YA Faves and why you should read them

The other day I followed a link to YAnnabe where the blog author talks about her favorite YA books that you haven't read and I was intrigued.  Of her 7, I've only read 2.  So following her directions, here are my 8 (because I don't do things in odd numbers) YA favorites that I've read recently and are possibly underappreciated.

1. Between Mom and Jo - Julie Ann Peters:  Profoundly touching and occasionally heartbreaking look at the dissolution of a lesbian marriage and how it effects the child of that partnership.  Be prepared to have your heart warmed, then broken.

2.  Libryinth - Pearl North: A science fiction book about a giant labyrinth library and the Libyrarians who live and work there.  Includes a good commentary on the importance of communication, tolerance, and reading.

3.  Tantalize - Cynthia Leitich Smith:  I don't know what it is about this book.  It is so tasty, sensual, and sexy.  A very nice take on vampires and werewolves involving a world where those things actually exist.

4.  The Dust of 100 Dogs - A.S. King:  Actually this was listed on the 2010 BBYA list so maybe it doesn't deserve to be here.  But it is one of my favorites about a reincarnated pirate girl and the buried treasure she misplaced 100 lives ago.

5.  Ash - Malinda Lo: Lesbian Cinderella story with a nice twist on the fairy godmother and the abuse the Cinderellas has to take. The whole book is a twist on the fairy tale, but it doesn't lose that fairy tale tone.

6.  Another Kind of Cowboy - Susan Juby: A boy would rather ride dressage than Western style meets a girl who'd rather make trouble than anything else.  It's a nice coming out and growing up story.

7.  Dirty Laundry - Daniel Ehrenhart: A actress goes undercover to learn about a new part and takes part in solving the mystery of a missing girl.  The sense of humor is great in this book and I love the double layers of the story.

8.  Nothing Pink - Mark Hardy:  I just read this the other day and was very moved by this little book.  The main character experiences the joy and pain of his first love and coming out in the 70's.