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Hotlists 2008
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Seeing Stars
Lists of (mostly) hardcover books which received at least one starred review (indicating a work of unusual merit) from the following review sources: Booklist , Publisher's Weekly (PW), Kirkus and Library Journal (LJ).
The review journal assigns the star.
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Stellar All Stars
The Fault Tree by Louise Ure
Judas Horse by April Smith
The Importance of Music to Girls by Lavinia Greenlaw
Bonk by Mary Roach
A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam
Overbooked specializes in providing timely information about fiction (all genres) and readable nonfiction. Overbooked has been online since 1994. Overbooked is a work in progress . . .
Overbooked is the winner of the 2008 Louis Shores - Greenwood Publishing Award: to recognize excellence in book reviewing and other media for libraries. The award recipient is selected for significant achievement related to a reviewing process that helps librarians make selection decisions.
Starred Reviews
YA Stars 2001
June 18, 2008
YA Stars 2001 - For Teens & Older Others (Young Adult Literature)
The list includes both fiction and nonfiction books. Titles are arranged alphabetically by author. Titles received starred reviews from Booklist, The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, School Library Journal, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Horn Book. The theme information is derived from cataloging information and is not comprehensive. Books are suggested for ages 12 and older. Age and grade designations are approximate, parental judgement should be used.
Annotations are from Advance, the Ingram Book Magazine or use the Library of Congress CIP description.
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Author
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Title
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Stars
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Annotation
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$
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ISBN
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Dewey
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Date
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Themes
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Grades
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| Baskin, Nora Raleigh | What Every Girl Except Me Knows: A Novel | Bulletin, PW | Gabby Weiss is not resistant to the prospect of having a stepmother. She wishes her father would hurry up and marry someone who knows more about womanhood than she does. It seems that her father's girlfriend, Chloe, fills the role of mother for a while, but when things fall apart, Gabby has to find her own solution. | $16.95 | 0316070211 | Fiction |
4/01
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death, friendship, mothers, identity | 4th - 7th |
| Bradley, James | Flags of Our Fathers: Heroes of Iwo Jima | SLJ | Now abridged for young people by Michael French, "Flags of Our Fathers" is the unforgettable chronicle of perhaps the most famous moment in American military history: the raising of the U.S. flag at Iwo Jima. | $15.95 | 0385729324 | 940.54 |
5/01
|
7th - 12th | |
| Colfer, Eoin | Artemis Fowl | Bulletin | A 12-year-old villain--Artemis Fowl--takes on the dangerous world of the fairies in this unforgettable novel, an instant cult classic in the vein of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and "Men in Black. | $16.95 | 0786808012 | Fiction |
5/01
|
fantasy, magic, fairies | 6th - 12th |
| Crutcher, Chris | Whale Talk | Bulletin, PW | A high school bus provides surprising sanctuary for seven unlikely swim teammates who are, in the words of their coach, "A perennial road team. Mermen without a pond". These invisible kids resonate because of how the author sees them, believes in them, and lets them speak. | $15.95 | 0688180191 | Fiction |
4/01
|
sports, adoption, school, multicultural | 7th - 12th |
| Cummings, Priscilla | A Face First | Bulletin, SLJ | Fearing she'll never be part of the "normal" world again, not with her face, leg, and hand badly burned in an accident, 12-year-old Kelley faces skin-graft operations, uncomfortable dressings, and a plastic mask she must wear at least a year. But Kelley discovers many things about herself, including a talent she never knew she had. | $16.99 | 0525465227 | Fiction |
3/01
|
social situations | 7th - 12th |
