This week I am sharing my favorite books that I read in 2016.
They don't have to be published in 2016.
They don't have to have an author or illustrator that lives in the United States.
I just had to love the book.
Or know that kids are going to love the book.
![Finding Perfect Finding Perfect](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1453393363m/27414408.jpg)
Finding Perfect
![Short](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465965798m/30201160.jpg)
Short
![The Wild Robot The Wild Robot](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441052184m/26030734.jpg)
Roz in The Wild Robot
![All Four Stars (All Four Stars #1)](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1380568400m/18289482.jpg)
Gladys in All Four Stars
![Wish](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1472977810m/27414384.jpg)
Charlie in Wish
![Moon Shadow](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1475460973m/32333241.jpg)
Moon Shadow
Books That Kids LOVE
These are books that I was very excited to share with students because I knew they would absolutely fall in love with them.
![Fenway and Hattie (Fenway and Hattie, #1) Fenway and Hattie (Fenway and Hattie, #1)](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1437151430m/20734027.jpg)
![Fenway and Hattie and the Evil Bunny Gang (Fenway and Hattie, #2)](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1469060017m/30075003.jpg)
Fenway and Hattie series
by Victoria Coe
![Pilfer Academy: A School So Bad It's Criminal Pilfer Academy: A School So Bad It's Criminal](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1437483648m/25716688.jpg)
Pilfer Academy: A School So Bad It's Criminal
by Lauren Magaziner
![Criminal Destiny (Masterminds #2) Criminal Destiny (Masterminds #2)](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1448832150m/25818203.jpg)
Masterminds: Criminal Destiny
by Gordon Korman
![Rookie of the Year (Rip and Red, #2) Rookie of the Year (Rip and Red, #2)](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1452370216m/22665007.jpg)
Rookie of the Year
by Phil Bildner
![Lou Lou and Pea and the Mural Mystery Lou Lou and Pea and the Mural Mystery](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1466036117m/27414407.jpg)
Lou Lou and Pea and the Mural Mystery
by Jill Diamond
Characters That Touched My Heart
These books touched my heart because of the characters - they stuck with me. I wanted to leap into the book and give them hugs and help them out and root them on!
![Finding Perfect Finding Perfect](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1453393363m/27414408.jpg)
Finding Perfect
by Elly Swartz
![Short](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465965798m/30201160.jpg)
Short
by Holly Goldberg Sloan
(publishes January 31, 2017)
(publishes January 31, 2017)
![Gertie's Leap to Greatness Gertie's Leap to Greatness](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1454782507m/23208632.jpg)
Gertie's Leap to Greatness
by Kate Beasley
![The Distance To Home The Distance To Home](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1463027064m/25721449.jpg)
The Distance to Home
by Jenn Bishop
![Sticks & Stones Sticks & Stones](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1463757232m/25689007.jpg)
Sticks and Stones
by Abby Cooper
![The Meaning of Maggie The Meaning of Maggie](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1385320954m/18656207.jpg)
The Meaning of Maggie
by Megan Jean Sovern
![Full of Beans](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459031777m/28109644.jpg)
Full of Beans
by Jennifer Holm
Books I Had No Idea How Much I Was Going to Like Until I Read Them
These books took me by surprise. I didn't have any expectations when I started them and I ended up absolutely loving them.
![Full Cicada Moon Full Cicada Moon](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1458679077m/23617200.jpg)
Full Cicada Moon
by Marilyn Hilton
![Summerlost Summerlost](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1453460319m/17731927.jpg)
Summerlost
by Ally Condie
![Once Was a Time Once Was a Time](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1443249549m/25777460.jpg)
Once Was a Time
by Leila Sales
![Moo](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1457114734m/28218950.jpg)
Moo
by Sharon Creech
Apparently I Had a Magical Thing Going This Year
I know readers who don't like fantasy. Or magic. I guess it's something I enjoy after looking at this list!
