I wrote a couple of weeks ago about some of the new books I’m looking forward to reading in 2008. Here are a few more:

C.J. Sansom, Winter in Madrid, Viking, January 2008. It’s a spy thriller set in 1940s Spain. I liked Sansom’s mysteries set i the time of Henry VIII, so I think I’d like to give this one a try, too.

Tod Wodicka, All Shall Be Well: And All Shall Be Well; and All Manner of Things Shall Be Well, Pantheon, January 2008. This novel is about the life of a modern medieval re-enactor who moves between time periods, continents, and histories both real and re-enacted. Sounds intriguing. I like the title.

Kate Morton, The House at Riverton, Atria, April 2008. I saw a link to a revew of this book by Wendy at caribousmom at the Saturday Review. And here’s another by The Random Wonderer.

And doesn’t this one sound . . . wild? Nicola Upson, An Expert in Murder, HarperCollins, June 2008. Mystery writer Josephine Tey, on a train journey from Scotland to London in 1934, investigates the death of a young woman.

I gleaned all of these titles from the Historical Novel Society’s Forthcoming Fiction page.

Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah.

A Royal Affair: George III and His Scandalous Siblings by Stella Tillyard.

A Clearing in the Wild by Jane Kirkpatrick Recommended by Sarah at Reading the Past.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Housseini.

Goddess of Yesterday by Caroline B. Cooney.

Fatality by Caroline B. Cooney. Rose has a four year old secret recorded in her diary that could tear her family apart. When the police try to take the diary, Rose knows that she must not only destroy it, but also remain silent about its contents for the rest of her life, no matter what the cost. Like The Face on the Milk Carton series, this stand alone thriller is about family secrets, crime, and the way both can fester and infect an entire community.

Both Sides of Time by Caroline B. Cooney.

Out of Time by Caroline B. Cooney.

Prisoner of Time by Caroline B. Cooney.

For All Time by Caroline B. Cooney.

Gracefully Insane: The Rise and Fall of America’s Premier Mental Institution by Alex Beam.

A Door Near Here by Heather Quarles.

The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney.

Whatever Happened to Janie? by Caroline B. Cooney.

The Voice on the Radio by Caroline B. Cooney.

What Janie Found by Caroline B. Cooney.

Secret Believers by Brother Andrew and Al Janssen.

Here’s my list of the twelve best books I read in 2007.

And here, in case anyone is interested, is a list of the other 160 books that I read in 2007.

Total books read in 2007: 182, give or take a few.

I’m finishing up the year with a re-read of Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. It’s an interesting change from all the Cybils children’s fiction nominees. Our announcement of the Cybils Middle Grade Fiction finalists should be posted at the Cybils blog sometime tomorrow. Thanks to all the people who worked with me on the nominating panel: Kate, Erin, Little Willow, Amanda, Kerry, and Jocelyn. It was great fun.

And good luck to the Judging panel:
Stacy Dillon (Booktopia)
Betsy Bird (A Fuse #8 Production)
Lindsey Dunn (Zee Says)
Christine Norris
Bruce Black (Wordswimmer)

The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon: “When he has the opportunity to participate in an experimental treatment that may change the way his brain functions and eliminate his autistic symptoms, Lou must decide whether he wants to be “normal.” Without his autism, will he still be himself, or will he become someone else? If the latter, does he want to be that other person? Will he lose the ability to analyze complex patterns and to pair those patterns of color and shape with music and with fencing, his outlet for self-expression? How much of who Lou is is bound up with his autism and with his past experience of overcoming the difficulties of being autistic in a “normal” world?”

Excellent Women by Barbara Pym: “I’ve never read anything by Barbara Pym before, but I found her book, Excellent Women, to be reminiscent of Jane Austen (drolly observant), Mrs. Gaskell’s Cranford (insightful in regard to the ordinary), and even Jane Eyre, without the drama, but with the wry self-analysis.”

Dissolution by C.J. Sansom. I didn’t actually get this one reviewed, but I did like it. The link is to a review of another book in the series, Sovereign.

A Garden to Keep by Jamie Langston Turner. “The book jumps back and forth between past and present, profound and mundane, in a very satisfying way, just as real people think and weave thoughts about the realities of living with thoughts about the meaning of it all.”

Winds of War by Herman Wouk. I never got around to posting my review of this one. It’s a good story, a favorite of my pastor and his family.

All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren. “The book is much more than Huey Long renamed and fictionalized, however. It’s an exploration of how power corrupts, of how we’re all, as Willie says, ‘conceived in sin and born in corruption.'”

