I’ve just compiled my annual list of favorite books from 2007!   Even though I only review the best books every week, I still develop my top favorites because they are so good.   Most of these books have inspiring messages within them.

I’ll begin with picture books that are great for all ages .   Ivan the Terrier , written and illustrated by Peter Catalanotto, is a hilarious interchange between the storyteller and a small terrier that keeps interrupting.   600 Black Spots, by David A. Carter, is a rare look inside a brilliant pop-up artist’s most brilliant display!  I’ve never seen anything like his pop-up books and this one is NO disappointment!   Max’s Magic Seeds, by Geraldine Elschner, and illustrated by Jean-Pierre Corderoch, is a beautiful story about kindness and sharing and how the earth grows richer with each seed planted! The Story of Roy Campanella, by David A. Adler, is about this inspiring hall-of-famer and how Mr. Campanella became the first African-American catcher in the major leagues.   This book powerfully displays his positive outlook on life even in the midst of negativity.   Even when an auto accident left him as a paraplegic, he continued his positive outlook and his concern for helping others!   The wonderful oil painting illustrations are by Gordon C. James.   Henry’s Freedom Box:   A True Story From the Underground Railroad, by Ellen Levine, tells about a young slave who escapes to freedom by mailing himself from the South to Pennsylvania; Kadir Nelson painted the breathtaking pictures.   Cherish Today: A Celebration of Life’s Moments, by Cristina Evans, and illustrated by Bryan Collier, encourages us to enjoy all that surrounds us and to take each day one at a time!   Jesse Owens:   Fastest Man Alive, by Carole Boston Weatherford, and illustrated by Eric Velasquez, is the amazing account of how a sharecropper’s son and grandson of a slave became the first African-American to win Olympic gold medals and show Hitler that color, race and pedigree makes no difference!

The rest of the books are geared for ages 9 through adult and you won’t be able to put any of these books down!   The Invention of Hugo Cabret, written and creatively illustrated throughout by Brian Selznick, will most likely be in the running for this year’s Newbery award!   It begins and runs through 45 pages of an illustrated story without words.   The ensuing pages connect words and pictures telling about this imaginative invention.   One-Handed Catch, by M. J. Auch, is a remarkable story about 11-year-old Norm who lost his hand while helping at his father’s meat market.   Through hard work and determination, he succeeds at his dream of playing baseball.   The story is loosely based on the author’s husband and is truly inspirational!   Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J. K. Rowling, is her last book in this incredible and ever popular series.   It would be very hard to continually top the previous book written and only Ms. Rowling has proven time and time again, that she is a genius!   The Mailbox, by Audrey Shafer, is an astonishing mystery about 12-year-old Gabe who has left the foster home and gone to live with his estranged uncle.   The mystery lies in who his uncle really is and the unknown person who delivers letters in their mailbox. Reaching for Sun, by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, is written in free verse and reflects on a 7 th grade girl and her dealing with Cerebral Palsy.   Peter and the Shadow Thieves, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, is as good as their first book – “Peter and the Starcatchers”. This magical book takes you back to Peter’s early enchanted days when he’s searching for the magical starstuff that can make you fly and keep you young. Weedflower, by Cynthia Kadohata, is about 12-year-old Sumiko, and her Japanese family, as they are moved from their flower farm to an internment camp.   The story is rich in lessons of life and how to make the best of everyday living and not discriminate.   The Trap, by John Smelcer, is a northern wilderness adventure about how Grandfather Albert gets caught in a wolf trap as the cold weather worsens and his life threatening predicament turns into days of misery.   Jim Thorpe:   Original All-American, by Joseph Bruchac, is the inspirational story about how one Native American who was born on a reservation overcame horrific challenges and went on to play professional football, baseball and win Olympic gold in track and field!   Snow Treasure, by Marie McSwigan, is a reissue that’s based on a true account of Norwegian children saving gold bullion from the Nazis during WWII.   The illustrations sprinkled throughout are by Mary Reardon.   Fundorado Island:   Redbeard’s Discoveries and His Adventures too, by Captain Redbeard, and illustrated by Chris Murphy, would be terrific fun to read aloud since the language of the old captain is in “pirate talk”.   The adventures are sure to capture your imagination!   The Legend of Bass Reeves, by Gary Paulsen, is based on a largely unknown hero.   He was “the most successful federal marshal in the history of the United States” and lived from 1824 to 1910. He was honest, brave and African American.    Yellow Star, by Jennifer Roy, is a story that needs to be told through all generations.   The author gently relates her aunt’s story about her experience as a Jew in one of the worst concentration camps in Poland during WWII.   It’s told very well and won’t soon be forgotten and never should be! And for the sports fans, Vanishing Act , by John Feinstein, takes you behind the scene of professional tennis.   This terrific mystery takes place at the U. S. Open and the two teenage reporters are attempting to solve the vanishing of one of the tennis stars.   Here is another terrific sports mystery by Mr. Feinstein!   And last but not least is Fablehaven:   Rise of the Evening Star, by Brandon Mull.   This is the second in the series and won’t disappoint you.   The same brother and sister team are helping their grandpa take care of a mythical magical refuge but things go awry.   If you’ve not read any of Mr. Mull’s fantasies, you’re truly missing out!