Celebrate Banned Books Week

It's Banned Books Week!

Sheila over at Book Journey is hosting a celebration of banned books, with lots of links to other blogs and giveaways, so stop by!  And join in the fun yourself by reading banned books and/or posting about them.

I just finished Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and am now reading The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, both commonly banned books.  Look for reviews of those later this week, here and at Book By Book.

Check out this list of the 100 most frequently banned books (from 1990 - 1999), compiled by the American Library Association (ALA) and this list of most frequently banned and challenged classics.  You will be surprised by some of the titles on these lists.  How many of these naughty books have YOU read??

From these two lists, I have read the following kids/teen/YA books (see Book By Book's Banned Book post for the list of grown-up books read).  I linked to my reviews where they are available:

• Forever by Judy Blume (a popular one when I was a teen!)
• The Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (read aloud to our kids)
• The Giver by Lois Lowry (my son read it for middle school, so I read it as well)
• In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak (listened to on audio with our kids)
• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (how dare they ban my favorite book?)
• Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
• Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George (read for school in 7th grade)
•  Deenie by Judy Blume (another great one by Blume)
• Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
• James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl (read aloud to my class by an elementary school teacher)
• Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume (what girl could possibly go through adolescence without this book??)
• Where's Waldo? by Martin Hanford (seriously??)
• Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman

Wow, I have been a bad, bad girl!!

I was pleased to see that many of the banned books I have read (on this list and the one at Book By Book) were assigned for school (mine or my kids'), so kudos to our schools for giving us a broad and unrestricted education!

Check out the lists to see how many banned books you have read...and select one you missed and head to your library!

Top Ten Kids/Teen Books Read in 2010

I know you've all been waiting breathlessly for this...my list of Top Ten Kids/Teens Books I Read in 2010!  Note that these are books I read in 2010, not necessarily 2010 releases (though many are).  I had a very hard time narrowing down this list to only ten.  It was an excellent year for kids/teen/YA books.

Here are my Top Ten, in no particular order:

• Pendragon 9 and 10 by D.J. MacHale, one of my favorite kid/teen series of all time!
  
• Everwild by Neal Schusterman, sequel to Everlost
  
• The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo
  
• Unwind by Neal Schusterman
  
• Incarceron by Catherine Fisher (listened to on audio)
  
• Leviathan and Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld
  
• Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
  
• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
  
• Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel
  
• What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell
  
  

Let's see...we have two from Neal Schusterman - I love his fast-paced otherworldly adventures.   Two excellent series that straddle the middle-grade and teen markets:  Leviathan and Pendragon.  There are a couple of repeat series from my 2009 Top Ten List: Pendragon (told you it was a favorite) and the final book in the Hunger Games trilogy.  And, I have some sequels from this list to look forward to in 2011, the sequels to Behemoth, Incarceron (the Sapphique audio is waiting here for our next road trip!), and Everwild.

All in all, a very good year for kids' and teen books!

Check out my list of Top Ten Grown-up Books I Read in 2010 at Book By Book.

What were your favorite books from 2010?

Books Read in 2010

It's that time of year again: time to look back at the past year in review.

2010 was a good reading year for me.  I read a total of 81 books in 2010, including:

• 22 Middle-grade books (7 of these were audio books)
• 23 Teen/YA books (3 of these were audio)
• 36 grown-up books

If you're interested in the break-down of adult books I read, check out my post at Book By Book.

I read about the same number of books as in the previous year (just 4 less than in 2009).  I'm working on my Best of 2010 lists and hope to post those soon.

How was your reading year in 2010?

I'm looking forward to more good books in 2011!

Book Title Meme

I saw this over at The Little Bookworm, and I loved it!

What To Do: Using only books you have read this year (2010), answer these questions. Try not to repeat a book title. It’s a lot harder than you think!

(I limited my answers here to just the kids' and teen/YA books I read this year so far - to see my answers for the adult books I've read, hop over to Book By Book.)

Describe yourself: My One Hundred Adventures

How do you feel: Anything But Typical

Describe where you currently live: Morpheus Road

If you could go anywhere, where would you go?  Northward to the Moon

Your favorite form of transportation:  Boom!

