Best Childrens/Young Adult Fiction Books of 2009
Creators: Fiction_L, Tammy Eustis, New York Times, ALA and Rachel Bussan
(We own all of these titles)
BR18651, DB/RC69104
Title: Wintergirls
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Annotation: Lia's estranged best friend Cassie is found alone in the Gateway Motel -- dead, after calling Lia thirty-three times. While Lia feels guilty for not acting to prevent Cassie's death from bulimia, she continues to struggle with her own anorexia and self-mutilation. For junior and senior high readers. 2009.
BR18719, DB/RC70404
Title: The Demon’s Lexicon
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan
Series: Demon’s Lexicon Trilogy
Annotation: Brothers Nick and Alan Ryves live on the run from magicians and demons. When classmates Mae and her brother Jamie arrive unannounced at the Ryves home requesting help, Nick refuses. But then Alan gets marked by a demon and Nick hunts the responsible party. For senior high and older readers. 2009. First book in the Demon's Lexicon Trilogy. Followed by "The Demon's Covenant."
BR17613, LT8312, DB/RC66059
Title: People of the Book
Author: Geraldine Brooks
Annotation: Australian book conservator Hanna Heath analyzes a Hebrew manuscript created in medieval Spain and saved from destruction in 1990s Sarajevo. Hanna's discoveries -- an insect wing, salt crystals, and wine and blood stains -- reveal the codex's past and the lives of its guardians. Some descriptions of sex and some violence. Bestseller. 2008.
DB/RC69067
Title: Swim the Fly
Author: Don Calame
Annotation: Every summer, marginal swimmers Cooper, Sean, and Matt set themselves crazy goals; this year's objective is to see a naked girl. When out-of-shape Matt falls for Kelly, the new girl on the swim team, his first priority is learning to swim the butterfly. For junior and senior high readers. 2009.
DB/RC67938
Title: Graceling
Author: Kristin Cashore
Annotation: In a world where some people are born with an extreme and often-feared skill, Katsa struggles with hers -- the "grace" of killing. When she first encounters Prince Po, whose grace is incompatible with hers, she doesn't foresee the bond that will form between them. Some violence. For senior high readers. 2008. Followed by "Fire."
BR18488, DB/RC68384
Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Series: Hunger Games
Annotation: In a future North America, Panem's rulers maintain control through a televised survival competition pitting teens from twelve districts in a fight to the death. Sixteen-year-olds Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are this year's girl and boy contestants from District Twelve. Some violence. For junior and senior high readers. 2008. First book in the Hunger Games series. Followed by "Catching Fire."
BR18708, DB/RC67004
Title: Little Brother
Author: Cory Doctorow
Annotation: After a terrorist attack on San Francisco's BayBridge, the Department of Homeland Security detains high school senior Marcus and his friends without cause. When Marcus is released, he lashes out at the authorities by hacking into the city's universal electronic surveillance system. For senior high and older readers. 2008.
BR18720, DB/RC69609
Title: Perfect Chemistry
Author: Simone Elkeles
Annotation: Assigned as lab partners in senior chemistry, well-to-do Brittany Ellis and Latino Blood gang member Alex Fuentes clash in and out of class. As their heated exchanges lead to a forbidden attraction, their lives begin to change. Violence, strong language, and some descriptions of sex. For senior high readers. 2009.
BR18565, DB/RC69818
Title: If I Stay
Author: Gayle Forman
Annotation: Cellist and Juilliard hopeful Mia clings to life after a car accident kills her family. While observing herself during an out-of-body experience, Mia flashes through her past to determine whether to fight for survival or die. Some strong language. For junior and senior high readers. 2009.
BR18241, DB/RC68027
Title: The Graveyard Book
Author: Neil Gaiman
Annotation: A toddler enters a cemetery pursued by the knife-wielding stranger who just murdered his family. Resident ghosts Mr. and Mrs. Owens protect and adopt the child, naming him Nobody "Bod" Owens. Bod's graveyard upbringing serves him well, but why was his family targeted? For grades 5-8. 2008. Newbery Award 2008.
