The 2005 Best Books for Young Adults List !

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   Here are the 86 titles that make up the 2005 BBYA list! Please feel free to continue to send in reviews.
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Almond, David. The Fire-Eaters.  [Winner. Whitbread Children's Book Award* Winner, 2004 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award]

Bass, L.G. Sign Of The Qin: Outlaws Of Moonshadow Marsh, No.1. 

• I really enjoyed this book. The characters are incrediably interesting and they hold your attention well from moment to moment. The cheeky monkey makes a wonderful companion to the Starlord and a good contrast to the serious monk and the dedicated outlaws. The fact that the characters in the book are found in many ancient chinese legends is very cool because it makes you want to read more of the legends and find out more about the characters and the stories. The fantastical elements of the story make it fun to read. I would definately recomend it and look forward to the next installment in which we get to find out the further journeys of the Starlord. 4Q 5P. Gr 7-11. NT, 17.

Burgess, Melvin. Doing It .

• When I picked up this book, I was expecting a mildly sleazy story about boys and sex. I was also expecting to hate it. Well, it lived up to the first of my expectations. These boys really do think about (and sometimes participate in) a lot of snogging and shagging. In fact, it pretty much is the most significant thing in the lives of these guys. But, instead of making me want to throw the book at people, these genuine charaters made me laugh and I kept reading. The lives of Dino, Ben, and Jonathon are far fetched, but they keep an elements of true humanity that are rare in fiction. This book is blunt, and may offend some, but if you think about it, a good number of teenagers are blunt and sometimes offensive. Overall, this is the most amusing book about male sexuality that I have seen. Ignore the "16+" sticker on the book - if you've made it to highschool, you're old enough for this book. 5Q 4P. Gr 11 - 12+. JI, 18.
• I'm already a huge fan of Melvin's work, and this was just another plus. It was quirky and entertaining, taking a blunt look at sex and youth culture with amusing bits here and there. I think it challenges some of the stereotypes we have about males at the same time as it overplays the stereotype that teenagers are horny as rabbits. I loved it. 5Q 4P. KH, 18.

Choldenko, Gennifer. Al Capone Does My Shirts [Newbery Honor Book]

• it was an interesting book about a young boy growing up on alcatraz prison island. it talked about his trials, fears and problems in relation to the setting and his family. one specific problem pertains to his special needs sister. she is always seeming to cause trouble for him, but there is always love. the reason i did not like this book very much was there was no interesting conflict. the only major thing was his sister, which was often repetitive. it needed a more action filled plot. 3Q 4P. CS, 15.

• I liked the way that the author used poetry to tell her story, it is an extremely creative idea and has done well for her in the past. While I haven't read her previous book, I hope that it was better than this one. I read the jacket cover, and it sounded interesting- it was interesting.. but it lacked something that is required for a book to get an award. The storyline was good, but in my opinion it would have been told better in an actual story format. So she gets full marks for creativity but I think that this book falls short of an award. 3Q 2P. MC, 15.

Dr. Ernest Drake's Dragonology: The Complete Book of Dragons. Edited by Dugald Steer.

Dunkle, Clare B. The Hollow Kingdom 

• Overall this book was pretty good the story kept surprising you, the characters are well developed, and it has an overall pleasing air about it. A good read that kept me interested until the end. 4Q 4P Below gr 7 - Gr 9. MC, 14.
• I really enjoyed this book. It gives a whole new take on goblins and fairy tales. At the beginning, it seems a little young, but it gets better as you go along. I also thought that the main character grew up quite a bit, and at the end of the book was definitely more mature than when she started out. 3Q 3P. H, 15.
• I liked this book. It is a good general fantasty book with well developed characters and an enjoyable story. The story has the feel of an old fable and the magic of your classic fairy tale. You would be surprised where you will find happy endings sometimes. All of the characters are enjoyable and Clare has done a good job of making her world shine through with great clarity. I would definately recomend this book for a nice read on a lazy afternoon. More could be said about it but it is just a good book. I has good general appeal and the subject matter makes it universally accessible. I would be interested in seeing more books about Kate and Emily and their lives in the goblin world. 4Q 4P. NT, 18.

Fisher, Catherine. Oracle Betrayed .

Flake, Sharon. Who Am I Without Him? Short Stories about Girls and the Boys in Their Lives. 

