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2018 Stand-outs

Announcing the 2018 Sonderbooks Stand-outs!

This year, I have to make very clear that the choices were made before I met with the Newbery committee, and the opinions are mine alone. I'm making no claims that these were the most distinguished books I read in 2018 -- These books are my personal favorites, and all grabbed a piece of my heart. Read more about how I choose Stand-outs on my blog. All these books are highly recommended! These are books I love, and I hope you'll find some you love, too!



General Nonfiction
The Willpower Instinct
  1. The Willpower Instinct
    by Kelly McGonigal
  2. The Upside of Stress
    by Kelly McGonigal
  3. The Atlas of Beauty
    by Mihaela Noroc
  4. Experimenting with Babies
    by Shaun Gallagher
  5. Where the Animals Go
    by James Cheshire

Christian Nonfiction
Tattoos on the Heart
  1. Tattoos on the Heart
    by Gregory Boyle
  2. Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God
    by Brian Zahnd
  3. Heaven's Doors
    by George W. Sarris
  4. Barking to the Choir
    by Gregory Boyle
  5. The Face of Water
    by Sarah Ruden
  6. Pastrix
    by Nadia Bolz-Weber
  7. Inspired
    by Rachel Held Evans
  8. Transforming
    by Austen Hartke

Children's Nonfiction - Picture Books
So Tall Within
  1. So Tall Within
    by Gary D. Schmidt
    illustrated by Daniel Minter
  2. Nothing Stopped Sophie
    by Cheryl Bardoe
    illustrated by Barbara McClintock
  3. Pass Go and Collect $200
    by Tanya Lee Stone
    illustrated by Steven Salerno
  4. Lights! Camera! Alice!
    by Mara Rockliff
    illustrated by Simona Ciraolo
  5. Drawn from Nature
    by Helen Ahpornsiri
  6. Imagine
    by Juan Felipe Herrera
    illustrated by Lauren Castillo
  7. The Eye that Never Sleeps
    by Marissa Moss
    illustrated by Jeremy Holmes
  8. Water Land
    by Christy Hale

Longer Children's Nonfiction
The Girl Who Drew Butterflies
  1. The Girl Who Drew Butterflies
    by Joyce Sidman
  2. The Faithful Spy
    by John Hendrix
  3. Calling All Minds
    by Temple Grandin
  4. House of Dreams
    by Liz Rosenberg
  5. Hey, Kiddo!
    by Jarret J. Krosoczka
  6. Attucks!
    by Phillip Hoose
  7. The Grand Escape
    by Neal Bascomb
  8. Champion
    by Sally M. Walker
  9. Martin Rising
    by Andrea Davis Pinkney
    illustrated by Brian Pinkney
  10. Brave Red, Smart Frog
    by Emily Jenkins
    illustrated by Rohan Daniel Eason

Fiction
The Woman in Cabin 10
  1. The Woman in Cabin 10
    by Ruth Ware
  2. The Death of Mrs. Westaway
    by Ruth Ware
  3. Artemis
    by Andy Weir


Children's Fiction - Fantasy
The Flight of Swans
  1. The Flight of Swans
    by Sarah McGuire
  2. Sweep
    by Jonathan Auxier
  3. The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge
    by M. T. Anderson
    illustrated by Eugene Yelchin
  4. Knights vs. Dinosaurs
    by Matt Phelan

Children's Fiction - Historical
Snow Lane
  1. Snow Lane
    by Josie Angelini
  2. The Mad Wolf's Daughter
    by Diane Magras
  3. Front Desk
    by Kelly Yang
  4. Until Tomorrow, Mr. Marsworth
    by Sheila O'Connor
  5. Louisiana's Way Home
    by Kate DiCamillo
  6. The Orphan Band of Springdale
    by Anne Nesbet
  7. Out of Left Field
    by Ellen Klages

Children's Fiction - Contemporary
The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle
  1. The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle
    by Leslie Connor
  2. Nowhere Boy
    by Katherine Marsh
  3. My Father's Words
    by Patricia MacLachlan
  4. The Eleventh Trade
    by Alyssa Hollingsworth
  5. Wonderland
    by Barbara O'Connor
  6. The Parker Inheritance
    by Varian Johnson
  7. The Ambrose Deception
    by Emily Ecton
  8. The Doughnut Fix
    by Jesse Janowitz
  9. Harbor Me
    by Jacqueline Woodson

Teen Fiction - Speculative Fiction
West
  1. West
    by Edit Pattou
  2. Thunderhead
    by Neal Shusterman
  3. Muse of Nightmares
    by Laini Taylor
  4. Brightly Burning
    by Alexa Donne
  5. My Plain Jane
    by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
  6. Dry
    by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
  7. As You Wish
    by Chelsea Sedoti
  8. The Astonishing Color of After
    by Emily X. R. Pan

Other Teen Fiction
Blood Water Paint
  1. Blood Water Paint
    by Joy McCullough
  2. What the Night Sings
    by Vesper Stamper
  3. Darius the Great Is Not Okay
    by Adib Khorram
  4. Pride
    by Ibi Zoboi
  5. Truly Devious
    by Maureen Johnson

Picture Books - Silly Fun
We Don't Eat Our Classmates
  1. We Don't Eat Our Classmates
    by Ryan T. Higgins
  2. Baby Monkey, Private Eye
    by Brian Selznick & David Serlin
  3. Thank You, Omu!
    by Oge Mora
  4. Read the Book, Lemmings!
    by Ame Dyckman
    illustrated by Zachariah OHora
  5. Poe Won't Go
    by Kelly DiPucchio
    illustrated by Zachariah OHora
  6. Niblet & Ralph
    by Zachariah OHora
  7. Crash, Splash, or Moo!
    by Bob Shea

Other Picture Books
Dreamers
  1. Dreamers
    by Yuyi Morales
  2. The Stuff of Stars
    by Marion Dane Bauer
    illustrated by Ekua Holmes
  3. Sea Prayer
    by Khaled Hosseini
  4. The Pink Umbrella
    by Amelia Callot
    illustrated by Genevieve Godbout
  5. We Are Brothers
    by Yves Nadon
    illustrated by Jean Claverie
  6. Julián Is a Mermaid
    by Jessica Love
  7. Drawn Together
    by Minh Le
    illustrated by Dan Santat