![The Key to Extraordinary The Key to Extraordinary](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1458655716m/25152641.jpg)
The Key to Extraordinary
by Natalie Lloyd
![Like Magic](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1461532382m/28693716.jpg)
Like Magic
by Elaine Vickers
![Hour of the Bees Hour of the Bees](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1445222901m/22453777.jpg)
Hour of the Bees
by Lindsay Eager
![The Girl Who Drank the Moon](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465286437m/28110852.jpg)
The Girl Who Drank the Moon
by Kelly Barnhill
![The Inquisitor's Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1462456171m/29358517.jpg)
The Inquisitor's Tale
by Adam Gidwitz
![Red: The True Story of Red Riding Hood Red: The True Story of Red Riding Hood](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1437017431m/25885733.jpg)
Red: The True Story of Red Riding Hood
by Liesl Shurtliff
Villains We Love To - Wait - No, Just Really Mean Villains
Only one book here, but wow, she was quite the villain.
![Wolf Hollow](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1475877869m/26026063.jpg)
Wolf Hollow
by Lauren Wolk
Settings That Surprised Me
I wasn't sure about these books - very different settings: Russian wild, wild west, war.... I guess never judge a book based on its setting???
![The Wolf Wilder The Wolf Wilder](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440378397m/24885821.jpg)
The Wolf Wilder
by Katherine Rundell
![Some Kind of Courage Some Kind of Courage](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1432247765m/25578408.jpg)
Some Kind of Courage
by Dan Gemeinhart
![Pax Pax](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1434493048m/22098550.jpg)
Pax
by Sara Pennypacker
Fun Characters
I loved these characters! They are different from the category above. I enjoyed meeting them, they are FUN!
![The Wild Robot The Wild Robot](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441052184m/26030734.jpg)
Roz in The Wild Robot
by Peter Brown
![All Four Stars (All Four Stars #1)](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1380568400m/18289482.jpg)
Gladys in All Four Stars
by Tara Dairman
![Two Naomis](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1462920492m/25318441.jpg)
the Naomis in Two Naomis
by Audrey Vernick and Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
![Maxi's Secrets: (or what you can learn from a dog)](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1457289442m/28008112.jpg)
Timminy, Maxi and Abby in Maxi's Secrets
by Lynn Plourde
![Wish](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1472977810m/27414384.jpg)
Charlie in Wish
by Barbara O'Connor
![Ghost (Track)](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1468787024m/28954126.jpg)
Castle in Ghost
by Jason Reynolds
2017 Books to Look Forward To
I was so fortunate to receive copies of these amazing amazing 2017 releases. Be sure they are on your preorder list. Too good to miss.
![Moon Shadow](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1475460973m/32333241.jpg)
Moon Shadow
by Erin Downing
publishes May 16, 2017
![Lucky Broken Girl](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1470324089m/31247023.jpg)
Lucky Broken Girl
by Ruth Behar
publishes April 11, 2017
This list is by no means exhaustive or accurate. Even as I made the list I realized I forgot books. There are so many books that touched me in some way or another, something inevitably gets left off. Please know I probably forgot a book or two or ten.
What books were on your 2016 favorites list? Check out my other 2016 favorite lists
2016 Nonfiction Picture Books favorites
2016 Picture Book favorites
Be sure to return next week when I share books to look forward to in 2017!
All the books in your "No idea how much I would love them till I read 'em" category have really interesting titles and/or covers. I'm on my way to Goodreads to check out some in case I want some light reads next year!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, Michele! I've read many of these, but now I have more to add to my list. Some other favorites are Lois Sepahban's Paper Wishes & Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks & Gita Varadarajan
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome post! I just accepted a job as a middle school librarian and this is super helpful since I've been in elementary land for 6 years :)
ReplyDeleteAmanda @ A Bookshelf Monstrosity
I'd have to add Courage for Beginners. I absolutely loved that book.
ReplyDelete