Howl's Moving Castle
author: Diana Wynne Jones
audience: 4th-6th
I saw the Miyazaki animated feature film based on this favorite of mine and in between two viewings, I was compelled to quickly re-read Howl. I HAD to re-read it to affirm for myself that Jones' tone is completely different from that of Miyazaki's. I much prefer the book's world... into which I would not mind falling -- but I will AVOID the movie's world at all cost...
Although both book and movie are finely crafted and powerful in their own ways... for some reason, I think the less overtly "anti-war" approach (in the book) commands a depth of human conflicts and the
internal struggles of "darkness vs. light" that the movie did not seem to be able to convey convincingly.
So much wise humor, so much gentle and yet deep probing of the human hearts was lost in the movie version.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (HP VI)
author: J.K. Rowling
audience: 4th-6th
Definitely one of the better volumes of the series. It is more tightly written, moves at a neck-breaking pace, draws this reader in and pins her down! There are even a couple of surprising elements/scenes. It has been a fun ride! Although many people say that this one is much DARKER than the rest, I still feel that there is quite a bit of hope and levity. Maybe because I like dark tales and this does not strike me as those that really get into the characters' psyche in a disturbing way -- those tales by Poe or Hawthorn... for example. It does not "disturb" my sense of security. It's a very imaginative and well thought out yarn. I am pleased!
Saiyuki (vols. 5 - 8)
author: kazuya Minekura
audience: 7th and up
The series remains explosive, intriguing, and GORGEOUS!!! Must keep on reading them....
The Story of the Treasure Seekers
author: E. Nesbit
audience: 3rd-5th
Umm... I could not finish this book... it got tedious after the first 6 or so chapters. I know that it would have been a really fun book for me as a child... but it seems so dated -- the sensibilities just don't ring true any more. (And I LOVE nostalgic stories.)
Namesake
author: Jhumpa Lahiri
audience: Adult
I found the events too mundane and the telling too tedious toward the end of the story... too many vignettes and descriptive passages. I also found having the death of the father inserted into the story is a tad gratuitous. Over all, it was somewhat enjoyable and intriguing, but not awe-inspiring.
The Amulet of Samarkand (Bartimaeus Trilogy I)
author: Jonathan Stroud
audience: 5th-7th
This proves that as a reader, I am not entirely consistent... I tried reading this title a year ago and found myself irritated by the tone of the narrative voice of one of the main characters, namely Bartimaeus. This time around, I had more leisure and more patience. Now this story becomes both fascinating, solid, and Bartimaeus has become an endearing character, albeit a conceited one! I can now see why The Amulet of Samarkand is a favorite of so many of my students. I applaud their taste! I must say that as fantasy world-building goes, this story is really successful: it follows impeccable logic and is rich with historical and mythical information. Now I look forward to reading the sequel!
First Boy (galley)
author: Gary D. Schmidt
audience: 5th-7th
There is simply too much concentration on cows and farm businesses to keep my interest up! It MOVES SO SLOWLY... and the pay off was not that great at the end. The sense of suspense is done well but unfortunately I just did not care enough about the characters to be emotionally invested in the outcome of all the "mysteries." And... the events are both predictable and too coincidental to make this a first (or even second) rate mystery. Too bad...
W Juliet (vols. 1 - 4)
author: Emura
audience: 5th-7th
This gender-bender manga is a lot of fun to read. I enjoyed the relationship between the main characters (the tender love affair is very touching) but found that it drags on a bit -- which is common in serialization... one year of their time together is prolonged into FOUR volumes... and I just want a little more and faster development of their predicament... and I want to know exactly what HAPPENS at the end... but alas, that will take maybe another 3 years!
Saiyuki (vols. 1 - 4)
author: Kazuya Minekura
audience: 6th and up (Manga)
This manga series has one of the best artworks in the field... Amazing hair-dos, of course; great personalities -- you can actually tell each character apart without having to memorize their hairstyles or clothing! The storyline is pretty wacked but that is not surprising, being Manga. There is solid emotional development for each of the 4 main characters and enough of a coherent storyline that I would recommend this to readers new to this genre/form. Of course, there is a lot of gore (and slight sexual references) that it is not for the very young or faint of heart!
Goblin Wood
author: Hilary Bell
audience: 5th-7th
Read this last year but for some reason didn't record the experience. A solid fantasy from a solid author. I loved how all the characters are drawn with depth and complexity, loved the relationships between the humans and the goblins and between the main characters, and definitely loved the resolution that was not simple or predictable.
The Old Country
author: Mordicai Gerstein
audience: 4th-7th
An odd and fascinating tale, with all the right fairy tale touches, and the mysterious ensemble of characters. Couldn't quite figure out whether very young readers who have not much exposure to the history of the Jewish Holocaust will find this tale intriguing or puzzling... and for those who have been exposed to that part of history, will this tale be too "messagey" or enlightening? For this reader, it was satisfying enough, both as a fairy tale and social commentary. And of course, one does like a surprising ending!
Princess Academy
author: Shannon Hall
audience: 5th-7th
Shannon Hall Goose Girldelivered again! I was a little put off by the cutsie looking cover.. thinking, oh, no, she sold out!! She's doing a cute Princess Tale kind of thing... but, no, once again, the situations and the magic are subtle and the skillful presentation of the inter-personal relationships still holds mesmerizing power from this talented storyteller. Magic, boarding school story, romances, friendship, self-discovery, wit... this book has everything!
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
author: Suzanna Clarke
audience: 7th and up
OH MY GOD... this book is SOOOO good! I would have given it 10 stars if I allow myself to break the rating rules! What a strange mixture of the traditional British comic portrayal of class relations, a la Jane Austen, and the dark, supernatural musings of fine writers such as Hawthorne... One can slowly savor this long tale (782 pages with fine print and finer print for footnotes of which many are short stories in disguise...) and never wish to get out of that eerie world of 19th century alternative Britain. So imaginative and lyrical; so humorous and melancholy; so amazing! A book that stole my heart!
The Good Times are Killing Me
author: Lynda Barry
audience: 7th and up
Barry is skilled in presenting the voices of the characters and capturing the senses of the places. However, there is somewhat a disconnect because of the episodic nature of the "story." I can imagine how this works really well with music, as when it was first presented as a musical one woman play. Without the music, something is definitely lacking.
Day of Tears
author: Julius Lester
audience: 5th and up
I couldn't quite make up my mind whether I enjoyed this or not. The subtitle of a "novel in dialogue" really threw me -- because the "dialogues" are mostly monologues and there are plenty of descriptions of settings and musings of emotions to make this a successful "dialogue" novel. The voices are also not very distinct from person to person. However, the underlying story itself is powerful and I can see young readers taking this short tale to heart and understanding the theme and events deeply for its emotional impact.
Whether the writing is too bland or the reader too inappropriately dramatic, I couldn't tell. But, this very famous and popular title of the last couple of years only delivered information... long passages of it devoted to documenting the people involved in the fast food industry... without satisfying my literary "appetite." It also has a pretty strong and unhidden agenda that feels a bit heavy handed. I am still happy that I read/listened to it and that I was "informed." Beyond that, there is not much more to say about it.
Another audio book that is absolutely fantastic to listen to. Read by the author/public speaker with his signature nasal voice that is both sarcastic and completely sincere -- incredibly cynical and yet touchingly innocent. The short autobiographical episodes are entertaining, enlightening, and memorable. Absolutely loved it!
I listened to this brutal and brutally honest and beautiful book on my iPod, folding laundry or washing dishes... on the subway or falling asleep at night... It is read by the author and his accent and pronunciation of the Afghan words made the experience rich with layers. It was an unforgettable "event," listening to it. 
This last installment of Ender's Shadow series is really gripping. Much better than Shadoe Puppet. I enjoyed finding more about Peter and his rise to power and his personalities. So great to see all the old characters making appearances again -- including Ender! Here is a young reader's reaction to the book and our subsequent email exchanges regarding this title: 
This is classic silly romantic Manga. My FIRST ever Korean Manga -- although it is published by Tokyopop. The only problem is that it is Volume ONE of a proposed series and I really really want to know what happens next. 15-year-old Loan Shark Girl meets 15-year-old poor, righteous boy, who's destined to MARRY her and also another 15-year-old boy of pure greed... and they are ALL gorgeous... hmm.. most of the time, you can't tell who's who... (as in so many Mangas...) The dead grandma getting drunk and getting reprimanded by St. Peter in Heaven is hilarious! Anyhooo... enjoyed reading this one tremendously. 
