Best Books of 2014, Readings.
The titles on the Readings YA list that I've read are:
Why We Took The Car, by Wolfgang Herrdorf:
The dialogue—and I’m sure that the translator, Tim Mohr, deserves a lot of the credit for this—is FANTASTIC. It’s so authentic that it reads like a transcription of a conversation between 14-year-old boys: They banter, they argue, they digress, they joke, they show off; they are at moments awkward, silly, serious, wise. It’s a story about a boy from a broken family that pretends everything is fine. It’s a story about loneliness and abandonment. It’s a story about friendship, about kindness, about empathy, about confidence, about trust, about hope.
We Were Liars, by E. Lockhart:
Despite the dark storyline and the undercurrents of (and sometimes outright) ugliness on the part of various characters—as well as that always-uncomfortable experience of recognizing not-fun situations that you've seen play out in real life—it's a very PRETTY book. It's got a great rhythm, nice imagery, example after example of lovely phrases and sentences.
Click on through for the other titles—it's worth it, because it's not at all a Usual Suspects list (RAZORHURST, GIVE IT TO ME NOOOOOOOW)—and the other lists!
Previously: School Library Journal.
Previously: Publishers Weekly.
Related: 31 best YA books of the year (so far).
Related: Banks Street's 2014 lists.