Enchantment by Orson Scott Card. “If you’re interested in retellings of fairy tales or in medieval historical fiction, Enchantment is one of the best of either I’ve read. It’s an adult or young adult book with some (married) sexual descriptions and innuendos.”

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. I really enjoyed this Cybils nominee, a story of adventure and intrigue in which four chidren save the world from disaster.

The Middle of Somewhere by J.B. Cheaney. Another Cybils nominee. I even got to interview Ms. Cheaney, lots of fun.

Isle of Swords by Wayne Thomas Batson. “Isle of Swords is a rip-roaring pirate story in the tradition of POTC, but not too derivative. I think those who enjoy a fast-paced adventure story will love it. It is somewhat violent, so if that bothers you . . . Otherwise, read it over the holidays while it snows outside and dream of high-seas adventure in the tropics.”

Leepike Ridge by N.D. Wilson. “This take-off on Tom Sawyer, Robinson Crusoe, and The Odyssey should also appeal to boys especially. It has caves, tunnels, hidden treasure, wild water rafting, and wilderness (sort of) survival. There are bad guys, good guys, dead guys, blood, raw food, and near-dismemberment. What more could a boy want in a book?”

Leap of Faith by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. “How many children’s books can you name that are actually about the process of coming to faith, without being preachy or proselytizing? There’s The Bronze Bow, Newbery Award winning historical fiction by Elizabeth Speare from fifty years ago. What else?”

I see that that they’re all twelve fiction.

I read a lot of fiction.

I did enjoy some nonfiction this year, but I suppose the fiction won out.

Adoption from another culture: When Heaven Fell by Carolyn Marsden (Vietnam) and Kimchi and Calamari by Rose Kent (Korea).

Appreciating and defending one’s cultural heritage in a sometimes hostile world: Celeste’s Harlem Renaissance by Eleanora E. Tate (African-American), Penina Levine Is a Hard-Boiled Egg by Rebecca O’Connell (Jewish-American), Bearwalker by Joseph Bruchac (Native American), Kimchi and Calamari by Rose Kent (Korean American).

Aspiring actor/actress: Leap of Faith by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley and Clarice Bean, Don’t Look Now by Lauren Child.

Aspiring pianists: A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban and The Rising Star of Rusty Nail by Lesley M.M. Blume.

Aspiring writers: The Wild Girls by Pat Murphy and The Qwikpick Adventure Society by Sam Riddleburger.

Baseball: Edward’s Eyes by Patricia Maclachlan and The Aurora County All-Stars by Deborah Wiles.

Best friends break up (boys): The Aurora County All-Stars by Deborah Wiles and The Thing About Georgie by Lisa Graff.

Best friends break-up (girls): Emma-Jean Lazurus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis, A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban, The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney by Lauren Barnholdt and If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko.

Best friend moves away: My Last Best Friend by Julie Bowes, Clarice Bean, Don’t Look Now by Lauren Child, and Tall Tales by Karen Day.

Boy/friend mentored by girl’s dad: The Queen of 33rd Street and the Broken Bike Boy by Sharon Flake and A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban.

Boys against girls: The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies and No Talking by Andrew Clements.

Cross-cultural understanding: Camel Rider by Prue Mason, Kimchi and Calamari by Rose Kent, Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate, When Heaven Fell by Carolyn Marsden.

Dad has mental health issues: Letters from Rapunzel by Sara Lewis Holmes (clinical depression), Louisiana’s Song by Kerry Madden (brain damage), and A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban (agoraphobia?).

Dad is abusive or borderline abusive: Tall Tales by Karen Day and The Wild Girls by Pat Murphy.

Dad skips out or is missing: The Friskative Dog by Susan Straight, Leepike Ridge by N.D. Wilson, and Bird Springs by Carolyn Marsden.

Dad/daughter relationship is particularly loving and strong: A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban, The Queen of 33rd Street and the Broken Bike Boy by Sharon Flake, The Wild Girls by Pat Murphy, Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Perkins, Isle of Swords by Thomas Wayne Batson, Seeing Sky Blue Pink by Candice Ransom.

Diary/journal form (there should be a word for this form of fiction): Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney, Lucy Rose: Working Myself to Bits and Pieces by Katy Kelley, Dear Jo by Christina Kilbourne, Bearwalker by Joseph Bruchac, Ms. Zephyr’s Notebook by K.C. Dyer, Ellie McDoodle: Have Pen, Will Travel by Ruth Barshaw.

Dog stories: Cracker: The Best Dog in Vietnam by Cynthia Kadohata and The Friskative Dog by Susan Straight.

Elderly caretaker relative has a stroke: Reaching for Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer and Celeste’s Harlem Renaissance by Eleanora E. Tate.

