Another Friday — another chance to state your opinion on which book YOU think should win a Whitney on April 24th.
The nominees for best YOUTH FICTION are:
- Princess of the Midnight Ball, by Jessica Day George
- Fablehaven IV: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary, by Brandon Mull
- My Fair Godmother, by Janette Rallison
- Bright Blue Miracle, by Becca Wilhite
- The Chosen One, by Carol Lynch Williams
In the comments section, state which book you think should win 2009 Best Youth Fiction and why.
Or, if you have another favorite that didn’t make the list, you can go ahead and tell us about it too.
(And I’d love it if you’d repeat your comment over on the LDS Fiction post for that book.)
[If you’re on the Whitney Academy, your vote is due NOW!]
I know the obvious answer is Fablehaven IV. And I'm going to say that as well (even though it's the only one I read). But I justify my answer by stating that it's the only on this list that boys will generally read. Sure, there are some that may have read the others, but if you put twenty boys in front of these five books and have them each pick which one looks the most intriguing, I'm sure that Fablehaven would be the one.
I haven't read the new Fablehaven book yet but I have enjoyed the series. I also haven't read Bright blue Miracle. I liked all of the others. It's really hard to pick a favorite, but I'm going with My Fair Godmother because it made me laugh. I think the youth of the world need to laugh more and body pierce less.
It was hard to decide between My Fair Godmother and Princess of the Midnight Ball, but I needed a laugh to clear away all the gloom and doom of the other Whitney entries, so I'm going with My Fair Godmother.
The only one I haven't is Bright Blue. My favoritestest is My Fair Godmother.
I totally pick Princess of the Midnight Ball. I loved that book so much.
For its beautiful, haunting writing, and strong, nuanced characters, I have to go with The Chosen One. I also liked Princess of the Midnight Ball a lot.
It's really hard to compare The Chosen One to the other books, though, because they are just so very different. I am a big fan of fantasy too, but it's hard for me to choose a lighter book over something with the kind of depth the Chosen One has, even though I very much enjoyed the fantasy books too.
Each book in the Fablehaven series gets better and book 4 was such a ride. I recently re-read it in anticipation of book 5 and thoroughly enjoyed how far Mull's craft has come. I feel this book is his best work.
It is wonderfully paced and plotted and I am just delighted at how well details are introduced and storylines are tied up and how far-reaching and original these adventures are.
I think My Fair Godmother is what I would pick. The writing is phenomenal and it's so easily for a large cross reference audience to relate to. My kids from 10-18 loved and have all reread the book. All the laugh out loud humor kept me entertained til the last page. (I also adored Princess of the Midnight Ball and am sad that only one of these great books could win) 🙁
This was an incredibly strong category. No matter which book wins the Whitney, it will be well deserved!
Princess of the Midnight Ball was my favorite on this list.