Sonderbooks

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January 1, 2024

Announcing my 2023 Sonderbooks Stand-outs!

2023 was a big year, when I served on the William Morris Award Committee for best young adult debut book. This list is more personal - simply books that made me happy. Every single book on this list is highly recommended. I'll try to fill in reviews that aren't posted yet soon, and I'll fill in the names of Morris Finalists after our winner is announced on January 22nd!

You can find out more about my 2023 Reading Year on my blog.

Happy Reading!

—Sondra Eklund




Fiction
Tom Lake
  1. Tom Lake
    2. by Ann Patchett

  2. Fourth Wing
    3. by Rebecca Yarros

  3. Iron Flame
    4. by Rebecca Yarros

  4. Horse
    5. by Geraldine Brooks

  5. Vera Wong's Unsolicted Advice for Murderers
    6. by Jesse Q. Sutanto

  6. Demon Copperhead
    7. by Barbara Kingsolver

  7. Zero Days
    8. by Ruth Ware



Christian Nonfiction
Razing Hell
  1. Razing Hell
    2. by Sharon L. Baker

  2. Executing God
    3. by Sharon L. Baker

  3. The Lives We Actually Have
    4. by Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie

  4. Freedom to Flourish
    5. by Elizabeth Garn

  5. One Coin Found
    6. by Emmy Kegler

  6. Godbreathed
    7. by Zack Hunt

  7. Counting the Cost
    8. by Jill Duggar


More Nonfiction
X + Y
  1. X + Y
    2. by Eugenia Cheng

  2. Cultish
    3. by Amanda Montell

  3. On Repentance and Repair
    4. by Danya Ruttenberg

  4. The Catch Me If You Can
    5. by Jessica Nabongo

  5. The Gift of Story
    6. by John Schu

  6. Rough Sleepers
    7. by Tracy Kidder


Teen Speculative Fiction
Divine Rivals
  1. Divine Rivals
    2. by Rebecca Ross

  2. Painted Devils
    3. by Margaret Owen

  3. The Stolen Heir
    4. by Holly Black

  4. When the Angels Left the Old Country
    5. by Sacha Lamb

  5. The Sinister Booksellers of Bath
    6. by Garth Nix

  6. An Enchantment of Ravens
    7. by Margaret Rogerson

  7. The Merciful Crow
    8. by Margaret Owen

  8. Sorcery of Thorns
    9. by Margaret Rogerson

  9. She Is a Haunting
    10. by Trang Thanh Tran

  10. Sing Me to Sleep
    11. by Gabi Burton



More Teen Fiction
Reader, I Murdered Him
  1. Reader, I Murdered Him
    2. by Betsy Cornwell

  2. All My Rage
    3. by Sabaa Tahir

  3. Warrior Girl Unearthed
    4. by Angeline Boulley

  4. Saints of the Household
    5. by Ari Tison

  5. Rez Ball
    6. by Byron Graves

  6. Those Pink Mountain Nights
    7. by Jen Ferguson

  7. The Summer of Bitter and Sweet
    8. by Jen Ferguson

  8. All the Fighting Parts
    9. by Hannah V. Sawyerr

  9. An Echo in the City
    10. by K. X. Song

  10. The Next New Syrian Girl
    11. by Ream Shukairy


Teen Nonfiction
The Woman All Spies Fear
  1. The Woman All Spies Fear
    2. by Amy Butler Greenfield

  2. Queer Ducks (and Other Animals)
    3. by Eliot Schrefer

  3. Hidden Systems
    4. by Dan Nott

  4. Still Stace
    5. by Stacey Chomiak

  5. American Murderer
    6. by Gail Jarrow

  6. Victory. Stand!
    7. by Tommie Smith, Derrick Barnes, and Dawud Anyabwile

  7. America Redux
    8. by Ariel Aberg-Riger

  8. Abuela, Don't Forget Me
    9. by Rex Ogle


Children's Speculative Fiction
The Notorious Scarlett and Browne
  1. The Notorious Scarlett and Browne
    2. by Jonathan Stroud

  2. The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne
    3. by Jonathan Stroud

  3. Once There Was
    4. by Kiyash Monsef
    read by Nikki Massoud

  4. The Kingdom Over the Sea
    5. by Zohra Nabi

  5. Adia Kelbara and the Circle of Shamans
    6. by Isi Hendrix


More Children's Fiction
Simon Sort of Says
  1. Simon Sort of Says
    2. by Erin Bow

  2. The Labors of Hercules Beal
    3. by Gary D. Schmidt

  3. Odder
    4. by Katherine Applegate

  4. The Lost Year
    5. by Katherine Marsh

  5. Freewater
    6. by Amina Luqman-Dawson

  6. My Own Lightning
    7. by Lauren Wolk

  7. Maizy Chen's Last Chance
    8. by Lisa Yee

  8. Shine On, Luz Véliz!
    9. by Rebecca Balcárcel

  9. 102 Days of Lying About Lauren
    10. by Maura Jortner

  10. Leeva at Last
    11. by Sara Pennypacker


Children's Nonfiction
A First Time for Everything
  1. A First Time for Everything
    2. by Dan Santat

  2. Chinese Menu
    3. by Grace Lin

  3. Stranded!
    4. by Ævar Pór Benediktsson
    art by Anne Wilson

  4. The Tryout
    5. written by Christina Soontornvat
    illustrated by Joanna Cacao

  5. The Tower of Life
    6. by Chana Stiefel
    illustrated by Susan Gal

  6. The Bees of Notre Dame
    7. by Meghan P. Browne
    and E. B. Goodale

  7. Tomfoolery!
    8. by Michelle Markel
    illustrated by Barbara McClintock

  8. Mexikid
    9. by Pedro Martín

  9. How to Explain Coding to a Grown-Up
    10. by Ruth Spiro
    illustrated by Teresa Martinez

  10. How Do Meerkats Order Pizza?
    11. by Brooke Barker


Picture Books
Simon and the Better Bone
  1. Simon and the Better Bone
    2. by Corey R. Tabor

  2. Big
    3. by Vashti Harrison

  3. Remember
    4. poem by Joy Harjo
    illustrations by Michaela Goade

  4. How to Count to ONE
    5. written by Caspar Salmon
    illustrated by Matt Hunt

  5. Some of These Are Snails
    6. by Carter Higgins

  6. Just One Flake
    7. by Travis Jonker

  7. Elena Rides
    8. by Juana Medina

  8. Finding Papa
    9. by Angela Pham Krans
    illustrated by Thi Bui

  9. Boom!
    10. by Paul Meisel

  10. This Is a Story
    11. words by John Schu
    illustrations by Lauren Castillo