What we're reading in Young Adult / Juvenille Lit

What're you working on? How are you finding it? Anything interesting planned?

A place to talk about young adult reads of the year!

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
Bartimaeous trilogy (reread) and the new one The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud
The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins

stuff by Tamora Pierce & Scot Westerfeld as the opportunity arises

Nice list! I read Ship Breaker recently - I really loved the world Bacigalupi created, especially in the book's beginning. He has has a real knack for it.

And Hunger Games, of course, is wonderful.

I'm also hoping to read Hunger Games but first I want to finish a manga series that has a similar (from what I know) story line.

Reading Last Sacrifice is also a must for 2011.

Hunger Games is near the top of Mt TBR, but I'm not planning on reading it any time in the near future.

#2> kcs, I'd seen there was a new Bartimaeus book! I'm looking forward to it, although I hope I don't have to re-read the original trilogy, I rarely find time to re-read books.

Harry Potter is the exception for re-reading. Mr Bear & I are getting towards the end of Prisoner of Azkaban now (last night was that great scene in the Shrieking Shack with Sirius Black), and now he wants to move on to Goblet of Fire straight after.

I started eight grade bites (Vladamir Tod series) late last year, so I'll continue on with those. I'm also reading the House of Night series, but I need a rest with those, the dialog can get annoying sometimes.

I was given Hush Hush (last Christmas - oops), so I'm going to try read that plus it's sequel. This should fill in some time until April, when the next Strange Angels book comes out, I loved the first three books in the series, so I'm looking forward to the fourth.

Gosh, Strange Angels sounds a lot like Supernatural - do you watch? Any similarities?

#5> I didn't actually read the Bartimaeous books the first time through, rather we listened to them as we made multiple 8-hour car journeys back and forth to the grandparents...so I'm sure that I missed a few things as I dozed (while both driving and not driving).

#3> Aerrin, actually I think it was your review that interested me in Ship Breakers... I'm about half way through and enjoying it very much! I used my Christmas Amazon gift certificates to purchase Ship Breakers, The Windup Girl and Pump Six for the kindle. I had read one of Bacigalupi's short stories People of Sand and Slag in the Wastelands anthology and liked it very much... so it wasn't a stretch for me to buy the rest of his stuff.

Hooray, I feel special!

I read The Windup Girl and didn't like it as much - too much world, not enough likable character or plot. I liked Ship Breaker a lot more - although I know a lot of people really loved The Windup Girl.

I have yet to try a Bacigalupi novel, I saw a lot of mixed reviews around The Windup Girl so I have always hesitated, maybe I should check out the Ship Breaker instead.

>10 clfisha:

If you had never read anything from Bacigalupi, I would recommend his short stories, not his novels. Not that I did not like The Windup Girl - but his style is much more suitable for the shorter forms. Try Pump Six and Other Stories.

>7 Aerrin99:

Hi Aerrin99

Yes Strange Angels is similar to Supernatural, which is one of the reasons I like the books. The books aren't as violent or as dark as the series (or the last couple of seasons at least). The basis for both stories is the same, except for the gender of the kids and there's no sibling. Helps me while I wait for Season 6 to come out on DVD :)

Awesome! I'll add it to my wishlist!

I picked up Beka Cooper: Terrier and Beka Cooper: Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce from the library yesterday. I had read Terrier before (2008 I think) when it was a Missouri Gateway nominated book and liked it very much. After skimming through the first book to refresh my memory I've started on Bloodhound.

I like Pierce's world and her approach to religion (decidedly pagan). I've not read any of her other series or stories as my library doesn't carry them (it took two weeks for them to inter-library request these two).

I really enjoyed The Hunger Games Trilogy. I also read the trilogy by Patrick Ness - I can't remember what it is called, but the first book is The Knife of Never Letting Go.

The Knife of Never Letting Go is the first book in the "Chaos Walking" trilogy. (And they were great reads!)

Thanks wookie!

I'm re-reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. As good as ever.

