Category: What’s Up in YA

YA Book News and New YA Books This Week

Post author By Kelly Jensen
Post date June 2, 2020

YA Book News

Nubia, a comic about Wonder Woman’s sister, is being penned by LL McKinney and should be on your TBR.
The Brown Bookshelf is hosting a summer long Generations reading event and if you want to include more Black YA (or middle grade or picture books or adult books) into your reading, take part in this.
A YA trilogy from UK author Juno Dawson has been acquired for adaptation.
This year’s Lambda Literary Awards winners, including in YA.
Kristin Cashore is going back to the world of Graceling.
The companion to Love, Simon called Love, Victor has a release date and adorable trailer.
Star Wars The High Republic publishing event is being reschedule for 2021, so prepare yourself for more Star Wars YA a year from now.
Midnight Sun’s audiobook has some exciting casting news.
News about Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven Cycle adaptation.

New YA Books This Week

A * means I’ve read it and highly recommend the title. List is as accurate and up-to-date as possible, knowing some might have been pushed back due to covid-19.

*Again, Again by E Lockhart

Beyond the Break by Heather Buchta

Beyond The Gender Binary by Alok Vaid-Menon and illustrated Ashley Lukashevsky (paperback, nonfiction)

Burn by Patrick Ness

The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad (paperback)

I Felt a Funeral, In My Brain by Will Walton (paperback)

If We Were Us by KL Walther

Imaginary Borders by Xiuhtezcatl Martinez and illustrated by Ashley Lukashevsky (paperback, nonfiction)

Jo & Laurie by Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz

Kissing Lessons by Sophie Jordan

Little Creeping Things by Chelsea Ichaso

*The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan (paperback)

The Meaning of Birds by Jaye Robin Brown (paperback)

My Calamity Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows (series)

My Summer of Love and Misfortune by Lindsay Wong

Orphaned by Eliot Schrefer (series)

Queen of Ruin by Tracy Banghart (paperback, series)

*Rotten by Michael Northrop (paperback)

Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown (first in a series)

Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim (paperback, series)

*The State of Us by Shaun David Hutchinson

Where We Go From Here by Lucas Rocha, translated by Larissa Helena

Wilder Girls by Rory Power (paperback)

*You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson

This Week at Book Riot

13 hard-hitting YA novels.
This list isn’t entirely YA but there’s a ton of YA on it: queer books with happy endings.
Why the same fairytales get retold over and over — this was a fascinating read!
Perfectly sweet YA rom coms with the perfect baked goods moments in them.
Excellent recent standalone YA fantasy books.
Find your next perfect YA read based on your Enneagram type. This post encouraged me to finally discover my type.
Why Nimona is important to one reader.

Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you again Monday. Stay safe, and keep on fighting for justice.

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of Body Talk, (Don’t) Call Me Crazy, and Here We Are.

What's Up in YA

Fall YA to Add To Your To-Read List

Post author By Kelly Jensen
Post date May 31, 2020

Sponsored by We're giving away a 1-year subscription to Audible to one lucky winner, courtesy of Macmillan's Audiobooks Newsletter. Enter Now!

We’re giving away a 1-year subscription to Audible to one lucky winner, courtesy of Macmillan’s Audiobooks Newsletter.

Hey YA Readers!

It seems so early to think about fall, especially given how many of us have shifted our summer plans, knowing that we don’t know what summer might look like. But, fall will come, and with it, a crop of excellent new YA books.

I love showcasing upcoming titles as a means of getting them on your minds.

Open up your Goodreads or other means of tracking what you want to read and prepare to add so many good books to it. Descriptions are from the ‘Zon, as I have yet to read any of these (but you better believe I will be!).

Obviously this isn’t comprehensive. I’ve just pulled a few titles, and I’ll showcase more throughout the summer.

Each of Us a Desert by Mark Oshiro (September 15)

Xochitl is destined to wander the desert alone, speaking her troubled village’s stories into its arid winds. Her only companions are the blessed stars above and enigmatic lines of poetry magically strewn across dusty dunes.

Her one desire: to share her heart with a kindred spirit.

One night, Xo’s wish is granted—in the form of Emilia, the cold and beautiful daughter of the town’s murderous conqueror. But when the two set out on a magical journey across the desert, they find their hearts could be a match… if only they can survive the nightmare-like terrors that arise when the sun goes down.

Even If We Break by Marieke Nijkamp (September 15)

FIVE friends go to a cabin.
FOUR of them are hiding secrets.
THREE years of history bind them.
TWO are doomed from the start.
ONE person wants to end this.
NO ONE IS SAFE.

Are you ready to play?

Miss Meteor by Tehlor Kaye Mejia and Anna-Marie McLemore (September 23)

There hasn’t been a winner of the Miss Meteor beauty pageant who looks like Lita Perez or Chicky Quintanilla in all its history.

