2008 Fantasy & Science Fiction Finalists

Elementary/Middle Grade:

Cabinet of Wonders
written by Marie Rutkoski
Macmillan

Petra Kronos lives in a small Czech village with her father, an artisan who can move metal with his mind and work with invisible tools. When her father is commissioned by the prince to build a marvelous clock, he goes off to Prague--and comes back blinded. The prince has stolen his eyes. Even worse, the prince now has control of a clock that has the power to control the weather. Petra sets off to Prague, determined to steal back her father's eyes. She has help-from her tin pet spider Astrophil, and from Neel, a Roma boy with fingers that extend into invisible ghosts that can pick locks. But it will still be a treacherous journey--and at stake is the fate of all of Europe. Packed with character, humor and adventure, Cabinet of Wonders is a novel lush with detail and beauty, a full literary meal that will leave readers hungry for the next book in the Kronos Chronicles.
--Summary by Nettle

Graveyard Book
written by Neil Gaiman
HarperCollins

Bod is not your usual boy. He lives in a graveyard. Having been raised by the graveyard's ghosts, Bod has learned a few, shall we say, tricks of the trade, like walking through walls and fading so that no one sees him. The Graveyard Book is pure delight from start to finish. To me, the thing that was most indicative of Gaiman's mastery was the fact that this story is unabashedly scary. The world isn't always sunshine and playgrounds and Gaiman isn't afraid to give kids a darker reality. This book is full of humor, loveable characters, and a top-notch ending for our brave, orphaned hero.
--Summary by Em of Em's Bookshelf

Lamplighter
written by D. M. Cornish
Penguin USA

The second book in the Monster Blood Tattoo series continues the adventure of young foundling, Rossamund Bookchild, as he joins the Lamplighters, a branch of the Emperor's service sworn to keeping the lamps lit on all the far-flung, monster-hunted roads of the land. The stunning imaginative achievement of D.M. Cornish's world-creation is, to my mind, unparalleled. He has dreamed the monsters and monster-hunters of the Half-Continent into being fully fleshed. Rossamund is a character to love and follow, and the dark secrets and conspiracies that unfold in this story make a 600-page book a lightning read. I can't wait to read it again.
--Summary by Laini Taylor-Di Bartolo

Magic Thief
written by Sarah Prineas
HarperCollins

This fast-paced, fun, and engrossing story tells of a young thief who has survived on the strange streets of Wellmet alone, thanks to his quick hands and quick wits. But when Conn picks the pocket of the wizard Nevery, and pulls out the stone that is the locus of Nevery's magic, his life changes. As the wizard's new apprentice, Conn has only thirty days to find his own locus magicalus, or lose his new status. Much worse is the fact that someone, or something, is sucking the magic out of Wellmet, and Conn has to use every bit of his quickness, and every bit of his new found magic, to defeat the Magic Thief. A great adventure, with great characters!
--Summary by Charlotte Taylor

Savvy
written by Ingrid Law
Penguin USA

Mibs Beaumont is anxiously awaiting her 13th birthday because, in her family, 13th birthdays bring about big changes. The Beaumonts always get their savvies--their supernatural powers--on their 13th birthdays. But this year, Mibs' dad is in the hospital and it looks like her savvy isn't coming. Ingrid Law has written a tale that is sure to appeal to kids of all ages. I loved the idea that all kids have their own savvy, even if it isn't as splashy as the ability to move mountains.
--Summary by Em of Em's Bookshelf

Young Adult:

Airman
written by Eoin Colfer
Hyperion

Conor Broekhart love of flying started when he was born in a falling hot air balloon at the 1878 Paris World Fair. Conor dreams of inventing the world's first airplane, a dream that is interrupted when he is accused and jailed for a crime he didn't commit. But Conor's not about to let the person truly responsible get away with it. A rousing adventure story with a sensible hero, with a dash of Jules Verne and The Count of Monte Cristo, Eoin Colfer's Airman will satisfy readers young and old alike.
--Summary by A. Feller

Curse Dark as Gold
written by Elizabeth C. Bunce
Scholastic

Charlotte Miller is struggling to keep Stirwaters Mill--the livelihood for everyone in the town of Shearing--running after her father's death. But one spate of bad luck after another fouls all her plans and labors, until she must face the terrible possibility of failure. And that's when the mysterious Jack Spinner shows up, with the power to spin straw into gold and the ability to rescue Charlotte and Shearing from despair. But at what cost? When Charlotte learns the true price of Jack Spinner's aid, she will have to fight to protect her town, her home and her family. Elizabeth C. Bunce spins a dark gorgeous retelling of Rumplestiltskin that takes the bones of an old fairy tale and gives them fresh new life against the backdrop of the Industrial Revolution. A flawed heroine, a genuinely creepy ghost story and a stunningly beautiful use of language are woven together in the fabric of this book, and will make A Curse Dark as Gold linger in your mind long after you've turned the last page.
--Summary by Nettle

