The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
	Blue Ribbons are chosen annually by the Bulletin staff and represent what we believe to be the best of the previous year's literature for youth. See the Blue Ribbon Archive for other lists from 1990 through the present. Please feel free to copy, download, or link to these lists. We ask only that you cite the source.
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	2007 Blue Ribbons

Each year the Blue Ribbons process is familiar yet surprising. This year we struggled with the series issue—what to do with the Harry Potters or Hungry Cities, wherein the final volume concluded a remarkable literary achievement without necessarily being in the top literary rank independently—and decided that we would attempt to address that situation with a culminating series review when we felt the overall achievement warranted. Then we turned our gaze to our sparse field of nonfiction and decided that we’d rather sacrifice list length than standards. What is strong this year are visuals: not only does the fiction list contain three graphic novels, but also nonfiction is dominated by graphic and picture-book narratives. So good news on the state of illustration—let’s hope that the words take up the challenge.

Deborah Stevenson, Editor

Perhaps we’ve become honed by years of conjoined deliberation, but this year all our darlings were included, so we have no dissents.  Previous years’ Blue Ribbons and dissents are viewable via the archive index here.

FICTION

• Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian; illus. by Ellen Forney. Little. Gr. 7-10 (October)
  Junior, a Spokane Indian, is caught between two conflicting worlds of loyalty and identity when he leaves the rez in order to fulfill his dreams.


• Bang-Campbell, Monika. Little Rat Makes Music; illus. by Molly Bang. Harcourt. Gr. 2-3 (September)
  In this charmingly illustrated and lively easy reader, Little Rat encounters both the joys and frustrations of learning to play the violin.
  


• Clement-Moore, Rosemary. Prom Dates from Hell. Delacorte. Gr. 7-10 (July/August)
  This suspenseful, cleverly conceived horror story in full-on Buffy tradition sends high-schooler Maggie after a demon targeting the popular kids.
  


• Hest, Amy. Remembering Mrs. Rossi; illus. by Heather Maione. Candlewick. Gr. 2-4 (March)
  This tender daily-life story focuses on the adjustment of eight-year-old Annie and her father in the year following her mother’s death.
  


• Leavitt, Martine. Keturah and Lord Death. Front Street, 2006. Gr. 7-9 (March)
  When village maiden Keturah meets Lord Death, she bargains with him in order to find her true love.
  


• Peet, Mal. Tamar: A Novel of Espionage, Passion, and Betrayal. Candlewick. Gr. 9-12 (May)
  This sweeping historical novel explores the experiences of two young men in the Dutch Resistance and their legacy two generations on.
  


• Sfar, Joann. The Professor’s Daughter; tr. by Alexis Siegel; illus. by Emmanuel Guibert. First Second/Roaring Brook. Gr. 7-12 (July/August)
  An Egyptologist’s daughter falls for a (very old) young man in swaddling clothing, and even their determined fathers can’t keep them apart in this humorous graphic-novel adventure.
  


• Stewart, Trenton Lee. The Mysterious Benedict Society; illus. by Carson Ellis. Tingley/Little. Gr. 6-9 (May)
  After a series of curious tests, four children find themselves enrolled in the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where they uncover an evil plot to take over the world.
  


• Tan, Shaun. The Arrival; illus. by Shaun Tan. Levine/Scholastic. Gr. 6 up (January 2008)
  This wordless account of an immigrant’s experiences in a fantastical new land puts the reader in the same position as the protagonist.
  


• Varon, Sara. Robot Dreams; illus. by Sara Varon. First Second/Roaring Brook. Gr. 3-8 (November)
  This wordless graphic novel is both droll and perceptive in its tale of a dog who creates a robot friend from a kit, only to lose him as a result of his own carelessness.
  
  

NONFICTION

• Debon, Nicolas. The Strongest Man in the World: Louis Cyr; written and illus. by Nicolas Debon and with photographs. Groundwood/House of Anansi. Gr. 3-6 (May)
  A compact, triumphant, and poignant account of a nineteenth-century celebrity unfolds in comic-book-styled panels and text.
  


• Levine, Ellen. Henry’s Freedom Box; illus. by Kadir Nelson. Scholastic. 6-9 yrs (April)
  This compact account tells the true story of Henry “Box” Brown, who made a successful and dramatic escape from slavery by having himself nailed into a crate and mailed north.
  


• Lutes, Jason. Houdini the Handcuff King; illus. by Nick Bertozzi. Hyperion. Gr. 4-8 (June)
  Fans of graphic novels and amazing capers will revel in this illustrated story of one very intense day in the life of the world’s greatest escape artist.
  


• Schlitz, Laura Amy. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village; illus. by Robert Byrd. Candlewick. Gr. 6-9 (September)
  This original historical treat offers a set of thoughtful, evocative readers’-theater-styled monologues from various medieval occupations and walks of life.
  


• Sís, Peter. The Wall: Growing Up behind the Iron Curtain; written and illus. by Peter Sís. Foster/Farrar. Gr. 5-10 (October)
  Noted artist Sís offers a compact, imaginative, visual evocation of his life in Communist Czechoslovakia.
  
  

PICTURE BOOKS

• Boelts, Maribeth. Those Shoes; illus. by Noah Z. Jones. Candlewick. 5-9 yrs (December)
  A kid yearning for the obligatory cool (and expensive) kicks that nearly everybody else has struggles to find a solution that will make him feel part of the crowd.
  


• Broach, Elise. When Dinosaurs Came with Everything; illus. by David Small. Atheneum. 6-9 yrs (October)
  A shopping trip with Mom suddenly becomes rewarding for our young narrator when every purchase comes with a free, absolutely real live dinosaur.
  


• Gravett, Emily. Orange Pear Apple Bear; written and illus. by Emily Gravett. Simon. 3-6 yrs (June)
  The four words of the title rearrange themselves to form multiple concepts and gently humorous situations.
  


• Issa, Kobayashi. Today and Today; comp. and illus. by G. Brian Karas. Scholastic. Gr. 3-6 (May)
  Classic haiku by a traditional Japanese master combine with illustrations to tell a simple story of a year of change.
  


• Perkins, Lynne Rae. Pictures from Our Vacation; written and illus. by Lynne Rae Perkins. Greenwillow. Gr. 2-5 (July/August)
  A lovely vacation at the family farm doesn’t seem to be reflected in the photographs taken by a young brother and sister.
  


• Pinkwater, Daniel. Bad Bears Go Visiting: An Irving & Muktuk Story; illus. by Jill Pinkwater. Houghton. Gr. 2-4 (June)
  Pinkwater’s dopey miscreant bears take up the pleasant pastime of visiting, and heaven help the neighborhood.
  


• Townsend, Michael. Billy Tartle in Say Cheese!; written and illus. by Michael Townsend. Knopf. Gr. 2-4 (September)
  This comic-book-styled story comedically combines an exuberant and mischievous kid, class picture day, and a secret plan for mayhem.
  


• Van Fleet, Matthew. Dog; illus. with photographs by Brian Stanton. Wiseman/Simon. 2-5 yrs (February)
  Big, little, fluffy, scruffy, wagging, wet, scratching, or just sitting around, all kinds of dogs fill this book made special by flaps, tabs, and textures and a bouncy rhyming text.
  


• Watt, Mélanie. Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend; written and illus. by Mélanie Watt. Kids Can. Gr. 2-4 (June)
  Scaredy Squirrel is afraid of just about everything, but when he ventures out of his tree—with a plan, of course—he makes a friend who may be initially scary, but who proves to be lots of fun.