But that’s not the only reason Lita wants to enter the contest, or her ex-best friend Chicky wants to help her. The road to becoming Miss Meteor isn’t about being perfect; it’s about sharing who you are with the world—and loving the parts of yourself no one else understands.

So to pull off the unlikeliest underdog story in pageant history, Lita and Chicky are going to have to forget the past and imagine a future where girls like them are more than enough—they are everything.

Skyhunter by Marie Lu (September 29)

In a world broken by war, a team of young warriors is willing to sacrifice everything to save what they love.

The Karensa Federation has conquered a dozen countries, leaving Mara as one of the last free nations in the world. Refugees flee to its borders to escape a fate worse than death—transformation into mutant war beasts known as Ghosts, creatures the Federation then sends to attack Mara.

The legendary Strikers, Mara’s elite fighting force, are trained to stop them. But as the number of Ghosts grows and Karensa closes in, defeat seems inevitable.

Still, one Striker refuses to give up hope.

Robbed of her voice and home, Talin Kanami knows firsthand the brutality of the Federation. Their cruelty forced her and her mother to seek asylum in a country that considers their people repugnant. She finds comfort only with a handful of fellow Strikers who have pledged their lives to one another and who are determined to push Karensa back at all costs.

But when a mysterious prisoner is brought from the front, Talin senses there’s more to him than meets the eye. Is he a spy from the Federation? Or could he be the weapon that will save them all?

Surrender Your Sons by Adam Sass (September 15)

Connor Major’s summer break is turning into a nightmare.

His SAT scores bombed, the old man he delivers meals to died, and when he came out to his religious zealot mother, she had him kidnapped and shipped off to a secluded island. His final destination: Nightlight Ministries, a conversion therapy camp that will be his new home until he “changes.”

But Connor’s troubles are only beginning. At Nightlight, everyone has something to hide—from the campers to the “converted” staff and cagey camp director—and it quickly becomes clear that no one is safe. Connor plans to escape and bring the other kidnapped teens with him. But first, he’s exposing the camp’s horrible truths for what they are—and taking this place down.

Vampires Never Get Old edited by Zoraida Cordova and Natalie C. Parker (September 22)

Eleven fresh vampire stories from young adult fiction’s leading voices!

In this delicious new collection, you’ll find stories about lurking vampires of social media, rebellious vampires hungry for more than just blood, eager vampires coming out—and going out for their first kill—and other bold, breathtaking, dangerous, dreamy, eerie, iconic, powerful creatures of the night.

Welcome to the evolution of the vampire—and a revolution on the page.

Vampires Never Get Old includes stories by authors both bestselling and acclaimed, including Samira Ahmed, Dhonielle Clayton, Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker, Tessa Gratton, Heidi Heilig, Julie Murphy, Mark Oshiro, Rebecca Roanhorse, Laura Ruby, Victoria “V. E.” Schwab, and Kayla Whaley.

Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour (September 15)

Mila is used to being alone. Maybe that’s why she said yes to the opportunity: living in this remote place, among the flowers and the fog and the crash of waves far below.

But she hadn’t known about the ghosts.

Newly graduated from high school, Mila has aged out of the foster care system. So when she’s offered a job and a place to stay at a farm on an isolated part of the Northern California Coast, she immediately accepts. Maybe she will finally find a new home, a real home. The farm is a refuge, but also haunted by the past traumas its young residents have come to escape. And Mila’s own terrible memories are starting to rise to the surface.

The Woods Are Always Watching by Stephanie Perkins (October 27)

A traditional backwoods horror story set–first page to last–in the woods of the Pisgah National Forest in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Two girls go backpacking in the woods. Things go very wrong.

And, then, their paths collide with a serial killer.

So much good reading is coming. So, so much.

See you again later this week for a look at this week’s YA book news and new YA books.

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of Body Talk, (Don’t) Call Me Crazy, and Here We Are.

What's Up in YA

YA Ebook Deals to Snag ASAP

Post author By Kelly Jensen
Post date May 28, 2020

This Week’s YA Book News and New YA Books

Post author By Kelly Jensen
Post date May 26, 2020

Sponsored by Write the World, publishers on Writers on Earth.

When it comes to confronting climate change, Gen Z is leading the way. “Writers on Earth” captures that hope and energy with powerful poems and stories by young writers about the global environment, its future, and our place in it. From Singapore to Canada, Australia to Pakistan, the US to Japan—Gen Z bares its heart. Equal parts love letter to planet Earth and a rallying cry, Writers on Earth will galvanize and inspire climate activists, educators, and nature lovers of all ages.

Hey YA Fans!

For those of you who had a long weekend, I hope you’re feeling refreshed and prepared for another weekend coming along super soon.

