Peterson family top books of 2017
For Owen, 6 1/2, 2017 was the year of graphic novels. His favorites were all the books by Raina Telgemeier, the Dog Man books, and the Magic Treehouse books.
Rosie, nearly nine, had several favorite series this year, including Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, and the Mysterious Benedict Society. She also loved all the books by Brian Selznick, and Kate DiCamillo's The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and The Tale of Despereaux. Snow and Rose by Emily Winfield Martin gets top award for illustrations.
Jack reads the most mind-bending books. His favorites of 2017 include
Ian Bogost - Alien Phenomenology: What it's like to be a thing
The Essential Rumi (Colman Banks translation)
Donna Haraway - Staying with the Trouble
Craig Thompson - Habibi
Brian Massumi - The Politics of Affect
and Mary Szybist's Incarnadine, which also makes my list.
So my list has three parts.
Most simply fun
Delicious by Ruth Reichl
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan
Most profound
Incarnadine by Mary Szybist
Spiritual Friendship by Wesley Hill
Shalom and the Community of Creation: An Indigenous Vision by Randy Woodley
Holy the Firm by Annie Dillard
Most Moving
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
God Laughs and Plays: Churchless Sermons in Response to the Preachments of the Fundamentalist Right by David James Duncan
Walking with Ruskin by Robert Cording
The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui