Your Favorite Children's Books of the Year?

Though the Times (of London)  and the Horn Book (of Boston) may have their favorite children's books  of the year, what are yours? Please don't limit yourself to 2005. Any wonderful thing you and/or yours read in the last year is great, especially a book that you would recommend as a gift.

I'll start off with one book, while thinking of some others. This one falls into the intermediate-reader category, but certain young adults and grown-ups will likely enjoy it, too.  Drum roll, please.  Kate DiCamillo's Because of Winn-Dixie (Candlewick, 2000). I wrote about it back in August, and continue to admire the novel, which would make a nice present for 9- to 12-year-old girl.

How about the rest of y'all?

Comments

[Kelly]

Hi Susan:

I think my favorites are--

MG: Hilary McKay's "Permanent Rose" and Rick Riordan's "The Lightning Thief."
PB: I'm going to go with Mo Willems' "Leonardo the Terrible Monster."

[Chris Barton]

"All I Want Is the Truth," Elizabeth Partridge's biography of John Lennon.

[NT]

My favorites are (1) Sebastian's Roller Skates, by Joan de Deu Prats and (2) Professor Aesop's the Crow and the Pitcher by Stephanie Gwyn.

[Michele]

Ooh ! How long have you got - or more importantly, how much space can I have ?!

In no particular order:

Kate Di Camillo - "Because of Winn-Dixie"; Diana Wynne Jones - The Time of the Ghost, Tale of Time City, Fire and Hemlock (I think that might take the title of best children's lit book I read in 2005); Cornelia Funke - The Thief Lord, Dragon Rider; Alan Garner - The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, The Moon of Gomrath; Deborah Wiles - Each Little Bird That Sings (thank you so much for bringing this one to my attention); J R R Tolkien - Mr Bliss; Alan Snow - Here Be Monsters!; Philip Pullman - The Scarecrow and his Servant; Mary Hoffman - Stravaganza (1, 2 & 3); Garth Nix - The Keys to the Kingdom series (3 books), The Creature in the Case; Jonathan Stroud - The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem's Eye (still waiting on Ptolemy's Gate from the library !); Elizabeth Kay - The Divide series (3 books); Nancy Farmer - The Sea of Trolls; Katherine Langrish - Troll Fell, Troll Mill; J K Rowling - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Sorry, but you did ask !! :-D

[Mindy]

I finally got around to reading Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse and A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly, both of which I liked very much.

For picture books, I liked I Love You Dude by Radunsky and A Kick in the Head by Janeckzo/Rascka.

[Susan (editor)]

All right, everyone! These are great recommendations. Keep 'em coming.

[Jamie]

Two of my favorites: How I Became a Pirate (Melinda Long, David Shannon), and The Tale of Despereaux (Kate DiCamillo.)