• The two stories that I absoulutely loved in here were Jacobs's Rules, and A Letter to My Daughter. The rest, well, I can take them or leave them. I liked those two cause they're weren't like the rest, about their boyfriend cheating on the girl or beating them or whatever. Instead, both were about being in good relantionships, and okay, mayybe that sounds cheesy, but read the stories. They're not cheesy. Probably the most surprising element about this story is that it's all about black relantionships. I guess maybe it's possible to pick that up from the cover, then again I didn't look too close at the cover till after I started reading the book. The story I probably have the most problems with is Hunting for Boys, cause in the first place, all these church girls want to date and find guys, and then when they get in trouble and are reprimanded, they're suddenly willing to follow the church. However, all in all, the book was pretty readable. 3Q 3P. CS, 15.

• These are two plots that you wouldn't expect to tie together. Or maybe you would, because why else would you run away to the circus besides to get away from something? I don't really know what I think about this book, I think that sometimes there shouldn't be a resoulution to some of his problems. Why does he have to find Kristie, can't he just call there and find out that she was there, though now she's moved on, and there is no forwarding adress. Leave something to be desired, although I think that had the book done that, I would have gotten mad because there aren't the answers to all the questions. However, the best books do that, leaving you wanting something that hsn't been offered by the author, and this book didn't do that. The look at circus life was done very well, by the way. 3Q 4P. CS, 15

Fusco, Kimberly Newton. Tending to Grace  [Unanimous selection]

• The characters were pretty entertaining. The rest of the story was completely average and expected. it was an extremely short, easy read. I hope the arrange it a lot better for the final print, the way the galley is layed out simply makes it look longer than it is. 3Q 3P. KH, 17

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Hautman, Pete. Godless . [National Book Award]

Horowitz, Anthony. Eagle Strike: An Alex Rider Adventure

Janeczko, Paul B. Worlds Afire :The Hartford Circus Fire Of 1944. 

• I must say, this was a rather chilling book. At first I started it and thought "Great. Another 'tragic tale' of a fire. Many parished, yada yada yada". Same old, same old. Not that I don't care, because I do, but unless the story is told with a lot of emotion and in a certain way it is often hard to be affected by the fact that people you never knew died. The beginning was just people talking about the circus, but then Part 2 was the actual fire and Part 3 was the after affects. And I was just horrified by what happened. The whole book was actually a compilation of poems (all written by the author) from the different views of people. Such as children, parents, animal trainers, police, etc. One of the stories that I found the most devastating would have to be the one of Little Miss 1565. Before that her name had been mentioned a few times, and I didn't understand who she was or what the number stood for. The number was her toe tag number (identifying her as dead.). She was never claimed... poetry very much, but this was quite an interesting read. I think I would like to read more on the topic of this circus fire, which was a very real event. 3Q 3P. AA, 13.

Jocelyn, Marthe. Mable Riley: A Reliable Record of Humdrum, Peril, and Romance  

Johnson, Angela, Bird .

Johnson, Maureen. The Key to the Golden Firebird.  

Konigsburg,  E.L. The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place. [Unanimous selection]

Lawrence, Iain. B for Buster . [Unanimous selection]

Lawrence, Michael. A Crack in the Line.

• The plot of A Crack in the Line is very unique and captivating, I was thinking about it long after I finished the book. I really enjoyed this book not only because of the plot, but because I really liked the writing style, the characters were believable and it was just the right length that I wasn't yet bored, but wasn't feeling ripped off either. Overall I think this is a great book that a lot of people would enjoy to read. 4Q 4P. VM, 14

Levithan, David. The Realm of Possibility [Unanimous selection]

• I really enjoyed this book. I thought that the writing was exceptional. It is written from many many different points of view, and that is evident in the various writing styles. Some of it is very intesnse, some is quite intersting or intlligent. The book was mostly written in poetry, with a few short essays, because of this there was very little character development and absolutely no plot. This was okay. The only thing that I disliked was at the beginning of each part it would list the names of the characters writing in each section, but it wouldn't say so on the particular page that they started writing, so this got a bit teadious and confusing. 5Q 4P. Gr 10-12+. KH, 16.
• I really liked this book. It has a great range of different types of characters and styles of writing. The poem style of this book makes it a quick read, but there is so much in this book to relate to and think about. It was really cool how all the characters were connected to each other in some way, but that also made it a bit confusing. I'm planning on re-reading the book so I can pick up on some of the things I missed the first time around when I didn't know how all the characters fit together. There isn't much of a plot to this book so some people might not like that, but I think everyone can find something to relate to in here. This book made me feel very warm and fuzzy. 5Q 4P. BM, 16.
• The Realm of Possibility was a good book, though quite confusing. I had to flip back to the different sections repeatedly while I was reading because I couldn't remember who the characters were, or what their relations were to each other. I don't know if the author was trying to make the plot difficult to follow, or if this book really needs a lot of work. The poetry was very well written, and I especially enjoyed reading the song lyrics. I liked how all of the characters were connected to each other in the weirdest ways. This was definately an enjoyable book to read, but I would have liked it better had there been an index (or something similar) of characters. 4Q 4P. VM, 13.
• I'm not one for poetry. I am the least likely to write a poem and I an't say I have a favourite. I only ever read poetry in school, when we were forced to. So when I am given a book, a story, written as a poem, I usually scoff at it and turn my head in disgust and boredom.
  But not this time. It had a slow start, seemingly traditional in the 'poetry as a story' theme...but then it changed. Each story, each poem, has a different feel. In the end it was wonderful, the way they interconnected. There was no doubt...this is a good book. 4Q 3P. KH, 18