Anderson's ability to capture teen speeches, thoughts, and genuine, unflinching and unappologetic emotions is truly incredible! I definitely enjoy this light comidic treatment of a "NORMAL" High School Senior (as defined by the heroine of the story -- meaning, probably not going to college, probably getting tied down by an early motherhood, and probably will not get anywhere in life...) girl's life. Especially wonderful is how lovingly dysfunctional her parents are. They are just, like her, "normal" people, trying their best, although not always most intelligent, to care for their family. Witty and down-to-earth, this will be another hit with the tweens and early teens.
This book is just creepy enough, just romantic enough, just complex and simple enough, for pre-teen and early teens. I LOVE the descriptions of the consciousness of the HOUSE and Susan's relationships with the House, her friends, and Nathan, the ghost boy. When Susan leaves her shell (body) behind and travels in a magical new exterior, the imagery is so vivid that even a non-visual/graphic reader like me can visualize the pictures. It is also interesting that there is no real "pay off" of the sub-plot of the father situation -- that Susan's father is not quite "punished" at the end. (I would have LOVED to see that...) It makes the story more real. This was a Bram Stoker horror fiction for young reader nominee. It lost to the 5th Harry Potter... hmm.... I disagree. 
This Newbery Honor, 1968 book was done superbly. Lester's collecting, re-working, and threading of the slave narratives is careful and powerful. It kept me reading into dark nights, giving up sleep. The only troublesome selection, in my view, was the last entry -- in which a former slave claims that there will NEVER be equality between the two races. No explanation or mentioning of any social progress accompanying this entry. Of course, at the time, Lester probably felt that was the case; he might still feel this way, even now, given the condition of this country and its people. It's just that, it is such a downer ending and a child reader should have the opportunity to discuss this ending, and putting in the context of the last 30 odd years.
This is 2005 Newbery Winner -- I did not read it prior to the announcement of the award, so read it with a mind-set of finding worthiness of this winning title, so I was probably more critical than usual. Still, I could not really figure out why it was an award winning book. There are incidents in the book that show sloppy writing/editing: after stating that a "couple" of years past without much going on, the next "going on" happens 4 and a half years later. A couple never equals 4.5. The narrator's voice also shifts from the young and naive tone and old and sophisticated tone constantly. Unlike the masterful handling in Spinelli's "Milk Weed" in which the narrator also goes in and out of "understanding" of his situation, both as a character IN THE MOMENT, and as a narrator REMEMBERING those moments, Kira Kira's narrator shifts tones without showing such "designed" inconsistancy. Instead, it is jarring. Someone says that this reads more like a memoir, and I agree -- there is little plot structure. However, even as a memoir, there should be consideration of momentum. The meandering nature of side-stories and family narratives may make it a less appealing read for young readers. I do think that readers who love SAD STORIES will really like this really DEPRESSINGLY SAD story... it does have a somewhat hopeful ending....
I can't believe this book won the National Book Award for Young Readers this year... On the prose level, it is nothing outstanding; on the philosophical level, it does not leave the readers deeper understanding of religions or the teens who are struggling with their beliefs; on the plot level, it is a shapeless mess with a sloppy ending. I admit that it did keep my interest up because the premise is an interesting one and I do enjoy reading the "Genesis" of the religion of the Water Towers. However, there is such detachment from all the characters (the ones that SHOULD be sympathetic are not really so) and there is NO character growth or development at all. I am shaking my head in disbelief, again, that the NBA's judges would have chosen this piece of work as the BEST book of the year... so weird... 
I enjoyed the inventiveness of this story and the fast pacing, for the first 4/5 of the book. The last 1/5 got quite tedious with very short chapters, switching perspectives, and not that much happening for quite a few chapters... all with one goal in mind: covering as much Neverland Cast as possible and spiraling toward the conclusion that allows the "beginning" of Peter Pan and the Never Land... Unfortunately, this Peter is in no form or shape resembling the TRUE Peter Pan. He, (the one here) is simply too nice, too noble, and too friendly. There is no trace of the devious and a-moralistic nature that makes Peter Pan (the real one) so charming and unusual. This should still be a fun read for many children.
Although this 3rd installment in the Otori tales is no where near the quality, intensity, and beauty of the first one, I still enjoyed reading the conclusion of the story. The battle/war scenes, the pirates, and the suffering of Kaede all have huge impact on this reader. It drew me into a world to lose myself and I did willingly. I did not want to leave that make-believe land and time. (But, I don't need another volume, unless it possesses the same sparkling prose as the first one...)