I thought the idea of this meme was fun so I thought I’d give it a whirl. I also thought, since youth fiction is what I enjoy most, that I’d limit myself to that.

1. One book that changed your life: Beauty, by Robin McKinley. It was the first youth fiction book I read as an adult, being recommended to me by a close friend. A close second is the Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper. Both convinced me (granted this was more than 10 years ago) that the best writing out there is for youth, not adults.

2. One book you have read more than once: Oh, lots. Though I try not to read books more than once — too many to get through to spend too much time re-reading. The newest book I’ve read that stands up well to re-reads is The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale.

3. One book you would want on a desert island: Anything by Lois Lowry. And The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit, though they’re techinically not youth fiction.

4. One book that made you laugh: Ah, I’m at a loss for a youth fiction book that was hands-down funny. Any suggestions? (The funniest book I’ve found is I’m a Stranger Here Myself, by Bill Bryson. I laugh no matter how many times I read it.)

5. One book that made you cry: Trite but true: The Bridge to Terabithia. I cry every time. I also bawled at the end of Half-Blood Prince, but only the first time.

6. One book you wish you had written: I think if I were to write a book it would either be like The Penderwicks, by Jeanne Birdsall or Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli. If I were to write a book.

7. One book you wish had never been written: Princess Diaries, by Meg Cabot. The movie is better, and that’s saying a lot.

8. One book you are currently reading: The Man Who ate Everything, but that’s not youth fiction. Next up, Fly by Night, by Frances Hardinge. I’m excited about that one.