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Marchetta, Melina. Saving Francesca . [Unanimous selection / Top 10 BBYA]

• Saving Francesca is an amazing book. First of all, the idea is incredibly unique. A girl in an all-boys school? I doubt that I'll ever read about that again. On top of that, the writing is fantastic. All of the description really makes me feel as if I know the characters, and the author does a great job of describing how things look as well as their smell and sound. I got a very good idea of what the mood in the room was like (ex. relaxed, tense...) from the way the author described how everyone was moving. Overall, this was a great book but now quite as good as the author's first novel. 5Q 4P. VM, 13.
• This book was very hard to put down. Francesca is such an interesting and realistic character, I haven't read about any characters quite like her. All of the characters were very well done. I loved everything about her family, and Francesca's friends from school were all great, very realistic and not the typical high school characters. Melina Marchetta did a great job with both Saving Francesca and Looking For Alibrandi with giving the reader an idea of what it's like to be part of an Italian community in Australia without making a really big deal out if it. I loved the book, and I think it will appeal to many other people as well. 5Q 5P. BM, 16

McKinley, Robin. Sunshine.

Morpurgo, Michael. Private Peaceful.

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Oppel, Kenneth. Airborn. [Printz Honor Book * Unanimous selection* Top 10]

• I thought this was one of the best books I have ever read. This book is set in an alternate world where everyone travels by airships, or blimps, instead of airplanes. A boy named Matt works aboard an airship named the Aurora. It starts with Matt rescuing a man, named Benjamin Malloy, travelling in a hot air balloon. With the man's dying breath, he told Matt about some sort of "beautiful creatures" and that "Kate would have loved them." A year later, a girl named Kate came aboard the Aurora. She came to try to find the creatures that her grandpa, Ben, found. This event starts the story in motion to try to find the strange animals, part human, part bat, that supposedly never land. I really enjoyed this book because it was extremely realistic, and just goes to show how many creatures that live on this earth that we may never know exist. I would reccomend this book to anyone who enjoys books about what could have happened if... Even if you did not like Kenneth Oppel's Silverwing series, you may still like this book a lot. 5Q 4P. DA, 11.

• Luna is an excellently researched book. That being said, I read it so that I could learn more about the subject. I don't know a lot about being transgendered, and I knew very little when I started reading this book. I specifically like how this book didn't deal with one subject. The idea of having the book narrated by the sister of the transgendered person was a good idea. 5Q 4P. KH, 17

Pratchett, Terry. The Hat Full of Sky: the Wee Free Men 2

Rapp, Adam, Under the Wolf, Under the Dog . [Top 10]. Comments

Rosoff,  Meg. How I Live Now. [Printz Award * Guardian Children's Fiction Prize]

Schmidt, Gary D. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy  [Printz Honor Book]

• This was done phenominally. The ending was sad, and the charaters had developement! I did like how the people stayed in character the entire time. There wasn't a part where the reader just doesn't know what happened. I really like the part about the whales in the end. 4Q 3P. AR, 16.

Shinn, Sharon. The Safe-Keeper's Secret. 

• I liked how in the end everyone's wishes came true, it was kind of cheesy but it I was just happy that everyone got what they really wanted. The ending shocked me, I would have never guessed that [webmaster censor] it was a good twist for the end of the story. 4Q 3P. Gr 7-9. EW, 15.

Shusterman, Neal. The Schwa Was Here .

Sones, Sonya. One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies  

Stratton, Allan.Chanda's Secrets.  [Printz Honor Book * unanimous decision]

• Chanda's Secrets has a very unique and interesting plot, but there wasn't enough description; I wasn't able to imagine the scenery or characters. I think this is a good book to read, just for the fact that it includes a lot of lesser-known facts about HIV/AIDS. The characters in this book were very well developed and believable. This was a good book to read, and I was never bored, but it would have been a great book had there been more imagery. 4Q 4P. VM, 14.

