Top Ten Picture Books

I don't review picture books on this blog, but I still thought I'd include my very favorite picture books.

1. No, David! by David Shannon
2.  Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss
3.  Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems.
4.  Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
5.  Corduroy by Don Freeman
6.  Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
7.  Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
8.  Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
9.  Curious George Learns the Alphabet by H.A. Rey
10.  Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

Top Ten Books for Pre-Teens and Children

1.  The Invention of Hugo Cabret
2.  Holes
3.  Eight Cousins
4.  Charlotte's Web
5.  Matilda
6.  The City of Ember
7.  Little House Series
8.  Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
9.  Wonderstruck
10.  Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Top Ten Books for Adults

1.  Wives and Daughters
2.  The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
3.  Pride and Prejudice
4.  Little Women
5.  Jane Eyre
6.  Short Stories by O.Henry
7.  And Then There Were None
8.  Howl's Moving Castle
9.  The Complete Sherlock Holmes
10.  Austenland

Top Ten Books for Teens

Again, I would recommend clicking on books you are interested in before making an informed decision.  Also, I realize that my list has several books which may appeal more to girls than boys.  I apologize to anyone who is looking for books for boys.  However, I think these books are great regardless of audience gender.

1.  Harry Potter Series
2.  Beauty
3.  Princess Academy
4.  An Old-Fashioned Girl
5.  Anne of Green Gables Series
6.  Goose Girl Series
7.  Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
8.  Uglies by Scott Westerfield
9.  Maximum Ride Series (1-3)
10.  Percy Jackson Series

My Favorite Books for Young Adults

In honor of having critiqued over 100 books, I decided to do some lists.  In reviewing all the books I've written about, I noticed I really kept with my theme.  There really are some good, bad, and ugly books on here.  Hopefully I've helped someone out.  In the meantime, I thought I would list my top ten favorite books for each age.  Most of the books have been reviewed on the website.  I would recommend clicking on the link to make yourself aware of the content of each book, because there are some issues in some of the books.  Also, I know that some books may be better literature than others, but I am simply listing my personal favorites.

1.  Matched Trilogy
2.  The Selection
3.  The Host
4.  The Immortals Series
5.  The Hunger Games Trilogy
6.  Virals
7.  Heroes of Olympus Series
8.  The Book Thief
9.  Divergent
10.  Wolves, Boys, & Other Things That Might Kill Me

Seizure by Kathy Reichs

SYNOPSIS:  Tory Brennan and her "pack" are back, this time in search of buried pirate treasure.  They are not the only ones searching, though, and they are competing with others who will stop at nothing to claim it.

AUNT SHARON'S TAKE:  Just like the first book in the series, Seizure is a fast-paced adventure that will keep teens coming back for more.  There is some moderate language in the book, as well as some sensuality in the form of references to a historic character's sexuality.  Also, it is an adventure story, with action film-type violence.  However, it was a fun story, with lovable characters and a smart, inventive protagonist.  I enjoyed it, and I'm sure adventure-loving teens and young adults would also.

RATING:  PG13 for language, violence, and sexual references

AUDIENCE:  Teens and Young Adults

STARS:  3 1/2

BOOKS LIKE THIS:  Maximum Ride, Divergent