The Next Best Book Club discussion

Emma, You seem to be the Queen of YA novels, so thanks for piloting this one!

Top 5 best YA Books in The Universe:

1. The Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray. I cannot put into words how much I love these books.

2. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. Amazing, I will love Stargirl forever.

3. The Journey to the River Sea. This was my introduction to Eva Ibbotson, and I've loved her ever since, it also started by obsession with gypsy boys :).

4. The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson. Amazing twists, awesome plots, and I love how she describes Vienna!

5. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen. The only book I've read of hers, but I loved it. Fantastic writing.

Awww! Well I wouldn't go that far! *blushes* YA is just my thing I guess.

Come on, give me your opinons! There has to be some of you who love YA out here!

I have read Inheart and Inkspell, do they count? ;o)

Haha, yes they would. I hear so much about these books, and I know they're going to be turned into a movie. There on my TBR list.

I was thinking of doing a Top 5 YA series...but I only have three series...I'm still searching my brain to see if I can fish out two more, then I'll get back to you!! :)

There were great, my daughter and I read them as a read-a-loud thing we do at night, we are waiting for Inkdeath which is coming out in October.

Oh great! I love YA, Stargirl was the first book to really draw me in, Eva Ibbotson guided me to The Gemma Doyle Trilogy, and voila! I get one of my favorite series of all time. It's an interesting concept isn't it? I need to get reading!

I also love YA - although I think some times actual "adults" would get just as much, if not more, out of them.

Here's my top 5:

1. Harry Potter - JK Rowling
2. Wrinkle in Time (and series) - Madeline L'Engle
3. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
4. Danny, Champion of the World - Roald Dahl
5. The Narnia Chronicles - CS Lewis

What was your favorite book in the Narnia series? My favorites so far are The Magician's Nephew and The Horse and His Boy.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was my favorite - it's actually one of my favorite books. The imagery and the adventure were just so fun in that one. And Reepicheep daring to sail over the edge of the world - love the symbolism (in all the books, really).

What do you think of the movies? I haven't read Prince Caspian yet, and I read the books after I saw the movies. But The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is much better as a movie.

I really enjoyed the movies. It's unfortunate that the Christian undertones (or not so "under"tones) will be lost so as not to make them too controversial or too religion specific. That's one of the things that I always loved about the books - Lewis seemed to have a great way of explaining Christianity and the whole concept of being a good person.

There were some things that I enjoyed seeing as a movie - I think I like them equally as much as the books but for different reasons. The movie version of Prince Caspian was more different from the book than the first movie, but I think they did a good job with it.

I like Susan much more in the movies than in the books. I did feel it was very Christian, whereas with the books, it's was more about the world itself.

That's really interesting because I always thought the books had very heavy Christian themes. I haven't seen as much of it in the movies.

It does, but I felt as if it wasn't so much Christian, but about people and the world.

I like the Maximum Ride Series by James Patterson, when I read the first one I didn't realise it was YA, likewise with The Book Thief, didn't realise that was YA either. I can't say I've read many apart from these, I do have on my shelves however the first Harry Potter book, The Chronicles of Narnia and Twilight, oh and three Anne of Green Gables books. I've also read Lord of the Rings, does that count?

I think my favorite Narnia book was The Horse and His Boy. I read it when I was 9 and afterwards I wanted my next horse to be named Bree. I'm now much older and I still wanted a horse named Bree!

Top 5 YA books for reluctant/resistant readers:

Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer
Maximum Ride series by James Patterson
Crank by Ellen Hopkins
A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer

I teach at an Alternative School for kids who were kicked out of the regular high schools. Most of them claim to be non-readers and they are very resistant/reluctant readers. But, these books turned most of the students into readers. One day, a group of boys were reading Fallen Angels together. One boy raised his hand and asked "Ms R, why is the clap called the clap?" I casually said I didn't know but he was more than welcome to look it up on the internet. Then I glanced over and noticed the superintendent of schools standing in my doorway! Yikes!!

I don't really have a list put together exactly...

But some of my favorite YA books:

--The Harry Potter series without a doubt
--The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
--The Inheritance Cycle (including Eragon and Eldest) by Christoper Paolini
--The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares
--The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
--The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (a great mystery/suspense novel about books!)

YA books are some of my favorite books to read! I don't know if it's because I'm only 18...or if it's just the books themselves that I find so good.

I think the Lord of The Rings would count. I've heard of the Maximum Ride series. Don't get me started on Twilight, ack! Though I am enjoying Eclipse (a little).

Has anyone heard of A Northern Light by Jennifer Donelly.It's the only YA book I've read in years but it was an amazing book about a 16 year old girl at the turn of the century who is at a place in her life where she must decide what direction her life is to go.College or staying at home to help her widowed father with her younger siblings and a young man who is slowly courting her with marriage in mind.Intertwined throughout is a mystery at the hotel she is working at for the summer.The disappearence of a couple.The mystery is based on a true story that has had both a book and a movie made from it.
It's an amazing book with a message of the value of being empowered to make the choices in your life that are right for you despite the pressures to do otherwise.

It's a wonderfully crafted book about what it means to grow up.

Wow, I'll check that out! I bet you'll like The Gemma Doyle Trilogy then!

Sounds similiar?

Well the growing up part, discovering yourself.

Sherry--I read A Northern Light last summer while spending a week at my grandmother's house and I loved it! I'm a little fuzzy on the details now, but I remember that I devoured that book! I totally agree with you about the message and it was so empowering to me, as a seventeen-year-old when I read it! Would you happen to have the name of the book and/or the movie that the mystery inspired?

