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**NOTE: This page was reformatted in 2025 as part of #Sonderbooks25, my 25th year of posting Sonderbooks. Here is my Sonderbooks25 post about these Stand-outs. Here is the original page, which is not in phone-friendly format. I've kept the wording the same.**

Here are the very best books I reviewed in 2003, covering Sonderbooks 46 through Sonderbooks 69.

I divided the books into categories, then ranked the books in each category according to how much I enjoyed them. It didn't seem fair to compare old favorites with books I'd only read once, so I separated books I'd reread into their own divisions.

Here are my top three:
For Young Adults: The Goose Girl, by Shannon Hale
For Grown-Ups: Beyond the Limit, by Joan Spicci
For Children: Saffy's Angel, by Hilary McKay

I hope you enjoy these books as much as I did!

Happy Reading!

—Sondra Eklund




Literary Fiction
Beyond the Limit
  1. Beyond the Limit
    2. by Joan Spicci

  2. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
    3. by Mark Haddon

  3. The Lovely Bones
    4. by Alice Sebold

  4. The Time Traveler's Wife
    5. by Audrey Niffenegger

  5. Life of Pi
    6. by Yann Martel

  6. Angry Housewives Eating Bonbons
    7. by Lorna Landvik

  7. The Probable Future
    8. by Alice Hoffman



Science Fiction and Fantasy
Children of the Star Trilogy
  1. Children of the Star
    2. by Sylvia Louise Engdahl

  2. The Far Side of Evil
    3. by Sylvia Louise Engdahl

  3. Sunshine
    4. by Robin McKinley

  4. Stealing the Elf King's Roses
    5. by Diane Duane


Mystery and Adventure
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
  1. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
    and its sequels
    2. by Alexander McCall Smith

  2. The Prisoner of Zenda
    and Rupert of Hentzau
    3. by Anthony Hope

  3. The Four Feathers
    4. by A. E. W. Mason

  4. Jane and the Ghost of Netley
    5. by Stephanie Barron

  5. Balance of Power
    6. by Richard North Patterson

  6. Lion in the Valley
    7. by Elizabeth Peters

  7. Snobbery with Violence
    8. by Marion Chesney


Fiction Old Favorites
The Great Divorce
  1. The Great Divorce
    2. by C. S. Lewis

  2. Northanger Abbey
    3. by Jane Austen


Young Adult Fantasy
The Goose Girl
  1. The Goose Girl
    2. by Shannon Hale

  2. East
    3. by Edith Pattou

  3. The Changeling Sea
    4. by Patricia McKillip

  4. The Sword of the Rightful King
    5. by Jane Yolen

  5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
    6. by J. K. Rowling

  6. The Perilous Gard
    7. by Elizabeth Marie Pope

  7. Millicent's Gift
    8. by Ann Rinaldi

  8. The Frog Princess
    9. by E. D. Baker

  9. A Wizard Alone
    10. by Diane Duane

  10. The Merlin Conspiracy
    11. by Diana Wynne Jones

  11. Once Upon a Marigold
    12. by Jean Ferris



Children's Fantasy
The Rumplestiltskin Problem
  1. The Rumpelstiltskin Problem
    2. by Vivian Vande Velde

  2. The Tears of the Salamander
    3. by Peter Dickinson

  3. The Tale of Despereaux
    4. by Kate DiCamillo

  4. Wizard at Work
    5. by Vivian Vande Velde

  5. The Ugly Princess and the Wise Fool
    6. by Margaret Gray

  6. The Wolves in the Walls
    7. by Neil Gaiman
    illustrated by Dave McKean



Young Adult and Children's Fantasy Old Favorites
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
  1. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
    2. by C. S. Lewis

  2. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
    3. by C. S. Lewis

  3. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
    4. by J. K. Rowling

  4. Prince Caspian
    5. by C. S. Lewis

  5. Smith of Wooton Major and Farmer Giles of Ham
    6. by J. R. R. Tolkien


Young Adult and Children's Science Fiction
Feed
  1. Feed
    2. by M. T. Anderson

  2. The City of Ember
    3. by Jeanne DuPrau

  3. Singing the Dogstar Blues
    4. by Alison Goodman


Young Adult and Children's Historical Fiction
A Coalition of Lions
  1. A Coalition of Lions
    2. by Elizabeth Wein

  2. Girl in a Cage
    3. by Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris

  3. Girl in a Cage
    4. by Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris

  4. Crossing the Panther's Path
    5. by Elizabeth Alder


Young Adult Historical Rereads
Quest for a Maid
  1. Quest for a Maid
    2. by Frances Mary Hendry

  2. The Queen of Attolia
    3. by Megan Whalen Turner

  3. The Thief
    4. by Megan Whalen Turner


Children's Contemporary Novels
Saffy's Angel
  1. Saffy's Angel
    2. by Hilary McKay

  2. Bloomability
    3. by Sharon Creech

  3. Run From the Nun!
    4. by Erin MacLellan

  4. The Exiles at Home
    5. by Hilary McKay


Young Adult Contemporary Novels
The Second Summer of the Sisterhood
  1. The Second Summer of the Sisterhood
    2. by Ann Brashares

  2. I Am Not Esther
    3. by Fleur Beale

  3. The Exiles in Love
    4. by Hilary McKay

  4. The Princess and the Pauper
    5. by Kate Brian

  5. Princess in Waiting
    6. by Meg Cabot


Young Adult and Children's Classics
Pollyanna Grows Up
  1. Pollyanna Grows Up
    2. by Eleanor H. Porter

  2. Pollyanna
    3. by Eleanor H. Porter

  3. Rainbow Valley
    4. by L. M. Montgomery

  4. Rilla of Ingleside
    5. by L. M. Montgomery


Short Story Collections
Firebirds
  1. Firebirds
    2. edited by Sharyn November

  2. Out of Bounds
    3. by Beverly Naidoo

  3. Period Pieces
    Stories for Girls
    4. selected by Erszi Deak and Kristin Embry Litchman

  4. Changing Planes
    5. by Ursula K. LeGuin


Cross-Cultural Nonfiction
Ripe for the Picking
  1. Ripe for the Picking
    2. by Annie Hawes

  2. River Town
    3. by Peter Hessler

  3. The Road From the Past
    4. by Ina Caro

  4. A House Somewhere
    5. edited by Don George and Anthony Sattin

  5. My Love Affair with England
    6. by Susan Allen Toth


Biographical Nonfiction
The Waiting Child
  1. The Waiting Child
    2. by Cindy Champnella

  2. Feynman's Rainbow
    3. by Leonard Mlodinow

  3. What Should I Do With My Life?
    4. by Po Bronson

  4. The God I Love
    5. by Joni Eareckson Tada

  5. I Choose to Stay
    6. by Salome Thomas-EL with Cecil Murphey


Political Nonfiction
Rogue Nation
  1. Rogue Nation
    2. by Clyde Prestowitz

  2. Of Paradise and Power
    3. by Robert Kagan

  3. The Soul of Capitalism
    4. by William Greider


Other Nonfiction
Take Joy!
  1. Take Joy!
    2. by Jane Yolen

  2. The Myth of Laziness
    3. by Mel Levine

  3. Snoopy's Guide to the Writing Life
    4. edited by Barnaby Conrad and Monte Schulz


Nonfiction Rereads
Discovering the Character of God
  1. Discovering the Character of God
    2. by George MacDonald
    edited by Michael Phillips

  2. Glimpses of Grace
    3. by Madeleine L'Engle
    with Carole F. Chase

  3. The Hope of the Gospel
    4. by George MacDonald

  4. The Weekend Novelist
    5. by Robert J. Ray

  5. Biblioholism: The Literary Addiction
    6. by Tom Raabe

  6. I'm a Stranger Here Myself
    7. by Bill Bryson


New Picture Books
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
  1. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
    2. by Mo Willems

  2. Serious Farm
    3. by Tim Egan

  3. Yellow & Pink
    4. by William Steig

  4. In English, Of Course
    5. by Josephine Nobisso
    illustrated by Dasha Zibrova

  5. The Dot
    6. by Peter H. Reynolds

  6. Officer Buckle and Gloria
    7. by Peggy Rathman

  7. Henrietta and the Golden Egg
    8. by Hanna Johansen
    pictures by Käthi Bhend
    translated by John Barrett

  8. Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter
    9. by Diane Stanley

  9. Gossie and Gertie
    10. by Olivier Dunrea


Old Favorite Picture Books
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
  1. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
    2. by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
    illustrated by Lois Ehlert

  2. Sleeping Ugly
    3. by Jane Yolen
    pictures by Diane Stanley

  3. Yellow & Pink
    4. by William Steig

  4. The Wolf's Chicken Stew
    5. by Keiko Kasza

  5. Harriet, You'll Drive Me Wild!
    6. by Mem Fox
    illustrated by Marla Frazee