Best Books of 2007
Total Number of Books Read in 2007: 475
(Listed first by category, then alphabetically by author)
Best teen and adult fiction released in 2007:
Beauty Shop for Rent...fully equipped, inquire within by Laura Bowers
Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande
Mistik Lake by Martha Brooks
The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti
Cupcake by Rachel Cohn
Dramarama by E. Lockhart
Girl At Sea by Maureen Johnson
Falling Boy by Alison McGhee
Bloom by Elizabeth Scott
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin
Best juvenile fiction released in 2007:
Leap of Faith by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Louisiana's Song by Kerry Madden
Miss Spitfire by Sarah Miller
Billy Hooten, Owlboy by Tom Sniegoski, illustrated by Eric Powell
Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis
A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban
Reaching For Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
Best verse novels released in 2007:
Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham
Your Own, Sylvia by Stephanie Hemphill
Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall by Wendy Mass
Rubber Houses by Ellen Yeomans
Reaching For Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
Notable debuts in teen fiction:
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham
Notes on a Near-Life Experience by Olivia Birdsall
Beauty Shop for Rent...fully equipped, inquire within by Laura Bowers
Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande
Total Constant Order by Crissa-Jean Chappell
Get Well Soon by Julie Halpern
Notes from the Teenage Underground by Simmone Howell
Tips on Having a Gay (Ex) Boyfriend by Carrie Jones
Lessons From a Dead Girl by Jo Knowles
Bloom by Elizabeth Scott
Lost It by Kristen Tracy
Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess
Flora Segunda by Ysabeau S. Wilce
Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
Notable debuts in juvenile fiction:
The Thing About Georgie by Lisa Graff
Cassie Was Here by Caroline Hickey
Letters from Rapunzel by Sara Lewis Holmes
Miss Spitfire by Sarah Miller
Freak by Marcella Pixley
Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis
A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban
Entering new territory:
(an author's first work for a new age group)
Austenland by Shannon Hale (adult fiction)
The Wild Girls by Pat Murphy (teen fiction)
Good Girls by Laura Ruby (teen fiction)
The Friskative Dog by Susan Straight (juvenile fiction)
Best second and third releases:
The Rising Star of Rusty Nail by Lesley M.M. Blume (juvenile fiction)
Beige by Cecil Castellucci (teen fiction)
Runaround by Helen Hemphill (juvenile fiction)
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin (teen fiction)
Most memorable picture books of 2007:
The Only Boy in Ballet Class by Denise Gruska, illustrated by Amy Wummer
The Secret Life of Walter Kitty by Barbara Jean Hicks, illustrated by Dan Santat
Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend written and illustrated by Melanie Watt
Someday by Alison McGhee, illustrated by Peter Reynolds
Best illustrations of 2007:
The Care and Feeding of Sprites illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi, written by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black (companion to their series, The Spiderwick Chronicles)
Where To, Little Wombat? written and illustrated by Charles Fuge (picture book)
Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden (illustrated horror novel)
Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf illustrated by Elicia Castaldi, with additional artwork by Matthew Holm, written by Jennifer L. Holm (juvenile fiction)
Babymouse: Skater Girl by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm (juvenile graphic novel)
Pippi Longstocking, newly illustrated by Lauren Child, newly translated by Tiina Nunnally, originally written by Astrid Lindgren (juvenile fiction)
How to Paint the Portrait of a Bird, newly translated and illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein, originally written by Jacques Prévert (poetry/picture book)
The Invention of Hugo Cabret written and illustrated by Brian Selznick (illustrated juvenile novel)
Billy Hooten, Owlboy illustrated by Eric Powell, written by Tom Sniegoski (juvenile series)
Oscar and the Moth written and illustrated by Geoff Waring (picture book)
Mary Anne Saves the Day illustrated by Raina Telgemeier, based on the book by Ann M. Martin (graphic novel)
Twist: Yoga Poems written by Janet S. Wong, illustrated by Julie Paschkis (poetry/picture book)
Notable graphic novels:
The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg
Mary Anne Saves the Day by Ann M. Martin, illustrated by Raina Telgemeier
Promising starts to new juvenile series:
In the Cards: Love by Mariah Fredericks
Billy Hooten, Owlboy by Tom Sniegoski, illustrated by Eric Powell
Fun juvenile series continued:
Zibby Payne and the Drama Trauma, the second Zibby Payne book by Alison Bell
Clarice Bean, Don't Look Now, the third Clarice Bean novel by Lauren Child
Lucy Rose: Working Myself to Pieces & Bits, the fourth Lucy Rose book by Katy Kelly, illustrated by Peter Ferguson
Louisiana's Song, the second in the Maggie Valley trilogy by by Kerry Madden