DB/RC69137
Title: North of Beautiful
Author: Justina Chen Headley
Annotation: High school senior Terra hides under her makeup, embarrassed about the large port-wine stain covering the side of her face. Terra anxiously awaits the moment she can escape her verbally abusive father, but her life changes when she meets cute Goth boy Jacob. For junior and senior high readers. 2009.
DB/RC69607
Title: The Carbon Diaries 2015
Author: Saci Lloyd
Annotation: 2015. After the Great Storm, England desperately tries to reduce carbon emissions by sixty percent. Sixteen-year-old Laura documents her family's hardships in her diary as they slowly fall apart under the new restrictions. Some strong language. For junior and senior high readers. 2008.
BR14624
Title: Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy
Author: L. A. Meyer
Annotation: England, 1797. Mary begs on the streets of London with a gang of fellow orphans. At thirteen she disguises herself as a boy and joins a British warship setting sail to search for pirates. Mary maintains her deception -- even battling buccaneers. For grades 6-9. 2002. A Bloody Jack Adventure. Followed by "Curse of the Blue Tattoo."
BR18228, DB/RC65047
Title: Life As We Knew It
Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer
Series: LAWKI
Annotation: Sixteen-year-old Miranda keeps a journal describing her family's struggle to survive after an asteroid hits the Moon and causes disastrous climate change on Earth. She records her feelings about losing contact with friends and the outside world, locating food, and keeping hope alive. For junior and senior high readers. 2006. Followed by "The Dead and the Gone."
BR18200, DB/RC67846
Title: Nation
Author: Terry Pratchett
Annotation: After a devastating tsunami, Mau, the sole survivor of his island village, joins forces with Daphne, a shipwrecked English girl. Their beach fire draws other refugees who band together to rebuild a community based on what they value most. For junior and senior high readers. 2008.
BR18828, DB/RC69192
Title: The Forest of Hands and Teeth
Author: Carrie Ryan
Series: The Forest of Hands and Teeth
Annotation: Mary seeks knowledge of the world beyond the village's protective fences and the surrounding forest containing the "Unconsecrated" -- an aggressive, formerly dead, flesh-eating people. When outsider Gabrielle enters the village, Mary wonders about the Sisterhood's secrets and plans for escape. Some violence. For senior high and older readers. 2009. First book in the Forest of Hands and Teeth series. Followed by "The Dead-Tossed Waves."
BR11840
Title: The Dark Side of Nowhere
Author: Neal Shusterman
Annotation: Jason Miller hates his bland, small-town life, so when the high school janitor gives him an odd glove and tells him his life is about to change, he is both puzzled and excited. Jason learns classmates have received the same message, and soon they all encounter bizarre experiences. For grades 6-9. 1997.
BR18579, DB/RC70277
Title: Marcelo in the Real World
Author: Francisco X. Stork
Annotation: Seventeen-year-old Marcelo Sandoval, who has autism, gets a summer job working in the mail room of his father's law firm. Exposed to real-world situations, Marcelo has encounters with his boss Jasmine that bring romance and a myriad of emotions to the surface. For junior and senior high readers. Schneider Family Book Award. 2009.
DB/RC70417
Title: Flora's Dare: How a Girl of Spirit Gambles All to Expand Her Vocabulary, Confront a Bouncing Boy Terror, and Try to Save Califa from a Shaky Doom (Despite Being Confined to Her Room)
Author: Ysabeau S. Wilce
Series: Flora Segunda
Annotation: Fourteen-year-old Flora pursues her dream of becoming a ranger while dealing with a monster, a murderer, and her strict father. For grades 6-9. Sequel to "Flora Segunda." Second book of Flora's adventures. 2008.
