Down on Ninth Street
6.29.2006
2004 Book Awards.
2004 Book Awards. I've looked very carefully over the lists of books for 204 and handed out the following awards. To keep the awards from getting repetative, the rule is that no book can win twice. For example, JM Barrie and the Lost Boys really should have won for Best Overall, but it had already won for Best Barrie Biography and couldn't win again. I wrote comments for those I felt like commenting on.
Overall Best Book of 2004: Peter and Wendy, by J.M. Barrie. There was no contest. From the day I saw PJ Hogan's Peter Pan in a movie theater on January 2, to the day I celebrated Peter Pan's 100th birthday on December 27 -- the play premiered in London on December 27, 1904 -- the boy who wouldn't grow up was an important part of 2004. I learned more about Peter and the beautiful, bizarre story behind his creation than I had ever expected to, and this book -- the prose version of the play, published by Barrie in 1911 -- was the one that started it all.
Overall Worst Book of 2004: Kissing Doorknobs, by Terry Spencer Hesser. This was one of the last books I read in 2004, and it was phenomenally bad that I couldn't stop reading it. A severe case of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder makes life unbearably tedious for the narrator Tara, just as Terry Spencer Hesser's severe lack of talent makes the book unbearably tedious for her audience. This book is full of undeveloped cardboard characters and really boring narration, as well as a plot that moves at a snail's pace and a serious disorder that deserves a much better book.
Best Newberry: The View From Saturday, by E.L. Konigsburg. This book, which won the Newberry in 1997, tells the story of four misfit sixth-graders -- Noah, Nadia, Ethan, and Julian, who call themselves "The Souls" -- who are all chosen for the quiz bowl team by their paraplegic teacher. Their championship quiz bowl match is interspersed with glimpses into the kids's daily lives, which include lessons about the importance of afternoon tea, the life cycles of sea turtles, the appeal of operas and English accents, and learning to accept things like divorce, death, and disability. The only fault I could find in this book was the instant connection and unity between The Souls, which felt a little unrealistic.
Best Newberry Runner-Up: Crispin: The Cross of Lead, by Avi. This fast-paced book, which won the Newberry in 2003, tells the story of a young boy who is falsely accused of murder after his mother dies and must run for his life from the tiny feudal village where he's always lived. As he flees across Medeival Europe, he makes his first real friend (a gentle giant juggler named Bear) learns sweet and sobering lessons about life and the world around him, and discovers his true identity.
Worst Newberry: Missing May, by Cynthia Rylant.
Worst Newberry Runner-Up: Sounder, by William H. Armstrong.
Best School-Required Book: A Yellow Raft in Blue Water, by Michael Dorris.
Best School-Required Book Runner-Up: Anything You Say Can and Will be Used Against You, by Laurie Lynn Drummond. When one of the students in my English class asked our professor if she would be teaching it again next year, she said, "Well, of course. Did anybody not like that book?"
Worst School-Required Book: The Wailing Wind, by Tony Hillerman.
Worst School-Required Book Runner-Up: A Window Facing West, by John S. Tarlton.
Best Barrie Biography: J.M. Barrie and the Lost Boys, by Andrew Birkin. Words simply cannot describe how beautifully and brilliantly this book chronicles the lives of JM Barrie and his adopted children, the Llewelyn Davies brothers. Mr. Birkin's truly honest and dedicated research -- including hours of interviews with the youngest brother, Nicholas Llewelyn Davies, and countless letters to other friends and family -- and it shows on every captivating and beautifully illustrated page. I will always be grateful to Mr. Birkin for sharing Barrie's story, and for sharing his own (his deeply touching story about his son Anno in the introduction). This book continues to teach me so much about learning to accept growing up and growing old.
