2012 was a good year to be a reader! Ask me my favorite book and I’ll probably hem and haw before making a decision—but if I have to choose, I’ll choose from this list.
(Instead of giving you a long discussion of the merits of each book, I’m limiting myself to a Twitter-style 140-character summary for each. Here goes!)
Chloe and the Lion by Mac Barnett, illus. by Adam Rex; Hyperion Books (HarperCollins); 16.99; Ages 3-8
This discussion of author/illustrator collaboration hilariously breaks the fourth wall. Lots to look at, lots of laughs. Top Caldecott pick.
This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen; Candlewick Press; 15.99; Ages 3-7
A little fish steals a big fish’s bowler hat. Text follows little fish, art follows big fish. Mayhem ensues. Klassen is a comic genius.
A Greyhound of a Girl by Roddy Doyle; Amulet Books (Abrams); 16.95; Ages 9-adult
Poignant generational story about mothers, daughters, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers. Just the right length, great emotional impact.
Summer of the Gypsy Moths by Sara Pennypacker; Balzer & Bray (Harperteen); 15.99; Ages 9-12
This novel about an unlikely friendship is also a novel about two kinds of family: the kind we’re born into, and the kind we choose.
Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz; Candlewick Press; 17.99; Ages 10-16
A Dickensian orphan story with a magical twist. Hilarity abounds. Schlitz is the queen of engaging, descriptive prose. Top Newbery pick.
Jepp, Who Defied the Stars by Katherine Marsh; Hyperion Books; 16.99; Ages 12-adult
A young court dwarf in the Spanish Netherlands journeys on a quest to find his fate. Fantastic storytelling. Marsh is a DC author!
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews; Abrams Publishing; 16.95; Ages 14-adult
A story of unlikely friendship without the usual cliches. A fresh voice that is hysterical and engaging. You will laugh and cry.
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein; Hyperion Books; 16.99; Ages 14-adult
Part spy thriller, part friendship story, with twists you’ll never see coming. Begs to be reread. Top Printz pick. Best book of the year.
