http://jkrbooks.typepad.com/blog/2010/01/kidlitosphere-comment-challenge-2010.html

Starting this Friday, January 8th, MotherReader and Lee Wind will be hosting Comment Challenge 2010. This will be the second annual cross-blog event focused on increasing commenting and building community across the Kidlitosphere. Pam says:

"What if I told you that for the cost of a few extra minutes a day, you can boost your blog readership, foster a feeling of connection, and make someone’s day? Does that sound like something you might be interested in?"

Lee says:

"The last Comment Challenge was a big success, comments were up all over the kidlitosphere, and it really built a sense of community for everyone who participated - and we learned some great lessons"

Participation is simple. Just leave a comment on five kidlit blogs during each of 21 days. A prize will be awarded among those who reach 100 comments.

I participated last year. I found it a great way to strengthen ties with other bloggers and get a better sense of who is reading my blog. It definitely helped in encouraging me to leave more comments on other blogs, during and after the challenge. But, as with many good habits, I've backslid a bit over time, especially given the holiday season. The Comment Challenge 2010 comes at what I think is the perfect time to refresh and reconnect, the start of the new year. I hope that many of you will participate!

And although Pam and Lee seem fairly focused on bloggers leaving comments on one another's blogs (this is the sort of thing that makes us a community, after all), it seems to me that readers who don't necessarily have blogs of their own could participate, too. If you read KidLit blogs, you could take this as an opportunity to start commenting more. You might even find, as you get used to sharing your thoughts on various topics, that this will inspire you to start your own blog. But if nothing else, you can give a little bit back to the blogs that you read and value, by taking time to let the bloggers know that you are tuning in.

Comment Challenge 2010. I'm in, Pam and Lee.

[Hmm, would it work for me to hold off on reading the 500 unread posts in my Google Reader, sure to be close to 1000 by Friday, and just leave 100 comments over the weekend? Surely 1 in 10 posts will be comment-worthy... But no, that doesn't seem to be a good way to build a habit of commenting more regularly, does it? ;-) ]

http://jkrbooks.typepad.com/blog/2010/01/books-read-in-2009.html

This is a list of all of the books that I read in 2009, broken up into Picture Books, Easy Readers, Middle Grade Books, Young Adult Books, Adult Fiction, and Adult Nonfiction. That's a total of 220 books, though 59 were picture books and easy readers, leaving 161 MG/YA/adult titles. Surprisingly, I read exactly 161 MG/YA/adult titles last year, too. I guess I'm more consistent than I give myself credit for. I did read more adult and young adult titles this year, and fewer middle grade books, which likely means that my page total is up a bit. I'm not setting any reading goals for next year, but if I manage to stay in this general ballpark, I'll be pretty happy.

Wishing you all a book-filled 2010!