Best Barrie Biography Runner-Up: J.M. Barrie: The Man Behind the Image, by Janet Dunbar. This biography isn't as touching or as well-written as Andrew Birkin's, but it is more informative in some respects. Birkin's biography stops rather suddenly at Michael Llewelyn Davies's death in 1921, but Dunbar's continues until Barrie's death in 1937. (Barrie's relationships with Cynthia Asquith and Elizabeth Berger, for example, are almost completely absent from Birkin's book because Barrie didn't meet them until after Michael died.) Dunbar also portrays Barrie in a more negative light than Birkin: whereas he downplays Barrie's faults, she emphasizes them, particularly his heroin use in his old age.
Worst Barrie Biography: J.M. Barrie, by Roger Lancelyn Green. Green is a popular children's author, and I've heard wonderful things about his book Fifty Years of Peter Pan (although I have yet to read it myself, unfortunately), but he shouldn't have bothered to write this little pamphlet on Barrie.
Worst Barrie Biography Runner-Up: James M. Barrie, by Harry M. Geduld. This one lost me when the author claimed that the cold window glass between Peter Pan and the Darling nursery was symbolic of the frozen lake that killed 13-year-old David Barrie (the author's breath) when he fell while ice-skating.
Best Nonfiction: The Cajuns: Americanization of a People, by Shane K. Bernard.
Worst Nonfiction: The Revolutionary Age of Andrew Jackson, by Robert V. Remini.
Strangest Nonfiction: Running with Scissors, by Augusten Burroughs.
Most Boring: Edgar Allan, by John Neufeld. This book's potentially sensitive plot is lost in 12-year-old Michael's narration of the botched adoption of toddler Edgar Allan, who is about as real as a cardboard cutout kid. Despite the misleading title, Edgar Allan isn't the focus of this book; that would be Michael and his father. As his father is a minister, Christian values should play a bigger part than vague references like "something to do with church work." There is very little real action or dialogue, and that is sandwiched between Michael's endlessly boring descriptions of his family.
Most Boring Runner-Up: The Color Purple, by Alice Walker.
Most Suspenseful: Tomorrow, When the War Began, by John Marsden.
Most Suspenseful Runner-Up: What Happened to Lani Garver, by Carol Plum-Ucci.
Best Book Involving Onions: Holes, by Louis Sachar.
Worst Book Involving Onions: Onion John, by Joseph Krumgold.
Most Anticipated Book of 2004: J.M. Barrie and the Lost Boys, by Andrew Birkin. I know it is my rule that no book can win more than two awards, but this one touched my life so much that I simply have to make an exception for it. I immediately began coming across praise for it when I began researching Barrie's life in January, and I still remember how thrilled I was when I finally found a library copy in March, and when Sara gave me my own copy for my birthday in October, shortly after Dad died. This book brought me so much comfort throughout 2004 (I read a brief excerpt from it at Carolyn's funeral in September).
Breakout Author of 2004: J.M. Barrie.
Breakout Author Runner-Up: Carol Plum-Ucci.
Overall Best Book of 2004: Peter and Wendy, by J.M. Barrie. There was no contest. From the day I saw PJ Hogan's Peter Pan in a movie theater on January 2, to the day I celebrated Peter Pan's 100th birthday on December 27 -- the play premiered in London on December 27, 1904 -- the boy who wouldn't grow up was an important part of 2004. I learned more about Peter and the beautiful, bizarre story behind his creation than I had ever expected to, and this book -- the prose version of the play, published by Barrie in 1911 -- was the one that started it all.
Overall Worst Book of 2004: Kissing Doorknobs, by Terry Spencer Hesser. This was one of the last books I read in 2004, and it was phenomenally bad that I couldn't stop reading it. A severe case of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder makes life unbearably tedious for the narrator Tara, just as Terry Spencer Hesser's severe lack of talent makes the book unbearably tedious for her audience. This book is full of undeveloped cardboard characters and really boring narration, as well as a plot that moves at a snail's pace and a serious disorder that deserves a much better book.
