The Class of 2012: YA Superlative Blogfest – Popularity Contest

The Class of 2012: YA Superlative Blogfest (hosted by Jessica Love, Tracey Neithercott, Alison Miller, and me) runs Monday, December 17th through Thursday, December 20th. All of the awesome people who are participating in the blogfest (YOU, I hope!) will highlight favorite books published 2012 using a variety of super fun superlative categories. The Class of 2012: YA Superlative Blogfest is about promoting extraordinary young adult books, so if you haven’t already, draft a post, hop down to the end of this post, and sign up to participate. We can’t wait to see your favorite reads of 2012!

The 2012 YA novels I’ve read over the last year, listed in no particular order:

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, A Million Suns, The Fault in Our Stars, The Disenchantments, Something Strange and Deadly, Pandemonium, Wanderlove, Under the Never Sky, Ten, This is Not a Test, Happy Families, Insurgent, Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone, Monstrous Beauty, Bitterblue, Time Between Us, My Life Next Door, Breathe, Pushing the Limits, Skylark, The Raven Boys, Live Through This, Bittersweet, Flawed, Ditched, Starters, Reached, Lovely, Dark and Deep, Meant to Be, and Days of Blood and Starlight…

And here’s how I chose to award today’s categories:

Popularity Contest

Class Clown

Augustus from The Fault in Our Stars, because if anyone can make can cancer funny, it’s Gus. (image source)

Most Likely to Become a Rock Star

The DisenchantmentsWhile Bev from The Disenchantments may not have tons of musical talent, she’s definitely got that irreverent, arrogant aura of a rock star down.

Most Likely to Start a Riot

Tobias and Tris from Insurgent. They’re total badasses, and they both possess the leadership qualities necessary for mobilizing the masses. (image source)

Biggest Flirt

The Statistical Probability of Love at First SightOliver from The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. He’s such an effective flirt, he got Hadley to fall for him over the course of one night. Plus, his flirting is genuine and sweet.

Fashion King and/or Queen

Bitterblue. Not because she cares about fashion, but because of the beautiful way her gowns and hair and shoes are described in Bitterblue. (image source)

Girl You’d Most Want For Your BFF

Time Between UsAnna from Time Between Us because she’s a loyal, relateable girl with goals and dreams. Plus, she’s a runner like me.

Boy You Most Wish You’d Dated in High School

My Life Next DoorJase from My Life Next Door because he’s sweet and attentive and driven, and he has a totally awesome family.

Most Likely to Become President


Elder from A Million Suns. He’s not a perfect leader, but he’s a passionate leader, and he’s an honorable leader. I can’t wait to see how his arch concludes in Shades of Earth. (image source)

Quirkiest Character

Meant to BeMeant to Be‘s Julia has a pencil sharpener in her purse and head full of Beatles trivia, and she travels with dozens of guide books. She’s awkward and sometimes uncertain, but she’s also totally endearing. Loved her!

Villain You Love to Hate


Syrenka from Monstrous Beauty. She can be evil and single-minded and shockingly violent, but she has her reasons. Mermaids need love too, right? (image source)

Favorite Parental Figure

The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle, #1)I’m going to cheat a little and go with Blue Sargent’s mother and all of the clairvoyant ladies who live in her house. They’re such an eclectic, strong group of women, and each is so unique. Their scenes were a joy to read.

Coolest Nerd

Xander from Reached. He’s got all those medical, scientific smarts, and he’s sort of brooding and mysterious. A perfect combination. (image source unknown)

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38 thoughts on “The Class of 2012: YA Superlative Blogfest – Popularity Contest”

  1. Elodie says:

    I love the drawings you added to your post! 😀 And again I see we have quite a few picks in common…
    I need to read Bitterblue, it’s been on my TBR pile forever!

  6. Jaime Morrow says:

    Now that I’m seeing some of the books you slotted under certain categories, I’m kind of bonking myself in the head going, “Right! Forgot about that one!” Good picks, Katy! We both put the household of wacky women raising Blue under our parental figures category, so I guess we both kind of cheated. 🙂

  8. Sarah Enni (@SarahEnni) says:

    XANDER. I’ve been Team X since the get go! 🙂 Love your list, and how you very cleverly solved the dilemma of how to visualize characters! The original artwork you found is gorgeous. Also I hadn’t thought about Bitterblue for fashion but you’re so right! I loved the descriptions of her gowns.

  10. Krispy says:

    Ah, I love all the graphics/art you put in your post! I’m really looking forward to Bitterblue (and Monstrous Beauty too!), and I also loved Blue’s clairvoyant family. They were a strange but fun bunch. 🙂

    I totally forgot about Tris and Four, those riot starters! Haha. I think I put them in my head more as rebels, which isn’t mutually exclusive. Great choice!

  12. Iffath says:

    The fan art is awesome! Such a good idea to include it in your post! Ahh, I put Bev down for Most Likely to be a Rock Star, too–love her! I must read Graceling soon, SO many people have been raving about Bitterblue 🙂

    • katyupperman says:

      I loved Bev too! I think she’s misunderstood by some so I’m glad to find another Bev fan. And yes, definitely read GRACELING and BITTERBLUE soon… SO much love for those books!

    • katyupperman says:

      I wondered if you’d use her for that category… She was the most dynamic of the villains I read this year. Evil, yet somehow totally relateable and easy to empathize with.

  18. karibradley7 says:

    Good call with the Oliver and Jase nods. With STATISTICAL I just read it so long ago I know some of it’s wonderfulness has escaped me. Would you believe I have ACROSS THE UNIVERSE and the sequel sitting in my Kindle, and I just haven’t been compelled to pick them up, yet!? What’s wrong with me!?

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