Sponsored by Lerner Books
Nineteen-year-old Na has always lived in the shadow of her younger brother, Bao-bao, her parents’ cherished son. Years ago, Na’s parents left her in the countryside and went to work in the city, bringing Bao-bao along and committing everything to his education. But when Bao-bao dies suddenly, Na realizes how little she knew him. Did he really kill himself because of a low score on China’s all-important college entrance exam? Na learns that Bao-bao had many secrets and that his death may not be what it seems.
Hey YA Readers!
Welcome to September, which means you’ve made it through August. I don’t know about you, but this summer — a season that is my favorite — has felt twelve years long. We’ve still got a couple solid weeks of it, of course, but I’m welcoming cooler mornings and evenings, as well as more time to curl up in the evening dark with a book.
Let’s catch up on the latest in YA news and new books this week, shall we?
YA Book News
Again, as tends to be the case this time of year, there’s not a whole lot of news to share. . . but it’s all great news.
- Felix Ever After has been optioned for a TV adaptation (!!).
- I’m also super excited to see Bonnie Pipkin’s Aftercare Instructions has been tapped for a TV adaptation.
- This fall we have so many awesome queer and feminist books hitting shelves. Check out both YA and adult titles in this roundup.
- Here’s the trailer for the adaptation of Spontaneous by Aaron Starmer.
- I’m hoping next week to highlight the recently-added YA film adaptations to streaming services in the newsletter, but in the mean time, here’s a great list of YA-friendly films to enjoy on Netflix — most of them are not adaptations but rather scratch that itch for something YA-esque.
- Becky Albertalli’s piece on coming out, on assumptions about sexuality, and about #OwnVoices queer stories is such a vital read.
This Week’s New YA Books
So! Many! New! Books! Do note: because of printer capacity issues, there are a few more delays in book releases. Those have been so challenging to keep on top of, so it’s possible a title or two below might not be hitting shelves today but later on in the month or season. If it sounds good, preorder it and enjoy the surprise when it arrives.
1789: Twelve Authors Explore a Year of Rebellion, Revolution, and Change edited by Marc Aronson
American Royals II: Majesty by Katharine McGee (series)
As The Shadow Rises by Katy Rose Pool (series)
Blood and Honey by Shelby Mahurin (series)
Blood Moon by Lucy Cuthew
Caster by Elsie Chapman (series, paperback)
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford (paperback)
Dark Blade by Steve Feasey (series)
Descendant of the Crane by Joan He (paperback)
Eclipse The Skies by Maura Milan (paperback, series)
Fable by Adrienne Young (series)
Flamer by Mike Curato
Frankly In Love by David Yoon (paperback)
Fright Night by Maren Stoffels (paperback)
The Grey Sisters by Jo Treggiari (paperback)
Greythorne by Crystal Smith (series)
Gold Wings Rising by Alex London (series)
The Insomniacs by Marit Weisenberg
Keep This To Yourself by Tom Ryan (paperback)
Flyy Girls: Lux, The New Girl by Ashley Woodfolk (paperback, series)
My Secret To Tell by Natalie D. Richards (paperback)
Flyy Girls: Mica, The Good Girl by Ashley Woodfolk (paperback, series)
None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney
Not Your #LoveStory by Sonia Hartl
October Mourning by Leslea Newman (paperback)
Of Ice and Shadows by Audrey Coulthurst (paperback, series)
Our Wayward Fate by Gloria Chao (paperback)
The Porcupine of Truth by Bill Konigsberg (paperback)
Pretend She’s Here by Luanne Rice (paperback)
Punching The Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam
Queen of Volts by Amanda Foody (series)
Recommended For You by Laura Silverman
Red Skies Falling by Alex London (series, paperback)
Sanctuary by Paola Mendoza and Abby Sher
Save Steve by Jenni Hendriks and Ted Caplan
There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool (paperback, series)
Throwaway Girls by Andrea Contos
Unbirthday by Liz Braswell
Wayward Witch by Zoraida Córdova (series)
We Are Not Free by Traci Chee
Where We Are by Alison McGhee
This Week on Book Riot…
- How the Hunger Games prequel showed me I’ve changed.
- A handy glossary of manga terms.
- How young adult librarians helped create the YA category of books.
- Add these British YA authors of color to your TBR.
- YA books that explore schizophrenia.
- These YA books got new looks in paperback. Which version do you prefer?
- Excellent #OwnVoices books about disability.
Check out this gorgeous print featuring a stack of incredible YA books by Black authors! $7.
Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you on Saturday for some YA ebook deals.
— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of Body Talk, (Don’t) Call Me Crazy, and Here We Are.
Psst: if you’re free tonight at 7 pm Eastern, you can catch Eric Smith, Kati Gardner, Junauda Petrus-Nasah, and I for a virtual event with Oblong Books. It’ll be a blast. Sign up for the link to the free event here.
