Best Books Lists

This is the time of year that many of us start
thinking about our favorite books of the
year. As I put together my list, I like to look
at what others have chosen for the best book
lists. SLJ has a very long list but I can't say
I see one that I didn't like. Kirkus' list is
shorter and must be harder to prepare! And I
like looking at the Shortbread list from the UK
to see what teens are enjoying overseas.

SLJ Best Books of
2006 http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6392368.html

ANDERSON, M. T. The Astonishing Life of Octavian
Nothing, Traitor to the Nation: Volume I: The Pox
Party. Candlewick. Tr $17.99. ISBN 0-7636-2402-0.
BANKS, Kate. Max’s Words. illus. by Boris
Kulikov. Farrar/Frances Foster Bks.Tr $16. ISBN 0-374-39949-2.
BEST, Cari. Sally Jean, the Bicycle Queen. illus.
by Christine Davenier. Farrar/Melanie Kroupa Bks. Tr $16. ISBN 0-374-35386-2.
BOYCE, Frank Cottrell. Framed. HarperCollins. Tr
$16.99. ISBN 0-06-073402-7; PLB $17.89. ISBN 0-06-073403-5.
BROOKS, Kevin. The Road of the Dead.
Scholastic/The Chicken House. Tr $16.99. ISBN 0-439-78623-1.
BRUCHAC, Joseph. Wabi: A Hero’s Tale. Dial. Tr $16.99. ISBN 0-8037-3098-5.
CARBONE, Elisa. Blood on the River: James Town
1607. Viking. Tr $16.99. ISBN 0-670-06060-7.
CHILD, Lauren. But Excuse Me That Is My Book.
illus. by author. Dial. RTE $16.99. ISBN 0-8037-3096-9.
CHILD, Lauren, adapt. The Princess and the Pea.
photos. by Polly Borland. illus. by adapter.
Hyperion. RTE $16.99. ISBN 0-7868-3886-8.
DICAMILLO, Kate. The Miraculous Journey of Edward
Tulane. illus. by Bagram Ibatoulline. Candlewick.
Tr $18.99. ISBN 0-7636-2589-2.
DRAPER, Sharon M. Copper Sun. S & S/Atheneum. Tr $16.95. ISBN 0-689-82181-6.
EILENBERG, Max, retel. Beauty and the Beast.
illus. by Angela Barrett. Candlewick. RTE $17.99. ISBN 0-7636-3160-4.
FISHER, Valorie. How High Can a Dinosaur Count?:
And Other Math Mysteries. illus. by author.
Random/Schwartz & Wade Bks. Tr $16.95. ISBN
0-375-83608-X; PLB $18.99. ISBN 0-375-93608-4.
FLEISCHMAN, Sid. Escape!: The Story of the Great
Houdini. HarperCollins/Greenwillow. Tr $18.99.
ISBN 0-06-085694-9; PLB $19.89. ISBN 0-06-085095-7.
FRADIN, Judith Bloom & Dennis Brindell Fradin.
5,000 Miles to Freedom: Ellen and William Craft’s
Flight from Slavery. National Geographic. Tr
$19.95.ISBN 0-7922-7885-2; PLB $29.90. ISBN 0-7922-7886-0.
FREEDMAN, Russell. The Adventures of Marco Polo.
illus. by Bagram Ibatoulline. Scholastic/Arthur
A. Levine Bks. RTE $17.99. ISBN 0-439-52394-X.
FREEDMAN, Russell. Freedom Walkers: The Story of
the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Holiday House. Tr $18.95. ISBN 0-8234-2031-0.
FROST, Helen. The Braid. Farrar/Frances Foster
Bks. Tr $16. ISBN 0-374-30962-0.
GARDEN, Nancy. Endgame. Harcourt. Tr $16. ISBN 0-15-205416-2.
GOING, K. L. Saint Iggy. Harcourt. Tr $17. ISBN 0-15-205795-1.
HARDINGE, Frances. Fly by Night. HarperCollins.
Tr $16.99. ISBN 0-06-087627-1; PLB $17.89. ISBN 0-06-087629-8.
HENKES, Kevin. Lilly’s Big Day. illus. by author.
HarperCollins/Greenwillow. Tr $15.99. ISBN
0-06-074236-4; PLB $16.89. ISBN 0-06-074237-2.
HIMMELMAN, John. Chickens to the Rescue. illus.
by author. Holt. RTE $16.95. ISBN 0-8050-7951-3.
HOPKINSON, Deborah. Up before Daybreak: Cotton
and People in America. Scholastic Nonfiction. Tr
$18.99. ISBN 0-439-63901-8. (June)
JENKINS, Emily. Toys Go Out: Being the Adventures
of a Knowledgeable Stingray, a Toughy Little
Buffalo, and Someone Called Plastic. illus. by
Paul O. Zelinsky. Random/Schwartz & Wade Bks. Tr
$16.95. ISBN 0-375-83604-7; PLB $18.99. ISBN 0-375-93604-1.
JOHNSON, Harriet McBryde. Accidents of Nature.
Holt. Tr $16.95. ISBN 0-8050-7634-4.
KLASS, David. Firestorm. Farrar/Frances Foster
Bks. Tr $17. ISBN 0-374-32307-0.
KNUDSEN, Michelle. Library Lion. illus. by Kevin
Hawkes. Candlewick. RTE $15.99. ISBN 0-7636-2262-1.
KRULL, Kathleen. Isaac Newton. illus. by Boris
Kulikov. Viking. Tr $15.99. ISBN 0-670-05921-8.
LARSON, Kirby. Hattie Big Sky. Delacorte. Tr
$15.95. ISBN 0-385-73313-5; PLB $17.99. ISBN 0-375-90332-4.
LEVINE, Gail Carson. Fairest. HarperCollins. Tr
$16.99. ISBN 0-06-073408-6; PLB $17.89. ISBN 0-06-073409-4.
LEWIS, J. Patrick. Black Cat Bone: The Life of
Blues Legend Robert Johnson. illus. by Gary
Kelley. Creative Editions. Tr $19.95. ISBN 1-56846-194-1.
LOOK, Lenore. Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything.
illus. by Anne Wilsdorf. S & S/Atheneum/Anne
Schwartz Bks. RTE $15.95. ISBN 0-689-86460-4.
