It's that time of year...

I'm about to go and get ready for a Christmas Eve party at my friend Ursula Dubosarsky's house. Ursula also happens to be the creator of one of my absolute favourite picture books of 2009: The Terrible Plop. (Actually, she's one of the creators: the book is illustrated by the wonderful Andrew Joyner and a better marriage of text and illustration you could not ask for.) So this little fact prompted me, before I go and slough off the effects of a very steamy post-Christmas day in Sydney in preparation for the party, what were your favourite books of 2009?  

There are "best of" lists all over the interwebs. I'm not going to link to them here: let's make our own in the comments section. I'm going to kick off with a few I can think of off the top of my head, and I'll come back and add to the list later. Hell, I may even add in some comments as to WHY they made my personal "best of" list for the year! So, in no particular order (and I'll do a spearate list for grown ups' books):

Fire by Kristin Cashore

Dust by Chris Bongers

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Red Ted and the Lost Things by Michael Rosen and Joel Stewart

The Museum of Mary Child (disclosure: close personal friend/read it in manuscript alert!)

Raw Blue by Kirsty Eager

Tiny: A Little Dog on a Big Adventure by Steve Otton and Jennifer Castles

The Devil You Know by Leonie Norrington

Anonymity Jones by James Roy

The Magician's Elephant by Kate diCamillo

Grace by Morris Gleitzman (this one my Mum also loved, so a double guernsey from the Ridges)

Love, Aubrey by Suzanne La Fleur

Baby Wombat's Week by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley

Cicada Summer by Kate Constable

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

Brown Skin Blue by Belinda Jeffrey

Clancy and Millie and the Very Fine House by Libby Gleeson and Freya Blackwood (Disclosure: Libby is a friend and close colleague. This is just a lovely story with the most exquisite illustrations by Freya Blackwood) 

Personal discovery of the year: E. Lockhart

Series of the year: Girlfriend Fiction

And then there's the ones I haven't even got to yet! (So if it's not here, it might be on the To Be Read pile.)

I'll come back later and finish off the links, but I'll put this up now and see if anyone comments while I'm out at the annual Dubosarsky revels. And while I'm here, if you happen to celebrate it, have a fantastic Christmas. Cheers!