Picture Books

1. Bob Staake: Trucks Go Pop. LB Kids. Completed January 3, 2009.
2. Tad Hills: What's Up, Duck? A Book of Opposites (Board Book). Schwartz & Wade. Completed January 8, 2009.
3. Patricia Marx and Roz Chast: Dot in Larryland: The Big Little Book of an Odd-Sized Friendship. Bloomsbury. Completed February 28, 2009.
4. Andrew Larsen (ill. Irene Luxbacher): The Imaginary Garden. Kids Can Press. Completed February 28, 2009. My review.
5. Scot Ritchie: Follow That Map!: A First Book of Mapping Skills. Kids Can Press. Completed February 28, 2009.
6. Barbara Todd (ill. Patricia Storms): Edward and the Eureka Lucky Wish Company. Kids Can Press. Completed February 28, 2009.
7. Peter H. Reynolds: The North Star. fableVision Press. Completed April 16, 2009.
8. Deborah Hopkinson (ill Stephen Alcorn): Keep On! The Story of Matthew Henson, Co-Discoverer of the North Pole. Peachtree. Completed June 19, 2009.
9. Louise Yates: A Small Surprise. Knopf. Completed June 19, 2009.
10. Joanna Harrison: Grizzly Dad: Why Dads are GREAT (even the grumpy ones!). David Fickling Books. Completed June 19, 2009.
11. Eileen Spinelli (ill. Tom Bowers): Princess Pig. Knopf. Completed June 19, 2009.
12. Emily Jenkins (ill. Giselle Potter): Sugar Would Not Eat It. Schwartz & Wade. Completed June 19, 2009.
13. Charise Mericle Harper: Milo's Special Words. Robin Corey Books. Completed June 19, 2009.
14. Stephanie Blake: I Don't Want to Go to School! Random House. Completed June 19, 2009.
15. Alison McGhee (ill. Taeeun Yoo): Only a Witch Can Fly. Feiwel and Friends. Completed June 19, 2009.
16. Dave Keane (ill. David Clark): Bobby Bramble Loses His Brain. Clarion Books. Completed June 19, 2009.
17. Mary Ann Rodman (ill. Tatjana Mai-Wyss): A Tree for Emmy. Peachtree. Completed June 19, 2009.
18. Diane Adams (ill. Nancy Hayashi): I Can Do It Myself! Completed June 19, 2009.
19. Kevin Luthardt: Flying! Peachtree. Completed June 19, 2009.
20. Rohan Henry: Good Night, Baby Ruby. Abrams. Completed June 19, 2009.
21. Caren McNelly McCormack (ill. Martha Aviles): The Fiesta Dress: A Quinceanera Tale. Marshall Cavendish. Completed June 19, 2009.
22. Beatrice Schenk de Regniers (ill. Margot Tomes): Little Sister and the Month Brothers. Marshall Cavendish. Completed June 19, 2009.
23. Phillis Gershator (ill. Katherine Potter). Old House, New House. Marshall Cavendish. Completed June 19, 2009.
24. Jonathan London (ill. Kristina Rodanas): Little Swan. Marshall Cavendish. Completed June 19, 2009.
25. Cynthia Rylant (ill. Nikki McClure): All In a Day. Abrams. Completed June 19, 2009.
26. Maryann Cocca-Leffler. My Dance Recital. Robin Corey Books. Completed June 19, 2009.
27. Ellen Javernick (ill. Kevin O'Malley): The Birthday Pet. Marshall Cavendish. Completed June 19, 2009.
28. Mark Shulman (ill. Vincent Nguyen): Gorilla Garage. Marshall Cavendish. Completed June 19, 2009. My review.
29. Kim Kennedy (ill Doug Kennedy): Hee-Haw-Dini and the Great Zambini. Abrams. Completed June 19, 2009.
30. Erica S. Perl (ill. Henry Cole): Chicken Butt! Abrams. Completed June 19, 2009.
31. Betsy Snyder: Have You Ever Tickled a Tiger? Random House. Completed June 19, 2009.
32. Yumi Heo: Ten Days and Nine Nights: An Adoption Story. Schwartz and Wade. Completed June 19, 2009.
33. Brie Spangler: The Grumpy Dump Truck. Knopf. Completed June 19, 2009. My review.
34. Nancy Davis: A Garden of Opposites. Schwartz and Wade. Completed June 19, 2009.
35. Dick Bruna: Miffy the Artist. Tate. Completed June 19, 2009.
36. Eileen Spinelli (ill. David Slonim): Silly Tilly. Marshall Cavendish. Completed June 19, 2009.
37. Deborah Heiligman (ill. Tim Bowers): Fun Dog, Sun Dog. Marshall Cavendish. Completed June 19, 2009.
38. Eric A. Kimmel (ill. Valeria Docampo): The Three Little Tamales. Marshall Cavendish. Completed June 19, 2009. My review.
39. Gennady Spirin: Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Marshall Cavendish. Completed June 19, 2009. My review.
40. Phillis Gershator (ill. Santiago Cohen): Zoo Day Ole!: A Counting Book. Marshall Cavendish. Completed June 19, 2009.
41. David Goodman and Zoe Miller: Shape. Tate Publishing. Completed June 19, 2009.
42. Dan Yaccarino: The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau. Knopf Books for Young Readers. Completed June 19, 2009. My review.
43. David Catrow: Dinosaur Hunt. Orchard Books. Completed June 19, 2009.
44. Jennifer Sattler: Sylvie. Random House. Completed June 19, 2009. My review.
45. John Stadler: Wilson and Miss Lovely. Robin Corey Books. Completed June 19, 2009. My review.
46. Matthew Cordell: Trouble Gum. Feiwel & Friends. Completed June 19, 2009. My review.
47. Mini Grey: Egg Drop. Knopf Books for Young Readers. Completed June 19, 2009. My review.
48. Jean Van Leeuwen (ill David Gavril): Chicken Soup. Abrams Books for Young Readers. Completed June 19, 2009. My review.
49. Laura Purdie Salas (ill. Steven Salerno): Stampede!: Poems to Celebrate the Wild Side of School. Clarion Books. Completed June 19, 2009. My review.
50. Janet Stein: This Little Bunny Can Bake. Schwartz & Wade. Completed June 19, 2009. My review.
51. Jonah Winter (ill. Andre Carrilho): You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?!. Schwartz & Wade. Completed June 19, 2009. My review.
52. Jacqueline Jules (ill. Jef Czekaj): Unite or Die: How Thirteen States Became a Nation. Charlesbridge. Completed June 19, 2009. My review.
53. Diane deGroat and Shelley Rotner: Dogs Don't Brush Their Teeth! Orchard Books. Completed June 29, 2009. My review.

Easy Readers

1. Mo Willems: I Love My New Toy! An Elephant & Piggie Book. Hyperion. Completed January 6, 2009.
2. Mo Willems: I Will Surprise My Friend! An Elephant & Piggie Book. Hyperion. Completed January 6, 2009.
3. Katie Speck (ill. Paul Ratz de Tagyos): Maybelle Goes to Tea. Henry Holt. Completed January 6, 2009.
4. Kate DiCamillo (ill. Chris Van Dusan): Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig. Candlewick Press. Completed January 6, 2009.
5. James Howe (ill. Marie-Louise Gay): Houndsley and Catina and the Quiet Time. Candlewick Press. Completed January 6, 2009.
6. Tim Egan: Dodsworth in London. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Completed October 10, 2009.

