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Haunted Tourist Traps and More YA Book News and New Books: July 7, 2022

Hey YA Readers,

Let’s dive into this week’s paperback new releases and YA book news.

Bookish Goods

Three bookmarks being held by a white hand. Each one is a stack of books, and the bookmark on the right has book titles written on the spine.

I really love bookmark reading trackers (see here) and this one is especially good. $6 and up.

New Releases

The summer edition of the mega roundup of new YA paperbacks is up. Below, you’ll find two out this week, but you can find all of the rest hitting shelves this week through the end of September over here.

clap when you land book cover

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

What does it mean to lose someone you love? What does it mean to lose someone you love who was a very complicated human and kept secrets from you? What if those secrets meant that in that loss, you discover you have a whole new family?

As always, Acevedo writes an emotionally-compelling, engaging, and immersive story of grief and love. Camino and Yahaira each have a distinct voice and we get to hear both sides of the story, of how their shared father kept his dual life a secret from them.

Frightmares book cover

Frightmares by Eva V. Gibson

Dave’s last summer before college involves working at a Florida tourist trap called Frightmares House of Horrors, a haunted house attraction on its last limbs. When a shift ends with an employee walkout and Dave takes over one of the roles a friend plays, he discovers a dead body. It’s not part of the set or the attraction. It’s real, and now, the killer may be coming for Dave.

Horror? Check. Ramshackle horror attraction? Check. This gives me all of the 90s Christopher Pike/RL Stine vibes.

For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter.

YA Book News

Because it is July–a notoriously quiet time for publishing–and we’re off a set of holidays, there isn’t a whole lot of news this week. Use the time to read!

Thanks for hanging out. I hope you take good care of yourselves and each other.

See you Saturday for some YA book deals.

— Kelly Jensen, currently blowing through Jumper by Melanie Crowder.