Cindy’s 2008 Baker’s Dozen

Why 13 titles? Everyone makes a top ten, and besides, Lynn and I can’t possibly narrow our favorites down that far, so we're giving you a Baker’s Dozen of 2008 favorites. Mine are here and Lynn's are in a separate post. Our first ten are selected on literary merit alone and are in alphabetic order by author. The extra three titles are some of our other favorites of the year, thrown in for free. Let us know what YOUR favorites are!

Cindy's 2008 Baker's Dozen

Anderson, M. T. Octavian Nothing: Traitor to a Nation: Vol. II: Kingdom on the Waves. (Candlewick)
Different than Pox Party, but with equally excellent storytelling, this sequel brilliantly concludes a duet that is destined to become a classic.

Collins, Suzanne. Hunger Games. (Scholastic)
A rip-roaring adventure with important themes to consider.

Dowd. Sioban. Bog Child. (Random House/David Fickling)
More proof that we lost this talented author too soon.

Gaiman, Neil. The Graveyard Book. (Harper Collins)
Exquisite storytelling that tells a creepy story but also illuminates the journey that prepares you to leave the safety of “home” to seek your fortune.

Green, John. Paper Towns. (Penguin/Dutton)
Are you a string, a blade of grass or a vessel? Quite possibly John’s best book yet.

Lanagan, Margo. Tender Morsels. (Random House/Knopf)
I just started this one, but am so sure that it will make my top ten, I’m putting it there now. I’ll own up if I change my mind after I finish.

Lockhart, E. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks. (Hyperion)
In a year full of fun female characters, Frankie is tops. This is a breakout book for Lockhart.

Pratchett, Terry. Nation. (Harper Collins)
If Jonathan Hunt admires a survival story, you know it is something special. This is.

Scott, Elizabeth. Living Dead Girl. (Simon & Schuster/Simon Pulse)
Painful to read, but a haunting and searingly honest story that won’t be forgotten.

White, Ruth. Little Audrey. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
I hadn’t read this until after I saw it on Booklist’s Top of the List Editor’s Choice list. It quickly moved firmly into a place on my list too.

Cindy's extra three:

Doctorow, Cory. Little Brother. (Tor)
I’m now a hacker librarian with my R3AD license plate, thanks to “w1n5t0n.” Loved the technology usage in this and the cautions about privacy.

Ness, Patrick. The Knife of Never Letting Go. (Candlewick)
Evil, pure evil…to leave a reader hanging so precipitously waiting for the sequel.

Scieszka, Jon. Knucklehead. (Penguin/Viking)
Everyone who reads this shares a funny childhood story with me. It doesn’t get any better than that.