Explosionist
written by Jenny Davidson
HarperCollins

An "alternate-history supernatural mystery" set in 1938 Scotland, the world of The Explosionist hinges on a crucial incident in history: suppose Napoleon had won at Waterloo. Jenny Davidson has created a fascinating tale set in the Europe that grew out of that victory. Young Sophie and her Danish friend Mikael try to unravel a murder mystery, and while they're at it, figure out who's behind the terrorist bombings in Edinburgh, which have very high political stakes, not just for Scotland but the world. All this with the help of the dead and the sort-of dead, through the respected science of supernatural divination, while the country ramps up for war. A great, fun read, with a sparkle of romance and much to discuss.
--Summary by Laini Taylor-Di Bartolo

Graceling
written by Kristin Cashore
Harcourt

Katsa is a Graceling--a person who has been blessed with a Grace. However, Katsa isn't a normal Graceling. Her Grace gives her the power to kill a man with her bare hands, a power she's possessed since she was eight years old. Rather than giving her a life of ease, her Grace means Katsa is forced to use her powers for a scheming king. When Katsa meets Po, another Graceling, she doesn't realize just how much of an influence Po is about to have on her life. Katsa is a strong heroine, overcomes her personal struggles with how her powers are used to become as comfortable with herself as she is with her Grace. With a brisk plot, plenty of adventure, and a little romance, readers will be rushing to finish Graceling.
--Summary by A. Feller

Hunger Games, The
written by Suzanne Collins
Scholastic

In Suzanne Collins' futuristic and controlled society, Katniss Everdeen passes her days working hard for her family's survival. When her younger sister is chosen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live television with 23 other teens, Katniss wastes no time in taking her place, even though she knows it mean near certain death. The Hunger Games is a novel full of peril, adventure and action, and a dash of romance, making it highly appealing to teens, but also possesses a very serious side that is as thought-provoking as it is entertaining.
--Summary by The Compulsive Reader

Wake
written by Lisa McMann
Simon & Schuster

Since Janie was eight she has been forcibly pulled into others' dreams. Now at seventeen, she is tired of being bombarded by her classmates' anxiety dreams and their sex dreams as they doze in study hall. She hides her ability carefully until she finds herself attracted to former bad boy Cabel whose dark nightmares hint at a scarred past and a mystery she must unravel. The book is told in quick snippets marked with a time and date making the plot race forward in spurts. Romance and suspense combine to create a satisfyingly fast-paced read.
--Summary by Amanda Blau, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

--Tasha Saecker, organizer

Comments

[R.J. Anderson]

Just based on the ones I've read off this list (which would be more than half of them) this seems like a very excellent shortlist! Congratulations to all the nominees, and I look forward to seeing the winner (and to catching up on the nominated books I haven't read yet)!

[Sheila Ruth]

Looks like a wonderful list. The ones I've read on the list were excellent, and some of the others are on my TBR! Congratulations to all the nominees and finalists, and thanks to the panelists for your hard work! I'm frankly amazed at how many books you guys read!

[TadMack]

Wheeee! I am in the MIDDLE of Savvy, and have just finished The Cabinet of Wonders. What a great, great-looking list, so many titles I've been wanting to get my hands on! What a hard job you guys had -- well done, all!

[Jen Robinson]

Can I just say that I'm glad I'm not a judge in this category. Because there are SO many amazing titles. I'm going to move all of the ones that I haven't read up on my list now, too. Thanks to the nominating committee for such an excellent list!

[brettdl]

I'm off to the library to start requesting these. I'm so excited!

[Deva Fagan]

What a wonderful list! Now I'm off to add the ones I haven't read to my Goodreads to-read shelf. I don't envy the judges having to decide among so many excellent books!

[aquafortis]

Oh man! If I didn't have all the YA finalists to read, I'd be all over these right away! :) My to-read pile for early 2008 is going to be awesome.

[Lillith]

We would like to nominate the book Rowan of the Wood in the fantasy fiction category.
I read this book last year and everyone who saw me reading the book were so enthralled that they turned to the back cover to read all about the interesting authors, Christine and Ethan Rose.

You don't see authors traveling cross country in a caravan decorated with their book's characters, but the Roses' are! See www.rowanofthewood for further info.

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