Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Books of 2011

In case you don't know how libraries order their books, we read reviews. A lot of them. If a book gets good reviews then we try to purchase it for the library. Kirkus Reviews is one of the journals that publishes reviews. Personally, I really like to read Kirkus because their reviewers can write great commentary on a book-- if they love a book and if they hate a book. Now for my collection if one journal gives an absolutely glowing review, I look for another one to see if someone else had a different opinion. It always amazes me when one journal gives a book a starred review and another one gives it a negative review.


Okay enough with my rambling on collection ordering! On to the top teen books of 2011 according to the Vicky Smith, an editor at Kirkus Reviews--and it's a long list!


Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol

Ashfall by Mike Mullin

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Between Shades of Gray by Sepetys Ruta

Black and White by Larry Dane Brimner

Blink and Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones

Bootleg by Karen Blumenthal

Brooklyn Burning by Steve Brezenoff

Bunheads by Sophie Flack

Chime by Franny Billingsley


Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Dreamland Social Club by Tara Altebrando

Finding Somewhere by Joseph Monninger

The Fitzosbornes in Exile by Michelle Cooper

The Girl who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente

I am J by Cris Beam

If I Could Fly by Judith Ortiz Colfer

I.M. Pei: Architect of Time, Place, and Purpose by Jill Rubalcaba

Island's End by Padma Venkatraman

The Isle of Blood by Rick Yancey

Life: an Exploded Diagram by Mal Peet

MangaMan by Barry Lyga and Colleen Doran

Misfit by Jon Skovron

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Now is the Time for Running by Michael Williams

Out of Shadows by Jason Wallace

Queen of Hearts by Martha Brooks

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers by Lynn Weingarten

Stay with Me by Paul Griffin

Strings Attached by Judy Blundell

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore

This Thing Called the Future by J.L. Powers

Tighter by Adele Griffin

Tilt by Alan Cumyn

Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall

Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

White Crow by Marcus Sedgwick

Why We Broke up by Daniel Handler

Winter Town by Stephen Emond

Have you noticed the duplication of the past three lists? I'll give you a hint--there are 4 books that have made it onto two of the lists. It'll be interesting to see which titles end up on the most best of lists! Until the next list which should be up tomorrow!