December photo AMA

[orangerful]

bookishgeek requested my Top 5 favorite YA books of all time.

This question is ridiculous, I can barely get myself to answer it. And when I thought of a title, it wasn't on shelf at the library. So you have to deal with my GoodReads screenshots turned into a collage:

This was really hard to pick though so I went with books that changed the way I thought about YA and stuck with me.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak was probably one of the last books I bought without having read it already. I loved his previous book, I am the Messenger so I grabbed this back when I was just a baby librarian. It was so beautiful and well written, I've never found another book like it. I still can't bring myself to watch the movie, not just because I know the plot, but because I know it will pale in comparison to the book.

Ask the Passengers by A.S. King is probably one of THE best books I have ever read about being a teenager and wondering about your sexuality. A.S. King is, hands down, one of my favorite authors of all time and I could have easily just made this all photos of her books, but I picked this one because I remember being so impressed. I really felt like I was in this girl's shoes and I loved how she wasn't sure, that she was trying to figure stuff out. This is another one of those books, like George, where I think everyone should read it no matter what your gender or sexual preference, because it really helps you understand all the emotions whirling around. At least, it did for me.

Smile by Raina Telgemeier is a graphic novel and probably the lower age level of YA, but when I read it a few years ago, I was really struck by the moral. So many books have characters putting up with abuse from their friends and I was so relieved that at the end of this book, Raina realized that the girls who were saying mean things about her were NOT her friend. It's a lesson I think some never learn.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman (actually, the entire SERIES) is one of THE best Science Fiction series I've read. It does what sci-fi does best, takes a topic (or two or three) that we are dealing with right now and throws it to an extreme. I read this series, at first enjoying it, but as the books went on I became more and more horrified because...it really felt like it could happen. It is a deeply disturbing story, one that makes you think about a lot of things in society today and one I recommend to anyone who will listen.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld was one of the first YA dystopian books I ever read. I can't even remember why I picked it up, but I devoured it and went searching for more (I distinctly remember being spoiled by the stupid catalog record while placing my hold but I digress). I like my science fiction with a healthy dose of social commentary.

I'm not saying these are the best ever. I don't know if I'm qualified to make that claim. But all five of these books are important to me.

...and now that I've typed this, I can think of five more!!!

Comments

[spaciireth.livejournal.com]

I've had Unwind on hold at the library since July, it's taking foreeeeeever. But there are only two people ahead of me now, so maybe March-ish I'll finally get it?

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

oh my gosh! Sounds like your library needs to buy more copies!!! I am always on the lookout to make sure we replace anything like that, book 1 in a series always goes first.

[spaciireth.livejournal.com]

There should be two, but one of them is listed as "discard" so I assume it got damaged or something, so yeah, it's one copy going through a huge queue.

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

Someone should alert the materials department! It's out in paperback now (trade but still) so they should be able to get a few more copies. I mean, it's totally worth it! Find a rabid YA librarian and tell them LOL. I constantly send emails to our head of materials requesting replacement copies of books I have to discard.

[qwentoozla]

That is a hard question! I absolutely love The Book Thief too. I think I have a different A.S. King book on my to-read list, but I've added this one too now, and will probably bump it up on the list.

When I worked as an elementary school reading tutor, all my students were reading Smile, boys and girls. It seemed really good, but I'm not sure I ever got to finish it with them!

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

I love all the A.S. King's YA books (except for 'Dust of 100 dogs', that's the only one I couldn't finish) so anything you read will be good. :)

[ragnarok-08.livejournal.com]

All of those books look pretty interesting :)

[saturnsdaughter.livejournal.com]

The Unwind dystology was amazing. I know some company has had the film rights for a while. I hope they actually do something with them.

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

Shusterman was posting about it then got in trouble because apparently there are all kinds of legal things that say DO NOT POST BEFORE OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT because I know he had to PM me on tumblr for reblogging him LOL. It would make an amazing movie if done right.

[aliens.livejournal.com]

i want to read these!

[pleasant-valley.livejournal.com]

I adore The Book Thief! I've read it twice and sobbed like a baby both times.

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

I have never cried so hard at the end of a book, I was definitely ugly crying for quite a while after I finished it.

[latenightradi0.livejournal.com]

there are a ton of YA books out right now I want to read...

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

They all sound pretty great :)

[elizalavelle.livejournal.com]

I have only read two of these (so far) but I know you've recommended the Unwind series to me before. It's very much on my list :) I've read The Book Thief and the Uglies series.