Hey YA Readers!
Let’s dive into all things new paperback releases and a host of exciting new YA book news.
Bookish Goods
Need some new pencils? I would recommend these sweet, brightly colored book nerd pencils as an option. $8.50 for a set of five, and you can pick from a multicolor pack or a pack of the same color.
New Releases
Grab the full list of this week’s YA paperback releases here (and keep an eye out for the list of upcoming paperbacks for the summer to drop on site, too!). Note that you may need to toggle to the paperback option after you click the link.
A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 by Claire Hartfield
I grew up south of Chicago, close enough that as kids, we used to climb the tree in the local park and could see the skyline from there. I learned a lot of Chicago history then, as well as in college, when I took an entire class on the city’s history. Though the race riot was addressed, it certainly wasn’t as in-depth or as wide-ranging as Hartfield’s engrossing YA nonfiction about that moment in time.
This is a compelling and essential book about the 5 Black kids who floated onto the “wrong” part of the beach and ignited a period of race-based violence throughout the city. Pair this with Brandy Colbert’s Black Birds in the Sky for another story of race-based violence in the same era (though further south in Tulsa, Oklahoma).
Small Favors by Erin Craig
Amity Falls is a remote mountain town, where few come to visit, but it’s where Ellerie calls home. When a supply party goes missing, the town begins to wonder if the monsters which once plagued the town are back — and strange occurrences keep happening. The creatures responsible offer the townspeople a promise to fulfill their desires in exchange for a small favor. And while they agree, the townsfolk are not prepared for the sinister intentions of the creatures.
With horror vibes akin to The Village, Craig’s story is a retelling of the folk classic “Rumpelstiltskin.”
For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter.
YA Book News
- Have you peeped the trailer for the adaptation of Angie Thomas’s On The Come Up?
- I’m stoked to see that Sloppy Firsts is finally getting an adaptation. (You can hear Kristina Forest and I rave about this older YA series on Hey YA!).
- Dig into YA nonfiction and hear from a stellar slate of authors about what they consider to be some of the best titles in the category (I wrote this piece for School Library Journal, full disclosure, and it’s awesome).
- Check out the winner of this year’s Locus Award in YA, plus a really great roster of finalists!
- And the finalists for this year’s prestigious NSK Prize include so many excellent YA authors.
- Here’s a big YA book to keep an eye out for.
- The wicked stepsisters in Cinderella are getting to tell their story in a new book from Robin Benway.
- Even more casting news for the adaptation of the Hunger Games prequel.
As always, thanks for hanging out. We’ll see you again on Saturday with some awesome YA book deals.
Until then, happy reading!
— Kelly Jensen, currently reading Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado.