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Kirkus Reviews

Kirkus Best Books of the Year 2007

Kirkus Reviews' Kirkus Best Books of the Year 2007 names 87 books across 4 categories. 29 of them also won or were shortlisted for an award.

Children's

  1. A Good Day by Kevin Henkessource (opens in a new tab)
  2. At Night by Jonathan Beansource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Aunt Nancy and the Bothersome Visitors by Phyllis Rootsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Babies in the Bayou by Jim Arnoskysource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Birmingham, 1963 by Carole Boston Weatherfordsource (opens in a new tab)
  6. Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars: Space Poems and Paintings by Douglas Floriansource (opens in a new tab)
  7. Dog and Bear: Two Friends, Three Stories by Laura Vaccaro Seegersource (opens in a new tab)
  8. Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtissource (opens in a new tab)
  9. Fred Stays with Me! by Nancy Coffeltsource (opens in a new tab)
  10. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitzsource (opens in a new tab)
  11. Into the Woods by Lyn Gardnersource (opens in a new tab)
  12. Jabberwocky by Lewis Carrollsource (opens in a new tab)
  13. Jack Plank Tells Tales by Natalie Babbittsource (opens in a new tab)
  14. Leaves by David Ezra Steinsource (opens in a new tab)
  15. Mary and the Mouse, the Mouse and Mary by Beverly Donofriosource (opens in a new tab)
  16. Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little by Peggy Giffordsource (opens in a new tab)
  17. Nic Bishop Spiders by Nic Bishopsource (opens in a new tab)
  18. Old Penn Station by William Lowsource (opens in a new tab)
  19. Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravettsource (opens in a new tab)
  20. Phooey! by Marc Rosenthalsource (opens in a new tab)
  21. Pictures from Our Vacation by Lynne Rae Perkinssource (opens in a new tab)
  22. Pssst! by Adam Rexsource (opens in a new tab)
  23. Rainstorm by Barbara Lehmansource (opens in a new tab)
  24. Robot Dreams by Sara Varonsource (opens in a new tab)
  25. Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood by Ibtisam Barakatsource (opens in a new tab)
  26. The Apple Pie That Papa Baked by Lauren Thompsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  27. The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County by Janice N. Harringtonsource (opens in a new tab)
  28. The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming by Laurie David and Cambria Gordonsource (opens in a new tab)
  29. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznicksource (opens in a new tab)
  30. The New Policeman by Kate Thompsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  31. The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Síssource (opens in a new tab)
  32. Who Was First? Discovering the Americas by Russell Freedmansource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. Acacia: The War with the Mein by David Anthony Durhamsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Away by Amy Bloomsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Consumption by Kevin Pattersonsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinskisource (opens in a new tab)
  5. The Air We Breathe by Andrea Barrettsource (opens in a new tab)
  6. The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamidsource (opens in a new tab)
  7. The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño, translated by Natasha Wimmersource (opens in a new tab)
  8. Trespass by Valerie Martinsource (opens in a new tab)

Nonfiction

  1. American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic by Joseph J. Ellissource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Inner Workings: Literary Essays, 2000-2005 by J. M. Coetzeesource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Poor People by William T. Vollmannsource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Prime Green: Remembering the Sixties by Robert Stonesource (opens in a new tab)
  6. The Braindead Megaphone by George Saunderssource (opens in a new tab)
  7. The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War by David Halberstamsource (opens in a new tab)

