The Year's Best Fantasy and Science Fiction for kids and teenagers, according to School Library Journal

School Library Journal has posted its Best Books 2009. Here are the fantasy and science fiction books they picked, to wit:

The Lost Conspiracy, by Frances Hardinge
The Secret of Zoom, by Lynne Joneel
When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead

Fire, by Kristin Cashore
The Carbon Diaries 2015, by Saci Lloyd
Creature of the Night, by Kate Thompson
Leviathan, by Scott Westerfield

There aren't any criteria given for what constitutes "bestness" but I'm sure that they are all fine books. Although I have only read three of them, and so don't know for sure.

And that annoys me a bit, because lord knows I have done nothing in the past year but read fantasy and science fiction for children and teenagers, and now I feel somehow that I should have read more more more....

On a happier note, I am rather pleased that The Secret of Zoom is getting some attention--I just finished it and enjoyed it (review to come), and I know from personal experience that this hasn't made it into many libraries yet and it really should. Although I think its title works against it.

All of these books, incidentally, have been nominated for the Cybils....the shortlists for which will appear at the beginning of January (I have 27 more books to read).