The Best YA Contest

So, still getting over the Chuck and Blair drama. It still hurts to think about it, but it's getting better day by day. In the meantime, if you remember, I mentioned a Best YA books contest that I participated in over on this website/blog. The results were posted over the last few days, and I have been following to see if any of my favourites made the list. Well, the results were mixed. All the books I voted for made the list (**I think, but I may have forgotten all I voted for...), but they came in much lower then I expected. However, I am proud to announce that I have read a good number of the winners. Here is my list, in winning order:

(quick legend: bold is for books I especially liked. Non-bold (regular?) is for books I've read, but didn't love)

#2 Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling

#3 Twilight Series By Stephenie Meyer

#4 To Kill a Mockingbird By Harper Lee

#13 The Giver By Lois Lowry

#15 Little Women By Louisa May Alcott

#23 The Diary of Anne Frank By Anne Frank

#24 Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

#26 The Catcher In The Rye By J. D. Salinger

#27 The Outsiders By S. E. Hinton

#28 Holes By Louis Sachar

#32 Romeo And Juliet By William Shakespeare

#36 The Secret Garden By Frances Hodgson Burnett

#43 Winter Girls by Laurie Halse Anderson

#47 The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Series by Ann Brashares

#52 The Princess Diaries Series by Meg Cabot

#58 Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

#59 Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

#61 Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

#64 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon

#65 Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

#66 A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

#78 Just Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

#81 The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

#82 The Mediator Series by Meg Cabot

#89 Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

#93 Tithe by Holly Black

#95 Forever by Judy Blume

#97 Among the Hidden by Mary Peterson Haddix

Total: 28/100 books, 9 of which I LOVED

So, quick commentary on the list:

-No big surprise, Harry Potter and Twilight top the list. The real surprise, though, is that they both beat out by The Hunger Games. I didn't think there was a bigger (or more insane) fan base then the Twihards. I think this is one of those times where the poll is skewed (though, I have to say, I'm happy the bloodsuckers lost).

-Romeo and Juliet, really? It's a freaking play. In iambic pentameter. I had to read it for ninth grade english class. Do people actually read this for pleasure? Without falling asleep?

-I'm glad Speak did so well. It was my absolute favourite book when I was younger. A must read for anyone, young or old. Also, Stargirl, a little farther down the list, was another childhood favourite of mine.

-How is Just Listen (#58) the highest Sarah Dessen on this list? Are you kidding me? Just Listen is good, but it's nowhere near as amazing as The Truth About Forever (#81). Crazy people, crazy.

-Tithe? Are you serious? That was a piece of puerile garbage I had to read for my middle school's fantasy unit. Yuck, yuck, yuck.

-The only explanation I can think of for the Jessica Darling Series not making the list is that some people consider it an adult series instead of YA. At my local Indigo (that is a popular Canadian bookstore chain, for all you foreigners/frenchies) it is in the adult section. I'm not completely sure why, considering it stars a teenager...

All very interesting. A cool list/poll at any rate. Even I don't agree with all the results (and yes, Romeo and Juliet, The Catcher In The Rye, The Secret Garden, and Tithe, I'm looking at you!), but I'm glad most of my favourites made the list. How 'bout you? Any essentials you think are missing?