnson title so far. I recommend this book all the time at my library, as it has a little something for everyone- mystery, adventure, and romance.

5. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
Powerful, hilarious, heartbreaking. An excellent choice to introduce an adult reader to the world of YA.

6. Good Enough, by Paula Yoo
Come for the spam recipes, stay for the funny and genuine narrator as she navigates her strict Korean-American parents' expectation and her own growing need for independence.

7. Robot Dreams, by Sara Varon
I read this four years ago, and still think about it. Deceptively cute illustrations tell a heartbreaking, relatable, and ultimately hopeful story about friendship, loss, and healing.

8. The China Garden, by Liz Berry
I believe it's out of print, and not even available in many libraries anymore, but if you can get your hands on it, this is an amazing read. A spine-tingling paranormal romance written years before the genre exploded.

9. Elsewhere, by Gabrielle Zevin
A gorgeous afterlife story, kind of a Lovely Bones for teens.

10. Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins
I had to read this one twice to fully absorb it, because it was so different from the first two books in the trilogy, but I feel it was ultimately a worthy and fitting conclusion to the story. And I loved the epilogue, no matter what anyone else says.

Now... off to do some laundry! Maybe.

Top Ten Tuesday

This is my first time participating in Top Ten Tuesday, a meme hosted at The Broke and the Bookish. I couldn't resist this week's topic: Books I'm glad people recommended to me!

1. The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis
My friend in the third grade was reading this intriguing book about kids who get transported into a magical world, and I just HAD to get in on it too. I can't count the number of times I re-read the Narnia books as a child. (And kids, a love of books can lead to a great career-- my friend grew up to be a super cool literary agent. Check out her blog!)

2. D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths, by Ingri and Edgar D'Aulaire
My mom bought this for me when I was nine, and I don't remember whether she bought it in response to the fact that I was obsessed with Greek myths, or if my mythology obsession was stemmed from this beautiful book. Either way, it was the first book I bought upon becoming pregnant with my first baby-- that's how much I love it.

3. Tryst, by Elswyth Thane
An old-school paranormal romance recommended by the wise ladies of MAUD-L, a mailing list for Betsy-Tacy fans where we often discuss other books. This ghostly love story was written in the 1930s and it's utterly captivating.

4. The Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling
I also discovered this series via MAUD-L, and will be forever grateful. They kept talking about it and enthusing over someone who had snagged a Hogwarts t-shirt as swag from some conference. I was like, "Hogwarts? Um, ew." But I kept the series in mind, and when I was feeling desperate for English-language reading material during my year teaching in Japan in 1999, I asked my parents to send me the first Harry Potter book from America. And, oh, how completely enchanting is the first entry into that amazing world? I still get excited when I find Sorcerer's Stone for a kid who's beginning the series for the first time. What a fantastic journey they're about to embark upon!

5. Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer
I took my YA literature class in library school shortly after this one was published, and my professor raved about it. Hey, I'm no fool- when a professor says "Read this book," well... I read it! And I liked it.

6. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
I had recently given birth to my first baby, and was in a sleep-deprived new mom haze when friends and co-workers started recommending this book to me. Uh! A book about teens fighting to the death? Seriously people, what is WRONG with you!? Right? But I dutifully read it and was, OF COURSE, blown away by its sheer awesomeness. Ha! It made for the most successful tween book group meeting ever.

7. The Dragonfly Pool, by Eva Ibbotson
I'd been hearing about Eva Ibbotson forever, but somehow hadn't managed to read one of her books until the children's services manager for my previous library system recommended this one. What a shame I'd missed Ibbotson's work up till that point-- she's wonderful! This book is completely charming.

8. When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead
Recommended by the blogosphere in general and basically all librarians everywhere. And with good reason! If you haven't read this one yet, what are you waiting for? So amazing.

9. Little Princes, by Conor Grennan
I reviewed this memoir last month, and am constantly recommending it to patrons at the reference desk. Thanks for the great recommendation, YALSA-BK!

10. Starcrossed, by Josephine Angelini
My friend and podcast co-host, Michelle, told me I HAD to read this one. Not that I needed much convincing- as mentioned above, I love Greek mythology and of course I love romance, so it sounded good to me! But I shudder to think that I might have missed it if Michelle hadn't told me what a great read it is. I'll be posting a review soon- I'm crazy about this book!