| Duane, Diane | The Wizard's Dilemma | Kirkus | Not everything can be fixed with magic, especially teenage angst. But when Nita's mother gets cancer, she may have to make a deal with the Lone Power. | $17.00 | 0152025510 | Fiction |
6/01
|
fantasy, magic, cancer, action & adventure | 5th - 9th |
| Geras, Adele | Troy | Horn Book, PW | The classic struggle between Greece and Troy is brought to life by a panoramic chorus of voices both humble and high, human and divine. This inspired novel is told through the eyes of the women of Troy, a city where the gods move among mortals. | $17.00 | 0152164928 | Fiction |
5/01
|
mythology, trojan war, greek, troy, historical | 9th - 12th |
| Hurst, Carol Otis | Through the Lock | Booklist, Bulletin | $15.00 | 0618030360 | Fiction |
4/01
|
orphans, canals, connecticut, 1800-1850, action & adventure, family | 4th - 7th | |
| Jordan, Sherryl | Secret Sacrament | Bulletin | The powerful Navoran empire exists side by side with the traditional Shinali clan. Caught between them is a young healer trapped in a tangled web of politics, prophecies, and dreams. Is Gabriel truly the hero of an ancient prophecy foretelling the destruction and rebirth of Navora? In this vividly realized fantasy world, the fate of two civilizations depends on one man's willingness to accept his destiny against all odds. | $15.95 | 006028904X | Fiction |
3/01
|
fantasy, magic | 7th - 12th |
| Kindl, Patrice | Goose Chase | Booklist, Bulletin, Kirkus, PW | Rather than marry a cruel king or a seemingly dim-witted prince, an enchanted goose girl endures imprisonment, capture by several ogresses, and other dangers, before learning exactly who she is. | $15.00 | 0618033777 | Fiction |
3/01
|
fairy tales, folklore, | 4th - 7th |
| Klass, David | You Don't Know Me | SLJ | John wrestles with the uncertainty that no one really knows him. Although his hidden thoughts are hilarious, with razor-sharp observations about lust, love, algebra, and everything, John's home life involves an absent father, a mother who works long hours, and her boyfriend, who is abusive to John. | $17.00 | 0374387060 | Fiction |
3/01
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schools, child abuse | 7th - 12th |
| Landau, Elaine | Heroine of the Titanic The Real Unsinkable Molly Brown | SLJ | The Real Unsinkable Molly Brown. | $18.00 | 0395939127 | 978.8 |
4/01
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5th - 9th | |
| Lawrence, Iain | The Buccaneers | Bulletin | In this conclusion to "The Wreckers" and "The Smugglers", 17-year-old John Spencer must match wits and brawn with a band of pirates in the West Indies. | $15.95 | 0385327366 | Fiction |
8/01
|
action & adventure, seas stories | 5th - 9th |
| Lester, Julius | When Dad Killed Mom | Bulletin | A heartbreaking story about domestic violence and how two teenagers must deal with what happens when their father kills their mother | $17.00 | 0152163050 | Fiction |
5/01
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social situations, domestic violence, family | 7th - 12th |
| Lynch, Chris | Freewill | Bulletin, Horn Book | Will finds himself with a bunch of kids in wood shop in a school that's known as Hopeless High. Will doesn't know what he's doing there--or maybe he just doesn't want to admit the truth. No one knows why local teens are committing suicide, either. The deaths all have one thing in common: beautifully carved wooden tributes that appear just after--or just before--the bodies are found. Will's afraid he knows who's responsible for the deaths. | $15.95 | 0060281766 | Fiction |
3/01
|
suspense, death | 7th - 12th |
| Marrin, Albert | George Washington and the Founding of a Nation | Booklist, Bulletin, SLJ | Albert Marrin examines the "father of our country" from the points of view of character, military experience, and also his slaveholding to assess Washington's role in the nation's history. Illustrated with paintings, prints, and line drawings. | $30.00 | 0525464816 | 973.4 |
1/01
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6th - 12th | |
| Mazer, Norma Fox | Girlhearts | Bulletin | When a heart attack takes her mom's life, Sarabeth suddenly loses the only family and home she's ever known. Her mother's friends, Cynthia and Billy, take in Sarabeth to live with them and their baby in their tiny one-bedroom apartment. Before long, Sarabeth realizes she's intruding on their lives, but where can she go? | $15.95 | 0688133509 | Fiction |
5/01
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social situations, death, grief, family | 5th - 9th |
