Favorite Books of 2012

#1: Wonder by R.J. Palacio

This was the book I recommended the most this year. I read it to two of my kids and then my oldest read it. We all loved it. You can't go wrong with a book about kindness and a kid as charming as August. 

#2: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

This is a book about teenagers with cancer. It's sad but uplifting at the same time. I definitely cried but I laughed a lot, too. There is a bit of language and one sexual encounter but the thing I loved most about these kids is that they tried to truly live even while they're dying. I also like that you don't know the ending of one of the character's story when you finish the book.

#3: The Hunger Games Trilogy

You should read this series again from start to finish if you first had to wait a year in between books like I did. I was too hard on Mockingjay the first time around and I now appreciate this series for what it is: a tragedy. 

#4: Outpost by Ann Aguirre

This was the best middle book in a series that I've read in a long time. It takes you on some new twists and turns, gives you likable, memorable and multi-dimensional characters, and leaves you anxious for the finale. September(?) is a long time away.

 #5: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

This was also a good middle book. The ending threw you for a loop and sets up an interesting twist for the final book. I'm not totally convinced I liked the twist, but this author is great and I have confidence she'll make the last book as action-packed as the first two. I like that she's taking her time with the last book, even if that means I have to wait until the fall. This is the first dystopian series I've read in a long time that didn't have a love triangle. That's refreshing. 

#6: Between Shades of Gray (Not Fifty Shades of Gray) by Ruta Sepetys

A story of life for Lithuanians in Russian work camps during WWII. Lina's mom is my favorite character in this book. She is compassion personified. 

#7: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

This is a charming fantasy about a girl who meets a dragon on her way to change her family's fortune and how she learns that what she had was pretty great to begin with. There are lovely full-color illustrations throughout this book. I just wish her other books got better reviews. They don't seem to be as good as this one.