Hey YA Readers: Lots of great news to catch up on today! Grab a cuppa your favorite drink and settle in.
“What’s Up in YA?” is sponsored by Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor.
In the wake of tragedy, neither Lazlo nor Sarai are who they were before. One a god, the other a ghost, they struggle to grasp the new boundaries of their selves as dark-minded Minya holds them hostage, intent on vengeance against Weep. Lazlo faces an unthinkable choice–save the woman he loves, or everyone else?–while Sarai feels more helpless than ever. But is she? Sometimes, only the direst need can teach us our own depths, and Sarai, the muse of nightmares, has not yet discovered what she’s capable of.
Movie news, new book news, and more! But before you dive in, go check out this awesome giveaway for a custom bookplate stamp we’re giving away.
- Ready for more queer YA to hit the big screen? Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera’s What If It’s Us might be coming!
- Speaking of Silvera, a powerful piece he wrote about the time he called a suicide helpline.
- Kareem Abdul Jabbar has been tapped to write for the new Veronica Mars series. YA adjacent, but, it’s such a cool headline it deserved to be shared.
- There’s a YA novel coming in the Alien universe, written by Mira Grant.
- HBO will bring Phillip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” from the BBC to the other side of the pond.
- Samantha Irby shares why you should read some YA books and offers up great recommendations.
- Why teenagers deserve smart books.
- Another piece I pulled together: even more 2019 YA books featuring teens of color on the cover.
- Ibi Zoboi called out the racism and classism in a recent review of her book Pride by the Wall Street Journal.
- Drool over how beautiful the cover for Elizabeth Acevedo’s next book is.
- Add some fantastical Canadian literature for young readers to your TBR.
- YA author Donna Freitas highlights how you can use YA literature to encourage a conversation about consent with young readers.
- The New York Times highlights how YA books can help in #MeToo culture.
- Tatiana Maslany is narrating a special anniversary edition of The Hunger Games audiobook.
- Speaking of The Hunger Games, where are the stars today? (Spoiler: Rue is absolutely crushing it as a hero of YA adaptations!)
- Here is the cover of Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks’s upcoming graphic novel collaboration Pumpkinheads.
-  “What does a Dolly Parton and Sia song have to do with YA?” you ask? It’s a song off the soundtrack for the adaptation of Dumplin‘!Â
- Renee Watson’s upcoming book, coauthored with Ellen Hagan, just hit my door and it looks so dang good.
- Read this interview with YA nonfiction author Julissa Arce, as she talks about her book on being an undocumented immigrant.
- YA powerhouse Nic Stone will be writing her first middle grade novel.
- The YA book The Lifeboat Clique is set to be developed for a CW series.
So proud of this young king! https://t.co/GGhOw2J9FQ
— Angie Thomas (@angiecthomas) September 20, 2018
Recent Book Mail
It’s been a while since I’ve shared what’s hit my inbox, so this is a big, juicy collection of titles. Listed from top to bottom, starting with the pile on the left.
Words We Don’t Say KJ Reilly
Odd One Out by Nic Stone
Black Enough edited by Ibi Zoboi
Circle of Shadows by Evelyn Skye
Witch Born by Nicholas Bowling
Strangers Assume My Girlfriend Is My Nurse by Shane Burcaw
Almost Invisible by Maureen Garvie
A Field Guide To The North American Teenager by Ben Philippe
And The Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness
The Opposite of Innocent by Sonya Sones
The Fever King by Victoria Lee
A Thousand Sisters by Elizabeth Wein
Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arc by David Elliott
A Sky For Us Alone by Kristin Russell
Easy Prey by Catherine Lo
Damsel by Elana K. Arnold
Bridge of Clay by Marcus Zusak
Impostors by Scott Westerfeld
Sex Plus by Laci Green
Watch Us Rise by Renee Watson and Ellen Hagan
What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
As She Ascends by Jodi Meadows
Anything But Okay by Sarah Darer Littman
Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows
Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrande
Cheap Reads
Grab these great books while they’re easy on the wallet. Since it’s spooky season, you’ll see a theme in this selection. Prices current as of Wednesday morning, October 3.
Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Rohrig is $3.
Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter is $3.
Chandler Baker’s Teen Frankenstein is $3.
Shutter by Courtney Alameda is $3.
The Devil’s Engine: Hellraisers by Alexander Gordon Smith is $3.
Madeleine Roux’s Asylum is $2.
Ten by Gretchen McNeil is $2.
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Thanks for hanging out and we’ll see you next week!
–Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Instagram