Jess,the book is called An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser and the movie was a Place in the Sun starring Montgomery Clift and a very beautiful Elizabeth Taylor.One of them may have been nominated for an academy award but my memory is fuzzy on the details.

Well that's funny. An American Tragedy has Rachel Hurd-Wood in it doesn't it? And Rachel Hurd-Wood is constantly used as Gemma for YouTube videos. (In Perfume, when she became a red head).

I teach middle school literature/writing. This is a hard list for me. There are books that help make students into readers, such as Harry Potter or the Narnia series. Then there are books that teach necessary lessons. I guess, at least for today, I will pick the 5 I most enjoy:
1. Where the Red Fern Grows
2. Number the Stars
3. Island of the BLue Dolphins
4. Crash
5. Star Girl
6. Tuck Everlasting

The Book Thief is listed as YA, and it is a favaorite of mine- but I'm not sure I would let any of my students read it. Not sure they are ready for it.

I love Stargirl! Have you read Love, Stargirl?

Kathy -- Your top 3 were ones I enjoyed in my younger days...LOVED Number the Stars & it's still a favorite to this day!! I also really liked Island of BD...I may have to refresh my memory on WTRFG as I can only really pull up the cover to mind just now (the red headed boy with a lantern & his dogs walking through the ferns!) Sad, I know, but I swear I got a lot out of the literature I read in school...I went on to be an English major and I've done quite a bit of writing(and reading of course!!) And hopefully some day I can get my masters & honor the fabulous teachers I had by becoming a teacher myself! Oh, and I've had Book Thief on my TBR list for quite some time now...is it a deep read???

Katie, The Book Thief is a VERY deep read, or at least it was for me. It took me a while to read because I was pretty emotionally involved. That's the first book in a long time that made me cry!

I loved RL Stine and Christopher Pike when I was younger.

I read all the Narnia books when I was about 10 and that was 15 years ago. WAY before the movie. I remember my grandma buying the whole set for me and I was like this isn't good Grandma. Shows what I know.

I would have to agree with The Chronicles of Narnia, The Harry Potter series, but also include Maniac Magee (LOVE Jerry Spinelli), Tuck Everlasting, Number the Stars, The Giver and one of my personal favorites, The Outsiders.

Kathy, Where the Red Fern Grows is a cherished book from my youth. There's just something about a boy and his dogs...haha.

My top 5 aren't that diverse since I don't read a lot of YA:

1. Vampire Diaries (4 books) by L.J. Smith
2. Forbidden Game (3 books) by L.J. Smith
3. His Dark Materials (3 books) by Philip Pullman
4. Twilight (4 books) by Stephanie Meyer
5. The Farthest-Away Mountain by Lynne Reid Banks

And 6. Um, the Gemma Doyle Trilogy, even though I haven't read it yet because I know I'm going to love it based on Emma's glowing recommendations.

I've owned the Vampire Diaries since I was a wee little teenager. Maybe before that?

Anyway, fans of L.J. Smith (I know there are a few on here), you are NOT GOING TO BELIEVE THIS! I was just browsing on Amazon.com and L.J. Smith has a blog. Big whoop, right? No, that isn't the only big news... *drumroll* She is publishing a trilogy based on Damon from the Vampire Diaries! The first book, Nightfall, is supposed to be released February '09.

You can preorder it HERE

I never thought she was going to write again... this has made my day.

Anyway, for fellow Smith fans, her website is: ljanesmith.net

Hehe, I reccommend Libba a million times over. And then some. :D. I'm happy that your going to read them.

Would the Book Thief be too much for a 10 year old?
She's currently reading Journey to the Centre of the Earth and loving it ... thanks!

Hm, well it is YA but I honestly didn't know that when I read it. I think it would be okay personally, depends how mature she is but I'm guessing she is quite mature for her age.

I agree with Mandy, if she's mature for her age then yeah I suppose it would be suitable. It's quite emotional though (or it was for me anyway - parts made me cry!).

Well if she isn't ready for The Book Thief (I'll let you know if she is when I finish it) go for Stargirl. It works for every age!

lmao, Emma, you should be on commission!

Haha, oh how I wish. All I ask is an autograph from Libba Bray inside my copy of The Sweet Far Thing. And maybe a hug. That's all!

LOL ... I might have to read it myself first then, she is very mature for her age and hence very sensitive and I don't want to put too much on her shoulders when there are so many books out there that would benefit her.

Very true.

Here's a list of my favorite YA books:

* The Halloween Tree, by Ray Bradbury
* Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury
* Obernewtyn, by Isobelle Carmody
* Shade's Children, by Garth Nix
* The Silver Metal Lover, by Tanith Lee
* Jumper, by Steven Gould
* Whisper of Death, by Christopher Pike
* Princess Bride, by William Goldman
* Coraline, by Neil Gaiman
* Z for Zacharia, by Robert O'Brien
* After the First Death, by Robert Cormier
* The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
* James and the Giant Peach, Roald Dahl
* House of the Scorpion, by Nancy Farmer
* The Giver, by Lois Lowry
* The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
* Tamsin, by Peter S. Beagle
* Riddle-Master Trilogy, by Patricia McKillip
* The Thief of Always, by Clive Barker

I agree with the comments about "The Book Thief" - it's shelved in the YA section, BUT I'm not sure every "Young Adult" would enjoy or even understand it!

Suzann, you've brought back some very fond (and very long ago) memories with the listing of "The Black Stallion", "Misty of Chincoteague" and "Little Women" (although I never read the last one, but did read some of the sequels, like "Jo's Boys" - maybe even then I knew that "best sellers" were not always the best?). Might I add "The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew" and "Beautiful Joe" ...