| Na, An | A Step from Heaven | Booklist, Bulletin, Horn Book, PW, SLJ | When she is five, Young Ju Park and her family move from Korea to California. During the flight, they climb so far into the sky she concludes they are on their way to Heaven, that Heaven must be in America. Heaven is also where her grandfather is. When she learns the distinction, she is so disappointed she wants to go home to her grandmother. Trying to console his niece, Uncle Tim suggests that maybe America can be "a step from Heaven". - Publisher | $15.95 | 1886910588 | Fiction |
5/01
|
family life, emigration & immigrations, Korean Americans | 7th - 12th |
| Nix, Garth | Lirael: Daughter of the Clayr | Bulletin, Kirkus | Abandoned by her mother and not knowing who her father is, Lirael looks like no one in her large extended family--making her feel like she's never been a true daughter of the Clayr. She's doesn't even have the Sight, the ability to see into possible futures, that is the birthright of every Clayr. Nonetheless, Lirael undertakes a desperate mission to save the Old Kingdom. | $16.95 | 0060278234 | Fiction |
4/01
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fantasy, magic | 7th - 12th |
| Park, Linda Sue | A Single Shard | Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ | Tree-ear, an orphan, lives under a bridge in Ch'ulp'o, a potters' village famed for delicate celadon ware. He has become fascinated with the potter's craft; he wants nothing more than to watch master potter Min at work, and he dreams of making a pot of his own someday. When Min takes Tree-ear on as his helper, Tree-ear is elated -- until he finds obstacles in his path: the backbreaking labor of digging and hauling clay, Min's irascible temper, and his own ignorance. But Tree-ear is determined to prove him-self -- even if it means taking a long, solitary journey on foot to present Min's work in the hope of a royal commission . . . even if it means arriving at the royal court with nothing to show but a single celadon shard. - Publisher. | $15.00 | 0395978270 | Fiction |
3/01
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pottery, Korea, historical, family | 5th - 9th |
| Paulsen, Gary | Guts: The True Stories Behind Hatchet and the Brian Books | Bulletin | Author Gary Paulsen shares his real adventure stories that inspired his books featuring the character Brian Robeson, including a description of how he made his own bows and arrows, his memories of his first hunting trips, and his hilarious mishaps and mistakes. Paulsen also includes a chapter featuring recipes for wilderness cooking. | $16.95 | 0385326505 | 813 |
1/01
|
7th - 12th | |
| Pierce, Meredith Ann | Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood | Booklist, Kirkus, SLJ | Hannah is a creature of the woods. When she finally leaves the magician who has held her captive for so long, she takes a journey that will lead her into the heart of the forest and into her own soul. | $16.99 | 0670892475 | Fiction |
5/01
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fantasy, identity, magic, wizards | 7th - 12th |
| Powell, Randy | Run If You Dare | Horn Book, SLJ, PW | Fourteen-year-old Gardner is witness to a mid-life crisis as his father, who he has always idolized, has been laid off from his job, is bored, and is talking to Gardner about leaving. Disappointed in his father, Gardner finds the emotional strength and identity to survive through his friendships, both old and new. | $16.00 | 0374399816 | Fiction |
4/01
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social situations, fathers & sons, identity, Seattle (WA) | 7th - 12th |
| Reef, Catherine | Sigmund Freud: Pioneer of the Mind | Horn Book, PW | $19.00 | 0618017623 | 150.19 |
4/01
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5th - 9th | ||
| Rees, Celia | Witch Child | Bulletin | When her beloved grandmother is hanged as a witch, 17th-century teen Mary Newbury escapes to America to a Puritan settlement. Although Mary's story--already a bestseller in the U.K.--takes place 350 years ago, she is a credible and engaging feminist character for modern times. | $15.99 | 0763614211 | Fiction |
7/01
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historical, witches, Puritans | 7th - 12th |
| Rennison, Louise | On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God: Further Confessions of Georgia Nicolson | Booklist, PW | This sequel to "Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging" finds Georgia's little sister, Libby, leaving sticky surprises in her bed; her cat Angus spending all his time with a good-looking feline next door; and Georgia dating the Sex God (aka Robbie). But then her parents announce the family is moving to New Zealand. Life is officially over! | $15.95 | 0060288132 | Fiction |