Best Newberry: The View From Saturday, by E.L. Konigsburg. This book, which won the Newberry in 1997, tells the story of four misfit sixth-graders -- Noah, Nadia, Ethan, and Julian, who call themselves "The Souls" -- who are all chosen for the quiz bowl team by their paraplegic teacher. Their championship quiz bowl match is interspersed with glimpses into the kids's daily lives, which include lessons about the importance of afternoon tea, the life cycles of sea turtles, the appeal of operas and English accents, and learning to accept things like divorce, death, and disability. The only fault I could find in this book was the instant connection and unity between The Souls, which felt a little unrealistic.
Best Newberry Runner-Up: Crispin: The Cross of Lead, by Avi. This fast-paced book, which won the Newberry in 2003, tells the story of a young boy who is falsely accused of murder after his mother dies and must run for his life from the tiny feudal village where he's always lived. As he flees across Medeival Europe, he makes his first real friend (a gentle giant juggler named Bear) learns sweet and sobering lessons about life and the world around him, and discovers his true identity.
Worst Newberry: Missing May, by Cynthia Rylant.
Worst Newberry Runner-Up: Sounder, by William H. Armstrong.
Best School-Required Book: A Yellow Raft in Blue Water, by Michael Dorris.
Best School-Required Book Runner-Up: Anything You Say Can and Will be Used Against You, by Laurie Lynn Drummond. When one of the students in my English class asked our professor if she would be teaching it again next year, she said, "Well, of course. Did anybody not like that book?"
Worst School-Required Book: The Wailing Wind, by Tony Hillerman.
Worst School-Required Book Runner-Up: A Window Facing West, by John S. Tarlton.
Best Barrie Biography: J.M. Barrie and the Lost Boys, by Andrew Birkin. Words simply cannot describe how beautifully and brilliantly this book chronicles the lives of JM Barrie and his adopted children, the Llewelyn Davies brothers. Mr. Birkin's truly honest and dedicated research -- including hours of interviews with the youngest brother, Nicholas Llewelyn Davies, and countless letters to other friends and family -- and it shows on every captivating and beautifully illustrated page. I will always be grateful to Mr. Birkin for sharing Barrie's story, and for sharing his own (his deeply touching story about his son Anno in the introduction). This book continues to teach me so much about learning to accept growing up and growing old.
Best Barrie Biography Runner-Up: J.M. Barrie: The Man Behind the Image, by Janet Dunbar. This biography isn't as touching or as well-written as Andrew Birkin's, but it is more informative in some respects. Birkin's biography stops rather suddenly at Michael Llewelyn Davies's death in 1921, but Dunbar's continues until Barrie's death in 1937. (Barrie's relationships with Cynthia Asquith and Elizabeth Berger, for example, are almost completely absent from Birkin's book because Barrie didn't meet them until after Michael died.) Dunbar also portrays Barrie in a more negative light than Birkin: whereas he downplays Barrie's faults, she emphasizes them, particularly his heroin use in his old age.
Worst Barrie Biography: J.M. Barrie, by Roger Lancelyn Green. Green is a popular children's author, and I've heard wonderful things about his book Fifty Years of Peter Pan (although I have yet to read it myself, unfortunately), but he shouldn't have bothered to write this little pamphlet on Barrie.
Worst Barrie Biography Runner-Up: James M. Barrie, by Harry M. Geduld. This one lost me when the author claimed that the cold window glass between Peter Pan and the Darling nursery was symbolic of the frozen lake that killed 13-year-old David Barrie (the author's breath) when he fell while ice-skating.
Best Nonfiction: The Cajuns: Americanization of a People, by Shane K. Bernard.
Worst Nonfiction: The Revolutionary Age of Andrew Jackson, by Robert V. Remini.
Strangest Nonfiction: Running with Scissors, by Augusten Burroughs.
Most Boring: Edgar Allan, by John Neufeld. This book's potentially sensitive plot is lost in 12-year-old Michael's narration of the botched adoption of toddler Edgar Allan, who is about as real as a cardboard cutout kid. Despite the misleading title, Edgar Allan isn't the focus of this book; that would be Michael and his father. As his father is a minister, Christian values should play a bigger part than vague references like "something to do with church work." There is very little real action or dialogue, and that is sandwiched between Michael's endlessly boring descriptions of his family.