Middle Grade Books

1. Nancy Werlin: Double Helix. Puffin Sleuth. Completed January 3, 2009. My review.
2. Ellen Booraem: The Unnameables. Harcourt Children's Books. Completed January 13, 2009.
3. Jeff Kinney: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw. Amulet. Completed January 17, 2009. My review.
4. David Ward: Beneath the Mask. Amulet. Completed January 17, 2009. My review.
5. James Preller: Six Innings. Feiwel & Friends. Completed January 24, 2009. My review.
6. Jon Scieszka: Knucklehead. Completed February 10, 2009.
7. Fiona Bayrock (ill. Carolyn Conahan): Bubble Homes and Fish Farts. Charlesbridge. Completed February 27, 2009. My review.
8. Allan Peterkin (ill. Mike Shiell): Chill: Discover the Cool (and Creative) Side of Your Fridge. Kids Can Press. Completed February 27, 2009. My review.
9. Michael Sandler: Tom Brady and the New England Patriots: Super Bowl XXXVIII. Bearport Publishing. Completed February 28, 2009.
10. Michael Sandler: LeBron James: I Love Challenges! (Defining Moments) Bearport Publishing. Completed February 28, 2009. Review of this title, and the next three, here.
11. Meish Goldish: Michael Phelps: Anything is Possible! (Defining Moments) Bearport Publishing. Completed February 28, 2009.
12. Natalie Lunis: Chihuahua: Senor Tiny (Little Dogs Rock!). Bearport Publishing. Completed February 28, 2009.
13. Natalile Lunis: Dachshund: The Hot Dogger (Little Dogs Rock!). Bearport Publishing. Completed February 28, 2009.
14. Leslie Margolis: Boys are Dogs. Bloomsbury. Completed March 11, 2009. My review.
15. Fran Cannon Slayton: When the Whistle Blows. Philomel. Completed March 31, 2009. My review.
16. Mary Downing Hahn: Closed for the Season. Clarion. Completed April 9, 2009 (due out June 2009). My review.
17. Watt Key: Alabama Moon. Square Fish. Completed April 9, 2009. ALABAMA MOON won the 2007 E.B. White Read-Aloud Award. My review.
18. Rosanne Parry: Heart of a Shepherd. Random House. Completed May 7, 2009. My review.
19. Rick Riordan: The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson, Book 5). Hyperion. Completed May 10, 2009.
20. Helen Stringer: Spellbinder. Fewiwel & Friends. Completed May 11, 2009.
21. David A. Kelly (ill. Tim Jessell): Babe Ruth and the Baseball Curse. Random House Books for Young Readers. Completed May 28, 2009. My review.
22. Brenda Ferber: Jemma Hartman, Camper Extraordinaire. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Completed June 6, 2009. My review.
23. Zilpha Keatley Snyder: The Ghosts of Rathburn Park. Yearling. Completed June 6, 2009. My review.
24. Laurel Snyder: Any Which Wall. Random House Books for Young Readers. Completed June 6, 2009. My review.
25. Elise Broach: Masterpiece. Henry Holt and Co. Completed June 7, 2009. My review.
26. Sarah Prineas (ill. Antonio Javier Caparo): The Magic Thief. HarperCollins. Completed June 18, 2009. My review.
27. Jordan Sonnenblick: Dodger for President. Feiwel & Friends. Completed June 25, 2009. My review.
28. Eric Wight: Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom. Simon & Schuster. Completed June 27, 2009. My review.
29. Sarah Prineas (ill. Antonio Javier Caparo): The Magic Thief: Lost. HarperCollins. Completed June 27, 2009. My review.
30. Kate Messner: The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. Walker Books for Young Readers. Completed June 28, 2009. My review.
31. Rebecca Stead: First Light. Wendy Lamb Books. Completed July 3, 2009. My review.
32. Barbara Dee: Solving Zoe. Margaret K. McElderry. Completed July 27, 2009. My review.
33. Elizabeth Enright: Return to Gone-Away. Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich. Completed August 13, 2009 (a re-read). My review.
34. Sue Corbett: The Last Newspaper Boy in America. Dutton Juvenile. Completed August 15, 2009. My review.
35. Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm: Babymouse #11: Dragonslayer. Random House. Completed August 31, 2009. My review.
36. Peggy Gifford (ill. Valorie Fisher): Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Practicing the Piano: But She Does Love Being in Recitals. Schwartz and Wade. Completed September 1, 2009.
37. Margaret Peterson Haddix: Sent (Missing #2). Simon & Schuster. Completed September 14, 2009.
38. Sara Lewis Holmes: Operation Yes. Arthur A. Levine Books. Completed September 20, 2009. My review.
39. P. J. Hoover: The Navel of the World (The Forgotten Worlds #2). CBAY Books. Completed September 26, 2009. My review.
40. Jarrett J. Krosoczka: Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute. Knopf. Completed September 29, 2009.
41. Jarrett J. Krosoczka: Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians. Knopf. Completed September 30, 2009. My review.
42. Suzanne LaFleur: Love, Aubrey. Wendy Lamb Books. Completed October 3, 2009. My review.
43. Linda Buckley-Archer: Time Quake (Book 3, the Gideon Trilogy). Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. Completed October 11, 2009. My review.
44. Angie Sage: Queste (Septimus Heap, Book 4). Katherine Tegen Books. Completed November 3, 2009. My review.
45. Angie Sage: Syren (Septimus Heap, book 5). Katherine Tegan Books. Completed November 6, 2009. My review.
46. Glenn Dakin: Candle Man, Book One: The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance. EgmontUSA. Completed November 15, 2009.
47. Trenton Lee Stewart (ill. Diana Sudyka): The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma. Little, Brown. Completed December 7, 2009. My review.
48. Frances Hodgson Burnett (ill. Tasha Tudor): A Little Princess. HarperCollins. Completed December 12, 2009.
49. Inez Haynes Irwin: Maida's Little Shop. BiblioLife. Completed December 15, 2009.
50. Inez Haynes Irwin: Maida's Little House. Kessinger Publishing. Completed December 17, 2009.
51. Emily Diamand: Raider's Ransom. Scholastic. Completed December 21, 2009. My review.