>13 Aerrin99: Hope you enjoy them :)

>15 judylou:+16 I've been meaning to read that series for a while now, I've heard consistently good things about it. Will def have to read it this year.

Started (late last night) Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly. Read until I couldn't keep my eyes open any more, in the wee hours of the morning.

*yawn*

It's about Andi, who lives a privileged life in New York (wealthy and very talented parents, the best schools, etc), but whose life is falling apart. Her father takes her with him to Paris so she can focus on her studies before she's thrown out of school. (Yeah, I would have slacked off at school if it meant I got taken to Paris too!) Things are beginning to come together, after a fairly long but very interesting set up, so I won't say much else that happens, but the French Revolution is going to figure prominently.

I finished Revolution and posted a review over on my thread. It was a great page turner, and I really enjoyed myself, with a few minor quibbles, most of which I didn't even bother putting into my review...

(Edited to fix touchstone.)

Wishlisted!

Just finished Incarceron, a really creative and unique YA sci fi/dystopia book about a living prison and a world that's been forcibly locked into a past era and-- other cool stuff.

It has some holes and some flaws, but enough creativity and energy that I didn't mind them one bit while reading.

Wishlisting #21 and #23 - they sound really interesting.

oooo Aerrin Incarceron looks really good... I'll have to check at my library for it, otherwise I noticed that it isn't too expensive on kindle.

well it wasn't too expensive... now it is. :-(

ok ok

The Hunger Games
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
&
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

all lined up on my headboard and ready to go...

About time!

I hope you liked The Knife of Never Letting Go as much as I did! (Really *must* pick up The Hunger Games soon...)

Ugh! I still haven't read The Hunger Games even though everyone has told me it's awesome and I know I'll love it. One day, one day I will finish them. I finished The Hollow this month, which is a modern take on the Sleepy Hollow story, I quite enjoyed it, kinda predictable, but I think that's to be expected with the Sleepy Hollow background. But I've put a request in for the rest of the trilogy. I have just started The Uninvited, which I'm liking, I can't decided wether it's a straight mystery, or if it'll have supernatural elements - I'll have to keep reading to find out.

> 26

That is a lineup to be envious of! Hope you have fun! I'm working (slowly) on The Haunting of Hill House.

haha hey I noticed that you have Terrier and Bloodhound in your 'currently reading' category... how are you liking them? I read Terrier last year and Bloodhound earlier this year and liked them both very much...

I finished them a few weeks ago and liked them quite a bit. They're written a tad bit younger than I expected, but since I read the Alanna books when I was like 11, I suppose that shouldn't have been a huge surprise. I'll definitely read the third when it comes out.

I agree about the writing level.. even though she begins exploring sexual themes in Bloodhound, the writing still seems to be aimed at about a 12 year-old. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing...

Started Divergent by Veronica Roth last night, and am halfway through already. Would have stayed up all night to finish it, but eyes refused to focus any more after a while.

I'm trying to work out why YA dystopia is always so much fun. I think the hope of a new generation wins me over every time.

I just finished the delightful Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis--lots of fun, aimed at middle school but able to be enjoyed by all.

Just started Feed by Mira Grant. Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaains!

Loved an early passage where she explains that Georgia, Georgette and Barbara are the most popular names for girls post-Rising (when the zombies started). Because George Romero is their saviour. Took me a while to get why "Barbara" made the short list (did Barbara Bush lead the nation fighting zombies, I wondered), then I remembered actually watching "Night of the Living Dead" oh so many years ago...

But she also described those names as the "Jennifer" of their generation. Cracked me up, as "Tania" is the "Jennifer" of my generation (in Australia, at least; there was a huge spike of Tanias born late 1960s/early 1970s). And what is it with "Jennifer"? Nice name, but I never quite understood its sudden spike in popularity.

I've finished Feed, and the rest of the book didn't live up to the beginning. (Shame.) And I don't actually think it was YA now I've finished it, although I wouldn't stop any teenager from reading it, but I don't think it was aimed at them.