Down on Ninth Street
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
posted by RebeccaHarrison # 20:57 
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