The Cupid Chronicles and Willa at Heart, the second and third in the Wedding Planner's Daughter line by Coleen Murtagh Paratore (technically, Willa has a January 2008 release date)
Owlboy: The Girl with the Destructo Touch by Tom Sniegoski
Addictive teen series continued:
The Salamander Spell, the prequel to the Tales of the Frog Princess by E. D. Baker
Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy, the second Gallagher Girls story by Ally Carter
Flawless and Perfect, the second and third Pretty Little Liars books by Sara Shepard
Best conclusions to trilogies:
Ironside: A Modern Faery's Tale by Holly Black (teen fiction)
Cupcake by Rachel Cohn
So Totally Emily Ebers by Lisa Yee (juvenile fiction)
Best adult series continued:
The Borderkind, the second book of The Veil by Christopher Golden
Crashing Paradise, the fourth book of The Menagerie by Christopher Golden and Thomas E. Sniegoski
Best backlist titles read in 2007:
Zibby Payne and the Wonderful, Terrible Tomboy Experiment by Alison Bell (juvenile fiction)
Instructions by Neil Gaiman (short story)
Wolves by Emily Gravett (picture book)
Loose Threads by Lorie Ann Grover (verse novel)
Twice Told: Original Stories Inspired by Original Art by Scott Hunt (anthology)
The Underwood See by Michael Lawrence (fantasy)
Gentle's Holler by Kerry Madden (juvenile fiction)
In the Realm of the Never Fairies: The Secret World of Pixie Hollow with text by Monique Peterson and illustrations by The Disney Storybook Artists, designed by Elizabeth Ryazantseva and Megan Krempels (companion to a juvenile series)
The Problem of the Missing Miss by Roberta Rogow (mystery)
The Book of One Hundred Truths by Julie Schumacher (juvenile fiction)
The Sweet, Terrible, Glorious Year I Truly, Completely Lost It (originally titled My Big Birkett) by Lisa Shanahan (teen fiction)
That Girl Lucy Moon by Amy Timberlake (juvenile fiction)
Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt (picture book)
Favorite classics re-read:
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll
Poetry by Emily Dickinson
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Poetry by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Notable advanced reads:
(read in 2007, coming out in 2008)
The Fortunes of Indigo Skye by Deb Caletti
You Know Where to Find Me by Rachel Cohn
The Opposite of Invisible by Liz Gallagher
Girl Overboard by Justina Chen Headley
Feathered by Laura Kasischke
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt
Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott
A Little Friendly Advice by Siobhan Vivian
Leftovers by Laura Wiess
Good Enough by Paula Yoo
Outside links:
My list of Best Books of 2007 on Amazon
My list of Best Books of 2008 (So Far) on Amazon
(Listed first by category, then alphabetically by author)
Best teen and adult fiction released in 2007:
Beauty Shop for Rent...fully equipped, inquire within by Laura Bowers
Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande
Mistik Lake by Martha Brooks
The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti
Cupcake by Rachel Cohn
Dramarama by E. Lockhart
Girl At Sea by Maureen Johnson
Falling Boy by Alison McGhee
Bloom by Elizabeth Scott
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin
Best juvenile fiction released in 2007:
Leap of Faith by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Louisiana's Song by Kerry Madden
Miss Spitfire by Sarah Miller
Billy Hooten, Owlboy by Tom Sniegoski, illustrated by Eric Powell
Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis
A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban
Reaching For Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
Best verse novels released in 2007:
Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham
Your Own, Sylvia by Stephanie Hemphill
Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall by Wendy Mass
Rubber Houses by Ellen Yeomans
Reaching For Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
Notable debuts in teen fiction:
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham
Notes on a Near-Life Experience by Olivia Birdsall
Beauty Shop for Rent...fully equipped, inquire within by Laura Bowers
Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande
Total Constant Order by Crissa-Jean Chappell
Get Well Soon by Julie Halpern
Notes from the Teenage Underground by Simmone Howell
Tips on Having a Gay (Ex) Boyfriend by Carrie Jones
Lessons From a Dead Girl by Jo Knowles
Bloom by Elizabeth Scott
Lost It by Kristen Tracy
Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess
Flora Segunda by Ysabeau S. Wilce
Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
Notable debuts in juvenile fiction:
The Thing About Georgie by Lisa Graff
Cassie Was Here by Caroline Hickey
Letters from Rapunzel by Sara Lewis Holmes
Miss Spitfire by Sarah Miller
Freak by Marcella Pixley
Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis
A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban
Entering new territory:
(an author's first work for a new age group)
Austenland by Shannon Hale (adult fiction)
The Wild Girls by Pat Murphy (teen fiction)
Good Girls by Laura Ruby (teen fiction)
The Friskative Dog by Susan Straight (juvenile fiction)
Best second and third releases:
The Rising Star of Rusty Nail by Lesley M.M. Blume (juvenile fiction)
Beige by Cecil Castellucci (teen fiction)
Runaround by Helen Hemphill (juvenile fiction)
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin (teen fiction)
Most memorable picture books of 2007:
The Only Boy in Ballet Class by Denise Gruska, illustrated by Amy Wummer
The Secret Life of Walter Kitty by Barbara Jean Hicks, illustrated by Dan Santat
Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend written and illustrated by Melanie Watt
Someday by Alison McGhee, illustrated by Peter Reynolds
Best illustrations of 2007:
The Care and Feeding of Sprites illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi, written by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black (companion to their series, The Spiderwick Chronicles)
Where To, Little Wombat? written and illustrated by Charles Fuge (picture book)
Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden (illustrated horror novel)
Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf illustrated by Elicia Castaldi, with additional artwork by Matthew Holm, written by Jennifer L. Holm (juvenile fiction)
Babymouse: Skater Girl by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm (juvenile graphic novel)
Pippi Longstocking, newly illustrated by Lauren Child, newly translated by Tiina Nunnally, originally written by Astrid Lindgren (juvenile fiction)
How to Paint the Portrait of a Bird, newly translated and illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein, originally written by Jacques Prévert (poetry/picture book)
The Invention of Hugo Cabret written and illustrated by Brian Selznick (illustrated juvenile novel)
Billy Hooten, Owlboy illustrated by Eric Powell, written by Tom Sniegoski (juvenile series)
Oscar and the Moth written and illustrated by Geoff Waring (picture book)
Mary Anne Saves the Day illustrated by Raina Telgemeier, based on the book by Ann M. Martin (graphic novel)
Twist: Yoga Poems written by Janet S. Wong, illustrated by Julie Paschkis (poetry/picture book)
Notable graphic novels:
The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg
Mary Anne Saves the Day by Ann M. Martin, illustrated by Raina Telgemeier
Promising starts to new juvenile series:
In the Cards: Love by Mariah Fredericks
Billy Hooten, Owlboy by Tom Sniegoski, illustrated by Eric Powell
Fun juvenile series continued:
Zibby Payne and the Drama Trauma, the second Zibby Payne book by Alison Bell
Clarice Bean, Don't Look Now, the third Clarice Bean novel by Lauren Child
Lucy Rose: Working Myself to Pieces & Bits, the fourth Lucy Rose book by Katy Kelly, illustrated by Peter Ferguson
Louisiana's Song, the second in the Maggie Valley trilogy by by Kerry Madden
The Cupid Chronicles and Willa at Heart, the second and third in the Wedding Planner's Daughter line by Coleen Murtagh Paratore (technically, Willa has a January 2008 release date)
Owlboy: The Girl with the Destructo Touch by Tom Sniegoski
Addictive teen series continued:
The Salamander Spell, the prequel to the Tales of the Frog Princess by E. D. Baker
Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy, the second Gallagher Girls story by Ally Carter
Flawless and Perfect, the second and third Pretty Little Liars books by Sara Shepard
Best conclusions to trilogies:
Ironside: A Modern Faery's Tale by Holly Black (teen fiction)
Cupcake by Rachel Cohn
So Totally Emily Ebers by Lisa Yee (juvenile fiction)
Best adult series continued:
The Borderkind, the second book of The Veil by Christopher Golden
Crashing Paradise, the fourth book of The Menagerie by Christopher Golden and Thomas E. Sniegoski
Best backlist titles read in 2007:
Zibby Payne and the Wonderful, Terrible Tomboy Experiment by Alison Bell (juvenile fiction)
Instructions by Neil Gaiman (short story)
Wolves by Emily Gravett (picture book)
Loose Threads by Lorie Ann Grover (verse novel)
Twice Told: Original Stories Inspired by Original Art by Scott Hunt (anthology)
The Underwood See by Michael Lawrence (fantasy)
Gentle's Holler by Kerry Madden (juvenile fiction)
In the Realm of the Never Fairies: The Secret World of Pixie Hollow with text by Monique Peterson and illustrations by The Disney Storybook Artists, designed by Elizabeth Ryazantseva and Megan Krempels (companion to a juvenile series)
The Problem of the Missing Miss by Roberta Rogow (mystery)
The Book of One Hundred Truths by Julie Schumacher (juvenile fiction)
The Sweet, Terrible, Glorious Year I Truly, Completely Lost It (originally titled My Big Birkett) by Lisa Shanahan (teen fiction)
That Girl Lucy Moon by Amy Timberlake (juvenile fiction)
Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt (picture book)
Favorite classics re-read:
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll
Poetry by Emily Dickinson
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Poetry by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Notable advanced reads:
(read in 2007, coming out in 2008)
The Fortunes of Indigo Skye by Deb Caletti
You Know Where to Find Me by Rachel Cohn
The Opposite of Invisible by Liz Gallagher
Girl Overboard by Justina Chen Headley
Feathered by Laura Kasischke
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt
Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott
A Little Friendly Advice by Siobhan Vivian
Leftovers by Laura Wiess
Good Enough by Paula Yoo
Outside links:
My list of Best Books of 2007 on Amazon
My list of Best Books of 2008 (So Far) on Amazon