Your best friend is: Keeper

You and your friends are: First Light

What’s the weather like:  Icecore

You fear:  Murder at Midnight

What is the best advice you have to give:  Hide and Seek

Thought for the day:  And Then Everything Unraveled

How I would like to die: Ruined

My soul’s present condition:  Everwild

Top 100 Children's Books

I just read this list of Top 100 Children's Books over at Eating YA Books (this list was originally compiled by Elizabeth Bird at Fuse #8 based on voting from readers and posted on the School Library Journal Blog).  I just had to play along - I love lists (as you probably know if you've read my Top Ten Lists here).  Last year, I posted a similar list of 100 teen/YA books.  I only read 22 of those, but I did better with the children's list - I've read 45 of these (those highlighted in bold).   It's an interesting list, with a nice mix of both older classics and newer titles.  I read  some as a child and some more recently with my own kids (many of them on audio).  How about you?  How many of these books have you read?

100. The Egypt Game — Snyder (1967)
99. The Indian in the Cupboard — Banks (1980)
98. Children of Green Knowe — Boston (1954)
97. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane — DiCamillo (2006)
96. The Witches — Dahl (1983)
95. Pippi Longstocking — Lindgren (1950)
94. Swallows and Amazons — Ransome (1930)
93. Caddie Woodlawn — Brink (1935)
92. Ella Enchanted — Levine (1997)
91. Sideways Stories from Wayside School — Sachar (1978)
90. Sarah, Plain and Tall — MacLachlan (1985)
89. Ramona and Her Father — Cleary (1977)
88. The High King — Alexander (1968)
87. The View from Saturday — Konigsburg (1996)
86. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets — Rowling (1999)
85. On the Banks of Plum Creek — Wilder (1937)
84. The Little White Horse — Goudge (1946)
83. The Thief — Turner (1997)
82. The Book of Three — Alexander (1964)
81. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon — Lin (2009)**
80. The Graveyard Book — Gaiman (2008)
79. All-of-a-Kind-Family — Taylor (1951)**
78. Johnny Tremain — Forbes (1943)
77. The City of Ember — DuPrau (2003)
76. Out of the Dust — Hesse (1997)
75. Love That Dog — Creech (2001)
74. The Borrowers — Norton (1953)
73. My Side of the Mountain — George (1959)
72. My Father’s Dragon — Gannett (1948)
71. The Bad Beginning — Snicket (1999)**
70. Betsy-Tacy — Lovelae (1940)
69. The Mysterious Benedict Society — Stewart ( 2007)
68. Walk Two Moons — Creech (1994)
67. Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher — Coville (1991)
66. Henry Huggins — Cleary (1950)
65. Ballet Shoes — Stratfeild (1936)
64. A Long Way from Chicago — Peck (1998)
63. Gone-Away Lake — Enright (1957)
62. The Secret of the Old Clock — Keene (1959)
61. Stargirl — Spinelli (2000)
60. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle — Avi (1990)
59. Inkheart — Funke (2003)
58. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase — Aiken (1962)
57. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 — Cleary (1981)
56. Number the Stars — Lowry (1989)
55. The Great Gilly Hopkins — Paterson (1978)
54. The BFG — Dahl (1982)
53. Wind in the Willows — Grahame (1908)
52. The Invention of Hugo Cabret — Selznick (2007)
51. The Saturdays — Enright (1941)
50. Island of the Blue Dolphins — O’Dell (1960)
49. Frindle — Clements (1996)
48. The Penderwicks — Birdsall (2005)
47. Bud, Not Buddy — Curtis (1999)
46. Where the Red Fern Grows — Rawls (1961)
45. The Golden Compass — Pullman (1995)
44. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing — Blume (1972)
43. Ramona the Pest — Cleary (1968)
42. Little House on the Prairie — Wilder (1935)**
41. The Witch of Blackbird Pond — Speare (1958)
40. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz — Baum (1900)
39. When You Reach Me — Stead (2009)
38. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix — Rowling (2003)
37. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry — Taylor (1976)
36. Are You there, God? It’s Me, Margaret — Blume (1970)
35. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire — Rowling (2000)
34. The Watsons Go to Birmingham — Curtis (1995)
33. James and the Giant Peach — Dahl (1961)
32. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH — O’Brian (1971)
31. Half Magic — Eager (1954)
30. Winnie-the-Pooh — Milne (1926)**
29. The Dark Is Rising — Cooper (1973)
28. A Little Princess — Burnett (1905)**
27. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass — Carroll (1865/72)
26. Hatchet — Paulsen (1989)
25. Little Women — Alcott (1868/9)
24. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Rowling (2007)
23. Little House in the Big Woods — Wilder (1932)
22. The Tale of Despereaux — DiCamillo (2003)
21. The Lightening Thief — Riordan (2005)
20. Tuck Everlasting — Babbitt (1975)
19. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory — Dahl (1964)
18. Matilda — Dahl (1988)
17. Maniac Magee — Spinelli (1990)
16. Harriet the Spy — Fitzhugh (1964)
15. Because of Winn-Dixie — DiCamillo (2000)
14. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban — Rowling (1999)
13. Bridge to Terabithia — Paterson (1977)
12. The Hobbit — Tolkien (1938)**
11. The Westing Game — Raskin (1978)
10. The Phantom Tollbooth — Juster (1961)
9. Anne of Green Gables — Montgomery (1908)
8. The Secret Garden — Burnett (1911)
7. The Giver — Lowry (1993)
6. Holes — Sachar (1998)
5. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler — Koningsburg (1967)
4. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe — Lewis (1950)
3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s/Philsopher’s Stone — Rowling (1997)**
2. A Wrinkle in Time — L’Engle (1962)
1. Charlotte’s Web — White (1952)**

