My 10 Favorite Novels from 2013
—Jill M. Barton

Holly Black was *this* close to making my list twice this year (the other contender was The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, in which she managed the herculean task of writing a fresh vampire novel).  With 5 starred reviews from the journals, many mock-Newbery mentions, and hitting most of the Best Of lists, Doll Bones deserves all the praise it's received. At once spooky, adventurous, and fantastical, it will enchant young fans of all genres.

Frost frames Salt's narrative (set during the War of 1812) through the lens of two boys, Anikwa of the Miami and American James Gray, friends who find themselves caught up in a war they have trouble comprehending. Frost weaves her free-verse narrative from each boy's POV; Anikwa's poems are "shaped like Miami ribbon work," a traditional art form, while James's narrative is linear and "began as an image of the stripes on an American flag." There is plenty of white space to encourage the most reluctant of readers, and Frost's beautiful but simple verses are completely engaging.

Chalk Sure Signs of Crazy up to being the most surprising novel of the year, and therefore, a precious commodity in children's publishing.  The premise is just about the most melodramatic you could imagine--almost 12-year-old Sarah is a survivor of attempted drowning by her mentally ill mother when she was 2, and oh btw, Sarah's mother succeeded in killing her twin brother. I expected tabloid copy after reading the back cover, and instead I received a gritty but somehow sweet, honest portrayal of a girl on the cusp of adulthood, having to figure things out all by herself (which when it comes down to it, we all do, don't we?) and watch herself for signs of her mother's crazy, when the only friend she can really be honest with is her houseplant, Plant.  This is one of those rare middle-grades that really *can* crossover to teen and adult readers beautifully.  If I had to pick just one novel to recommend from 2013?  Sure Signs of Crazy would be it.

A fresh, funny, consummately interesting historical mystery can be found between the covers of Timberlake's second novel for kids.  I loved One Came Home for its spunky narrator and imagery of the natural landscape and fauna of 19th-century Wisconsin. A pure delight for both information and pleasure.

Yancey's new series opener makes my Best Of list for the sheer reading pleasure it afforded me—nothing else I've read this year came as close to the enjoyment I felt on my first reading of The Hunger Games as did this explosive thrill-ride. Several family members, young and old, will be getting a copy of The 5th Wave for Christmas.

I recently listened to a PW webcast with the authors of These Broken Stars, and I feel like they're my long-lost sisters, or at least my fellow browncoats.  They're huge fans of Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, and Star Trek TNG, and you definitely can see their influences in this FANTASTIC space opera.  It's the kind of read to savor, brimming with lush detail of setting and intricate character study, but the survivalist plotting still rushes the reader to keep turning pages.  In a word: Shiny.

Winger's salty, realistic teen language is pitch-perfect, and you'll recognize the predominant thoughts and concerns of the protagonist (i.e. sex) ring true if you've ever been a teenage boy or known a teenage boy. For Smith's eponymous Winger (aka Ryan Dean), "boy" is the operative word; he's the only 14-year-old junior at Pine Mountain academy. Ryan Dean's adventures are by turns raucous, hilarious, sweet, and terrifying. Through it all, the reader comes to love the gutsy, witty, thoroughly decent human being that is Winger, despite the sex-obsessed filter of his narration. Plus, the cover alone deserves some kind of award for drawing in male teenagers.

Rowell is on everyone's Best Of list this year, and mine is no different. I haven't had a chance to read Fangirl yet, but from the moment I opened the cover, both Eleanor and Park captured my heart while they captured each other's. By the time you get done with Eleanor & Park your nostalgic 80's movies and music playlist will be full, too.

War Within These Walls is a highly illustrated fictionalized account of the events leading up to and including the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943. Bar none, it's the most heart-searing novel I've read this year. The amazing courage shown by the Jewish resistance in the face of certain death and certain futility is as inspiring as it is bleak. I read it within the span of an hour, but the portraits Sax and Strzelecki conjured in my mind were with me weeks later.

It's been a long time since I've laughed out loud so continuously while reading a book, often in the midst of tears; it's a rare writer who can evoke both at the same time. Reading Wild Awake in a marathon overnight binge, I felt like I was watching a gifted stand-up comedian take the thing that was most painful about her life and make me laugh with her about it. Smith's debut YA is the most overlooked book from the Best Of lists, in my humble opinion.