Looking for in and out books

One of the judges who sat on the panel for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, Linda Sue Park, had this to say about what she was looking for in books she considered as finalists in a blog post about the book award experience:

In reading a book [I look] "for two primary qualities: I think of them as 'in' and 'out.' When I'm reading, I want to be 'in' the story. You know the feeling: I want to find it so compelling that I can't bear to put it down. When I do have to put it down and am getting on with the rest of my life, that's the 'out' part--I'm out of the story but I want it to be with me still. I'll find myself thinking about it, wondering about the character(s), recalling scenes or images. A story both 'in' and 'out' for me: That's what I was seeking."

I've read a couple books like this in the past year, and am always on the lookout for more. The links I've provided will point you to the best blog posts I've found on each book, as I am not in the right frame of mind to give these books the just write up they deserve.

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud
A Drowned Maiden's Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz
Man Stealing for Fat Girl's by Michelle Embree
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Rose of No Man's Land by Michelle Tea
Towelhead by Alicia Erian
The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue