Hey YA Readers!
I hope you are enjoying a little treat today, whatever that looks like. This weekend, my husband made some peach cinnamon rolls from the peaches we got last summer — I learned that Calhoun County, Illinois, is home to some legendary peaches, so we took a weekend trip. It might be king cake or paczki, but it was a sweet dessert none the less.
Let’s dive into the YA paperback releases and book news this week.
Bookish Goods
Book Earrings by TheSpangledSparrow
How fun are these earrings? If you love books and can wear hook earrings, grab a pair for your bookish wardrobe. $13.
New Releases
A lot of great YA paperbacks hit shelves this week. Here’s a look at two of them. You might need to toddle your view after you click the link to find the paperback edition.
Curious what else released in the portable paperback format? You can peep the whole list of Winter 2023 YA Paperbacks here.
Daughters of a Dead Empire by Carolyn Tara O’Neil
Set in the war-ravaged countryside of Russia, this is a fresh take on Anastasia. Anna is running for her life, having barely escaped the murders that rocked the rest of her family. A Red commander is after her, though, and Anna believes if she can just find the Tsarist army, she can get to safety — but it comes with convincing a peasant to take her across communist territory.
That peasant is Evgenia, who is not happy about her lot in life. Her brother, a Red soldier, is in desperate need of a doctor, and she sells a wagon ride across the communist countryside to Anna to raise the funds.
The girls, from opposing sides, learn on this trip how much they have in common, as well as what it means to survive.
Turning by Joy L. Smith
We can always used more stories of Black girls in sports, and this one about a Black ballerina is super compelling. I only wish the cover were a little more YA and less middle grade! Or maybe clearer that the main character uses a wheelchair, since the wheel around the skirt is a confusing?
Anyway!
Genie used to be a leading student at her New York dance studio, but an accident left her in a wheelchair. She “used to be,” and she wants to be left alone to pick up the pieces of the future that’s been destroyed.
Then she meets Kyle. Kyle, who is himself a former gymnast and whose future career ended because of a traumatic brain injury. With Kyle’s help and the help of her best friend, maybe Genie can forge a new creative future…and admit the truth about what happened to her.
This one deals with some heavier topics, too, including parental substance abuse and an ex-boyfriend who may hold a secret himself.
For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter.
YA Book News
- George M. Johnson and Leah Johnson just signed a 7-figure deal for a YA romcom.
- A nice roundup of books by Black Canadians which includes several YA titles.
- I love that the director of Beautiful Creatures, which did not necessarily do hot at the box office, still finds there is a deeply dedicated fan base to the franchise.
- Phil Stampler talks about some excellent YA books about friendship.
- Peep the trailer for the second season of Shadow and Bone.
As always, thanks for hanging out.
Can I ask a favor, dear readers? Take 10 minutes this weekend to write a letter to your library and school board. Here’s a template to make it super easy.
Happy reading!
— Kelly Jensen, currently reading The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest