The Top Five YA Novels of All Time

by Juliet Bond

Recently, NPR asked its audience to weigh in on the top Young Adult novels of all time.  The final list of 100 books can be found here and a critique of the list can be found on the fabulous Forever YA blog.  Pinning down my own favorites took only seconds.  Aside from The Hunger Games, which contains the most kick-butt teen heroine in the history of bad-asses (sorry, Buffy), I love Jennifer Donnelly’s Mattie Gokey.   Her book, A Northern Light has a more gentle, humorous heroine but she's no less brave.  The book also has a gripping plot (about a real life murder mystery) and a fantastic dash of historical fiction.  I don't know how she did this, but Jennifer Donnelly wrote a beautiful, perfect book.  I love her.  I also hate her.  A lot.  My jealousy knows no bounds...

Next, is Chris Crutcher’s Deadline for the achingly beautiful balance of grief, loss, realism and searing sarcasm.  I wish this man were my neighbor so that I could bring him hot cups of coffee in the morning and talk about politics or people, or flavors of bubblegum – whatever.  I will listen oh, Chris.  I will hear you.

I will also listen to John Green, who wrote a similarly gorgeous book about loss, The Fault in Our Stars.  However, Mr. Green has such a following of post and pre-pubescent fans (who self identify as the "nerd fighters") that I might get trampled on my way to bring him said cup of hot (now hopelessly splashed across the imaginary wraparound, oceanfront porch) coffee.

Winter Girls by Laurie Halse Anderson, takes us inside the teenaged girl’s mind and heart and brings us out again with a sense of forgiveness both for her flaws and for the broken and blemished youths we all were.  I saw Laurie speak about teen girls in fiction when she accepted an Amelia Bloomer award a few years ago.  The snot sodden tissues I left at the table are a testament to how moving she is on paper and in person.

The British originated Georgia Nicholson series by Louise Rennison makes me laugh so hard beverages squirt from my hooter (vair, vair cool!)  I am ridiculously proud that my friend MJ includes me when she refers to her writer friends as the "four aces."  I also recently discovered the American equivalent to this, The Jessica Darling series, which is slightly bleaker but just as much fun.

And last a tie (I am a notorious cheater on lists of favorites limited to only five) between, I am the Messenger by Markus Zucac and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.  Both of these books are carried by the voices of self-esteemless, uproarious and wise teen boys.  They are the only books my own teen son has read more than once.  He keeps them next to his bed and has learned to like himself better through the grace of these tender, generous stories.  In short, they rocked his world.

What are your top five (ish) and why?