SLJ's Battle of the Books

The Best Book Event of the Year is baaaaack!

For those of you who aren't familiar, each year a team from School Library Journal puts together an epic competition where many of the best Children's and YA books from the past year have to battle it out to determine an ultimate champion. Last year's Big Kahuna Round had Okay for Now and Between Shades of Gray as two of the top three; it doesn't get much better than that (although Daughter of Smoke and Bone should have made it to the end!).

And is that artwork not fantastic? Mark Tuchman is a genius.

But this is a whole new year! When I first saw the 2013 Contenders, I was dismayed to learn that I had only read ONE out of SIXTEEN. That is shameful, book lovers. But then I just hurried up and requested the rest from my lovely local library, and now I've got four down (with twelve to go... yikes!). Want to see a full list of Contenders without clicking over? Your wish is my command:

• Bomb by Steve Sheinkin
• Wonder by RJ Palacio
• Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
• Titanic by Deborah Hopkinson
• Endangered by Eliot Schrefer
• Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage
• Temple Grandin by Sy Montgomery
• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
• Jepp, Who Defied the Stars by Katherine Marsh
• Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin
• Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead
• Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz
• Moonbird by Philip Hoose
• Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
• No Crystal Stair by Vaunda Micheax Nelson
• The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

This might be a bit premature, seeing as how I still have twelve titles left to read... but I'm having a hard time envisioning a final three that doesn't include The Fault in Our Stars and Code Name Verity. What do you think, book lovers? Do you have any favorites on the list? Are as many new to you as they were to me?