Talking about books that didn't do it for you

The more involved I am in the children's book world, the more "real" authors I know and the more difficult it becomes for me to publicly discuss things that didn't work for me in books. I know how hard it is to write a book, and I know nobody just sits down to write garbage--you do your very best, and hope that someone else on the planet connects with it. And I don't want to hurt people's feelings or destroy someone else's love of a book. If I don't like it it doesn't mean you can't, either, and vice versa. ( ETA: I am NOT talking about books by anyone I know personally. I like the books by you people reading this.)

That said, can I not name the books and throw out a few things about books I've read recently that didn't do it for me?

1. If you write a series, even if you didn't intend it that way at the beginning, please make the action rise and make sure that the various plot points that come up across the series actually have something to do with one another instead of randomly showing up out of nowhere.

2. Don't give your characters everything they want.

3. Don't write in cliches. (Endorsements by the editors themselves don't erase weak writing.)

4. Don't spend extra paragraphs describing characters who never enter the story again.

5. No matter how fantastical the story is, it still needs to be rooted in reality somehow.

6. Quirky in small doses is good. In large doses it's like dumping a half cup of pepper into the soup.

7. Make sure your characters act their stated ages.

8. Make sure your MC is interesting, useful, drives the plot, and doesn't make the reader want to strangle them.

9. Too many things that make the reader go "ew" about the protagonists make it hard for the reader to sympathize with them.

10. Stories about a secret world under (insert city name here: NYC, London, etc.) are NOT unique, people.

So, how about you share books you HAVE fallen in love with recently? Ones you haven't wanted to throw against the wall?

MG

I've been trying to work on moving all day, but my baby has been trying to be held all day. Finally he's down for the night--but the room I was trying to pack up now has sleeping people in it. And now I'm left with the living room, which probably means going through my bookshelves again to shed more books we just can't bring. I am sad. I only buy books I plan to read more than once, and I don't want to get rid of any of them! There are a few that I bought on line without the ability to browse, ones that turned out quite a bit more soulless than I'd imagined. If I can get my son to part with them, they will be next. But he's only 10, and sometimes books I find lacking in substance are ones he really likes. Like the one where two kids wander blindly to watch one adventure after another, and never really do anything themselves. And there's magic and mythical beings involved. It's taking me months to finish because the only time I can focus on it is when I'm waiting for a doctor's appointment. Plus, it's MG, and I admit I have a hard time getting into some midgrade novels. I know a lot of you are YA people, but for those who prefer MG, what is it that draws you? What makes you prefer MG over YA?