Elderly, eccentric friend: The Queen of 33rd Street and the Broken Bike Boy by Sharon Flake and Perch, Mrs. Sackets, and Crow’s Nest by Karen Pavlicin.

Epistolary novels: Letters from Rapunzel by Sara Lewis Holmes and Regarding the Bees by Kate Klise.

Girl goes to a psychiatrist: Dear Jo by Christian Kilbourne and Leap of Faith by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.

Girl living in poverty in Southeast Asia: Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Perkins and When Heaven Fell by Carolyn Marsden.

Girls with somewhat limited social skills: The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies, Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis, and The Queen of 33rd Street and the Broken Bike Boy by Sharon Flake.

Girls pursuing popularity: The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney by Lauren Barnholdt, The Social Experiments of Dorie Dilts: Dumped by Popular Demand by P.G. Kain, Freak by Marcella Pixley.

Guy and girl develop an ambiguously platonic friendship: The Social Experiments of Dorie Dilts: Dumped by Popular Demand by P.G. Kain, The Queen of 33rd Street and the Broken Bike Boy by Sharon Flake, Perch, Mrs. Sackets, and Crow’s Nest by Karen Pavlicin, The Wild Girls by Pat Murphy, Reaching for Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, Ms. Zephyr’s Notebook by K.C. Dyer, Leap of Faith by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate, Lucy Rose: Working Myself to Bits and Pieces by Katy Kelley, Qwikpick Adventure Society by Sam Riddleburger, The Middle of Somewhere by J.B. Cheaney, Way Down Deep by Ruth White, A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban, Celeste’s Harlem Renaissance by Eleanora Tate, Isle of Swords by Wayne Thomas Batson. (Is this a required element in middle school/middle grade fiction?)

Horse stories: Paint the Wind by Pam Munoz Ryan and Annie, The Morgan Horse by Ellen F. Feld.

Imaginary friends: Annie’s War by Jacqueline Levering Sullivan, Cassie Was Here by Caroline Hickey, and Bird Springs by Carolyn Marsden.

Kids try to find a way to earn (beg, borrow or steal) a lot of money for a good purpose: The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies, How To Steal a Dog by Barbara O’Connor, Lucy Rose: Working Myself to Bits and Pieces by Katy Kelley, and Letters from Rapunzel by Sara Lewis Holmes, Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Perkins.

Large families: Louisiana’s Song by Kerry Madden and Edward’s Eyes by Patricia Maclachlan.

Mean boy (bully) at school: Clarice Bean, Don’t Look Now by Lauren Childs, The Social Experiments of Dorrie Dilts: Dumped by Popular Demand by P.G. Kain,

Mean girl (usually popular) at school: The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney by Lauren Barnholdt, If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko, The Friskative Dog by Susan Straight, The Rising Star of Rusty Nail by Lesley M.M. Blume, Lucy Rose: Working Myself to Bits and Pieces by Katy Kelley, Freak by Marcella Pixley.

New kid in town/school must make new friends: Tall Tales by Karen Day, The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney by Lauren Barnholdt, Cassie Was Here by Caroline Hickey, The Social Experiments of Dorie Dilts: Dumped by Popular Demand by P.G. Kain and Wild Girls by Pat Murphy.

Older brother headed for serious trouble/in rebellion: Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf by Jennifer Holm, The Wild Girls by Pat Murphy, Tall Tales by Karen Day, Louisiana’s Song by Kerry Madden.

Orphans: Paint the Wind by Pam Munoz Ryan, The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart, Miss Spitfire by Sarah Miller, Way Down Deep by Ruth White.

Overcoming and living with physical challenges: The Thing about Georgie by Lisa Graff and Reaching for Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer.

Parents in marital counseling: The Wild Girls by Pat Murphy and The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney by Lauren Barnholdt.

Poetic novels: Reaching for Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate, Chess Rumble by G. Neri, The Cat on the Mat Is Flat by Andy Griffiths.

Protagonist is a spoiled, selfish brat: Camel Rider by Prue Mason and The Broken Bike Boy and the Queen of 33rd Street by Sharon Flake.

Protagonist must stay with an eccentric relative while his/her single parent recovers from illness or accident: “>The Middle of Somewhere by J.B. Cheaney and Celeste’s Harlem Renaissance by Eleanora E. Tate.

Single parent, only child: Celeste’s Harlem Renaissance by Eleanora E. Tate, The Wild Girls by Pat Murphy, Annie’s War by Jacqueline Levering Sullivan, Isle of Swords by Thomas Wayne Batson, Reaching for Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, Bearwalker by Joseph Bruchac, Perch, Mrs. Sackets, and Crow’s Nest by Karen Pavlicin, The Friskative Dog by Susan Straight, Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis, Leepike Ridge by N.D. Wilson.

