If you were on the interwebs circa 2004, you're familiar with the Teen Girl Squad phrase, "I have a crush on every boy." Well, I have a crush on most everything YA. When I walk into a Barnes & Noble, I head straight for the YA section to see what's new. I have Demi Lovato, Taylor Swift, and the Jonas Brothers on my iPod. I paid money to see High School Musical 3 in the theater, and I've been known to curl up and watch the Disney Channel on my sick days.
(Some judge this behavior, but I prefer to categorize it under quirky and market research :)
So, beginning next week, I'll be sharing my YA love with you through three new features: YA Author Crush, YA Book Crush, and YA Site Crush. These won't be just any recommendations; only the things I truly rave about will make the cut.
Coincidentally enough, NPR is showing their own YA love this week with their Best-Ever Teen Novels poll. Several of my newest loves like Matched and the Gallagher Girls series made the list. While beloved favorites such as the Christy Miller Series and the Chronicles of Narnia were robbed. I'm trying to decide if I should start a petition.
Just kidding :)
What about you? What's your favorite YA? Did it make the list? Did you vote?
Update (8/7/2012): Voting is complete. You can view the Top 100 list here.
17 comments:
I perused the list and recognized about 20 book titles. I have read three. Would not vote for any of them. As a matter of fact, one of the three was required for middle school and went in the trash afterwards.
Rebecca, do you have a favorite book from childhood? I'd love to know. :)
Me too, me too!
Can't wait to check out the new features! ;)
Is it horrible that I had to go through the list five times and rearrange my choices because I couldn't get my favorites down to ONLY 10?!? It was stressful.
Scorpio Races and Anna and the French Kiss are my VERY TOP 2. So good.
Oh, crap, forgot Delirium. It's up there too. See? Too. Many. Choices.
Charity, you are NOT alone. I too have a crush on all things YA. Although, I've been a closet fan until lately. I've seen all the High School Musical's more times than I should admit, and own Another Cinderella Story staring Selina Gomez. I've been known to wander over to the Disney channel whenever my husband's not at home (and sometimes when he is too!).
And books *sigh* YA is coming out with some of the BEST stuff out there. When I'm picking reading for myself, I don't even bother with going to the adult sections. YA is all I need. I was one of those "adults" at all the midnight Harry Potter release parties. And I've already reread Hunger Games 3x in less than a month.
But I'm wearing my YA love proud now. My husband gave me a MockingJay pin that will be worn at Conference this year!
All that said...let's hope someday I can be featured on your blog as a YA author...that's the dream now, thanks to some AMAZING and encouraging writing friends ;)
I didn't even KNOW about this list. Also, THANK YOU for that stroll down memory lane. Hadn't watched the TGS in years!
Ten? Just Ten?! Stressful! I have ten favorites THIS YEAR!
Anne of Green Gables
Divergent
The Giver
The Hunger Games
Lord of the Rings (duh!)
Matched
The Outsiders
The Sky is Everywhere
Tuck Everlasting
To Kill A Mocking Bird
And the jury's still out on Delirium, but if it ends up being as awesome as it has the POTENTIAL to be, I'm not sure which of the the above 10 I'd replace.
The most disturbing part is how many I haven't read! But at least now I have a great list (like I needed more!).
@Kristi, it's so fun having other adult YA friends. Makes one feels less abnormal, you know? :) Delirium really was wonderful; I'm glad you agree, and now I have to add Scorpio Races to my TBR list since it's in your top 2!
@Jess, love that I'm not alone with the Disney appreciation. If we ever have a writers' weekend that's just the two of us, we can use that as a reward :) I also heart that you head straight for the YA section too; I have to convince myself to branch outside of it. There's just too much I want to check out in YA.
Outing the YA affection is pretty freeing, no? I can't wait to see that pin at conference and work toward adding our own books to the mix of awesomeness out there! I REALLY cannot wait to feature you, Michael, and Gabby one day soon :)
@Erynn, glad I could be of help to you this week :) Thanks for sharing your whole list; the funny thing was that as I was picking my own I kept thinking--that's an Erynn pick, and that one, and that one too. It was like the list was made for you! Speaking of too many to read, I considered printing off the complete list to add to my TBR list. Then sanity returned. Our TBR piles are pretty big as is it!
Ooh, I'm excited to see your list. I don't read tons of YA, but I love, love, love anything by Jenny B. Jones. I've devoured her YA series. I also get a kick out of Erynn Mangum's stuff. I still haven't read Hunger Games and I deserved 100 lashes for that, I'm sure. Soon!
Melissa, I agree about Jenny B Jones! She should be on that list. I've only read one Erynn Mangum book, and it was mostly because I was like, "this chick writes AND spells her name the same way I do?!?!?" But I remember enjoying it. Generally my YA taste veers darker, though. I prefer a dystopia to a chicklit book any day. You might have picked up on that in my list. ;)
@Melissa, I'm on board with Jenny B. Jones--anything she writes, I'm going to read and quickly! I haven't read Erynn Mangum; I'll have to add her to my long-term list :) Hopefully my Book Crushes will introduce you to some other fun reads.
@Erynn, I almost made a comment about how dystopian-heavy your list was. Not that I mind. It means you're even more predisposed to love Haunted! ;)
Ooh, I love that you're doing YA Crushes! SO fun! And yes. Just yes to everything YA. *sigh
And I love this list -- it's like the ultimate "what to read" list (minus Narnia and Howl's Moving Castle). I'm thrilled The Hunger Games made it, obviously, as well as Shatter Me, The Scorpio Races, The Princess Bride (because it's still the best story ever), and of course 13 Reasons Why, which was written by my dear friend, Jay Asher. As to the rest, some of them I've loved and some are still on my TBR!!!
Thanks for the link!
:0)
@Christine, I had to laugh about your minus Narnia and Howl's Moving Castle comment. Those both made my top ten, but mostly because of adolescent nostalgia. :) 13 Reasons Why was brilliant, definitely worthy of a top ten nod!
Yes, Narnia and Howl absolutely should've made it on there. If I was a fit-throwing girl, I'd be raising Hades. Both are SUCH good books and definitely in my top 10 as well. :)
I'm not much of a foot-stamper myself, but I'd be right behind you :)
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