Most Boring Runner-Up: The Color Purple, by Alice Walker.
Most Suspenseful: Tomorrow, When the War Began, by John Marsden.
Most Suspenseful Runner-Up: What Happened to Lani Garver, by Carol Plum-Ucci.
Best Book Involving Onions: Holes, by Louis Sachar.
Worst Book Involving Onions: Onion John, by Joseph Krumgold.
Most Anticipated Book of 2004: J.M. Barrie and the Lost Boys, by Andrew Birkin. I know it is my rule that no book can win more than two awards, but this one touched my life so much that I simply have to make an exception for it. I immediately began coming across praise for it when I began researching Barrie's life in January, and I still remember how thrilled I was when I finally found a library copy in March, and when Sara gave me my own copy for my birthday in October, shortly after Dad died. This book brought me so much comfort throughout 2004 (I read a brief excerpt from it at Carolyn's funeral in September).
Breakout Author of 2004: J.M. Barrie.
Breakout Author Runner-Up: Carol Plum-Ucci.
Labels: books
6.21.2006
All Books of 2004.
All Books of 2004. Since 2003, I have kept lists of all the books I read each year. Here's the round-up for 2004. There are 70 altogether, arranged by author's last name. I wish I had read more. I wrote comments for the books I felt like commenting on.
1. Cajun and Creole Folktales, by Barry Jean Ancelet.
2. Sounder, by William H. Armstrong.
3. Crispin: The Cross of Lead, by Avi.
4. Allahakbarries CC, by JM Barrie. This one is a rare book recounting the adventures of Barrie's cricket team, the Allahakbarries, including their annual match against their long-time rival, Madam de Navarro. The team, whose changing cast included authors like Arthur Conan Doyle, AA Milne, EV Lucas, and George Meredith, and Charles Tennyson, was originally named the Allahakbars (Arabic for "Heaven help us"), but later changed their name in honor of their captain.
5. The Little White Bird: Adventures in Kensington Gardens, by JM Barrie.
6. Margaret Ogilvy, by JM Barrie.
7. Peter Pan: The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, by JM Barrie.
8. Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, by JM Barrie.
9. Peter and Wendy, by JM Barrie.
10. The Cajuns: Americanization of a People, by Shane K. Bernard.
11. Anne Frank and Me, by Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld.
12. JM Barrie and the Lost Boys, by Andrew Birkin.
13. A Gathering of Days, by Joan Blos. This book, which was the Newberry winner in 1980, is in the format of a diary belonging to 13-year-old Catherine, a girl growing up a New Hampshire farm in the 1830s. It is not as funny as some of the other Newberry winners on this list, but it is still much better than Up a Road Slowly, which was the Newberry winner in 1967 and also tells the story of a young girl's coming-of-age.
14. Dry, by Augusten Burroughs.
15. Running with Scissors, by Augusten Burroughs.
16. Hook, by Terry Brooks.
17. Chasing Redbird, by Sharon Creech.
18. JM Barrie, by WA Darlington.
19. A Yellow Raft in Blue Water, by Michael Dorris.
20. Anything You Say Can and Will Be Used Against You, by Laurie Lynn Drummond.
21. JM Barrie: The Man Behind the Image, by Janet Dunbar.
22. Thimble Summer, by Elizabeth Enright.
23. Ginger Pye, by Eleanor Estes. This one was the Newberry winner in 1952, and it is one of the quirkiest children's books I've ever read. Nonsensical stories about a man named Bumbernickel, a 3-year-old uncle, a vertical swimmer, a cat who opens doors, one very mysterious yellow hat, and a heaping helping of "the Friskies and the Japanese" all make this book very odd and very fun.
24. Mardi Gras, Gumbo, and Zydeco: Reading in Southern Louisiana Culture, by Marcia Gaudet.
25. James M. Barrie, by Harry M. Geduld.
26. JM Barrie, by Roger Lancelyn Green.
27. The Peter Pan Chronicles: The Nearly 100 Year History of "the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up," by Bruce K. Hanson.