Besides these 45 that I've read or listened to, I've seen the movies for a few more and recognize several titles my kids have read that I haven't.  In fact, I think I'll print this list for them to look at, too!

There are so many favorites of mine on this list.  I just finished The Phantom Tollbooth yesterday!

How many have you read?

2009 In Review

I took a few minutes today to tally up the reading I did in 2009. This was the first year of Great Books for Kids and Teens, and I read/listened to a total of 84 books this year. Of those:

• 20 were middle-grade books
• 9 were middle-grade audio books
• 13 were teen/YA books
• 3 were teen/Ya audio books

I posted 39 reviews at Great Books for Kids and Teens. For a tally of the grown-up books I read and reviewed, check out Book by Book.

2009 was a great reading year! I'm still working on my Top Ten lists for 2009, and working to catch up on a bunch of reviews after the busy holiday season, so stay tuned!

Top Ten Books of My Childhood

TEN FOR TUESDAY

My Mom taught me to read before I started kindergarten, and once I mastered Go, Dog, Go! (P.D. Eastman), there was no stopping me! I read voraciously throughout my childhood. I devoured Dr. Seuss and the Ant and Bee books (does anyone else remember these?) and soon moved onto chapter books. Many of my favorite series were discovered through my second-grade teacher who read aloud to us at the end of every day (thanks, Mrs. Holzschuh!) These ten books or series were among my all-time favorites:

• A Wrinkle in Time and all of its sequels by Madeleine L’Engle
• The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
• Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene
• Trixie Belden series by Kathryn Kenny
• Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
• Katie John by Mary Calhoun
• Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret by Judy Blume
• The Borrowers series by Mary Norton
• Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

These wonderful books started me on the road of a lifetime love of reading, and I've introduced most of them to my own kids.

What were the favorite books of your childhood?

Teen Book Meme

First, a confession...I only recently learned what a "meme" is and I had to look it up! So, don't feel bad if it's new to you, too. My understanding is that it's some sort of Q&A thingy that people pass along and paste into their blogs. It's fun! And, since I love teen and YA books, this one really appealed to me. Thanks to Laura at I'm Booking It!

The following list of books teens love, books teens should read, and books adults who serve teens should know about was compiled IN ABSOLUTELY NO SCIENTIFIC MANNER and should be taken with a very large grain of salt.

Instructions:

Put an “X” next to the books you’ve read
Put a “+” next to the books you LOVE
Put a “#” next to the books you plan on reading
Tally your “X”s at the bottom
Share with your friends!

