For our annual "Off the Cuff" awards, we asked retailers around the country for their picks in a variety of categories. The winners (and selected bookseller comments) appear below.
Favorite Picture Book of the Year
Flotsam by David Wiesner ("visually creative"; "Wiesner at his best")
Honorable mention: Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen, illus. by Kevin Hawkes
Favorite Novel of the Year
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak ("a remarkable piece of writing")
Honorable mention: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
Best Book Title
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson
Honorable mention: I'm Dirty! by Kate and Jim McMullan ("it's just fun to say loudly on the sales floor")
Most Memorable Character in a Lead Role
Liesel in The Book Thief
Honorable mentions: Death in The Book Thief ; Edward Cullen in New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
Best Sequel
New Moon
Honorable mentions: Lilly's Big Day by Kevin Henkes; Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan; Peter and the Shadow Thieves by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Best Book for Older Teens
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Honorable mentions: The Book Thief ; Octavian Nothing ; Sold by Patricia McCormick ("a powerful book and a story that needs to be told")
Funniest Book
Clementine by Sara Pennypacker ("we laughed out loud")
Honorable mentions: Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich by Adam Rex
Favorite Book to Handsell
Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor, illus. by Robin Preiss Glasser
Honorable mentions: Adèle & Simon by Barbara McClintock; The Book Thief
Best Series
Percy Jackson and the Olympians ("Rick Riordan rocks!"; "we can't WAIT for book #3")
Honorable mention: Warriors by Erin Hunter
Best Nonfiction Treatment of a Subject
Owen and Mzee by Isabella and Craig Hatkoff
Honorable mention: An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Hutts Aston, illus. by Sylvia Long ("a perfect gift")
Favorite Jacket
Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Honorable mentions: Flotsam ; Kiki Strike by Kirsten Miller ("so hip, so funky, and so well-suited to the book")
Best Audiobook
Peter Pan , read by Jim Dale
Books We Couldn't Shut Up About
Clementine ; Library Lion
Enough Already!
"anything vampire"; fart books
Hottest Selling Book to Go Out of Stock
Library Lion
Most Disappointing Book (in Terms of Sales)
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor ("we liked it, but it just didn't sell")
Most Effective Marketing Campaign
Flotsam ("cool camera idea!")
Most Annoying Trend
"All the Ology ripoffs"
Happiest to See Back in Print
Bea and Mr. Jones by Amy Schwartz
Oddest Request by a Customer
"Someone asked for Goodnight Gorilla in audio—it's a wordless book."
"Your versions of fairytales are all too modern. I want something more traditional—like Disney."
"So... it's books that you sell?"
"I'd like a classic book to read aloud to my dog."
Most Garbled Title Request
Chronicles of Nirvana
Most Unusual Complaint
"At our Lemony Snicket event, a customer was extremely upset because 'the author didn't show up and sent his representative, David Handler, instead.' "
About the I Spy books: "Do you have one that looks more masculine?"
About the Spiderwick Chronicles: "We can't get this because we're godly people."