BR18647, DB/RC69315
Title: The Chosen One
Author: Carol Lynch Williams
Annotation: Thirteen-year-old Kyra loves her father, three mothers, twenty siblings, and two "sins" -- Joshua, a boy in the Chosen Ones compound, and the forbidden bookmobile. But when she is given to her decrepit uncle as his seventh wife and threatened, Kyra plans a daring escape. Some violence. For senior high readers. 2009.
DB/RC68396
Title: Chains
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Annotation: American Revolution. Teenage slave Isabel and her younger sister are taken from Rhode Island and sold to an abusive Loyalist couple in New York City, where Isabel spies on the British to win her freedom. Some violence and some strong language. For junior and senior high readers. Commercial audiobook. 2008.
BR18376, DB/RC69770
Title: The Boy Who Dared
Author: Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Annotation: 1942. Seventeen-year-old Helmuth Hubener is imprisoned for treason. While awaiting execution in his filthy prison cell, Helmuth looks back over his short life, recalling friendships, family, and his courageous endeavor to share the truth with other Germans about Hitler and the war. For junior and senior high readers. 2008.
DB/RC65883
Title: The Last Knight
Author: Hilari Bell
Series: Knight and Rogue
Annotation: Idealistic eighteen-year-old Sir Michael, the last knight errant, and his roguish seventeen-year-old squire, Fisk, recount in alternate chapters their misbegotten first attempt to right a wrong. Their rescue of a lady from a tower leads to their own arrest for freeing an accused murderess. For grades 6-9. 2007. First book in the Knight and Rogue series.
BR18441, DB/RC67857
Title: What I Saw and How I Lied
Author: Judy Blundell
Annotation: 1947. Teenage Evie, her mother Beverly, and Evie's stepfather Joe celebrate Joe's return from World War II by vacationing in Florida. Evie's attraction to ex-soldier Peter -- who has a strange hold on Joe -- leads her to discover a devastating web of lies. For senior high and older readers. National Book Award. 2008.
BR18282
Title: Kendra
Author: Coe Booth
Annotation: Fourteen-year-old Kendra, raised by her strict grandmother while her mother Renee attends college, expects to be reunited with her mom after Renee graduates. But Renee rejects her and Kendra turns to a boy for affection. Some strong language and some descriptions of sex. For senior high readers. 2008.
BR18344
Title: Shift
Author: Jennifer Bradbury
Annotation: Best friends Chris Collins and Win Coggans bicycle from West Virginia to WashingtonState after high school graduation. When Win disappears near the end of the ride, Chris returns home without him. Win's wealthy father soon has the FBI on the case. For senior high readers. 2008.
DB/RC67370
Title: The Fortunes of Indigo Skye
Author: Deb Caletti
Annotation: Seattle. The life of eighteen-year-old high school senior and part-time waitress Indigo Skye changes dramatically when a customer leaves her millions of dollars as a tip. Indigo's familial relationships and personal values are tested by her newfound wealth. Some strong language. For senior high readers. 2008.
DB/RC66516
Title: Airman
Author: Eoin Colfer
Annotation: The SalteeIslands, Ireland; 1890s. Fourteen-year-old Conor Broekhart's idyllic childhood ends when he discovers a conspiracy against the king. Branded a traitor, Conor is imprisoned and must fight to stay alive. His only hope of escape is to build a flying machine. For grades 6-9. 2008.
BR18148, DB/RC68286
Title: Waiting For Normal
Author: Leslie Conner
Annotation: Upstate New York. Addie's plucky spirit makes the best of awkward situations such as moving into a tiny trailer with her difficult mother, separating from her stepdad and two half sisters, and coping with her learning difficulties in her new school's band. For grades 5-8. Schneider Family Book Award. 2008.
DB/RC68126
Title: Mexican Whiteboy
Author: Matt de la Pena
Annotation: Aspiring baseball pitcher Danny Lopez struggles with identity issues while living with his white mother and attending private school. Danny spends the summer with his father's Mexican family in the barrios of San Diego, where he befriends the local teens and learns about his roots. Some strong language. For senior high readers. 2008.
