Six Spring YA Reads to TBR

Imagine that a volcanic eruption will put an end to life on Earth as we know it and several of the biggest, brightest, most well-funded people across the world are building a space fleet so humanity can escape. Now imagine that their children are given the opportunity to tour this fleet and said volcano erupts early, leaving these teens as the sole survivors as they travel through space. At what point do they choose to continue the mission or do they work to save humanity?

I don’t know about you, but end-of-the-world stories paired with space stories do it for me–see We Are The Ants by Sean David Hutchinson. Redgate is a fascinating, genre-pushing YA writer and I cannot wait to read this.

It’s possible there is a survival theme here, as Panitch’s latest YA book is pitched as Dry meets Hatchet.

Zara escaped her father’s survivalist home, only to find herself–and humanity–cut off from electricity due to a malware attack. Now she’s completely on her own and has to tap into the skills she so desperately wished to forget from her home life. . . and, as it turns out, make her way back to the compound.

More survival? Yes.

Milo’s gotten through high school without much catastrophe, but that’s about to change now that Marcus, whose been absent from Milo’s life for three years, is back. Worse, Marcus’s return brought with it natural disasters, including blackouts, sink holes, and more.

The more Milo confronts his feelings about Marcus, the more Mother Nature seems to respond and not in kindness. Is their love literally doomed?

Ashley Woodfolk is writing incredible realistic fiction in YA, and I cannot wait to see how she uses verse to continue her storytelling. This sett-in-a-single-day story is about queer love, passion, and about the ways the past braids itself into the present.

I’m cheating a little because I read this book already but I want to make sure other YA readers have it on their radar.

Last year, the reigning Scrabble champion dropped dead during the start of the competition. This year, Najwa returns to that competition determined to not only find out what happened to her best friend, but to also show her Scrabble playing skills. Dig into twisty, sometimes toxic, friendships, a clever and imperfect main character, and tremendous word nerdery.

An illustrated YA nonfiction book about animal sexuality? Yes, please!

This witty book weaves science, anthropology, and sociology with illustrations to showcase how animals across the world display a spectrum of sexualities. It is a book about human sexuality and how diverse sexuality isn’t limited to one species. It’s natural.