Spies: Clarice Bean, Don’t Look Now by Lauren Child, The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart, and Kiki Strike: The Empress’s Tomb by Kirsten Miller.

Stuffed animal is a girl’s best friend: The Friskative Dog by Susan Straight and Seeing Sky Blue Pink by Candice Ransom.

Telling lies/deception: Tall Tales by Karen Day, The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney by Lauren Barnholdt, The Broken Bike Boy and the Queen of 33rd Street by Sharon Flake, Lucy Rose: Working Myself to Bits and Pieces by Katy Kelley, and Kimchi and Calamari by Rose Kent, Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis.

What are you going to be when you grow up? Every child gets asked this question at least once a month, and they usually have an answer, according to their interests of the season. I asked my urchins and a few friends The Question and then wracked my brain for gift suggestions for the budding:

Architect/Engineer: I love David’s Macaulay’s books: Cathedral (1973), City (1974), Pyramid (1975), Underground (1976), Castle (1977), Unbuilding (1980), Mill (1983), and Ship (1993). We also watched several episodes of the PBS series Building Big in which Mr. Macaulay explains the history and construction of bridges, tunnels, skyscrapers, domes, and dams. My kids were even inspired to build their own dam. If you haven’t experienced David Macaulay’s books, you should. Any one of them would make a great Christmas gift for the architecturally inquisitive child or adult on your list.

Veterinarian/Circus Performer: Z-baby is planning serial careers. She says she wants to be a vet, then when she gets tired of doctoring animals, she plans a second career as a circus performer —or maybe taking care of the circus animals. When she gets a little older the James Herriot series about a Yorkshire veterinarian would be a great gift. For now, I think we’ll stick with a few animal books, such as Dogs and Cats by Steve Jenkins or A Horse in the House and Other Strange But True Animal Stories by Gail Ablow or May I Pet Your Dog?: The How-to Guide for Kids Meeting Dogs (and Dogs Meeting Kids) by Stephanie Calmenson —-all nominees for the Cybil Award for Nonfiction Picture Books.

Doctor: I have another child who plans to become a people doctor. She’s a little older than Z-baby, so for her, Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story by Ben Carson and Cecil Murphey and Fearfully and Wonderfully Made by Phillip Yancey and Paul Brand.

Dancer: Brown Bear Daughter plans a career in dance. She may dance or teach dance or choreograph dance or do all three and then some. Or knowing my drama queen, she may veer off in another direction as she grows up and surprise us all, including herself. If she hadn’t already read it, I would go out immediately and buy her Noel Streatfield’s classic Ballet Shoes. However, she has read it, several times. She wants a copy of the new Kiki Strike book, Kiki Strike: The Empress’s Tomb by Kirsten Miller; that’s to feed her sense of adventure and of the dramatic. Then, I think perhaps I’ll purchase some of the other “shoes” books by Streatfield if I can find them.

Samurai Warrior: I think Karate Kid knows that he probably can’t really become a samurai, but he would like to pretend a little while longer. For him, The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden may be under the tree. N.D. Wilson’s new book, 100 Cupboards doesn’t release until December 26th, but I may pre-order it for Karate Kid. It sounds as if it will be just his speed, and he really enjoyed Wilson’s first book for children Leepike Ridge.

Artist: My 18 year old artiste wants an art book. I’m looking for suggestions. I thought maybe a subscription to Image, a quarterly journal that describes itself as “a unique forum for the best writing and artwork that is informed by—or grapples with—religious faith. We have never been interested in art that merely regurgitates dogma or falls back on easy answers or didacticism. Instead, our focus has been on writing and visual artwork that embody a spiritual struggle, that seek to strike a balance between tradition and a profound openness to the world. . . . Each issue explores this relationship through outstanding fiction, poetry, painting, sculpture, architecture, film, music, interviews, and dance. Image also features four-color reproductions of visual art.”

Writer: I have several would-be writers in the family. I thought the book Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing, just published in October, might be helpful. I saw it mentioned at somebody’s blog. And as for old stand-bys, On Writing Well by WIlliam Zinser and Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg are both books that have inspired and honed my writing skills, such as they are. Another Cybils nominee, You Can Write a Story by Lisa Bullard, looks good for the younger set of aspiring writers. And “fictionally” speaking, I liked The Wild Girls by Pat Murphey, about a couple of middle school aged writers and their adventures in a summer writing class at Berkley.

Entrepreneur: I have one kid who just wants to grow up to be rich. For him, The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies (Semicolon review here) and The Toothpaste Millionaire by Jean Merrill are good choices in the fiction category.