And just like that, we’re more than half-way through June somehow. I don’t know about you, but until it is July 1, any “best of the year so far” roundups annoy me more than get me excited. The middle of the year is not officially until July 1 or July 2 — this year it’s the 1st — so those posts hitting in early June…no thanks. I get that “first” culture is real, but it’s also exhausting.
Ahem, anyway. Welcome to the middle of JUNE, not quite the middle of the year, and indeed, not even yet at the summer solstice.
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Let’s dive into today’s new YA releases, as well as a roundup of books to continue our celebration of all things Pride in YA.
Bookish Goods
Raging Readers Night Club Print by BookstoBooks
I stumbled upon this movie poster style print a couple of weeks ago and love how clever it is. Are you a raging reader? Do you consider THAT your raging nightclub vibe? You’ll want one for your book nook. $16.
New Releases
It’s another banger of a week for new YA releases. Let’s highlight two here, including one I read and enjoyed from start to finish. You can see the entire list over here — and it’s hard to believe but the third quarter roundups will be here before too long (see: not before the second half of the year).
An Echo in the City by K.X. Song
Phoenix is 16 and lives with parents who believe she needs to get out of Hong Kong. They’ve saved up money so she can go to a U.S. Ivy League and begin her American dream. Phoenix isn’t interested in this though, but she doesn’t know what she wants. At least she doesn’t until Hong Kong protests begin and she worries about the future of her community.
Kai, also 17, doesn’t see himself the way his parents do. He’s creative and wants to make art. When his mom dies, though, he’s forced to leave Shanghai to be with his father. Dad is a ranked and respected police officer in Hong Kong and Kai’s been enrolled without permission in the police academy. it’s not what he wants to do, at all, but he does want to acquire dad’s approval. So when he accidentally intercepts Phoenix’s phone and discovers plans for a major protest, Phoenix sees his opportunity to uncover an operation that would earn him many, many levels of respect. He will infiltrate the protest and tell the police what’s happening.
Too bad Phoenix and Kai start to catch some feelings and their feelings are built on a lot of lies and inaccuracies.
You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron
The owls are not what they seem* in this camp slasher horror.
Charity is spending the summer playing the role of the final girl at Camp Mirror Lake, a facility that is set up to be a game of terror. Guests come in and see if they can survive the night.
Things take a turn during the last weekend though, as several of the actors have stopped showing up. So when one of them does show up dead, Charity no longer thinks her role as Final Girl is just pretend.
This is a fast-paced horror that hits all of the beats of classic bloody summer camp story. It is a cast of characters of color, and it features a secret society, a sapphic romance, and a lot of creepy owls.
*Please, please tell me you get this one.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
We’ve highlighted a rainbow of queer YA, then talked about queer YA comics. It’s now time to highlight queer YA nonfiction, and I’m going to take this in a bit of a different direction than straight (haha) list of nonfiction. I’m going to highlight a couple of collective biographies that amplify queer voices from history to the present.
Gender Rebels: 30 Trans, Nonbinary, and Gender Expansive Heroes Past and Present by Katherine Locke, illustrated by Shanee Benjamin
You’ll have to wait until November for this one to hit shelves, but put it on your TBR and/or preorder now. This collection highlights 30 must-know people who explode the gender binary. It is a groundbreaker in highlighting trans stories, gender nonconforming stories, and intersex stories of real people and real lives.
Queer Heroes: Meet 53 LGBTQ Heroes From Past and Present! by Arabelle Sicardi, illustrated by Sarah Tanat-Jones
How bold, bright, and appealing is this one by cover alone? Dive into the world of LGBTQ+ individuals past and present who have shown the world what it is to be who you are.
Among the slate of individuals included are Freddie Mercury, Alexander Wang, Sappho, Audre Lorde, Kristin Stewart, and more.
Queer Power!: Icons, Activists & Game Changers from Across the Rainbow by DOM&INK
In addition to highlighting a range of LGBTQ+ trailblazers from past and present, this collection offers essays that focus on the realities of queer life, including mental health challenges, activism, what it is to come out, and more. Again, this one has such an appealing package to it — these collective queer biographies for teens are nothing short of celebratory, even when they take on some tougher stuff.
As always, thanks for hanging out. We’ll see you on Thursday for your paperback releases and YA book news.
Until then, happy reading!
–Kelly Jensen, currently reading Belle of the Ball