SLJ's Battle of the Books

In April, School Library Journal launched their very first Battle of the (Kids') Books. This fun and ambitious project pits the favorite and best books of 2008 against each other in brackets. The judges are well-known and award-winning authors and experts such as Tamora Pierce, Roger Sutton, and John Green . The Battle has been so engrossing and satisfying to watch. Finally, favorites get the recognition they deserve, even if they didn't win the big awards. The reviews are thought-provoking and well-reasoned. I can't wait for the final showdown this week when my favorite The Hunger Games (by Suzanne Collins) is pitted against The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves (by M.T. Anderson), a book that I did not warm to in the least. Go Hunger Games! To read back over the whole comptetition, go to the Battle of the Books blog.