Best Reads of 2013 (4th in a series)

Librarians LOVE sharing their favorite books, and 2013 definitely brought some new titles to add to my “All Time Favorites” list. It was an impossible task to narrow down the list to just one, but I was finally able to select three favorites. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Secret Pizza Party by Adam Rubin

Did you know raccoons love pizza? But would you want to invite a raccoon to eat pizza with you? Of course not! So, it’s up to the raccoon in this book to plan a secret pizza party to get his hands on his favorite food. A hilarious new book by an always fabulous author/illustrator team. 

Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool

This book is a true gem. Set shortly after the end of WWII, Jack Baker is sent to a boarding school on the coast of Maine and soon finds an unlikely friend in Early Auden, an eccentric boy in his class. When the two set off on a quest along the Appalachian trail, Jack learns there is more behind Early’s odd ways than he previously thought. A perfect book for advanced elementary readers, and a great audio title for the whole family. 

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

In a year when young adult publishing continued to explode, Rainbow Rowell is an author to watch. She published two novels this year, and although her first of 2013, Eleanor and Park was a pitch perfect—star crossed romance, Fangirl was by far my favorite teen novel of the year. A wonderfully written, realistic, standalone novel (a rarity in the teen publishing world), Fangirl follows the ups and downs of Cath’s first year of college, complete with family drama, boy trouble, and of course, lots and lots of fan fiction.

Cleo Slaughter
Youth Services Supervisor