Category: What’s Up in YA

A nerdy history of school summer reading lists. Did or do you have these? I remember as a high schooler looking for these lists online and reading the books on them, since I didn’t have assigned summer reading.
Loving Fear Street on Netflix? You’ll love this look back at 90s teen horror reads.
Dig into some diverse YA retellings of classics.

Thanks for hanging out, y’all, and I’ll see you again this weekend with some fabulous ebook deals.

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram.

Big thanks to Wednesday Books and Any Way The Wind Blows for making this newsletter possible.

What's Up in YA

Masking Up YA Book Covers: Yay or Nay?

Post author By Kelly Jensen
Post date July 16, 2021

Going Viral by Kate Cicatelli-Kuc (November 2)

During lockdown with her family, Claire’s unable to be with her friends or girlfriend Vanessa. But soon, she begins to notice a new girl who sits on her fire escape across the street from her, and Claire uses that as inspiration for writing a story that immediately goes viral. But is the fame too much for Claire, and how does she reckon with where her heart truly lies?

Hello (From Here) by Chandler Baker and Wesley King

Maxine and Jonah meet in the canned foods aisle just as California begins lockdown because of the pandemic. Jonah lives with anxiety, now exacerbated by COVID-19, while Maxine’s job at the supermarket turns into a nightmare. It’s a terrible time to fall in love, but perhaps it was really meant to be.

Zero O’Clock by CJ Farley (September 7)

Geth’s living in New Rochelle, New York, a pandemic epicenter, and she’s isolated from her best friends. She finds herself confronted with the cops at this time, and steps into being part of the Black Lives Matter movement, for which she’s become deeply passionate. The pandemic and protests upend everything she knows, and now she has to decide how much she’s willing to risk to fight for what she believes.

Perhaps what I’m finding interesting is that there are books taking on pandemic-related topics and that don’t use the symbolic mask. For me, this feels less off-putting, even though the content is going to be similar to the above. An example:

Together, Apart by Erin A. Craig, Auriane Desombre, Erin Hahn, Bill Konigsberf, Rachael Lippincott, Brittney Morris, Sanji Patel, Natasha Preston, and Jennifer Yen

This anthology is a collection of love stories all set during the pandemic lockdown, with entries from some big YA names.

Maybe my adult sensibilities read too much into it, but it’s hard for me to see big appeal for teen readers whose lives have been upended in unbelievable ways gravitating toward mask-themed covers. The anthology makes clear what the book is about and where it’s set, but in a way that feels far less charged and anxiety-evoking.

What do you think? Are you picking up books like the ones with masks on covers or are you hesitating too? Is it just too soon?

There are no right or wrong answers, but it’s a question certainly worth pondering, especially as more bookstores, libraries, and schools eye reopening and books will be more visually browsable for readers.

Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you again on Thursday!

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram

Thanks to MIT Press and The Curie Society for sponsoring today’s newsletter.

What's Up in YA

BLACKOUT to Netflix via Obamas: Your YA Book News and New Books, July 15, 2021

Post author By Kelly Jensen
Post date July 14, 2021

YA Book News

The Obamas will bring Blackout, by six stellar Black YA writers, to Netflix as an “event.” This looks spectacular and knowing the book is outstanding, I know I can’t wait.
Speaking of one of those stellar authors, here’s a great interview with Angie Thomas.
At The New York Times, Marjorie Ingall asks why there are so many Holocaust books for kids. The bulk of the discussion is on younger children’s materials as opposed to YA, but this is great reading for anyone invested in kid lit.
Fear Street is leading to an interest in adapting more 90s YA horror. Nostalgia is both awesome and exhausting.
Dungeons + Dragons novels and graphic novels for YA readers will be coming soon.

New YA in Hardcover

All These Warriors by Amy Tintera (series)

Creatures of the Night by Grace Collins

Faking Reality by Sara Fujimura

Flash Fire by TJ Klune (series)

The Great Big One by J. C. Geiger

The Mythic Koda Rose by Jennifer Nissley

Radha and Jai’s Recipe for Romance by Nisha Sharma

The Right Side of Reckless by Whitney D. Grandison

The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

Up All Night edited by Laura Silverman

When All The Girls are Sleeping by Emily Arsenault

When We Were Strangers by Alex Richards

Wings of Shadow by Nicki Pau Preto (series)

XOXO by Axie Oh

New in Paperback

Accidental by Alex Richards

The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune (series)

Home Home by Lisa Allen-Agostini

Parachutes by Kelly Yang

The Unleashed by Danielle Vega (series)

When She Reigns by Jodi Meadows (series)

YA On Book Riot This Week

White gatekeeping in YA harms actual teens, not social media
Loved Legendborn? You’ll want to try these 15 books like Legendborn.
And then for the readers who can’t get enough Sarah J. Maas, other authors like Maas you may enjoy.
A couple of excellent YA picks on this roundup of books about healthy masculinity.
Three new YA books about love and dance.

Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you again on Monday. May the rest of your week be packed with great reads.

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram.

Big thank you to Tor Teen and Flash Fire for making today’s newsletter possible!

What's Up in YA

YA for Disability Pride Month

Post author By Kelly Jensen
Post date July 12, 2021

Sponsored by the audiobook edition of Flash Fire by TJ Klune, read by Michael Lesley.

Flash Fire is the explosive sequel to The Extraordinaries by New York Times and USA Today best-selling author TJ Klune, read by Michael Lesley!

Nick landed himself the superhero boyfriend of his dreams, but with new heroes arriving in Nova City, it’s up to Nick and his friends to determine who is virtuous and who is villainous. Which is a lot to handle for a guy who just wants to finish his self-insert bakery AU fanfic.

Hey YA Readers!

Where June is known as Pride month, honoring, celebrating, and understanding the history and lives of those in the queer community, Pride continues in a different way in July. The origins of the celebration have been linked to more than one place and time — Boston held the first Disability Pride Parade in 1990, while New York City declared July Disability Pride Month in 2015, in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act — but over the last few years, awareness and celebration of Disability Pride Month has grown.

The Disability Pride movement even has its own flag, designed by Ann Magill. You can see the influence other Pride movements have had in amplifying this celebration in it:

In honor of Disability Pride Month, in addition to educating yourself about disability — both that which is visible and that which is not — it’s the perfect time to dig into YA books featuring disability. I’ve included a couple of forthcoming titles for your preordering as well.

YA Books Featuring Disability

Disability Visibility edited by Alice Wong (Young Reader Edition) — October 26

Wong’s incredible anthology featuring an array of disabled writers exploring life with disability hit shelves last summer for adults. This fall, young readers will get the chance to pick up this powerful and crucial anthology.

The Disturbed Girl’s Dictionary by NoNieqa Ramos

This voice-driven novel follows Macy as she navigates her own tumultuous home life—one with an inconsistent mother, a father in prison, and a younger brother in the foster care system because of repeat CPS visits—with understanding why it is her best friend has been pulling away from her. These are teens living hard, hard lives and still managing to get up every day and go through the motions, much as it leaves an impact on them physically, emotionally, and psychologically. Macy has a psychological, potentially neurological, disorder that impacts her daily life and the relationships with her best friend and family.

A Face for Picasso: Coming of Age with Crouzon Syndrome by Ariel Henley (November 2)

This memoir is the story of twins Ariel and Zan, who were diagnosed with Crouzon Syndrome — a condition where bones in the head fuse prematurely. Ariel talks about the numerous reconstructive surgeries they had growing up and more, the mental and emotional realities of living with facial disfigurement.

Finding Balance by Katy Gardner

Mari and Jase both attend Camp Chemo annually, where they get to be fully themselves as cancer survivors. Jase keeps this part of his life buried except for camp and his annual oncologist visit; Mari, who is an amputee, chooses to live openly about her survivorship. They’re close at camp, but when Mari transfers to Jase’s school, his cover might be blown.

Two Girls Staring At The Ceiling by Lucy Frank

There are very few characters in YA—and in fiction more broadly—who have Crohn’s Disease. Told through the voices of Chess and Shannon, this novel in verse is about two girls dealing with Crohn’s Disease, one who has been working with the illness for a long time and one who, after an unfortunate incident with a boy she was beginning to like, is newly diagnosed.

Unbroken: 13 Stories Featuring Disabled Teens edited by Marieke Nijkamp

This much needed, vital anthology featuring disabled characters by disabled authors includes stories from authors like Keplinger, Stork, and Duyvis named above, but also Heidi Heilig, Dhonielle Clayton, Kayla Whaley, and more.

I’d be remiss not to also mention Body Talk: 37 Voices Explore Our Radical Anatomy, the anthology I edited, which features an incredible array of disabled voices, including Deafness, chronic illness, amputation, and so much more.

Likewise, some of these titles were pulled from a larger post on excellent YA disability books. Dig into this selection, as well as even more YA books about disability.