Young Adult

  1. A Darkling Plain by Philip Reevesource (opens in a new tab)
  2. A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowdsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Angel Isle by Peter Dickinsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Another Kind of Cowboy by Susan Jubysource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Before I Die by Jenny Downhamsource (opens in a new tab)
  6. Billie Standish Was Here by Nancy Crockersource (opens in a new tab)
  7. Blue Lipstick: Concrete Poems by John Granditssource (opens in a new tab)
  8. Boy Toy by Barry Lygasource (opens in a new tab)
  9. Cures for Heartbreak by Margo Rabbsource (opens in a new tab)
  10. Darkwing by Kenneth Oppelsource (opens in a new tab)
  11. Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattahsource (opens in a new tab)
  12. Dramarama by E. Lockhartsource (opens in a new tab)
  13. Flora Segunda: Being the Magickal Mishaps of a Girl of Spirit, Her Glass-Gazing Sidekick, Two Ominous Butlers (One Blue), a House with Eleven Thousand Rooms, and a Red Dog by Ysabeau S. Wilcesource (opens in a new tab)
  14. Freak by Marcella Pixleysource (opens in a new tab)
  15. Freak Show by James St. Jamessource (opens in a new tab)
  16. Get Well Soon by Julie Halpernsource (opens in a new tab)
  17. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowlingsource (opens in a new tab)
  18. Houdini: The Handcuff King by Jason Lutes and Nick Bertozzisource (opens in a new tab)
  19. I’m Being Stalked by a Moonshadow by Doug MacLeodsource (opens in a new tab)
  20. Laika by Nick Abadzissource (opens in a new tab)
  21. Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevinsource (opens in a new tab)
  22. Miss Crandall’s School for Young Ladies & Little Misses of Color by Elizabeth Alexander and Marilyn Nelsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  23. Mistik Lake by Martha Brookssource (opens in a new tab)
  24. Red Moon at Sharpsburg by Rosemary Wellssource (opens in a new tab)
  25. Slam by Nick Hornbysource (opens in a new tab)
  26. Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameronsource (opens in a new tab)
  27. Tamar: A Novel of Espionage, Passion, and Betrayal by Mal Peetsource (opens in a new tab)
  28. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexiesource (opens in a new tab)
  29. The Arrival by Shaun Tansource (opens in a new tab)
  30. The Decoding of Lana Morris by Laura McNeal and Tom McNealsource (opens in a new tab)
  31. The Lion Hunter by Elizabeth E. Weinsource (opens in a new tab)
  32. The Off Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdocksource (opens in a new tab)
  33. The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidtsource (opens in a new tab)
  34. The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughreansource (opens in a new tab)
  35. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Ashersource (opens in a new tab)
  36. Undercover by Beth Kephartsource (opens in a new tab)
  37. What They Found: Love on 145th Street by Walter Dean Myerssource (opens in a new tab)
  38. Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marilliersource (opens in a new tab)
  39. Woolvs in the Sitee by Margaret Wildsource (opens in a new tab)
  40. Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath by Stephanie Hemphillsource (opens in a new tab)

About the Kirkus Best Books of the Year

Full lists per year: Fiction, Nonfiction, Teen, Middle Grade, and Picture Books for 2013-2025 (Kirkus's own alphabetical list pages). 2010-2012 come from Kirkus's complete-list pages; children's books are one Children's list in those years. 2010 Fiction and Nonfiction merge the Top 25 with that year's 'Best ... of 2010' genre lists, because Kirkus posted no single complete adult list. 2006, 2008, and 2009 come from the Best Books special-issue PDFs on the Wayback Machine: those issues are not split into fiction and nonfiction (category Adult), hold 25-47 picks, and the 'Under the Radar' and 'Second Look' recap sections are left out. 2007: the Young Adult list (40 picks) comes from Kirkus's Best Young-Adult Books of 2007 PDF on the Wayback Machine. Kirkus's 2007 Best Children's and Best of 2007 (adult) PDFs survive only as truncated or missing captures, so the Children's list (32 picks) is transcribed from a November 2007 Becky's Book Reviews post that copied the Kirkus children's special, and 2007 Fiction and Nonfiction are partial: only the 15 titles in Barnes & Noble's 'Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2007' collection (archived 2020), so they carry no expected count. No children's list was found for 2008 or 2009. Kirkus prints titles in capitals; titles here are converted to title case.

Organization: Kirkus Reviews. Official site (opens in a new tab)

The most recommended books of 2007