LUPTON, Hugh & Daniel Morden. The Adventures of
Odysseus. illus. by Christina Balit. Barefoot. Tr $19.99. ISBN 1-84148-800-3.
LYGA, Barry. The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy
and Goth Girl. Houghton. Tr $16.95. ISBN 0-618-72392-7.
MCCARTHY, Meghan. Aliens Are Coming!: The True
Account of the 1938 War of the Worlds Radio
Broadcast. illus. by author. Knopf. Tr $16.95.
ISBN 0-375-83518-0; PLB $18.99. ISBN 0-375-93518-5.
MCLEOD, Bob. SuperHero ABC. illus. by author.
HarperCollins. Tr $15.99. ISBN 0-06-074514-2; PLB $16.89. ISBN 0-06-074515-0.
MARCUS, Leonard S., ed. & comp. The Wand in the
Word: Conversations with Writers of Fantasy.
Candlewick. RTE $19.99. ISBN 0-7636-2625-2.
MONTGOMERY, Sy. Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An
Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea.
photos. by Nic Bishop. Houghton. Tr $18. ISBN 0-618-49641-6.
MORRISON, Taylor. Wildfire. illus. by author.
Houghton/Walter Lorraine Bks. Tr $17. ISBN 0-618-50900-3.
MURDOCK, Catherine Gilbert. Dairy Queen. Houghton. Tr $16. ISBN 0-618-68307-0.
PATENT, Dorothy Hinshaw. The Buffalo and the
Indians: A Shared Destiny. illus. by William
Muñoz. Clarion. Tr $18. ISBN 0-618-48570-8.
PENNYPACKER, Sara. Clementine. illus. by Marla
Frazee. Hyperion. RTE $14.99. ISBN 0-7868-3882-5.
PINKNEY, Jerry. The Little Red Hen. illus. by
author. Dial. RTE $16.99. ISBN 0-8037-2935-9.
PITZER, Susanna. Not Afraid of Dogs. illus. by
Larry Day. Walker. Tr $16.95. ISBN 0-8027-8067-9;
RTE $17.85. ISBN 0-8027-8068-7. LC 2005027500.
RAMPERSAD, Arnold & David Roessel, eds. Langston
Hughes. illus. by Benny Andrews. Sterling. PLB $14.95. ISBN 1-4027-1845-4.
REEVE, Philip. Larklight: A Rousing Tale of
Dauntless Pluck in the Farthest Reaches of Space.
illus. by David Wyatt. Bloomsbury. Tr $16.95. ISBN 1-59990-020-3.
ROY, Jennifer. Yellow Star. Marshall Cavendish. Tr $16.95. ISBN 0-7614-5277-X.
SHUSTERMAN, Neal. Everlost. S & S. Tr $16.95. ISBN 0-689-87237-2.
SIEGEL, Siena Cherson. To Dance: A Ballerina’s
Graphic Novel. illus. by Mark Siegel. S &
S/Atheneum/Richard Jackson Bks. RTE $17.95. ISBN
0-689-86747-6; pap. $9.99. ISBN 1-4169-2687-9.
SÍS, Peter. Play, Mozart, Play! illus. by author.
HarperCollins/Greenwillow. Tr $16.99. ISBN
0-06-112181-9; PLB $17.89. ISBN 0-06-112182-7.
SMEE, Nicola. Clip-Clop. illus. by author. Boxer
Bks., dist. by Sterling. Tr $18.95. ISBN 1-905417-09-8.
SMITH, Lane. John, Paul, George & Ben. illus. by
author. Hyperion. RTE $16.99. ISBN 0-7868-4893-6.
STANLEY, Diane. Bella at Midnight. illus. by
Bagram Ibatoulline. HarperCollins. Tr $15.99.
ISBN 0-06-077573-4; PLB $16.89. ISBN 0-06-077574-2.
STEVENSON, Robert Louis. The Moon. illus. by
Tracey Campbell Pearson. Farrar. Tr $16. ISBN 0-374-35046-9.
STURTEVANT, Katherine. A True and Faithful
Narrative. Farrar. Tr $17. ISBN 0-374-37809-6.
TODD, Mark & Esther Pearl Watson. Whatcha Mean,
What’s a Zine?: The Art of Making Zines and
Mini-Comics. illus. by authors. Houghton/Graphia.
pap. $12.99. ISBN 0-618-56315-6.
TURNER, Megan Whalen. The King of Attolia.
HarperCollins/Greenwillow. Tr $16.99. ISBN
0-06-083577-X; PLB $17.89. ISBN 0-06-083578-8.
VAN LEEUWEN, Jean. Benny & Beautiful Baby
Delilah. illus. by LeUyen Pham. Dial. RTE $16.99. ISBN 0-8037-2891-3.
WALKER, Paul Robert. Remember Little Bighorn:
Indians, Soldiers, and Scouts Tell Their Stories.
National Geographic. Tr $17.95. ISBN
0-7922-5521-6; PLB $27.90. ISBN 0-7922-5522-4.
WEATHERFORD, Carole Boston. Moses: When Harriet
Tubman Led Her People to Freedom. illus. by Kadir
Nelson. Hyperion/Jump at the Sun. RTE $15.99. ISBN 0-7868-5175-9.
WERLIN, Nancy. The Rules of Survival. Dial. Tr $16.99. ISBN 0-8037-3001-2.
WIESNER, David. Flotsam. illus. by author.
Clarion. RTE $17. ISBN 0-618-19457-6.
WINTER, Jonah. Dizzy. illus. by Sean Qualls.
Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Bks. Tr $16.99. ISBN 0-439-50737-5.
WOLF, Allan. Immersed in Verse: An Informative,
Slightly Irreverent & Totally Tremendous Guide to
Living the Poet’s Life. illus. by Tuesday
Mourning. Sterling/Lark. PLB $14.95. ISBN 1-57990-628-1.
YANG, Gene Luen. American Born Chinese. illus. by
author. Roaring Brook/First Second. pap. $18.95.
ISBN 1-59643-152-0. LC number unavailable.
YORINKS, Arthur. Mommy? paper engineering by
Matthew Reinhart. illus. by Maurice Sendak.
Scholastic/Michael di Capua Bks. Tr $24.95. ISBN 0-439-88050-5.
ZUSAK, Markus. The Book Thief. Knopf. Tr $16.95.
ISBN 0-375-83100-2; PLB $18.99. ISBN 0-375-93100-7.

