My 2020 5 Star Reads

I'm a few days late, but here it is! My top books from 2020! Because of quarantine, I was able to finish 321 books - 83,718 pages. I decided to organize my favorites by genres so they are easier to pick out for those who care! 😊

 

Middle Grade:

-All the Greys on Greene Street by Laura Tucker

-New Kid AND Class Act by Jerry Craft (graphic novels - 1st two books in the same series)

-Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

-A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramee

-To Be a Slave by Julius Lester (Nonfiction)

-Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks by Jason Reynolds

-Mistakes Were Made and We Meet Again by Stephan Pastis (Timmy Failure series)

-Guitar Notes by Mary Amato

-The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden

-The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon

-Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus AND Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling (1st two books)

-The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones by Daven McQUeen (Historical fiction)

-My Year in the Middle by Lila Quintero Weaver

-Turtle Boy by M. Evan Wolkenstein

-The Unsung Hero of Birdsong, USA by Brenda Woods (Historical fiction)

-Nowhere Boy by Katherine Marsh (Historical fiction)

-Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring by Angela Cervantes

-Resistance by Jennifer A. Nielsen (Historical fiction)

-When Life Gives You Mangos by Kereen Getten

-The Only Road by Alexandra Diaz

-We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly (Historical fiction)

-Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk

-Take Back the Block by Chrystal D. Giles

-Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper (Historical fiction)

-Wink by Rob Harrell

-From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks

-Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park (Historical fiction)

-24 Hours in Nowhere by Dusti Bowling

-Stand Up, Yumi Chung! by Jessica Kim

-One Last Shot by John David Anderson

-The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate

-Three Keys by Kelly Yang (Sequel to Front Desk)

-Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley *Trigger warning

-When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller

-Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia

-Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker

-On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson

-The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman (Historical fiction)

-Summer of Brave by Amy Noelle Parks

-Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio by Peg Kehret (Nonfiction)

-What Stars Are Made Of by Sarah Allen 

-Isaiah Dunn is My Hero by Kelly J. Baptist

-When You Know What I Know by Sonja K. Solter *Trigger warning

 

 

Young Adult:

-Rebel by Marie Lu (4th in the Legend series)

-The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black (3rd book in The Folk of the Air series)

-American Royals AND Majesty by Katherine McGee (1st two books in the American Royals series)

-Tweet Cute by Emma Lord

-Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi (2nd book in Legacy of Orisha series)

-Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson (Nonfiction memoir)

-One of Us is Next by Karen M. McManus (2nd book in the One of Us is Lying series)

-The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys (Historical fiction)

-The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee (Historical fiction)

-These Vengeful Hearts by Katherine Laurin

-A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti

-Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibanez

-This Cruel Design by Emily Suvada (2nd book in This Mortal Coil series)

-Most Likely by Sarah Watson

-Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

-Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra

-This Is My America by Kim Johnson

-All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban

-The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

-The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson (3rd book in the Truly Devious series)

-How to Make Friends with the Dark by Kathleen Glasgow

-Dear Justyce by Nic Stone (2nd book in the Dear Martin series)

-All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace

-Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika Moulite

-Fable AND Namesake by Adrienne Young

-Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From by Jennifer De Leon

-Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi

-Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli

-Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson

-The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

 

 

Fiction:

-My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

-The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer (WWII historical fiction)

-The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer (WWII historical fiction)

-Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

-Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris

-The Last Witness by Claire McFall

-The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

-The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Historical fiction)

-Before I Let You Go by Kelly Rimmer

-State of Lies by Siri Mitchell

 

 

Nonfiction:

-White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo

-Grace Will Lead Us Home: The Charleston Church Massacre and the Hard, Inspiring Journey to Forgiveness by Jennifer Berry Hawes

-Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee by Casey Cep

-American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century by Maureen Callahan

-Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall

-In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

-Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything American History Textbooks Get Wrong by James W. Loewen

-The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson

-Starvation Heights: A True Story of Murder and Malice in the Woods of the Pacific Northwest by Gregg Olsen

 

 

Christian (Nonfiction & Fiction):

-Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality by Donald Miller

-Foreign to Familiar: A Guide to Understanding Hot - and Cold - Climate Cultures by Sarah Lanier

-The Sacrament of Happy by Lisa Harper

-The Art of Neighboring: Building Genuine Relationships Right Outside Your Door by Jay Pathak

-Loving Your Community: Proven Practices for Community-Based Outreach Ministry by Stephen Viars

-Fervent: A Woman’s Battle Plan to Serious, Specific and Strategic Prayer by Priscilla Shirer

-Letters to the Church by Francis Chan

-The Jesus-Hearted Woman by Jodi Detrick

-The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? By Rick Warren

-Rediscipling the White Church: From Cheap Diversity to True Solidarity by David W. Swanson

-United: Captured by God’s Vision for Diversity by Trillia J. Newbell

-What If Jesus Was Serious?: A Visual Guide to the Teachings of Jesus We Love to Ignore by Skye Jethani

-Get Out of Your Head: Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts by Jennie Allen

-Disciple Her: Using the Word, Work, Wonder of God to Invest in Women by Kandi Gallaty

-Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds by Jen Wilkin

-Family Discipleship: Leading Your Home Through Time, Moments, and Milestones by Matt Chandler & Adam Griffin

-The Thriving Church: The True Measure of Growth by Dean Taylor

-Anything: The Prayer That Unlocked My God and My Soul by Jennie Allen

-Afraid of All the Things: Tornadoes, Cancer, Adoption, and Other Stuff You Need the Gospel For by Scarlet Hiltibidal

-Jesus Over Everything: Uncomplicating the Daily Struggle to Put Jesus First by Lisa Whittle

-Beating Guns: Hope for People Who Are Weary of Violence by Shane Claiborne

-The End of Me: Where Real Life in the Upside-Down Ways of Jesus Begins by Kyle Idleman 

-Our Witness to the World: Equipping the Church for Evangelism and Social Impact by Tony Evans

-Whose Waves These Are by Amanda Dykes (Fiction)

-The 40-Day Social Media Fast: Exchange Your Online Distractions for Real-Life Devotion by Wendy Speake

-Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope by Esau McCaulley

 

NEWBERY PREDICTIONS:

-Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

-I Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly

-Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk

-The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones by Daven McQueen