Ok, between Sharon's commentary about April's Top 100 YA list and my own disgruntled feelings...I just had to do my OWN commentary. Skip if you want - I just wanted my posterity to know how I felt, or at the very least get out my angst. :)
I'm not going to make a list of what should be on there. I looked in vain for favorites like Witch of Blackbird Pond or The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. At any rate, I felt like I've read enough of them to have an opinion. The blue links are to my reviews if they're on our blog. Those and the bolded ones are those we've read.
100. Hate List by Jennifer Brown
99. Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix - I'm ok with this and I've only read the first two books.
98. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly - A favorite YA of mine, my only complaint is that it's not higher up on the list.
97. Among The Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix - I enjoyed this series as well, although if I were to pick a Haddix book to put on here, it wouldn't be this one.
96. Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Claus - this probably wouldn't have made my own list, but one of her other books might.
95. Forever by Judy Blume
94. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale - It's not reviewed on here because I read it when it first came out and before this blog was a twinkle in my eye. I graded it an A.
93. Tithe by Holly Black
92. Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
91. Wings by Aprillynne Pike
90. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
89. Angus, Thongs And Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison - To me this was too much silliness with a bit of inappropriateness thrown in, and not worth a top 100.
88. Marked by PC And Kristin Cast - I haven't read it, but have debated doing so. I don't think it'd make my list...just based on the plot idea, but I'll give it a shot. Maybe. :)
87. Maximum Ride series by James Patterson - I read the first book. It wasn't amazing, but it was alright. I can see teens devouring them, but I got a bit bored.
86. The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
85. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson - Trackgeek read this one.
84. I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak
83. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli - Absolutely. Absolutely.
82. The Mediator series by Meg Cabot
81. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen - eh. I get a bit underwhelmed about Sarah Dessen's books.
80. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin - I tried, I tried, I swear. It was a Failed to Finish.
79. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - This isn't teen. At ALL. In fact, I don't think teens should read it, because you'll just learn to hate American writers too soon.
78. Along For The Ride by Sarah Dessen
77. Evernight by Claudia Gray - are you kidding me?
76. If I Stay by Gayle Foreman - This book had me tossing and turning after I read it. On one hand it was amazing. On the other, frustrating. I can't find a review...which is odd...
75. Life As We Knew It series by Susan Beth Pfeffer - it's postapocalyptic. It's going to take a while for me to get the guts to read it.
74. Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston - Not a huge fan of these books, but I can see why teens are crazy about them.
73. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa - I WANT to read it. :)
72. Alana: The First Adventure series by Tamora Pierce - Yeah, this is ok. I enjoy Tamora Pierce's series.
71. Stardust by Neil Gaiman - I'm sorry, this is just me, but I actually hate Neil Gaiman's books. Sorry.
70. Unwind by Neil Shusterman
69. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech - yes.
68. Paper Towns by John Green - odd that I can't find a review for this one either. Trackgeek read it.
67. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles - have it on hold...
66. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith - yes.
65. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli - I like this choice...one I forget from time to time, but a good one.
64. The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time by Mark Haddon
63. The Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell - My favorite of his is Sing Down the Moon, but I would have put both on the list.
62. Blue Bloods series by Melissa De La Cruz
61. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous - I think this is an excellent book about what it's really like to find yourself drinking/doing drugs/etc and finding yourself in a spiral of addiction.
60. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
59. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt - yes, it's a great book, but...I wanted to know what her life was like after she made her choice. I mean page by page, not the way it ends.
58. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen - you already know my thoughts on this...
57. Eragon by Christopher Paoloni - oh, absolutely.
56. Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine
55. The Vampire Diaries by LJ Smith
54. Fallen by Lauren Kate
53. The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett - yay! Glad it made it, although I'm not pretending that this is in any way a teen book.
52. The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot
51. Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke
50. Number The Stars by Lois Lowry - loved this one as a child.
49. Lord Of The Flies by William Golding
48. The Maze Runner by James Dashner - looking forward to the sequel
47. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares - my mom pointed out that no one ends up happy, despite any closure. Not a favorite, although the first one is better than the rest.
46. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
45. The Summoning series by Kelley Armstrong
44. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
43. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson - excellent writing. Horrifying plot.
42. Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card - an A, and definitely definitely.
41. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones - I've only read the first, same with Trackgeek, but we both enjoyed it. A little odd for the both of us, but still fun.
40. Wake series by Lisa McMann
39. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
38. Are You There Good? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume
37. Looking For Alaska by John Green
36. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett - Again. Not teen. Still great, though!
35. A Great And Terrible Beauty series by Libba Bray - only read the first because basically I had no idea what the plot was and what was really going on.
34. His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman - I enjoyed the series but was freaked out by the pseudo/twisted - Christian philosophy in the 3rd book. I'd rather his Ruby and the Smoke series be on here.
33. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - A great book and a good one for teens.
32. Romeo And Juliet by William Shakespeare - ok, this is SO not his best work. Try Taming of the Shrew.
31. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
30. Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr - liked the first book, but not enough to keep reading...
29. Forest of Hands And Teeth by Carrie Ryan - I can't believe I don't have a review! I think it must be because we read it before we set up our blog. I really liked it, although it scared me to death.
28. Holes by Louis Sacher - cute book...like the movie.
27. The Outsiders by SE Hinton - yes.
26. The Catcher In The Rye by JD Salinger - Salinger is a bit much for teens.
25. The Princess Bride by William Goldman - love this book.
24. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
23. The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
22.Uglies series by Scott Westerfield - surprisingly good. I expected a very cliche plot, but Westerfeld has a knack, and for the most part I read all his books.
21. Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia
20. Poison Study series by Maria V. Snyder - This is adult, in the adult section, and the underlying themes of rape and abuse are not in a context that I believe are appropriate for teens.
19. Book Thief by Markus Zusak- on our bookshelf ready to read, and we're torn since people seem to either love it or hate it.
18. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carlson Levine - cute read.
17. Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead
16. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick - Liked the plot better than Twilight, but like Meyer's writing better than Fitzpatrick's.
15. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - always appropriate for women of any age.
14. Anne of Green Gables series by LM Montgomery - duh.
13. The Giver by Lois Lowry
12. The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare - enjoyed the first book, but won't be reading the rest.
11. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
10. Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis - love these!
9. A Wrinkle In Time series by Madeline L'engle - after the first couple books it gets kind of weird, but they're such a favorite.
8. Graceling series by Kristin Cashore - I don't have the review for Graceling on here, but I enjoyed it and I loved Fire as well (which is the review linked).
7. Percy Jackson And The Olympians by Rick Riordan
6. Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
5. Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen - hey, I'm glad to see it's not the zombie version.
4. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee - one of my top favorites of all time.
3. Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer - I really don't think this deserves number 3, but it's so popular that I can see why it was voted that way.
2. Harry Potter series by JK Rowling - I think this should be up there....I'm not sure it deserves the number 2 spot though.
1. The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins - Not my pick for #1, but hey...
Where's Patricia Wrede? Anyone?
I'm not going to make a list of what should be on there. I looked in vain for favorites like Witch of Blackbird Pond or The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. At any rate, I felt like I've read enough of them to have an opinion. The blue links are to my reviews if they're on our blog. Those and the bolded ones are those we've read.
100. Hate List by Jennifer Brown
99. Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix - I'm ok with this and I've only read the first two books.
98. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly - A favorite YA of mine, my only complaint is that it's not higher up on the list.
97. Among The Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix - I enjoyed this series as well, although if I were to pick a Haddix book to put on here, it wouldn't be this one.
96. Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Claus - this probably wouldn't have made my own list, but one of her other books might.
95. Forever by Judy Blume
94. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale - It's not reviewed on here because I read it when it first came out and before this blog was a twinkle in my eye. I graded it an A.
93. Tithe by Holly Black
92. Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
91. Wings by Aprillynne Pike
90. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
89. Angus, Thongs And Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison - To me this was too much silliness with a bit of inappropriateness thrown in, and not worth a top 100.
88. Marked by PC And Kristin Cast - I haven't read it, but have debated doing so. I don't think it'd make my list...just based on the plot idea, but I'll give it a shot. Maybe. :)
87. Maximum Ride series by James Patterson - I read the first book. It wasn't amazing, but it was alright. I can see teens devouring them, but I got a bit bored.
86. The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
85. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson - Trackgeek read this one.
84. I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak
83. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli - Absolutely. Absolutely.
82. The Mediator series by Meg Cabot
81. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen - eh. I get a bit underwhelmed about Sarah Dessen's books.
80. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin - I tried, I tried, I swear. It was a Failed to Finish.
79. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - This isn't teen. At ALL. In fact, I don't think teens should read it, because you'll just learn to hate American writers too soon.
78. Along For The Ride by Sarah Dessen
77. Evernight by Claudia Gray - are you kidding me?
76. If I Stay by Gayle Foreman - This book had me tossing and turning after I read it. On one hand it was amazing. On the other, frustrating. I can't find a review...which is odd...
75. Life As We Knew It series by Susan Beth Pfeffer - it's postapocalyptic. It's going to take a while for me to get the guts to read it.
74. Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston - Not a huge fan of these books, but I can see why teens are crazy about them.
73. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa - I WANT to read it. :)
72. Alana: The First Adventure series by Tamora Pierce - Yeah, this is ok. I enjoy Tamora Pierce's series.
71. Stardust by Neil Gaiman - I'm sorry, this is just me, but I actually hate Neil Gaiman's books. Sorry.
70. Unwind by Neil Shusterman
69. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech - yes.
68. Paper Towns by John Green - odd that I can't find a review for this one either. Trackgeek read it.
67. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles - have it on hold...
66. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith - yes.
65. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli - I like this choice...one I forget from time to time, but a good one.
64. The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time by Mark Haddon
63. The Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell - My favorite of his is Sing Down the Moon, but I would have put both on the list.