DB/RC68471
Title: Bog Child
Author: Siobhan Dowd
Annotation: 1981. Fergus, a Sinn Fein courier, crosses into Ireland from Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles. His imprisoned brother's hunger strike and Fergus's dreams about a girl whose body he discovered in a peat bog distract him from his studies. Some strong language. For senior high readers. 2008.
DB/RC67204
Title: The London Eye Mystery
Author: Siobhan Dowd
Annotation: England. When Ted and Kat's cousin Salim disappears from the London Eye Ferris wheel, even the police are baffled. So Ted, whose brain is wired differently, and his older sister Kat work together to solve the mystery. For grades 5-8. 2007.
DB/RC68404
Title: Paper Towns
Author: John Green
Annotation: During senior year, Margo, the girl next door, entices Quentin into a night of mischief -- and she then disappears. Quentin and classmates Radar, Ben, and Lacey follow the clues Margo left while they worry about her state of mind. For senior high readers. Commercial audiobook. 2008.
DB/RC67726
Title: Suite Scarlett
Author: Maureen Johnson
Series: Scarlett Martin
Annotation: Fifteen-year-old Scarlett Martin helps to run her family's aging Manhattan hotel. When former starlet Mrs. Amberson arrives for the summer and works with Scarlett's brother to stage an amateur play, Scarlett falls in love with one of the actors. For senior high readers. 2008. First book about Scarlett Martin. Followed by "Scarlett Fever."
BR18084
Title: Another Kind of Cowboy
Annotation: Susan Juby
Annotation: Sixteen-year-old Alex, a champion western rider, switches to riding dressage. At the stables he meets Cleo, a girl banished to boarding school by her Hollywood parents. Becoming friends, the teens search for identity -- neglected Cleo by partying and closeted Alex by experimenting sexually. Some strong language. For senior high readers. 2007.
DB70870
Title: Tender Morsels
Author: Margo Lanagan
Annotation: After enduring unspeakable cruelties, Liga is magically granted a safe haven in an alternate reality. She raises her two daughters there until the barrier between her world and the real one crumbles. Violence, descriptions of sex, and some strong language. For senior high and older readers. World Fantasy Award. Printz Honor Book. 2008.
DB/RC68055
Title: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks
Author: E. Lockhart
Annotation: A sophomore at a prestigious prep school, Frances Rose (Frankie) starts dating senior Matthew. When Matthew refuses to discuss his all-male secret society, the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, Frankie infiltrates the group via the Internet and orchestrates some spectacular on-campus pranks. For junior and senior high readers. 2008.
DB/RC68738
Title: Jellicoe Road
Author: Melina Marchetta
Annotation: Australia. Abandoned by her mother, seventeen-year-old Taylor Markham leads her fellow boarders at JellicoeSchool in an underground community that plays war games against two other groups -- the cadets and the townies. For junior and senior high and older readers. Michael L. Printz Award. 2006.
BR18093, DB/RC66933
Title: The Missing Girl
Author: Norma Fox Mazer
Annotation: A middle-aged man secretly stalks the Herbert family's five sisters, ages eleven to seventeen, as they carry out their everyday activities in the small town of Mallory, New York. Then the stranger makes his move, luring Autumn, the youngest girl, into his house. For junior and senior high readers. 2008.
BR17682
Title: When I Crossed No-Bob
Author: Margaret McMullan
Annotation: Mississippi; Reconstruction Era. Twelve-year-old Addy O'Donnell lives with schoolteacher Frank Russell and his bride until Addy's father, a thief, returns to claim her. After the Ku Klux Klan burns a church, Addy must decide between justice and loyalty to her family. Some violence. For grades 5-8. 2007.
DB/RC66719
Title: The Host
Author: Stephanie Meyer
Annotation: A new species has overtaken Earth by inhabiting human hosts. But Melanie Stryder's invading soul, "Wanderer," can't force Melanie to relinquish her mind. Melanie's thoughts are of Jared, the man she loves, who is in hiding. Explicit descriptions of sex, violence, and strong language. Bestseller. 2008.