By: Jennifer Thermes,
on 11/16/2016
Great news... Charles Darwin's Around-the-World Adventure is on Amazon's list of Best Children's Books of the Year for 2016 in the Nonfiction category!
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By: Zoe,
on 12/2/2015
What to say? I’ve been very fortunate this year, having read so many wonderful books, and because I like a challenge, I decided to try and pick the books which made my year. This is a very personal selection, based on books that really meant something to me, that softened my heart or emboldened my spirit.
I didn’t manage to review them all on the blog but where I did do so, I’ve linked to the original posts below. Please do explore all you can of these books – I’m sure you and your kids will find something you too really love amongst them!
Evil Emperor Penguin: Book 1 by Laura Ellen Anderson
The Oxford Companion to Children’s Literature by Daniel Hahn
The Lion and the Bird by Marianne Dubuc
Bronze and Sunflower by Cao Wenxuan and Meilo So
Would You Rather…Dine with a Dung Beetle or Lunch with a Maggot? by Camilla de le Bédoyère and Mel Howells
The Tender Moments of Saffron Silk (and all the Kingdom of Silk books) by Glenda Millard and Stephen Michael King
Railhead by Philip Reeve
The Little Bookshop and the Origami Army! by Michael Foreman
The Duck and the Darklings by Glenda Millard and Stephen Michael King
The Unlikely Adventures of Mable Jones by Will Mabbitt
Cruelty Bites by Ellen Duthie and Daniela Martagón
When Dad Showed Me the Universe by Ulf Stark and Eva Eriksson
Unbecoming by Jenny Downham
Space Dog by Mini Grey
How the Sun Got to Coco’s House by Bob Graham
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling and Jim Kay
Peekaboo by Giuliano Ferri
I also asked my kids for their favourite new reads of 2015. They chose several of mine and also a few others:
Lockwood & Co: The Hollow Boy by Jonathan Stroud
Arsenic For Tea: A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery
First Class Murder: A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery
Samen ben je niet alleen (Lotte en Roos) by Marieke Smithuis with illustrations by Annet Schaap
The Blood of Olympus (Heroes of Olympus Book 5) by Rick Riordan
The Secret Rescuers: The Sky Unicorn by Paula Harrison
Tom Gates 9: Top of the Class (Nearly)by Liz Pichon
Yes! No (Maybe…) by Liz Pichon
An Island of Our Own by Sally Nicholls
Space Hostages by Sophia McDougall
Kristy’s Great Idea: Full-Color Edition (the Baby-Sitters Club Graphix #1) by Ann M. Martin and Raina Telgemeier
The Pirates of Pangaea: Book 1 (The Phoenix Presents) by Dan Hartwell and Neill Cameron
The Dream Snatcher by Abi Elphinstone
The Last of the Sandwalkers by Jay Hosler
That’s My Hat by Anouck Boisrobert and Louis Rigaud
Pierre the Maze Detective: The Search for the Stolen Maze Stone by Hiro Kamigaki and IC4DESIGN
Of all the brilliant books published this year, which have been your (kids’) very favourite?
By: Powell's Staff,
on 12/12/2014
Few topics are more contentious at Powell's than agreeing on the "best" works of fiction. Our tastes run the gamut from experimental tragicomedies to multi-generational sagas to offbeat coming-of-age tales to surreal character studies... and so on. As such, rather than present selections from one perspective, we thought it wise to get a more representative [...]
By: Rhianna Walton,
on 12/11/2014
A lot is made of the romance of bookstores. The smell of paper! The joy of discovery! The ancient, cracking leather bindings of books with dated inscriptions! And it's true that bookstores are magical places to browse and linger — just maybe not in the two days before Christmas. Because in the swirling mad hum [...]
By: Mary Jo Schimelpfenig,
on 12/10/2014
Here are the books that knocked my socks off in 2014. All of them would make great gifts; each of them was truly something that evoked that inexpressible delight of finding an author you are excited about. ÷ ÷ ÷ Prince of Fools (Red Queen's War #1) by Mark Lawrence Prince of Fools is essentially [...]
By: Aubrey,
on 12/9/2014
So what is with all the hullabaloo about young adult literature these days? Do we have John Green to blame for getting us sucked in to the tragic sagas in coming-of-age children's books? I am in the fourth decade of my life, and I found myself pulled into the throws of YA lit this year, [...]
By: Tracey T.,
on 12/8/2014
As the cookbook buyer for Powell's Books, I am the lucky one who gets to choose every new cookbook that comes into our stores. This means I have a pretty sweet cookbook collection, but I try to keep my shelves under control by limiting myself to only one bookcase of cookbooks. When a new cookbook [...]
By: Gigi Little,
on 12/7/2014
No, I'm sorry, it's impossible. The best kids' books of 2014? The best? Can't do it. There have been entirely too many exceptional examples of the smart, the hilarious, the exciting, the heartfelt, and the downright weird. To think we could pick just a handful and call them the absolute best for the whole 12 [...]
By: Elaine Magliaro,
on 1/19/2011
Association for Library Service to Children: 2011 ALSC Award Winners
ALSC: 2011 Notable Children’s Books
Booklist Editor’s Choice: Books for Youth, 2010
The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books: 2010 Blue Ribbons
Kirkus Reviews: 2010 Best Books for Children
Kirkus Reviews: 2010 Best Books for Teens
Horn Book Fanfare: Best Books of 2010
New York Public Library: Children’s Books 2010—100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
New York Times: Notable Children’s Books of 2010
Publishers Weekly: Best Children’s Books 2010
School Library Journal: Best Picture Books 2010
School Library Journal: Best Nonfiction Books 2010
School Library Journal: Best Fiction Books 2010
Book Links: Lasting Connections of 2010
Posted on 1/7/2008
Pssst!
by Adam Rex
Harcourt Children's Books
Buy From Amazon
| Buy from BookSense
Pssst! is a funny, light-hearted fantasy that uses snappy text and surreal post-modern oil-and-acrylic illustrations to tell the tale of a girl who visits a zoo with crafty animals who all want something from her. This results in a surprise ending and one of the year's most unforgettable illustrated double-page spreads.
--Cheryl Rainfield
Go to Bed, Monster!
written by Natasha Wing; illustrated by Sylvie Kantorovitz
Harcourt Children's Books
Buy From Amazon | Buy from BookSense
A sleepless girl creates a playful monster to keep her company one evening with surprising results. Kantorovitz's oil paint and pastel illustrations, made to look like crayon drawings, capture the immediacy and creative range of a child's imagination.
--Annie Teich, Crazy for Kids' Books
The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County
written by Janice N. Harrington; illustrated by Shelley Jackson
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Buy From Amazon | Buy from BookSense
A sassy, young farm girl, living with her Big Mama, transforms herself from chicken-chaser extraordinaire to fender-of-the-fowl in this spirited read-aloud, whose energetic mixed-media collage illustrations provide much for observant eyes to take in.
--Julie Danielson, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Leaves
by David Ezra Stein
Putnam Juvenile
Buy From Amazon | Buy from BookSense
In this engaging poem of a picture book with spare text and shimmering earth-tone paintings, David Ezra Stein captures the wonder of the changing seasons as seen through the perspective of a wide-eyed bear.
--Julie Danielson, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Four Feet, Two Sandals
written by Karen Lynn William & Khadra Mohammad; illustrated by Doug Chayka
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
Buy From Amazon | Buy from BookSense
Two girls in a refugee camp in Pakistan share a pair of sandals that begins a friendship in this poignant story of courage. When hope of a better life comes for one girl, they must both find a way to still share their sandals and their hearts.
--Marcie Flinchum Atkins, World of Words
Knuffle Bunny Too
by Mo Willems
Hyperion
Buy From Amazon | Buy from BookSense
In this sequel to Knuffle Bunny, the photography, the cartooning, and the drama is all kicked up a notch as Trixie and her dad have to set things right in the early morning hours. Fantastic in its capture of subtleties of expression, the dynamics of families, and the mind of a child.
--Pamela Coughlan, MotherReader
The Incredible Book-Eating Boy
by Oliver Jeffers
Philomel
Buy From Amazon | Buy from BookSense
Oliver Jeffers has crafted a visually-stunning, humorous story about a young boy who loves books so much he eats them -- until he discovers that the greatest power comes from reading them. Jeffers' innovative illustrations, cleverly superimposed on pages from various books, merge with an inviting storyline that continues right into the book's back cover.
--Cheryl Rainfield
Posted on 2/14/2007
Here are the winners as listed on the Cybils site and with the commentary from the judges! I am going to buy An Egg is Quiet and Butterfly Eyes right away to support the Cybils program.
FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION:
Ptolemy's Gate (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 3)
by Jonathan Stroud
Hyperion: Miramax
Ptolemy's Gate receives the first Cybils for Fantasy and Science Fiction for its richly imagined fantasy world, strongly realized and unique characters, delightful language and well-honed plot. As a concluding volume of a trilogy, it delivers everything a final volume should do, taking the story arc to its peak with a climax that is both action-packed and emotionally charged. At the same time, Ptolemy’s Gate stands alone as a story and will inspire readers, children and adults alike, to seek out the previous installments and revisit the world of Bartimaeus over and over again.
FICTION PICTURE BOOK: (YAYAYAYAYAY!)
Scaredy Squirrel
by Melanie Watt
Kid’s Can Press
This eponymous squirrel hits little kids and big alike right where they live: in the numbing comfort of routine and abject fear of The Unknown. This is a tiny book with a big lesson about bravery. Watt makes the most of each page, using repetition and exaggeration to hilariously dissect Scaredy Squirrel's paranoia, from the minutiae of his daily habits to a tour of his emergency kit. When the unexpected finally occurs, the joke's on all of us. Field-tested in libraries and living rooms and at bedsides by the judges, Scaredy Squirrel elicited the most giggles per page and requests for re-reads among a variety of age groups, including parents.
GRAPHIC NOVELS:
Ages 12 and Under: 
Amelia Rules! Volume 3: Superheroes
by Jim Gownley
Renaissance Press
Amelia Rules celebrates the power of imagination when school lets out for summer vacation. There's plenty of time for dressing up in capes, fighting a gang of evil ninjas, and investigating the evil conspiracy known as the Legion of Steves. Amelia McBride's adventures are portrayed with warm-hearted good humor. There's plenty of slapstick comedy, which combines with an exploration of some of the serious issues of childhood – moving, growing up, and the secret a new friend tries to hide. Jimmy Gownley's art shifts styles based on his character's vivid inner worlds, portraying superhero space battles and silent movie romances with ease. Amelia Rules can be easily be enjoyed by readers of all ages
Ages 13 and Up:
American Born Chinese
by Gene Yang
First Second
American Born Chinese skillfully explores the idea of identity by weaving together three distinct stories – the traditional tale of the Monkey King, Jin Wang's longing for acceptance by his classmates, and popular Danny being plagued by his cousin Chin-Kee who embodies the worst Chinese ethnic stereotypes. Gene Yang uses humor when portraying the perils of adolescence, and his colorful art easily adapts to the tonal shifts of the three stories.
MIDDLE GRADE FICTION: 
A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama
by Laura Amy Schlitz
Candlewick Press
It's a mystery story, it's a ghost story, it's delightully gothic and eerie. In A Drowned Maiden's Hair we have a protagonist with a very authentic child voice, and her motivations and feelings are described in clean, nuanced lines. Maud is also a person of her time and place; she never comes off as anachronistic. The story, too, is something of a time and place--the darkness of the Hawthorne estate was like an L.M. Montgomery novel gone delightfully to seed.The adoption of the plucky orphan by the wealthy lady is a trope of the Victorian novel, and yet does not come off as trite or formulaic. It is as if Schlitz had taken familiar characters and plotlines from Victorian fiction and injected them with a realism and emotional force that transcends its familiarity, making it seem new again. Truth--be it in the cries of a widower, or in a tearful confession--is what lets Maude see her true role and path, and ultimately brings redemption.
NON-FICTION, MG/YA:
Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott
by Russell Freedman
Holiday House
The story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott has been told many times by many different people and has almost become legend, but in Freedom Walkers, Russell Freedman is not sharing folklore or the iconic stories of civil rights heroes like Martin Luther King Jr. or Rosa Parks. This book tells how ordinary men, women and children planned and worked together to peaceably stand up against the injustice of the segregated transportation system--and won. Their heroism makes the reader ask, "Could I do this? Could I stand up to the threats? Could I walk to school every day for almost a year to make justice happen in my hometown?" Well-chosen historic photographs bring to life the American South of the 1950's. The true story is gripping and well documented. This is a read-in-one- sitting kind of book, which will appeal to young teens up through adults.
NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK:
An Egg is Quiet (YAY FOR THIS ONE, TOO!)
by Dianna Aston; illustrated by Sylvia Long
Chronicle Books
Don't be surprised if some future master birder cites this book as an early influence. Multiple layers of thoughtful, poetic text--about not only birds but also insects, reptiles and sea creatures--make An Egg Is Quiet a book that readers can enjoy quickly or in depth, depending upon their level of interest. The handwriting font gives the feeling of a scientific field journal, and the artwork is of the first class, with outstanding visual variety and clarity. The endpapers alone are breathtaking.
POETRY:
Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow
by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beth Krommes
Houghton Mifflin
Three cheers for Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow! Each poem is a nature riddle--guessing the answers will keep children hopping. Joyce Sidman's rich, rhythmic language and Beth Krommes' intricate scratchboard illustrations make the Cybils poetry winner a book to return to again and again.
YOUNG ADULT FICTION:
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (I have not read this book, but be advised that there is a fair amount of profanity and sexuality in this book. To be honest, these are things I shy away from.)
by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist gives us a glimpse into one iconic night of new love. This fast, fun story is filled with heartache and romance, fear and discovery, and a healthy mix of sadness and exhilaration. The narrative gives the alternating perspectives of Nick (supplied by Levithan) and Norah (supplied by Cohn); these narrative voices ring true from the moment Nick and Norah first meet, through the starts and stops of discovering one another and figuring out how to trust in the feelings and each other and themselves. We loved the pace of the story, the development of the lead and supporting characters, and the music and city which served as the perfect backdrop to Nick and Norah's fabulous night.
Ah Pippa, every year I try to keep track of everything we read, and every year I fail. So I’ve no idea how much we’ve read in total this year. Of course we’ve read lots of stuff which wasn’t published this year, and for our selections today we kept it only to stuff published (or made available in the UK) in 2015. What would make it on to your best books of the year list?
Great list will be searching some of those out! As promised here are my 6 favourite reads this year.
Still Falling Sheena Wilkinson
My name isn’t Friday by Jon Walters
The Clockwork Sparrow by Katherine Woodvine
Demolition Dad by Phil Earle
The Everest Files by Matt Dickinson
Princess Caraboo by Catherine Johnson
So many more I have loved
Thanks Jayne, I too enjoyed My Name isn’t Friday a lot – very cleverly written I thought. Pricess Caraboo has been on my TBR pile too long. I will redouble my efforts to read it over the holidays!