Books, check 'em out.

My roommate and her friend recently started this fantastic blog.

Young Adult fiction is, freakishly, my favorite genre. It's right up there with books about eating disorders and Jodi Picoult. My brother the librarian loves me--especially when I ask him to pick up my library holds.

After reading through all the entries and quietly crying at my desk because there were no new posts, I decided to reflect on all of my favorite Young Adult reads.

And so it goes:

1. Stepping on the Cracks - Mary Downing Hahn

I distinctly remember not being able to put this book down when I was eleven; World War II and Judaism also ranking high on the list of topics I enjoy reading about. The story follows two friends in a small southern town as they deal with brothers who are at war, and the school bully who has a HUGE SECRET! Duhn, duhn, duuuuuuuhn!

2. Wait Till Helen Comes - Mary Downing Hahn

Thank you Ms. Hahn for being awesome. In the one hand we have World War II, and in the other we've got ghost children. Sign me up! This book was another page-turner and probably still is. The story is about a family who moves to a giant farm house that used to be an old convent. There is a spoooooky cemetery nearby where the narrator's bratty, annoying, younger step-sibling is mysteriously drawn. So, the step-sister is, like, 5 years old but the picture on the jacket makes her look way older. And I also remember kind of wanting that sweatshirt.

3. Help, Pink Pig! - C.S. Adler

I love tiny things! Tiny furniture, Legos, Christmas ornaments...I could go on and on. This book is about a tiny, quartz pig who is MAGICAL. Yes, a tiny, magical pig made out of quartz. Amanda, the girl who owns him, can be transported into his enchanted kingdom full of knights and other magical things whenever she feels lonely. The enchanted world of Pink Pig mirrors Amanda's world, and some of her other miniatures are there too! I am pretty sure there is a tiny pony. Somehow it all ties together, but all I really remember and care about are the tiny magical miniatures.

4. Time Windows - Kathryn Reiss & The Dollhouse Murders - Betty Ren Wright

I am lumping these two together because a) the pictures are of a crappy quality and can't really stand alone and b) they are similar in the fact that they are both about creepy, haunted doll-houses! When I told you I loved tiny things, I wasn't lying. Apparently, I also love ghost children. I won't go into too much detail on these gems, but rest assured they are terrifying. Time Windows gave me the heebie jeebies when I re-read it years later, too.

Honestly, I could do this all day, but I am discovering that the majority of the books I loved as a young adult are all pretty similar. Betty Ren Wright also wrote another book that I loved called, Christina's Ghost. Yes, it involves ghost children, and no, there is no doll-house. And now I am off to place holds on every single one of these!