PW List of Best Books Kirkus Best Books of
2006 http://www.kirkusreviews.com/kirkusreviews/images/pdf/BestChildrens.pdf

Fiction

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing M.T. Anderson (Candlewick)
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane Kate
DiCamillo, illus. by Bagram Ibatoulline(Candlewick)
Saint Iggy K.L. Going (Harcourt)
Fly by Night Frances Hardinge (HarperCollins)
Incantation Alice Hoffman (Little, Brown)
Firestorm David Klass (FSG/Foster)
Keturah and Lord Death Martine Leavitt (Front Street)
Fairest Gail Carson Levine (HarperCollins)
Sold Patricia McCormick (Hyperion)
Clementine Sara Pennypacker, illus. by Marla Frazee (Hyperion)
The Book Thief Markus Zusak (Knopf)

Nonfiction

Pick Me Up (DK)
Escape! The Story of the Great Houdini. Sid
Fleischman (HarperCollins/Greenwillow)
To Dance: A Ballerina's Graphic Novel. Siena
Cherson Siegel, illus. by Mark Siegel (Atheneum/Jackson)

Kirkus has released their
<http://www.kirkusreviews.com/kirkusreviews/images/pdf/BestChildrens.pdf>Best
Children's Books of 2006 list.

The Costa Shortlist (formerly
Whitebread)
<http://www.costabook.banjobray.com/awards/shortlist.aspx>http://www.costabook.banjobray.com/awards/shortlist.aspx

* Clay by David Almond (groan)
* The Diamond of Drury Lane by Julia Golding
* Set in Stone by Linda Newbery
* Just in Case by Meg Rosoff

Let the award speculation begin!