What are Your Ten Best-Ever Teen Books?

This one's for book lovers, especially those who like to read in the YA genre.  After collecting nominations for a top-100 list of the best young adjust books, NPR has come up with a list of 235 titles, and it's now up to the public to vote.  We can each pick 10 books from the list.

That's right 10 books.  I don't know how it will be/was for you, but it was incredibly difficult for me!

My votes were for:

1. Anne of Green Gables (series) by Lucy Maud Montgomery
2. The Dark is Rising (series) by Susan Cooper
3. Harry Potter (series) by J.K. Rowling
4. His Dark Materials (series) by Philip Pullman
5. The Hunger Games (series) by Suzanne Collins
6. The Princess Bride by William Golman
7. The Shiver Trilogy (series by Maggie Stiefvater)
8. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
9. Twilight (series) by Stephenie Meyer
10. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

But, I also wanted to vote for:

1. Betsy-Tacy Books (series) by Maud Hart-Lovelace
2. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
3. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
4. The Mortal Instruments (series) by Cassandra Clare
5. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
6. A Separate Peace by John Knowles
7. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

And where in world was A Wrinkle in Time?  I don't get why it's not on the list when the Betsy-Tacy books are there; I could have sworn those were little kids.  But then again, NPR does talk about the debates they went through trying to figure out just what fits into YA.  At any rate, I can't wait to see the final list.  I just may have to re-read some of these titles.

What are your best-ever YA books?  If you voted, what were your selections?

Harry Potter

It's hard to remember exactly when it happened, but sometime around 2001 or 2002, I discovered the amazing world of Harry Potter. I lived in Whittier at the time, in the little house on Santa Gertrudes with my college friends Ms. S. (who also happened to be my college roommate) and Ms. O., who is now Mrs. S. Through a book club of sorts, I bought the first three books, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. What a wonderful world to discover.

Perhaps I waited anxiously for Book 4, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, or maybe I found it newly released at the book store (which is why I think maybe I started reading in 2002). I do remember that after reading the fourth book, I anxiously waited for Book 5, then Book 6, and finally Book 7.

Waiting for the Deathly Hallows was the worst wait of them all. The agony was extended by the fact that we had a wedding to attend on July 21, 2007. My book was delivered to my doorstep on the appointed day, but I could not read it. I didn't even bother to open the box until we got home. It was tough to be at series end.

I still love the books, and can read them and listen to them over and over. Yes, I also own all seven audiobooks. Jim Dale reads them, and he is great. If you haven't listened to the audiobooks, give it a go. I actually just finished going through the entire audio version again.

It's still as magical now as it was in 2001/2002. My favorites in the series is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and my least favorite is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. What's strange is that my least favorite book is my favorite movie.

Speaking of the movies, I'm pretty into those as well. They're not as mesmerizing as the books, but I enjoy seeing things like Weasley's Wizard Wheezes come to life on the big screen. I cannot wait for November 19, 2010!