Young Adult Books

1. A. M. Jenkins: Repossessed: A Novel. Harper Teen. Completed January 3, 2009. My review.
2. Patrick Ness: The Knife of Never Letting Go. Candlewick. Completed January 9, 2009. My review.
3. Christine Fletcher: Ten Cents A Dance. Bloomsbury. Completed January 10, 2009. My review.
4. Ann Brashares: Three Willows: The Sisterhood Grows. Delacorte Books for Young Readers. Completed January 18, 2009. My review.
5. Denise Vega: Fact of Life #31. Knopf Book for Young Readers. Completed January 19, 2009. My review.
6. Mitali Perkins: Secret Keeper. Delacorte Press. Completed January 24, 2009. My review.
7. Jenny Moss: Winnie's War. Walker Books for Young Readers. Completed February 2, 2009. My review.
8. Anna Godbersen: Rumors: A Luxe Novel. HarperCollins. Completed February 5, 2009.
9. Laurie Halse Anderson: Wintergirls. Viking. Completed February 10, 2009. My review.
10. Garret Freymann-Weyr: After the Moment. Houghton Mifflin. Completed February 15, 2009. My review.
11. Julie Bertagna: Zenith. Walker Books for Young Readers. Completed February 23, 2009. My review.
12. Carrie Ryan: The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Delacorte Books for Young Readers. Completed March 3, 2009. My review.
13. Paul Zindel: The Pigman. HarperTeen. Completed March 14, 2009. My review.
14. Marley Gibson: Ghost Huntress: The Awakening. Sandpiper. Completed March 20, 2009. My review.
15. Carol Plum-Ucci: Streams of Babel. Harcourt. Completed March 21, 2009. My review.
16. Stephenie Meyer: Twilight. Little, Brown. Completed March 28, 2009.
17. Greg Taylor: Killer Pizza. Feiwel & Friends. Completed March 31, 2009. My review.
18. Janni Lee Simner: Bones of Faerie. Random House. Completed April 9, 2009.
19. Gail Giles: What Happened to Cass McBride. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Completed April 12, 2009 (on MP3).
20. Justina Chen Headley: North of Beautiful. Little, Brown Young Readers. Completed April 14, 2009. My review.
21. Kenneth Oppel: Starclimber. HarperCollins. Completed April 18, 2009. My review.
22. Laini Taylor: Dreamdark: Silksinger. Putnam. Completed April 25, 2009. Published September 2009. My review.
23. Neal Shusterman: Unwind. Simon & Schuster. Completed April 26, 2009. My review.
24. Cassandra Clare: City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, Book 1). McElderry Books. Completed May 3, 2009.
25. Cassandra Clare: City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments, Book 2). McElderry Books. Completed May 17, 2009.
26. Carol Lynch Williams: The Chosen One. Griffin. Completed May 24, 2009. My review.
27. Jennifer Lynn Barnes: Tattoo. Delacorte Books for Young Readers. Completed May 26, 2009.
28. Ian Beck. Pastworld. Bloomsbury. Completed May 27, 2009. My review.
29. Suzanne Collins: Catching Fire (sequel to The Hunger Games). Scholastic. Completed June 1, 2009. My early thoughts (not a full review).
30. Jacqueline Kelly: The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate. Henry Holt and Co. Completed June 5, 2009. My review.
31. Caroline B. Cooney: If the Witness Lied. Delacorte Books for Young Readers. Completed June 5, 2009. My review.
32. Anna Godbersen: Envy (Luxe #3). HarperCollins. Completed June 6, 2009.
33. Jennifer Bradbury: Shift. Atheneum. Completed June 6, 2009. My review.
34. Marley Gibson: Ghost Huntress, Book 2: The Guidance. Graphia. Completed June 7, 2009. My review.
35. Cassandra Clare: City of Glass. Simon & Schuster. Completed June 8, 2009. My review.
36. Tanita S. Davis: Mare's War. Knopf Books for Young Readers. Completed June 10, 2009. My review.
37. Michael Grant: Hunger: A Gone Novel. HarperTeen. Completed June 23, 2009. My review.
38. Catherine Gilbert Murdock: Front and Center. Houghton Mifflin. Completed June 24, 2009. My review.
39. Maggie Stiefvater: Shiver. Scholastic. Completed July 1, 2009. My review.
40. E. Lockhart: The Boy Book: A Study of Habits and Behaviors, Plus Techniques for Taming Them. Delacorte Books for Young Readers. Completed July 4, 2009. My review.
41. E. Lockhart: The Treasure Map of Boys: Noel, Jackson, Finn, Hutch, Gideon--and me, Ruby Oliver. Delacorte Books for Young Readers. Completed July 4, 2009. My review.
42. Charlie Higson: Double or Die (The Young James Bond, Book 3). Hyperion Books. Completed July 17, 2009.
43. Pam Bachorz: Candor. Egmont. Completed July 19, 2009. My review.
44. Max Turner: Night Runner. St. Martin's Press. Completed July 22, 2009. My review.
45. Jill S. Alexander: The Sweetheart of Prosper County. Feiwel and Friends. Completed July 31, 2009. My review.
46. Linda Joy Singleton: Dead Girl Dancing. Flux. Completed August 9, 2009. My review.
47. Linda Joy Singleton: Dead Girl in Love. Flux. Completed August 10, 2009. My review.
48. Kimberly Newton Fusco: Tending to Grace. Knopf. Completed August 10, 2009. My review.
49. Natalie Standiford: How to Say Goodbye in Robot. Scholastic. Completed August 19, 2009. My review.
50. Simone Elkeles: Perfect Chemistry. Walker. Completed August 27, 2009. My review.
51. Kristin Cashore: Fire. Dial. Completed August 30, 2009. My review.
52. Maggie Stiefvater: Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie. Flux. Completed September 28, 2009. My review.
53. James Dashner: The Maze Runner. Delacorte Press. Completed October 11, 2009. My review.
54. Varian Johnson: Saving Maddie. Delacorte Books for Young Readers. Completed October 19, 2009.
55. Diana Peterfreund: Rampant. HarperTeen. Completed October 29, 2009. My review.
56. Jordan Sonnenblick: After Ever After. Scholastic. Completed November 1, 2009. My review.
57. Aprilynne Pike: Wings. HarperTeen. Completed November 10, 2009. My review.
58. Alexander Gordon Smith: Lockdown: Escape from Furnace. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Completed November 12, 2009. My review.
59. Laini Taylor: Lips Touch: Three Times. Arthur A. Levine Books. Completed November 25, 2009. My review.
60. Susan Beth Pfeffer: this world we live in. Harcourt. Completed December 5, 2009. My review.
61. John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle: Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances. Speak. Completed December 11, 2009. My review.
62. Sarah Beth Durst: Ice. Margaret K. McElderry Books. Completed December 22, 2009. My review.
63. Anna Godbersen: Splendor (A Luxe Novel). HarperCollins. Completed December 30, 2009.

