WHAT HAPPENED TO…

ALL THE FANTASY?

There was so much good stuff out there this year.  We steered away from sequels this time around which left BITTERBLUE and DAYS OF BLOOD & STARLIGHT out of the mix.  THE DIVINERS and THE RAVEN BOYS were series starters and it was especially difficult to leave them off knowing we were less likely to pick a second or third book in a series.  And then there’s THE BRIDES OF ROLLROCK ISLAND.

 

THE GRAPHIC NOVELS?

We had very serious conversations about LITTLE WHITE DUCK and DRAMA.  I think you can make an excellent argument for them–and we could, too.  We just couldn’t agree on what they should replace.

 

MY FAVORITES?

We turn our list in on December 1st so that SLJ can recruit judges in a timely manner.  This means that some books that we don’t read by then, or that grow in our estimation, don’t make the cut.  If we were making this list now, I don’t think there’s anyway you could convince us that TWELVE KINDS OF ICE and CHICKADEE don’t belong on it.  Of course, those of you who follow Jonathan on Heavy Medal, Monica on educating alice, and Roxanne at her cryptic Fairosa’s Cyber Library or all of us on goodreads would have a sense of our personal favorites that we had to leave behind.

–Commentator Jonathan Hunt

Filed under: 2013, Commentary