4/01
|
friendship, family life, dating, humor | 7th - 12th |
| Ryan, Sara | Empress of the World | Kirkus | This groundbreaking novel tackles teen sexuality head on. Nicola Lancaster spends a summer at a program for gifted youths who live like college students for eight weeks. During that time, Nic becomes friends with beautiful blonde Battle Hall Davies. She's everything that Nic isn't, but startlingly, the two soon become more than friends. | $15.99 | 0670896888 | Fiction |
8/01
|
social situations, lesbians, bisexuality, schools | 7th - 12th |
| Snell, Gordon (Edt) | Thicker Than Water: Coming-Of-Age Stories by Irish and Irish American Writers | Bulletin, Horn Book | This exhilarating kaleidoscope of stories set in Ireland and America includes Maeve Binchy's "When Grania Grows Up", a tale of old secrets cast off at last, and Chris Lynch's "Off Ya Go, So", in which a journey to a clinic in Liverpool awakens a young man's deepest feelings. In the title story, by Emma Donoghue, Mammy's second wedding brings out the bloody truth. - Publisher. | $17.95 | 0385325711 | Fiction |
2/01
|
irish stories | 7th - 12th |
| Springer, Nancy | I Am Morgan Le Fay: A Tale from Camelot | Bulletin, Horn Book, Kirkus, VOYA Best Genre Book | In a war-torn England where her half-brother Arthur will eventually become king, the young Morgan le Fay comes to realize that she has magic powers and links to the faerie world. | $17.99 | 0399234519 | Fiction |
3/01
|
Arthur, magic, knights, fairies | 7th - 12th |
| Springer, Nancy | Rowan Hood: Outlaw Girl of Sherwood Forest | Booklist | Rowan has never met her father, the infamous Robin Hood. But with her mother dead and no one to care for her, 13-year-old Rowan disguises herself as a boy and goes in search of her father. She picks up a band of followers along the way, and together they must survive the perils of Sherwood Forest. | $16.99 | 0399233687 | Fiction |
6/01
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Robin Hood, myths, adventure | 7th - 12th |
| Thomson, Sarah L. | The Dragon's Son | Bulletin | A grieving mother, an embittered former wife, a loyal servant, and a bloodthirsty son each recall their particular roles in the rise and fall of England's King Arthur. Drawing from the earliest surviving stories of the legend, the author includes characters who disappeared in later retellings of the story. | $17.95 | 0531303330 | Fiction |
5/01
|
Arthur, Mordred, | 7th - 12th |
| Tingle, Rebecca | The Edge on the Sword | Booklist, PW, SLJ | Based on a true story, this is a tale of a noblewoman in England who seized power 1,000 years ago. A medieval story of courage, conviction and honor. | $18.99 | 0399235809 | Fiction |
6/01
|
Ethelfled, Vikings, Great Britain, Alfred, historical | 4th - 7th |
| Vance, Susanna | Sights | Bulletin, Horn Book,PW | When Baby Girl and her beautiful mother flee her abusive father, they enjoy the summer building a life in a new town. Baby Girl is unprepared for the cruelty of her new peers, but she learns to look inside to discover strength. | $15.95 | 0385327617 | Fiction |
3/01
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social situtations, schools, self-perception, mothers & daughters | 7th - 12th |
| Williams-Garcia, Rita | Every Time a Rainbow Dies | Bulletin, Horn Book, PW, SLJ | Since finding her battered and raped in the alley near his home, Thulani hasn't stopped thinking about Ysa. It's the first time since his mother's death he's thought of anything but the rock doves he tends to. Now that he has seen Ysa, Thulani finally has a reason to come down from the roof. | $15.95 | 0688162452 | Fiction |
1/01
|
Caribbean Americans, pigeons, New York, Rape, interpersonal relations, | 9th - 12th |
More Overbooked Best Books Reading Lists:
Hotlists
African American Fiction | Christian Fiction
2008 Excel Files: (download - print, sort, etc.)
Crime Fiction | Fiction | African American Fiction | Christian Fiction | Nonfiction Notables
Stars
Fiction: Jan-June | July-Dec Crime Fiction: Jan-June | July-Dec
Speculative Fiction Romance Historical Nonfiction | YA
Hotlists
Hotlists: Fiction | Crime Fiction
Genre Hotlists: Christian Fiction | African American Fiction
Stars
Fiction: Jan-June | July-Dec Crime Fiction: Jan-June | July-Dec
Overbooked is a volunteer project undertaken by Ann Chambers Theis: Collection Management Administrator, Chesterfield County (VA) Public Library. 9501 Lori Rd. or P.O. Box 297, Chesterfield, VA, 23832. Phone: 804.748.1760.
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