Adult Fiction

1. Carol O'Connell: Bone by Bone. Putnam Adult. Completed January 5, 2009.
2. Sean Chercover: Big City, Bad Blood. Harper. Completed February 7, 2009.
3. Douglas Preston: Blasphemy. Forge. Completed February 8, 2009.
4. Thomas Perry: Runner. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Completed February 15, 2009.
5. Jacqueline Winspear: Among the Mad (Maisie Dobbs series). Henry Holt. Completed February 26, 2009.
6. D. E. Stevenson: Anna and her Daughters. Rinehart. Completed February 27, 2008.
7. D. E. Stevenson: Charlotte Fairlie. Rinehart. Completed February 28, 2009.
8. Kyle Mills: Darkness Falls. Vanguard Press. Completed March 10, 2009.
9. Laura Lippman: Another Thing to Fall. Completed March 23, 2009.
10. Orson Scott Card: Speaker for the Dead. Tor. Completed March 28, 2009. (On MP3)
11. Lisa Lutz: Curse of the Spellmans. Simon & Schuster. Completed March 31, 2009.
12. Louise Penny: The Cruelest Month. Minotaur. Completed April 7, 2009.
13. Harlan Coben: Hold Tight. Signet. Completed April 9, 2009.
14. Connie Willis: The Doomsday Book. Spectra. Completed May 20, 2009.
15. Robert Crais: Chasing Darkness (an Elvis Cole novel). Simon & Schuster. Completed May 23, 2009.
16. Victoria Thompson: Murder on Bank Street (Gaslight Mystery). Berkeley. Completed May 31, 2009.
17. Lisa Lutz: Revenge of the Spellmans. Simon & Schuster. Completed June 5, 2009. My review.
18. Stephen King: The Stand. Signet. Completed June 17, 2009. (A re-read of an old favorite.)
19. Charlaine Harris: Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse #1). Ace. Completed June 24, 2009, on MP3. Oddly addictive, though I don't generally care for listening to books this explicit on audio. The southern accent really worked for me, though, in liking the character.
20. Janet Evanovich: Finger Lickin' Fifteen (Stephanie Plum novels). St. Martins Press. Completed July 7, 2009, on MP3. I love listening to these books, I really do. This one is no exception.
21. Laura Lippman: Life Sentences. William Morrow. Completed July 7, 2009. I thought that Lippman had some brilliant insights, and interesting characters, but overall I found the book a little disappointing. I was frustrated by a significant plot point left dangling, and found the parts of the plot that were resolved a bit anti-climactic. Although this book centers around a child who disappeared, it's much more quiet, literary fiction than mystery, and apparently not quite my thing.
22. John Hart: The Last Child. Minotaur Books. Completed July 9, 2009. Quite compelling. I read this in two sittings, and spent time thinking about it afterwards. Standalone thriller/mystery about a 13-year-old boy looking in dark places for his missing twin sister.
23. Craig Johnson: Death Without Company. Penguin. Completed July 13, 2009.
24. Craig Johnson: Kindness Goes Unpunished (Walt Longmire #3). Penguin. Completed July 21, 2009.
25. Charlaine Harris: Living Dead in Dallas (Sookie Stackhouse #3). Ace. Completed July 25, 2009, on MP3.
26. Craig Johnson: Another Man's Moccasins (Walt Longmire #4). Penguin Viking. Completed July 27, 2009.
27. Lee Child: Gone Tomorrow (Jack Reacher, No. 13). Delacorte. Completed August 8, 2009.
28. Laurie R. King: The Language of Bees (Mary Russell novels). Bantam. Completed August 23, 2009. A great addition to the Russell/Holmes series. I only wish I had known that it would end with "to be continued". I might have waited, because now I'm breathless for the next, not yet available, book.
29. Charlaine Harris: Club Dead (Sookie Stackhouse #3). Ace Trade. Completed August 20, 2009 (on MP3).
30. Stieg Larsson: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Vintage. Completed September 4, 2009.
31. F. Paul Wilson: Harbingers: A Repairman Jack novel. Tor Books. Completed September 9, 2009.
32. Charlaine Harris: Dead to the World (Sookie Stackhouse #4). Ace Trade. Completed September 13, 2009 (on MP3).
33. Carrie Bebris: The Matters at Mansfield: Mr. and Mrs. Darcy Mystery. Tor Books. Completed October 15, 2009.
34. C. S. Harris: What Angels Fear: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery. Signet. Completed October 16, 2009.
35. F. Paul Wilson: Bloodline: A Repairman Jack Novel. Forge Books. Completed October 19, 2009.
36. Charlaine Harris: Dead as a Doornail (Sookie Stackhouse #5). Ace Trade. Completed October 22, 2009 (on MP3).
37. Victoria Thompson: Murder on Waverly Place (Gaslight mystery). Berkeley. Completed October 23, 2009. Library copy.
38. Craig Johnson: The Dark Horse (Walt Longmire mystery). Viking Adult. Completed October 25, 2009. Library copy.
39. Linwood Barclay: Too Close to Home. Bantam. Completed November 17, 2009.
40. Sean Chercover: Trigger City. Harper. Completed November 22, 2009.
41. Stephen White: Dead Time (Dr. Alan Gregory). Signet. Completed December 2, 2009.
42. Charlaine Harris: Definitely Dead. (Sookie Stackhouse #6). Ace Trade. Completed December 3, 2009 (on MP3).
43. Stephen King: Under the Dome. Scribner. Completed December 29, 2009.
44. Deborah Crombie: Necessary as Blood. Completed December 30, 2009.

