2009:
416 books read
Please note that a title's placement within a category is not an indication of rank of any sort. I've merely listed the titles in the order in which they were read.
For All Ages
Guardians of Being words by Eckhart Tolle, art by Patrick McDonnell
Wag by Patrick McDonnell
Picture Books and Early Readers
Various Charlie & Lola titles by Lauren Child and others (example: We Are Extremely Very Good Recyclers based on characters created by Lauren Child and a script by Bridget Hurst)
Amanda Pig, First Grader by Jean Van Leeuwen, illustrated by Ann Schweninger
The Little Red Elf by Barbara Barbieri McGrath, illustrated by Rosalinde Bonnet
The Frogs and Toads All Sang by Arnold Lobel, illustrated by Arnold Lobel and Adrianne Lobel
Juvenile Fiction
Life, Starring Me! by Robin Wasserman
Positively by Courtney Sheinmel
Also Known As Harper by Ann Haywood Leal
Anything but Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin
Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff
Standing for Socks by Elissa Brent Weissman
The Sisters Club: Rule of Three by Megan McDonald
Judy Moody & Stink: The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Treasure Hunt by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Peter Reynolds
The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. by Kate Messner
Any Which Wall by Laurel Snyder
The Importance of Wings by Robin Friedman
Operation Yes by Sara Lewis Holmes
Teen Fiction
The Waking: Dreams of the Dead by Thomas Randall
Legacy by Tom Sniegoski
North of Beautiful by Justina Chen-Headley
Ten Things I Hate About Me by Randa Abdel-Fattah
Same Difference by Siobhan Vivian
Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott
Band Geeked Out by Josie Bloss
Purge by Sarah Darer Littman
A Map of the Known World by Lisa Ann Sandell
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott
You Are Here by Jennifer E. Smith
The Miles Between by Mary E. Pearson
Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas
It's Not You, It's Me by Kerry Cohen Hoffmann
Mare's War by Tanita S. Davis
The Sweet Life of Stella Madison by Lara M. Zeises
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
Girl to the Core by Stacey Goldblatt
The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Caletti
The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Nothing but Ghosts by Beth Kephart
Sleepaway Girls by Jen Calonita
Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles
The Indigo Notebook by Laura Resau
Riding The Universe by Gaby Triana
Hold Still by Nina LaCour
Into the Wild Nerd Yonder by Julie Halpern
Peace, Love & Baby Ducks by Lauren Myracle
Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr
Fat Cat by Robin Brande
Adult Fiction
The Map of Moments by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon
Dancing on the Head of a Pin by Thomas E. Sniegoski
Graphic Novels
Babymouse: The Musical by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm
The Storm in the Barn by Matt Phelan
Knights of the Lunch Table #2: The Dragon Players by Frank Cammuso
Black is for Beginnings by Laurie Stolarz, adapted by Barbara Randall Kesel, artwork by Janina Görrissen
Wonderland by Tommy Kovac, illustrated by Sonny Liew (after portions were previously released as separate issues, I believe this was the first time the issues were bound together and released as a graphic novel)
Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, retold by Martin Powell, illustrated by Daniel Perez
Promising Starts to New Series - Juvenile Fiction
Sassy: Little Sister is NOT My Name! by Sharon Draper
Promising Starts to New Series - Teen Fiction
The Waking: Dreams of the Dead by Thomas Randall
The Indigo Notebook by Laura Resau
Paisley Hanover Acts Out by Cameron Tuttle
Sequels or Continuing Series - Juvenile Fiction
From the Life Of Willa Havisham: Forget Me Not by Coleen Murtagh Paratore
Julia Gillian (and the Quest for Joy) by Alison McGhee, with art by Drazen Kozjan
Girls Acting Catty by Leslie Margolis (sequel to Boys Are Dogs)
The Sisters Club: Rule of Three by Megan McDonald
Judy Moody & Stink: The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Treasure Hunt by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Peter Reynolds
Sequels or Continuing Series - Teen Fiction
Goddess Boot Camp by Tera Lynn Childs (sequel to Oh. My. Gods.)