62. Blue Bloods series by Melissa De La Cruz
61. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous - I think this is an excellent book about what it's really like to find yourself drinking/doing drugs/etc and finding yourself in a spiral of addiction.
60. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
59. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt - yes, it's a great book, but...I wanted to know what her life was like after she made her choice. I mean page by page, not the way it ends.
58. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen - you already know my thoughts on this...
57. Eragon by Christopher Paoloni - oh, absolutely.
56. Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine
55. The Vampire Diaries by LJ Smith
54. Fallen by Lauren Kate
53. The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett - yay! Glad it made it, although I'm not pretending that this is in any way a teen book.
52. The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot
51. Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke
50. Number The Stars by Lois Lowry - loved this one as a child.
49. Lord Of The Flies by William Golding
48. The Maze Runner by James Dashner - looking forward to the sequel
47. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares - my mom pointed out that no one ends up happy, despite any closure. Not a favorite, although the first one is better than the rest.
46. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
45. The Summoning series by Kelley Armstrong
44. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
43. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson - excellent writing. Horrifying plot.
42. Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card - an A, and definitely definitely.
41. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones - I've only read the first, same with Trackgeek, but we both enjoyed it. A little odd for the both of us, but still fun.
40. Wake series by Lisa McMann
39. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
38. Are You There Good? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume
37. Looking For Alaska by John Green
36. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett - Again. Not teen. Still great, though!
35. A Great And Terrible Beauty series by Libba Bray - only read the first because basically I had no idea what the plot was and what was really going on.
34. His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman - I enjoyed the series but was freaked out by the pseudo/twisted - Christian philosophy in the 3rd book. I'd rather his Ruby and the Smoke series be on here.
33. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - A great book and a good one for teens.
32. Romeo And Juliet by William Shakespeare - ok, this is SO not his best work. Try Taming of the Shrew.
31. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
30. Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr - liked the first book, but not enough to keep reading...
29. Forest of Hands And Teeth by Carrie Ryan - I can't believe I don't have a review! I think it must be because we read it before we set up our blog. I really liked it, although it scared me to death.
28. Holes by Louis Sacher - cute book...like the movie.
27. The Outsiders by SE Hinton - yes.
26. The Catcher In The Rye by JD Salinger - Salinger is a bit much for teens.
25. The Princess Bride by William Goldman - love this book.
24. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
23. The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
22.Uglies series by Scott Westerfield - surprisingly good. I expected a very cliche plot, but Westerfeld has a knack, and for the most part I read all his books.
21. Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia
20. Poison Study series by Maria V. Snyder - This is adult, in the adult section, and the underlying themes of rape and abuse are not in a context that I believe are appropriate for teens.
19. Book Thief by Markus Zusak- on our bookshelf ready to read, and we're torn since people seem to either love it or hate it.
18. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carlson Levine - cute read.
17. Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead
16. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick - Liked the plot better than Twilight, but like Meyer's writing better than Fitzpatrick's.
15. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - always appropriate for women of any age.
14. Anne of Green Gables series by LM Montgomery - duh.
13. The Giver by Lois Lowry
12. The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare - enjoyed the first book, but won't be reading the rest.
11. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
10. Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis - love these!
9. A Wrinkle In Time series by Madeline L'engle - after the first couple books it gets kind of weird, but they're such a favorite.
8. Graceling series by Kristin Cashore - I don't have the review for Graceling on here, but I enjoyed it and I loved Fire as well (which is the review linked).
7. Percy Jackson And The Olympians by Rick Riordan
6. Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
5. Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen - hey, I'm glad to see it's not the zombie version.
4. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee - one of my top favorites of all time.
3. Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer - I really don't think this deserves number 3, but it's so popular that I can see why it was voted that way.
2. Harry Potter series by JK Rowling - I think this should be up there....I'm not sure it deserves the number 2 spot though.
1. The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins - Not my pick for #1, but hey...
Where's Patricia Wrede? Anyone?
6 comments:
Haha wow I really like your comments...you are very critical. I agree with most of your comments but not all.
I agree with most of your comments and am surprised by those you haven't read. But seriously, some of these are either children's lit or adult lit in my mind. (A Great and terrible Beauty series was confusing and not worth reading, at least the first book. It was a failed to finish for me!)
haha awesome! I've started a trend. :D
Ok, a few additions and comments on books that I have read that Rasberry hasn't.
13 little blue envelopes- There is a reason this didn't get a review, it wasn't good, period. If it hadn't of been published in the last couple of years there is no way it would have ended up on this list.
Paper Towns- Too much swearing, teen drinking and in general topics that just turned me off to it (thus no review).
Catcher in the Rye- one of my favorite books as a high school student. Couldn't get very far into it the last time I tried a year ago (that may have been more due to distraction by a very cute child). I just talked to a friend about this the other day, and it reminded me that the plot really is almost more for teens than adults. The whole point of what Holden does is about the situation that teens are in at school and the world (acting a part).
Percy Jackson- great teen books, but way too high on the list for what they are worth.
True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle missed the list by like 8 votes.
I LOVE PATRICIA WREDE!!! OMG!!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU KNOW ABOUT HER!!
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