As always, thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you on Thursday!

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram.

Thank you to the audiobook edition of Flash Fire by TJ Klune, read by Michael Lesley, for sponsoring today’s newsletter.

What's Up in YA

Foodie Books, Summer Days, & Queer Love: Your YA Ebook Deals This Weekend

Post author By Kelly Jensen
Post date July 8, 2021

Poison Hearts & Horror Reboots: Your YA News & New Books, July 8, 2021

Post author By Kelly Jensen
Post date July 6, 2021

Sponsored by Darling by K. Ancrum, with Fierce Reads

Reimagining Peter Pan for today’s world, this YA thriller follows Wendy as she gets lost on a dangerous adventure after following Peter into the city’s underground.

“Darling is the Peter Pan retelling with the diverse cast and queer representation of your dreams.” —Aiden Thomas, New York Times–bestselling author of Cemetery Boys

Hey YA Readers!

First, a giant thank you to the marvelous Tirzah for covering this newsletter while I was out. I’ve really enjoyed reading what she’s shared and hope you have as well.

This week’s roundup of news isn’t as robust as usual, thanks to the long weekend and holiday in the US. The same goes for this week’s new releases; it’s a little slower, but that just means more time to catch up on your reading.

YA Book News

A peek at the upcoming Pretty Little Liars reboot on HBO Max.
Did you happen to watch the first installment of RL Stine’s “Fear Street” Netflix trilogy yet? I think the comparison here to Scream is an interesting one in that they emerged in the teen world at the same time.
Netflix ordered another YA book series, this one by Ali Novak.
This roundup of Canadian books to read this summer includes some fantastic YA picks.
The next round of Star Wars: The High Republic books are coming and it includes a YA title.

New YA Releases This Week

Hardcover

Any Way The Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell (series)

The Betrayed by Kiera Cass (series)

If You, Then Me by Yvonne Woon

It Ends in Fire by Andrew Shvarts

The Queen Will Betray You by Sarah Henning (series)

Rise To The Sun by Leah Johnson

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim (first in a series)

Summer in the City of Roses by Michelle Ruiz Keil

This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

Where It All Lands by Jennie Wexler

Paperback

#NoEscape by Gretchen McNeil (series)

Avatar: The Last Airbender by F. C. Yee, Michael Dante DiMartino

Blood and Honey by Shelby Mahurin (series)

Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

An Education in Ruin by Alexis Bass

Evolution by Teri Terry (series)

The Girl in the Headlines by Hannah Jayne

One Person, No Vote by Carol Anderson, Tonya Bolden (nonfiction)

The Princess Will Save You by Sarah Henning (start of a series)

Set Fire to the Gods by Sara Raasch, Kristen Simmons (start of a series)

The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert

What We Devour by Linsey Miller

At Book Riot This Week

Which literary princess are you? I’m Sara Crewe from A Little Princess.
2021 YA romances to pop onto your TBR.
10 YA books you’ll want to read this July.
Toss these 3 romantic YA reads into your beach bag for your next adventure.

Thanks for hanging out. I’ve missed y’all, and I can’t wait to get back in the groove of talking books. I had the chance to read so many outstanding YAs lately. Currently digging into Anton Treuer’s Everything You Wanted To Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask (Young Reader Edition).

See you Saturday with YA ebook deals!

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram

Big thank you to our sponsor Darling, by K. Ancrum, with Fierce Reads. Peter Pan remixes are hot this year!

What's Up in YA

Victoria Schwab’s New YA Novel Cover Reveal: Your YA Book News and New YA Books

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date June 30, 2021

Sponsored by Rising Like a Storm by Tanaz Bhathena, with Fierce Reads

“Lush and vividly imagined, suspenseful, romantic, and adventurous.” —Teen Vogue

In the series finale of the Wrath of Ambar duology by Tanaz Bhathena, Gul and Cavas must unite their magical forces—and hold onto their growing romance—to save their kingdom from tyranny.

Hey YA friends!

This is my last newsletter with you all before Kelly returns, but why not go out with a bang and share all of the amazing news that’s dropped this week? We’ve got a ton of news, but fewer new releases since publishing slows down just a little in the summer—that just means you get a chance to catch up on all of your reading! Here we go!

News

Victoria Schwab’s new YA novel has a cover reveal! Gallant will release in March!

Speaking of cover reveals, the cover of Kosoko Jackson’s I’m So (Not) Over You is gorgeous!