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Stroud, Jonathan. The Golem's Eye (Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book Two.)

Updale, Eleanor. Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman? [unanimous decision]

• Montmorency was extremely entertaining. There isn't much to say about it, except that I would definitely recommend it. It was well written, well thought out, and the stroy flowed quite well. There was a perfect balance between mystery, twist, and emotion. This being the author's first novel, I was really amazed. I will definitely read her next book. For anyone who enjoys mysteries and London in the 18th and 19th centuries, I would definitely recommend this book. 4Q 3P. EH, 14.
• This was an awsome book. The character Montmorency (M. from now on) is in jail where he has developed a plan to burgle the richest places in London via the newly implanted sewer system. But, he needs an ally. So who does he bring in? Scarper, a schizophrenic personality which he can become at will. I liked how this book was layed out. There was lost of action, but areas where the reader could rest and get what just happened. The author handeled M.'s teransformation to and from Scarper admirably and I like how he ended up using his power for the good of his country. I would recommend this book to anyone. 5Q 4P. AR, 16.

Werlin, Nancy. Double Helix .

• Double Helix was pretty darn cool. It flowed nicely, the language was easily comprehendible for the "sci-fi" challenged, and it was just an overall thought provoking story. The sci-fi/mystery mix was really effective. I found myself always wanting to read another chapter to find out what happened next. 4Q 4P. EH, 13.
• This book was, to use the correct terminology "predictable". By the 23rd page I could have told you that the main character was going to be a [...webmaster censor...]. I didn't know the details, but still, you get the point. 2Q 3P. AR, 16.
• this was an interesting scientific thriller about a teenaage/adult boy. his mom is deteriorating of an uncurable genetic disaese, and is worrying about himself. he gains a job at a genetic labratory, but his dad objects. as he investigates more into why his dad objects, the mystery unfolds. the reason i didnt like this book was the main plot. although it was well written, i did not think that the main conflict was not as big of a deal as it was made out to be. if a different conflict (something more serious) had been selected, the novel could have taken a much better twist. 3Q 4P. CS, 15.

Whitney, Kim Ablon. See You Down the Road: a Novel.

Wooding, Chris. Haunting of Alaizabel Cray .

• I loved it. The story was enjoyable and the characters where crystal clear. Chris Wooding has done a masterful job of bringing to life a world so like our own yet so different. The setting makes it feel like an adventure story remenicient of the era of Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde or the Invisible man although it is very different. In my mind it reminds me of the League of Extraordinary Gentlement the way it should have been. The world he has created is well crafted and vivid not to mention down right creepy. I am definately going to read more of his stuff. Thaniel is incrediably easy to relate to and real enough that you almost feel like he is standing beside you. I loved the narrative style of the story and the writing was superb. This book would make a wonderful movie. The setting is so clear. It is nice also to have villians that one can truly hate. Secret societies, magic, intrigue, love, betrayl it has it all. Everyone who likes fantasy and adventure will love this book. 4Q 5P. NT, 18.

Yolen, Jane and Robert J. Harris. Prince Across the Water.

Nonfiction 

Hoose, Phillip M. The Race to Save the Lord God Bird.

McWhorter,Diane. A Dream of Freedom: The Civil Rights Movement from 1954 to 1968.

Myers, Walter Dean. Here in Harlem: Poems in Many Voices.

Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis 2: the Story of a Return.

Silverstein, Ken. The Radioactive Boy Scout: the True Story of a Boy and His Backyard Nuclear Reactor. [unanimous selection]

• I enjoyed the science aspect of this novel, but the writing and the story really didn't impress me very much. It was interesting to learn how this teenager built his own nuclear reactor and how he aquired the elements he needed from everyday items. It was quite descriptive and to be honest, it was sort of unnerving. It reminded me of the Anarchist's Cookbook (which I've never read, but obviously heard about), because it pretty much told the reader how to make your own reactor. I would highly advise discretion towards the contents of this book. Once again, the writing wasn't very impressive, and the plot was rather dry and missing some sort of pizzazz, therefore I can't give it more than a quality and popularity rank of 3. 3Q 3P. EH, 14.

Unger, Zac. Working Fire: The Making of an Accidental Fireman.

Van Der Vat,  Dan. D-Day: The Greatest Invasion: A People's History.

Wolf, Allan. New Found Land: Lewis and Clark's Voyage of Discovery.