Adult Nonfiction

1. Donalyn Miller: The Book Whisperer. Jossey-Bass. Completed March 21, 2009. My review.
2. Chris Brogan and Julien Smith: Trust Agents. Wiley. Completed September 18, 2009.
3. Kim and Jason Kotecki: There's An Adult in My Soup. JBird, Inc. Completed September 29, 2009. My review.

© 2009 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.

http://jkrbooks.typepad.com/blog/2010/01/cybils-finalists.html

I'm just back to my computer after a few days away, and by now the Cybils shortlists are old news (five days is practically an eternity in blog time). Still, as Literacy Evangelist for the Cybils, I would be remiss if I didn't point you to the full set of shortlists at the Cybils blog.

Our dedicated nominating committee panelists worked their way through 939 selections, winnowing the lists down to 72 finalists across the nine categories (some broken further into sub-categories). The lists are eclectic and surprising, filled with high-profile titles as well as hidden gems. There have been concerns raised about the lack of diversity in the shortlists, but I think that this is more a reflection of the industry as a whole than of the selections made by the participants. In any event, the Cybils shortlists are a wonderful resource. Each category includes five to seven titles judged to be both kid-friendly and well-written.

This year, I'll be judging in the Fantasy & Science Fiction (Middle Grade) category. I was one of several last-minute additions when the volume of submissions necessitated a split into two judging panels (as explained here by organizer Sheila Ruth). I was happy to be included, and to be able to help. Here are the books that I'll be reading over the next few weeks:

11 Birthdays
by Wendy Mass
Scholastic
Nominated by: Maggi Idzikowski

Dreamdark: Silksinger (Faeries of Dreamdark)
by Laini Taylor
Putnam Juvenile
Nominated by: Melissa

Farwalker's Quest, The
by Joni Sensel
Bloomsbury USA
Nominated by: Joan Stradling

Odd and the Frost Giants
by Neil Gaiman
HarperCollins
Nominated by: Susan the Librarian Pirate

Prince of Fenway Park, The
by Julianna Baggott
HarperCollins
Nominated by: Doret

Serial Garden, The: The Complete Armitage Family Stories (Junior Library Guild Selection)
by Joan Aiken
Big Mouth House
Nominated by: Charlotte

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
by Grace Lin
Little, Brown
Nominated by: EM

Winners will be announced on February 14th.

http://jkrbooks.typepad.com/blog/2010/01/celebrating-the-national-ambassador-for-young-peoples-literature.html

Yesterday, Mary Lee and Franki from A Year of Reading hosted a Kidlitosphere-wide celebration of outgoing National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Jon Scieszka. You can find my appreciation post for Mr. Scieszka at Booklights. But do stop by A Year of Reading to find links to dozens of other posts, all celebrating Scieszka, reading and children's literacy in general.

Today, Franki and Mary Lee shared Jon Scieska's response to this blogfest. Here's my favorite part:

"I am stunned with gratitude. This is exactly why I love our world of kids' books – the amazing bunch of people in it."

Can't argue with that! But do click through to read the whole thing.  

Today, the new National Ambassador was announced. Katherine Paterson will succeed Jon Scieszka. The New York Times has a detailed profile of Ms. Paterson. I've read many of Katerine Paterson's books, most recently Bread and Roses, Too (reviewed here). I adore both book and movie versions of Bridge to Terabithia (though I think that the book is better), and I'm quite fond of The Great Gilly Hopkins. She has chosen "Read for Your Life" as the theme of her platform as Ambassador. I can't wait to see what she will accomplish as our second National Ambassador for Young People's Literature.

http://jkrbooks.typepad.com/blog/2010/01/childrens-literacy-and-reading-roundup.html

This week’s children’s literacy and reading news round-up, brought to you by Jen Robinson’s Book Page and Scrub-a-Dub-Tub, a Reading Tub blog, is now available at the Reading Tub. (Actually, it was available yesterday, but I was away from my computer.) This week Terry Doherty and I have collected plenty of content for you about literacy & reading-related events; literacy and reading programs and research; 21st century literacies; and grants, sponsorships & donations.

Although the two weeks over Christmas and New Year's were relatively quiet on the news front, Terry managed to find quite a few stories of interest. These range from the finalists in a writing contest for kids from MrsP.com to Bookstore Night in Buenos Aires to a Classroom on Wheels. Fun stuff all around! Check out the Reading Tub for the details.

Wishing you all a New Year full of wonderful children's literacy news.

http://jkrbooks.typepad.com/blog/2009/12/the-cybils-shortlists-are-coming.html

I'm pleased to report that this year's Cybils shortlists are going to be, yet again, a wonderful resource for children's and young adult literature fans of all ages. Most of the lists are in, and they'll be made public on Friday morning, New Year's Day, at 6:00 am US Mountain Time. Shortlists of five to seven titles will be available in each of the following sub-categories:

• Easy Readers
• Short Chapter Books
• Fantasy & Science Fiction for Middle Grade Readers
• Fantasy & Science Fiction for Young Adults
• Fiction Picture Books
• Graphic Novels for Middle Grade Readers
• Graphic Novels for Young Adults
• Middle Grade Fiction
• Non-Fiction Picture Books
• Non-Fiction: Middle Grade & Young Adult
• Poetry
• Young Adult Fiction

I promise. These lists are great! So, stay tuned... The lists (with short blurbs for each book) will be published on the Cybils blog. For a bit more about hints and changes for this year, see also this post by Anne Levy.

New Year's Day is always cause for celebration. The fact that the Cybils shortlists are available that day, too, well, it's almost too much celebratory goodness for one day. But not quite!

Happy New Year!!

http://jkrbooks.typepad.com/blog/2009/12/new-booklights-post-today-tip-6-for-growing-bookworms-read-yourself.html

I have a new post up today at Booklights, the sixth installment in my Tips for Growing Bookworms series. Here's the gist:

"Read yourself, and model an appreciation for reading. It's all very well to SAY that books and reading are important. But what kids notice is what you DO. If you turn on the TV during every free moment, and never have time to go to the library or the bookstore, your kids are unlikely to turn to books themselves."

I close with a recommendation to set a good example for your kids by curling up with a good book. I mean, how can you go wrong with that?

Happy reading! Terry Doherty and I will be back next Monday with a new installment of the Children's Literacy Roundup.

http://jkrbooks.typepad.com/blog/2009/12/wednesday-afternoon-visits-december-23.html

Things have quieted down on the blogs this week as Christmas approaches. But me, I've finished my shopping and my wrapping. Work has quieted down. And I find myself with a bit of time to catch up on the blog posts from the past few days. Here are some things that caught my eye. Consider this an early Christmas present for those of you still online...

One of my favorite posts of the season is the Shrinking Violet Promotions Holiday Survival Guide for Introverts. Here's a snippet: "A plea on behalf of all the introverted children out there in the world—for introverted children, having to get up in Santa’s lap and TALK to this perfect stranger, usually IN FRONT OF other perfect strangers can be the 6 year old equivalent of public speaking." Robin and Mary understand, from deep down, what it means to be an introvert. [Image credit: Microsoft ClipArt Gallery]

Margo Rabb has an interesting essay in the New York Times about people who steal books from bookstores. Who would have thought that a certain demographic would consider stealing books cool? And you'll never believe which book is the most frequently stolen. See also Liz B's commentary on the piece at Tea Cozy. Liz talks about how stealing from the library is even worse than stealing from bookstores, because this keeps other people from being able to access books.  

At Book Moot, Camille talks about the advantages of board books, complete with some recommended new titles. She also discusses how essential she considers a bookshelf in every nursery (I certainly agree with that!). On a related theme, Lori Calabrese lists several of her favorite Christmas-themed board books. And, though not board book-focused, see also Esme Raji Codell's Christmas Book Picks.

Colleen Mondor has a lovely post about remembering where we came from at the holidays. Here's a snippet: "when I look at this picture (from 1972) all I know is that in every way that mattered, it was. I have always been, and still remain, the lucky daughter of wonderful parents and the little sister of the best brother in the world." Sniff!

For those feeling a bit grouchier around the holidays, MotherReader has her annual Festivus post, for the airing of grievances. You can click through to see mine. Speaking of MotherReader, she's selling Snowpocalypse shirts in her Cafe Press store, in honor of the recent East Coast storm.

Various people and institutions have been coming up with their "best of" lists for 2009. Sarah Stevenson is going to round some of those up on the Cybils blog soon. But there are a couple that I couldn't resist sharing here.

• At 100 Scope Notes, Travis offers a toast to 2009 Children's Lit: The Year in Miscellanea. He has topics like "most uncontroversial children's lit controversy" and "YA cover trend that was too popular to mention." Fun stuff!
• At A Fuse #8 Production, Betsy Bird shares her Best of the Decade: A Look Back at Children's Literature from 2000-2009. She discusses the rise of the children's book "phenomenon", the rise of YA fiction, and the rise of blogging and online media, among other relevant topics. This is a don't miss it post. See also Monica Edinger's response to Betsy's post at Educating Alice. Monica responds to most of Betsy's main points, and adds a few observations of her own about self-publishing, and the evolution of quality nonfiction.

You can also share your "best of" lists in a special January 2nd edition of Semicolon's Saturday Review of Books. In this post, Sherry explains how the Review of Books works in general, and invites people to participate in the regular and special editions.