X 1. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy / Douglas Adams
2. Kit’s Wilderness / David Almond
X+3. Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian / Sherman Alexie
4. Speak / Laurie Halse Anderson
5. Feed / M.T. Anderson
X+6. Flowers in the Attic / V.C. Andrews
7. 13 Reasons Why / Jay Asher
8. Am I Blue? / Marion Dane Bauer (editor)
9. Audrey Wait! / Robin Benway
10. Weetzie Bat / Francesca Lia Block
11. Tangerine / Edward Bloor
X+12. Forever / Judy Blume
13. What I Saw and How I Lied / Judy Blundell
14. Tyrell / Coe Booth
* 15. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants / Ann Brashares (*saw the movie!)
16. A Great and Terrible Beauty / Libba Bray
* 17. The Princess Diaries / Meg Cabot (*saw the movie!)
X 18. The Stranger / Albert Camus
X++19. Ender’s Game / Orson Scott Card
20. Postcards from No Man’s Land / Aidan Chambers
21. Perks of Being a Wallflower / Stephen Chbosky
X 22. And Then There Were None / Agatha Christie
23. Gingerbread / Rachel Cohn
# 24. Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist / Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
X+25. Artemis Fowl (series) / Eoin Colfer
X++26. The Hunger Games / Suzanne Collins
27. The Midwife’s Apprentice / Karen Cushman
28. The Truth About Forever / Sarah Dessen
29. Little Brother / Cory Doctorow
30. A Northern Light / Jennifer Donnelly
31. Tears of a Tiger / Sharon Draper
X++32. The House of the Scorpion / Nancy Farmer
33. Breathing Underwater / Alex Flinn
34. Stardust / Neil Gaiman
35. Annie on My Mind / Nancy Garden
36. What Happened to Cass McBride / Gail Giles
37. Fat Kid Rules the World / K.L. Going
X 38. Lord of the Flies / William Golding
# 39. Looking for Alaska / John Green
40. Bronx Masquerade / Nikki Grimes
41. Out of the Dust / Karen Hesse
X 42. Hoot / Carl Hiaasen
X 43. The Outsiders / S.E. Hinton
44. Crank / Ellen Hopkins
45. The First Part Last / Angela Johnson
46. Blood and Chocolate / Annette Curtis Klause
47. Arrow’s Flight / Mercedes Lackey
48. Hattie Big Sky / Kirby Larson
X++49. To Kill a Mockingbird / Harper Lee
50. Boy Meets Boy / David Levithan
51. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks / E. Lockhart
X 52. The Giver / Lois Lowry
X 53. Number the Stars / Lois Lowry
54. Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie / David Lubar
55. Inexcusable / Chris Lynch
56. The Earth, My Butt and Other Big, Round Things / Carolyn Mackler
57. Dragonsong / Anne McCaffrey
58. White Darkness / Geraldine McCaughrean
59. Sold / Patricia McCormick
60. Jellicoe Road / Melina Marchetta
61. Wicked Lovely / Melissa Marr
62. Twilight / Stephenie Meyer
63. Dairy Queen / Catherine Murdock
64. Fallen Angels / Walter Dean Myers
65. Monster / Walter Dean Myers
66. Step From Heaven / An Na
67. Mama Day / Gloria Naylor
68. The Keys to the Kingdom (series) / Garth Nix
69. Sabriel / Garth Nix
70. Airborn / Kenneth Oppel
71. Eragon / Christopher Paolini
X 72. Hatchet / Gary Paulsen
73. Life As We Knew It / Susan Beth Pfeffer
X++74. The Golden Compass / Phillip Pullman
75. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging / Louise Rennison
X+76. The Lightning Thief / Rick Riordan
77. Always Running: La Vida Loca / Luis Rodriguez
78. How I Live Now / Meg Rosoff
X++79. Harry Potter (series) / J.K. Rowling
* 80. Holes / Louis Sachar
X 81. Catcher in the Rye / J. D. Salinger
82. Push / Sapphire
83. Persepolis / Marjane Satrapi
84. Unwind / Neil Shusterman
85. Coldest Winter Ever / Sister Souljah
86. Stargirl / Jerry Spinelli
87. Chanda’s Secrets / Allan Stratton
88. Tale of One Bad Rat / Brian Talbot
89. Rats Saw God / Rob Thomas
* 90. Lord of the Rings / J.R.R. Tolkien
91. Stuck in Neutral / Terry Trueman
92. Gossip Girl / Cecily Von Ziegesar
93. Uglies / Scott Westerfeld
94. Every Time a Rainbow Dies / Rita Williams-Garcia
95. Pedro and Me / Judd Winick
96. Hard Love / Ellen Wittlinger
97. American Born Chinese / Gene Luen Yang
98. Elsewhere / Gabrielle Zevin
99. I am the Messenger / Markus Zusak
X+100. The Book Thief / Markus Zusak

I've read 22 out of 100 - I better get busy! Plus I added two new designations: * means I saw the movie but didn't read the book, and - since I'm prone to fits of unbridled enthusiasm - ++ means that I REALLY loved it, as in one of the best books I've ever read. What a great list!

Anyone else want to play?