I love this exercise - of looking back at all the books I read and loved in the year that went by. This year, I found it even more difficult to distinguish between various age-groups. Longer picture books are like early chapter books; late middle-grade books are like early young adult books. And so, this year, I begin with two disclaimers.The first is my annual disclaimer: not all these books were published in 2022. Several were published earlier; I just read them in 2022.And the second: reading levels differ widely, so children read different books at different ages. Some of these books can be read by ages five and above. Others might be better for slightly older children. The Manic Panic I read The Manic Panic less than a month ago, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. There's so much to love about this book - the story, the very-responsible-protagonist, … [Read more...]