Highway to H#!! by Rosemary Clement-Moore (third Maggie Quinn: Girl vs. Evil novel)
Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter (third Gallagher Girls novel)
The Treasure Map of Boys by E. Lockhart (third Ruby Oliver novel)
Paparazzi Princess by Jen Calonita (fourth Secrets of My Hollywood Life novel)
Crashed by Robin Wasserman (second in a trilogy)
Sequels or Continuing Series - Adult Fiction
The Map of Moments by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon (the second novel of The Hidden Cities)
Dancing on the Head of a Pin by Thomas E. Sniegoski (the second Remy Chandler novel)
Notable Debuts
Standing for Socks by Elissa Brent Weissman
Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas
Shine, Coconut Moon by Neesha Meminger
Breathing by Cheryl Renée Herbsman
Skunk Girl by Sheba Karim
Hold Still by Nina LaCour
The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg
Notable Second or Third Releases
North of Beautiful by Justina Chen-Headley
Ten Things I Hate About Me by Randa Abdel-Fattah
Same Difference by Siobhan Vivian
Band Geeked Out by Josie Bloss
Broken by Alyxandra Harvey-Fitzhenry
You Are Here by Jennifer E. Smith
Goddess Boot Camp by Tera Lynn Childs
Positively by Courtney Sheinmel
Girl to the Core by Stacey Goldblatt
Fat Cat by Robin Brande
Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles
Any Which Wall by Laurel Snyder
Operation Yes by Sara Lewis Holmes
New Territory - authors writing for new audiences
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han (teen fiction)
Camille McPhee Fell Under the Bus by Kristen Tracy (juvenile fiction)
Life, Starring Me! by Robin Wasserman (juvenile fiction; her previous novels for young readers had a sci-fi/action-adventure touch, while this book was realistic fiction)
Notable Illustrations
The Mutts books written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell
The Judy Moody & Stink books illustrated by Peter Reynolds, written by Megan McDonald (juvenile fiction)
So Punk Rock (and Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother) by Micol Ostow, with art byDavid Ostow (teen fiction)
Craft and How-To Books
Paper Fashions: Fantasy by the editors of Klutz
Adventures in Cartooning: How to Turn Your Doodles Into Comics by James Sturm, Andrew Arnold, Alexis Frederick-Frost
All of the titles listed above were released in 2009. Below are the best backlist titles I read in 2009, meaning they were released prior to 2009.
Backlist Picks
Peg Leg Peke by Brie Spangler (picture book)
The New Girl...and Me by Jacqui Robbins, illustrated by Matt Phelan (picture book)
The Disney Bunnies books written by Laura Driscoll, illustrated by (but not limited to) Lori Tyminski, Giorgio Vallorani, Valeria Turati, Maria Elena Naggi & Charles Pickens (picture books)
The Chaos King by Laura Ruby (juvenile fiction)
Lulu Atlantis and the Quest for True Blue Love by Patricia Martin (juvenile fiction)
The President's Daughter by Ellen Emerson White (teen fiction)
The Kingdom of Strange by Shula Klinger (teen fiction)
The Good Girl by Kerry Cohen Hoffmann (teen fiction)
Red Glass by Laura Resau (teen fiction)
Who Will Tell My Brother? by Marlene Carvell (teen fiction)
Coraline, illustrated by P. Craig Russell, based on the novel by Neil Gaiman (graphic novel; I read the original novel when it first came out, years ago)
Janes in Love by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg (graphic novel)
Cool Jewels: Beading Projects for Teens by Naomi Fujimoto (non-fiction)
National Geographic: How to Be an Egyptian Princess by Jacqueline Morley, illustrated by Nicholas J. Hewetson (non-fiction)
Math Doesn't Suck: How to Survive Middle School Math Without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail by Danica McKellar, illustrated by Mary Lynn Blasutta (non-fiction)
Kiss My Math: Showing Pre-Algebra Who's Boss by Danica McKellar (non-fiction)
The Complete Professional Audition: A Commonsense Guide To Auditioning For Musicals and Plays by Darren R. Cohen with Michael Perilstein, Foreword by Jason Robert Brown (non-fiction)
In Their Shoes: Extraordinary Women Describe Their Amazing Careers by Deborah Reber (non-fiction)
I also read various titles in 2009 which won't be released until 2010. Here are the best of them:
Advance Picks
Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers (teen fiction, coming out January 2010)
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place #1: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood, illustrated by Jon Klassen (juvenile fiction, coming out February 2010)
In a Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth (teen fiction, coming out February 2010)
After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick (teen fiction, coming out February 2010)
The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott (teen fiction, coming out April 2010)
Cinderella Cleaners #1: Change of a Dress by Maya Gold (juvenile fiction, coming out April 2010)
The Waking: Spirits of the Noh by Thomas Randall (teen fiction, coming out April/May 2010)
A Field Guide for Heartbreakers by Kristen Tracy (teen fiction, coming out May 2010)
Reality Check by Jen Calonita (teen fiction, coming out June 2010)
