SLJ BoB 2014

In case you missed it, the contenders for the School Library Journal Battle of the Books was posted yesterday. If you have never followed BoB before, it can be great fun. Sixteen books and fifteen author judges deciding between them. Honestly, I have mixed feelings on the process, but I get super invested in it at the same time. I love to root for the books I love, and hope the ones I don't like are eliminated early. Checking the judge's decisions is the first thing I do every day during the month of March, and boy can those be revelations in and of themselves. I have decide to read some authors based on the decisions they have written. And many decisions have left me scratching my head. But overall it is a tons of fun to follow and interact with other people who are as passionate about children's literature as I am.

This year I don't have an all time favorite as the competition begins. I have no idea what I'm going to do about the Undead Poll, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

The books I read and thoroughly enjoyed:

Boxers and Saints by Gene Yang (my review)

A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty (my review)

Doll Bones by Holly Black (my review)

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell (my review)

P.S. Be Eleven by Rita Williams Garcia (my review)

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein (my review)

The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp by Kathi Appelt (my review)

The books I read and didn't enjoy so much:

Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo (my review)

Hokey Pokey by Jerry Spinelli (my review)

The Thing About Luck by Cynthia Kadohata (I don't have a review for this because I DNFed it. I was so bored. So. Bored.)

Books I still need to read:
All the Truth That's In Me by Julie Berry
Impression: I wouldn't read this if not for the battle, but I'm glad I'm being prompted to.

The Animal Book by Steve Jenkins
Impression: I've heard great things and I've been meaning to read it for a while.

Far Far Away by Tom McNeal
Impression: I don't think this is going to be a book I will like, but it may surprise me. I am glad my library has it so I don't have to buy it.

March Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell
Impression: I had not even heard of this book, but am excited to read it now that I know it exists.

Midwinter Blood by Marcus Sedgwick
Impression: I've heard nothing but good things about this book and have wanted to read it for a long time. My library doesn't have it though, which is what has kept me from it until now. Excuse to buy accepted.

What the Heart Knows by Joyce Sidman
Impression: Another one I've been dying to read that my library still doesn't have. (That's really a head scratcher for me. How can you not immediately purchase a new Sidman book?)

I will have to buy the latter three books if I want to read them. I've never had to buy that many before and I'm rather nervous about it. I still want my money back from buying Life an Exploded Diagram for the 2012 BoB. (No, I'm never letting that one go.)

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