Lois Lowry has been sharing some recent insulting reader feedback on The Giver (here and here). She notes that the vast majority of the emails that she receives aren't like these, but I think it's brave of her to sine a light on these negative ones. I think that these messages say something about the decline of politeness in our culture.

Quick hits:

• Friday's Poetry Friday round-up was at Susan Taylor Brown's blog. Nonfiction Monday was at the Simply Science blog.
• Literacy Toolbox has an essay by Links to Literacy about how to choose nonfiction picture books.
• At Jenny's Wonderland of Books, Jenny Schwartzberg has an article about using the Internet to help with collecting children's books.  
• At The Spectacle, KA Holt muses on speculative fiction that creates such wonderful worlds that she feels pained that they don't really exist (like the world of the Harry Potter books).
• At The Reading Tub, Terry Doherty offers tips for helping kids write letters to Santa, and including literacy in the process.  
• In honor of a recent watching of the movie The Day After Tomorrow, Abby (the) Librarian asks: "If you were trapped in the New York Public Library and had to burn books to stay alive, what sections would you start with?"
• Justine Larbalestier offers her suggestions for blog commenting etiquette.
• Kim and Jason suggest 61 Ways to Put the Brakes on Holiday Stress at the Escape Adulthood blog.

And that's all I have for you today. I'm off to watch It's a Wonderful Life in front of the fire with Mheir. Wishing all of you who celebrate it a Merry Christmas!!  

http://jkrbooks.typepad.com/blog/2009/12/ice-sarah-beth-durst-ya-fantasy-review.html

Book: Ice
Author: Sarah Beth Durst (blog)
Pages: 320
Age Range: 13 and up 

Sarah Beth Durst's Ice is a modern re-telling of the Scandinavian fairy tale "East of the Sun, West of the Moon". Personally, I'm not a big fairy tale reader, and I had never run across this particular story. Thus my interest in the book was based on the fact that the premise sounded intriguing, not because I had any prior familiarity with the storyline.

Ice describes a romance between Cassie, a human girl, and the Polar Bear King. As a young girl, Cassie is told a fantastical story about her family's history, in which Cassie's mother, Gail, is the adopted daughter of the North Wind, and the promised bride of the Polar Bear King. When Gail falls in love with a human man, instead of marrying the polar bear, Gail's angry father sends her "east of the sun and west of the moon". There she is captured by Trolls, and kept from her human family (including her infant daughter, Cassie). Cassie, naturally enough, believes this to be a fanciful family story. Right up until the day that she meets a 12-foot-tall talking Polar Bear named Bear. Bear tells Cassie that she is his promised bride, and asks her to travel with him to his home. What follows is a dizzying adventure set against a backdrop of ice and snow.

The first part of Ice, depicting a young girl and a monster getting to know one another in a magical castle, reminded me quite a bit of Beauty and the Beast. Ice, however features the modern twist that Cassie is a polar researcher, product of a science-based upbringing, who is skeptical of all of the magic that she sees. She's also someone determined to make a difference in her own right, rather than just live under someone else's protection. I enjoyed the world-building in this section, as well as the introduction of the characters, but found myself waiting for something more active to happen.

I shouldn't have worried. In the second part of the book, Cassie sets off on a dangerous quest, risking her life for Bear. This part of the story is filled with suffering and peril, much of it quite creatively rendered. I think some of this might be a bit dark for middle schoolers, but that high school-age readers will find it compelling. Personally, I stayed up late to finish the book, because I simply had to know what would happen next.

Cassie is an intriguing character. She's quite capable (having been raised by her father in an Arctic research station), and rather alarmingly (though perhaps realistically for her situation) selfish. She's a risk-taker, and stubborn to the point of recklessness when she makes up her mind about something. I can't say that I liked her, exactly, but I appreciated her transformation over the course of the book.

Really, though, the star of this book is the starkly beautiful icy setting. Durst seems to genuinely respect, and even revere, the Arctic, in the same way that Cassie does. Here are a couple of examples, to give you a sense of what I mean:

"Cold seared into her, slicing her, and her face mask instantly frosted. She took a deep breath of night air. It felt brittle and sharp in her throat, as if the air were filled with shards of glass. This was exactly what she needed to clear her mind. The piercingly cold air soothed her, as it always did." (Page 25)

"Several long hours later, Cassie heard ice crunch under the bear's paws. Granules crackled in the monumental Arctic silence. She straightened and thumped her muscle-sore thighs. The bear had slowed and was simply walking now, across the shimmering frozen sea. The earth was painted in white and blue streaks of ice, reflecting the sky, and the low, pale sun." (Page 35)

Ice has just enough detail about survival techniques in the Arctic to feel authentic, without bogging the reader down with excessive detail. The setting is so three-dimensional that readers will want to pull another blanket over them while reading.

Fans of fairy tale retellings and supernatural romances won't want to miss Ice. It's an engaging blend of modern science and magical fairy tale, with a memorable setting. Ice is the perfect book to sweep the reader away on a cold winter's night. Recommended for teen and adult readers.

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication Date: October 6, 2009
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher
Other Blog Reviews: Wondrous Reads, Angieville, Book Aunt, Tina's Book Reviews, Rhiannon Hart, The Book Smugglers, Shelf Elf, Book Nut, and Laini Taylor, among others. See also Sherrie Petersen's post with mini-reviews of three novelizations of the East of the Sun and West of the Moon fairy tale.

© 2009 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. All Amazon links in this post are affiliate links, and may result in my receiving a small commission on purchases (with no additional cost to you).