The six authors of Blackout discuss their new book!

All of the Twilight movies are headed to Netflix, if you want to plan a watch party!

Learn more about the newest youth poet laureate!

Want to know where to find the best BookTok recommendations? Meet some of the biggest teen influencers.

The Locus Awards were announced—see which YA novel took the prize!

New Books

Chariot at Dusk by Swati Teerdhala

Eat Your Heart Out by Kelly deVos

Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta

The Girl Least Likely by Katy Loutzenhiser

This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

Room Service by Maren Stoffels

Under a Dancing Star by Laura Wood

New in Paperback

The Boundless by Anna Bright

Burn by Patrick Ness

Ever Cursed by Corey Ann Haydu

Hate to Love You by Jenn Bennett (omnibus edition)

Love and Olives by Jenna Welch Evans

Rebel Spy by Veronica Rossi

They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman

On Book Riot

YA books about parallel universes to explore, if you like trippy reading.

Throw these ten July YA releases into your tote bag!

Pop the champagne, it’s wedding season! Here are five YA books about weddings.

Romantic YA beach reads for your vacationing needs.

Tune into me and Emma Kress talking about girls in YA sports books!

Thanks for hanging out! It’s been a lot of fun these past few months, and I hope we can stay in touch! Find me on Twitter or Instagram—I’m @TirzahPrice!

Happy reading!
Tirzah

Thanks to Rising Like a Storm by Tanaz Bhathena, with Fierce Reads for making today’s newsletter possible!

What's Up in YA

My Favorite YA Books of 2021, So Far

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date June 28, 2021

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

I feel like I waited forever for this book and was not disappointed! It’s the story of Lily, a Chinese American girl living in San Francisco in 1953. When a chance encounter with a white classmate and an ad for a male impersonator send the two of them sneaking out to the Telegraph Club one night, they find excitement, possibility, and even community among the queer women they meet there…but they also learn about the dangers of being queer in the 1950’s. I just want to say straight up that while this is a historical novel with homophobia, this isn’t a traumatic and tragic book, and I really appreciated that!

The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe

I am here for all of the queer girl thrillers, and Tess Sharpe doesn’t disappoint! Nora is the daughter of a con artist, and she’s in hiding when an innocent visit to the bank with her girlfriend and her ex to deposit money from a fundraiser goes horribly sideways. When two armed men hold up the bank, Nora and her people are trapped inside, and she must rely on everything that she has learned in order to get them all out alive.

Love is a Revolution by Renée Watson

Nala is looking forward to summer in the city, with plans to eat ice cream, hang out with friends, and enjoy her Netflix queue. Then she meets Tye at an open mic night, and her summer plans shift to romance. But there’s just one big problem: Nala has let Tye believe that she’s more active in community initiatives and projects than she really is. As she falls for him, she also has to balance all of the lies and partial truths she’s told as she figures out what true love and acceptance really looks like.

This Will Be Funny Someday by Katie Henry

Izzy is a Chicago teen who always lets everyone talk over her—people at school, her boyfriend, even her own family. She has a constant inner dialogue going, all the snappy things she would say if given the chance…and she finally is given the chance when she accidentally signs up for an open mic slot at a comedy club. And she does pretty well. Soon, Izzy has new some cool new friends and she’s practicing her sets at bars all over the city. There’s just one problem: Her new friends don’t know she’s a high school student. I really adored this funny, angsty book about a teen girl discovering her own power and agency and leaving a bad relationship!

Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi

I’ve really enjoyed everything Choi has written, and this new book might be my favorite! Jayne and June are two sisters who live in NYC but barely have any contact with each other—they couldn’t be more different. But when June shows up unexpectedly one day, wanting to talk, Jayne learns her perfect older sister has cancer. Now, even though they can barely get along, these sisters are going to have to figure out what it means to care for one another as they both face some pretty scary health crises.

Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abtahi

For a laugh out loud book about the tumultuous and anxiety-ridden early days of high school, you need this book! Parvin is an Iranian-American teen who starts high school with a boyfriend—the guy she met on vacation over the simmer. But when he dumps her on her first day, Parvin is bereft…and she becomes determined to find a homecoming date to show her ex what he’s missing. But her relationship woes pale in comparison to what happens when her Iranian aunt tries to come visit.

What are your favorite books of 2021 so far? Let me know on Twitter or Instagram!

Thanks for hanging out!
Tirzah

Thanks to Oni Press for making today’s newsletter possible!