28. Kissing Doorknobs, by Terry Spencer Hesser.
29. The Wailing Wind, by Tony Hillerman.
30. Up a Road Slowly, by Irene Hunt.
31. Silent to the Bone, by EL Konigsburg.
32. The View From Saturday, by EL Konigsburg.
33. Onion John, by Joseph Krumgold.
34. Rabbit Hill, by Robert Lawson.
35. Strawberry Girl, by Lois Lenski. This one was the Newberry winner in 1946, and it is a sweet story about 10-year-old Birdie's move to rural Florida, where her family plans to become strawberry farmers, and her evolving friendship with Shoestring, the only good egg in the terrible family next door. It loses points for its sickeningly sappy ending, but it's very good otherwise.
36. Gathering Blue, by Lois Lowry.
37. The Giver, by Lois Lowry.
38. Messenger, by Lois Lowry.
39. Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry.
40. Rabble Starkey, by Lois Lowry.
41. Tomorrow, When the War Began, by John Marsden.
42. Claudia and the Genius of Elm Street, by Ann M. Martin.
43. Claudia and the Middle School Mystery, by Ann M. Martin.
44. Everything Changes, by Ann M. Martin.
45. Kristy and the Kidnappers, by Ann M. Martin.
46. Kristy and the Secret of Susan, by Ann M. Martin. What is Susan's secret? She has autism. But since 13-year-old Kristy Thomas, Susan's baby-sitter, is the center of the universe in Stoneybrook, Connecticut, she assumes that she can cure Susan's autism. I hated the arrogant, bossy, and possibly lesbian president and founder of the Baby-Sitter's Club more than ever after reading this book.
47. New York, New York!, by Ann M. Martin.
48. Stacey McGill...Matchmaker?, by Ann M. Martin.
49. Welcome Home, Mary Anne, by Ann M. Martn.
50. Edgar Allan, by John Neufeld.
51. Twelve Years a Slave, by Solomon Northup.
52. A Year Down Yonder, by Richard Peck. This one was the Newberry winner in 2001, and the cynicism of its narrator, 15-year-old Mary Alice, and the eccentric behavior of her grandmother kept me laughing out loud as I read it. A postmistress's encounter with the snakes in the grandmother's attic is especially hilarious.
53. The Body of Christopher Creed, by Carol Plum-Ucci.
54. What Happened to Lani Garver, by Carol Plum-Ucci.
55. The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin.
56. The Revolutionary Age of Andrew Jackson, by Robert V. Remini.
57. Cajun Folktales, by JJ Reneaux.
58. Missing May, by Cynthia Rylant.
59. Holes, by Louis Sachar.
60. Roller Skates, by Ruth Sawyer. This one was the Newberry winner for 1937, and it's a little dated now (as opposed to something like the more timeless Caddie Woodlawn, which won in 1936), but its narrator, 10-year-old Lucinda, still gives the book a lot of life, charm, and humor. I was rolling on the floor laughing when Lucinda wrote in her diary, "I expect Aunt Emily is quite going to stir up Heaven when she gets there. Maybe she won't ever get there. That would be a good joke on her!"
61. The Good Master, by Kate Seredy.
62. Miracles on Maple Hill, by Virginia Sorenson. This one was the Newberry winner in 1957, and it's a bit similar to Strawberry Girl. Both feature a young girl -- in this case, 10-year-old Marly -- learning to enjoy life in a new place with new friends. In Strawberry Girl, the healing and happy ending goes to the Slater family, the troubled neighbors, but in this book, it goes to Marly's father, who hasn't been the same since he returned from a WW2 prisoner camp.
63. A Window Facing West, by John S. Tarlton.
64. Lexington and Concord, by Arthur Tourtellot.
65. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker.
66. All the King's Men, by Robert Penn Warren.
67. Inventing Wonderland: The Lives and Fantasies of Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear, JM Barrie, Kenneth Grahame, and AA Milne, by Jackie Wullschlager.
68. Now or Neverland: Peter Pan and the Myth of Eternal Youth, by Ann Yeoman. This was a good book, but it took me about twice as long to read it as it usually would have taken me for a book of its size. Why? Here is a randomly selected sentece: "The visionary artist, that is, the artist who confronts impersonal, archetypal material, adopts a sacrificial and humble stance vis-a-vis his or her vision and so serves as the crucible in which raw inspiration becomes incarnate as artifact." I pause, reread the sentence, think about it, and continue.
69. The Devil's Arithmetic, by Jane Yolen.
70. The Pigman, by Paul Zindel.
1. Cajun and Creole Folktales, by Barry Jean Ancelet.
2. Sounder, by William H. Armstrong.
3. Crispin: The Cross of Lead, by Avi.
4. Allahakbarries CC, by JM Barrie. This one is a rare book recounting the adventures of Barrie's cricket team, the Allahakbarries, including their annual match against their long-time rival, Madam de Navarro. The team, whose changing cast included authors like Arthur Conan Doyle, AA Milne, EV Lucas, and George Meredith, and Charles Tennyson, was originally named the Allahakbars (Arabic for "Heaven help us"), but later changed their name in honor of their captain.
5. The Little White Bird: Adventures in Kensington Gardens, by JM Barrie.
6. Margaret Ogilvy, by JM Barrie.
7. Peter Pan: The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, by JM Barrie.
8. Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, by JM Barrie.
9. Peter and Wendy, by JM Barrie.
10. The Cajuns: Americanization of a People, by Shane K. Bernard.
11. Anne Frank and Me, by Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld.
12. JM Barrie and the Lost Boys, by Andrew Birkin.
13. A Gathering of Days, by Joan Blos. This book, which was the Newberry winner in 1980, is in the format of a diary belonging to 13-year-old Catherine, a girl growing up a New Hampshire farm in the 1830s. It is not as funny as some of the other Newberry winners on this list, but it is still much better than Up a Road Slowly, which was the Newberry winner in 1967 and also tells the story of a young girl's coming-of-age.
14. Dry, by Augusten Burroughs.
15. Running with Scissors, by Augusten Burroughs.
16. Hook, by Terry Brooks.
17. Chasing Redbird, by Sharon Creech.
18. JM Barrie, by WA Darlington.
19. A Yellow Raft in Blue Water, by Michael Dorris.
20. Anything You Say Can and Will Be Used Against You, by Laurie Lynn Drummond.
21. JM Barrie: The Man Behind the Image, by Janet Dunbar.
22. Thimble Summer, by Elizabeth Enright.
23. Ginger Pye, by Eleanor Estes. This one was the Newberry winner in 1952, and it is one of the quirkiest children's books I've ever read. Nonsensical stories about a man named Bumbernickel, a 3-year-old uncle, a vertical swimmer, a cat who opens doors, one very mysterious yellow hat, and a heaping helping of "the Friskies and the Japanese" all make this book very odd and very fun.
24. Mardi Gras, Gumbo, and Zydeco: Reading in Southern Louisiana Culture, by Marcia Gaudet.
25. James M. Barrie, by Harry M. Geduld.
26. JM Barrie, by Roger Lancelyn Green.
27. The Peter Pan Chronicles: The Nearly 100 Year History of "the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up," by Bruce K. Hanson.
28. Kissing Doorknobs, by Terry Spencer Hesser.
29. The Wailing Wind, by Tony Hillerman.
30. Up a Road Slowly, by Irene Hunt.
31. Silent to the Bone, by EL Konigsburg.
32. The View From Saturday, by EL Konigsburg.
33. Onion John, by Joseph Krumgold.
34. Rabbit Hill, by Robert Lawson.
35. Strawberry Girl, by Lois Lenski. This one was the Newberry winner in 1946, and it is a sweet story about 10-year-old Birdie's move to rural Florida, where her family plans to become strawberry farmers, and her evolving friendship with Shoestring, the only good egg in the terrible family next door. It loses points for its sickeningly sappy ending, but it's very good otherwise.
36. Gathering Blue, by Lois Lowry.
37. The Giver, by Lois Lowry.
38. Messenger, by Lois Lowry.
39. Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry.
40. Rabble Starkey, by Lois Lowry.
41. Tomorrow, When the War Began, by John Marsden.
42. Claudia and the Genius of Elm Street, by Ann M. Martin.
43. Claudia and the Middle School Mystery, by Ann M. Martin.
44. Everything Changes, by Ann M. Martin.
45. Kristy and the Kidnappers, by Ann M. Martin.
46. Kristy and the Secret of Susan, by Ann M. Martin. What is Susan's secret? She has autism. But since 13-year-old Kristy Thomas, Susan's baby-sitter, is the center of the universe in Stoneybrook, Connecticut, she assumes that she can cure Susan's autism. I hated the arrogant, bossy, and possibly lesbian president and founder of the Baby-Sitter's Club more than ever after reading this book.
47. New York, New York!, by Ann M. Martin.
48. Stacey McGill...Matchmaker?, by Ann M. Martin.
49. Welcome Home, Mary Anne, by Ann M. Martn.
50. Edgar Allan, by John Neufeld.
51. Twelve Years a Slave, by Solomon Northup.
52. A Year Down Yonder, by Richard Peck. This one was the Newberry winner in 2001, and the cynicism of its narrator, 15-year-old Mary Alice, and the eccentric behavior of her grandmother kept me laughing out loud as I read it. A postmistress's encounter with the snakes in the grandmother's attic is especially hilarious.
53. The Body of Christopher Creed, by Carol Plum-Ucci.
54. What Happened to Lani Garver, by Carol Plum-Ucci.
55. The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin.
56. The Revolutionary Age of Andrew Jackson, by Robert V. Remini.
57. Cajun Folktales, by JJ Reneaux.
58. Missing May, by Cynthia Rylant.
59. Holes, by Louis Sachar.
60. Roller Skates, by Ruth Sawyer. This one was the Newberry winner for 1937, and it's a little dated now (as opposed to something like the more timeless Caddie Woodlawn, which won in 1936), but its narrator, 10-year-old Lucinda, still gives the book a lot of life, charm, and humor. I was rolling on the floor laughing when Lucinda wrote in her diary, "I expect Aunt Emily is quite going to stir up Heaven when she gets there. Maybe she won't ever get there. That would be a good joke on her!"
61. The Good Master, by Kate Seredy.
62. Miracles on Maple Hill, by Virginia Sorenson. This one was the Newberry winner in 1957, and it's a bit similar to Strawberry Girl. Both feature a young girl -- in this case, 10-year-old Marly -- learning to enjoy life in a new place with new friends. In Strawberry Girl, the healing and happy ending goes to the Slater family, the troubled neighbors, but in this book, it goes to Marly's father, who hasn't been the same since he returned from a WW2 prisoner camp.
63. A Window Facing West, by John S. Tarlton.
64. Lexington and Concord, by Arthur Tourtellot.
65. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker.
66. All the King's Men, by Robert Penn Warren.
67. Inventing Wonderland: The Lives and Fantasies of Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear, JM Barrie, Kenneth Grahame, and AA Milne, by Jackie Wullschlager.
68. Now or Neverland: Peter Pan and the Myth of Eternal Youth, by Ann Yeoman. This was a good book, but it took me about twice as long to read it as it usually would have taken me for a book of its size. Why? Here is a randomly selected sentece: "The visionary artist, that is, the artist who confronts impersonal, archetypal material, adopts a sacrificial and humble stance vis-a-vis his or her vision and so serves as the crucible in which raw inspiration becomes incarnate as artifact." I pause, reread the sentence, think about it, and continue.
69. The Devil's Arithmetic, by Jane Yolen.
70. The Pigman, by Paul Zindel.
Labels: books
Archives
12.2005 01.2006 02.2006 06.2006 08.2006 12.2006 01.2007 02.2007