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

YA Book News

I dug this piece about musicians who are huge Twilight fans.
There is a super fancy edition of Stephanie Perkins’s Anna and the French Kiss coming this fall.
Suzanne Collins reads from A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
Surprise! There’s a new book coming in Holly Black’s The Folk of the Air series.
July is when you can catch the second season of The Kissing Booth on Netflix.
Thomas Low, of Lee & Low publishers, died last week.

New YA Books This Week

A * means I’ve read and recommend the book. As has been the case the last couple of months, some of the publication dates have changed, so this is as accurate as I can possibly be.

The Afterward by EK Johnston (paperback)

The Archer at Dawn by Swati Teerdhala (series)

*The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta

The Bone Thief by Breeana Shields (series)

*Camp by LC Rosen

Home Home by Lisa Allen-Agostini

*Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts) by LC Rosen (paperback)

The Jewel Thief by Jeannie Mobley

A Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee (paperback, series)

Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl (paperback)

Out Now edited by Saundra Mitchell

The Paper Girls of Paris by Jordyn Taylor

*Parachutes by Kelly Yang

The Queen’s Resistance by Rebecca Ross (paperback, series)

The Ship We Built by Lexie Bean

Stay Gold by Tobly McSmith

YA on Book Riot

Going deep with Neal Shusterman on identity, his career, and how YA has evolved over the last few decades.
20 completed YA fantasy series to begin for the first time or revisit.
Three great YA books without romance.
Remembering Karen Blumenthal and her legacy in YA nonfiction.

Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll be back in your inbox on Saturday with a roundup of excellent deals to fill up your ereader.

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of Body Talk, (Don’t) Call Me Crazy, and Here We Are.

What's Up in YA

This Week’s YA Book News and New Books

Post author By Kelly Jensen
Post date May 19, 2020

YA Book News

This piece on trans representation in YA is required reading.
HBO Max is going to be bringing more queer YA to screens everywhere. The latest project is LC Rosen’s Camp.
A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares has been optioned.
I’m super into the rest of the paperback cover redesigns for Marissa Meyer’s books.
Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed by Laurie Halse Anderson has a rad trailer to check out.
A pair of YA Star Wars novels will be turned into manga.

New YA Books This Week

As has become a normal refrain, I’ve done my best to ensure these books are out this week, but with pub date changes, it’s possible some got moved. Preorder for a surprise to your future self. A * means I’ve read the book and recommend it.

Amelia Westlake Was Never Here by Erin Gough (paperback)

Atomic Women: The Untold Stories of the Scientists Who Helped Create The Atomic Bomb by Roseanne Montillo (nonfiction)

A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (prequel)

Breath Like Water by Anna Jarzab

Date Me, Bryson Keller by Kevin van Whye

Just a Boy and a Girl In a Little Canoe by Sarah Mlynowski

*Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson (paperback)

Love and Other Curses by Michael Thomas Ford (paperback)

Talk Nerdy to Me by Tiffany Schmidt

This Coven Won’t Break by Isabel Sterling (series)

We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez

*We Regret To Inform You by Ariel Kaplan

YA Book Talk at Book Riot

The ultimate guide to finding YA short stories by your favorite authors.
Quiz o’clock: what Twilight character are you?
Settle in with a YA book about summer break.
Great YA books featuring mother-daughter relationships.

Yes indeed: it’s a good day to read YA.

Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you again in one week!

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of Body Talk, (Don’t) Call Me Crazy, and Here We Are.

What's Up in YA

Delectable and Delicious YA Books for Foodies

Post author By Kelly Jensen
Post date May 18, 2020

Sponsored by Lit Stitch: 25 Cross-Stitch Patterns for Book Lovers

Inside Book Riot’s Lit Stitch, you’ll find a number of badass, bookish cross-stitch patterns. Some of these are for bookmarks, others are for wall decor, and still others can take on a whole host of finished outcomes. What they have in common is their literary bent—the patterns speak to all manner of literary-minded book lovers, who are happy to display their nerdier sides. And what better way than through your own cross-stitch art to hang on your wall, prop on your desk, or even gift to friends and family. And most, if not all, are beginner friendly and can be completed in a few hours—instant stitchification! So grab yourself some excellent embroidery floss, hoops, and needles, and pick out one or more of these great cross-stitch patterns for your next project.

Hey YA Readers!

Let’s talk YA books and food, shall we?

We’re in the midst of a pandemic, and you can’t spend ten seconds on the internet without hearing about someone’s latest bread or baking project. Personally, I love seeing it, especially as I currently do not have a functioning oven and cannot participate. Call it enjoyment from afar.

That got me thinking about how many great recent-ish YA books there are about food.

I know I’ve talked food in YA before and specifically about YA books with recipes included. But let’s take a peek at some more YA books featuring food, cooking, and baking in some way.

I’ve read many of these, which I’ll indicate with a * as one I super recommend. But since I’ve not read all of them, I’m using ‘zon descriptions since I can’t talk about them any better.

Grab your favorite snack because you’re going to work up an appetite.

The Art of French Kissing by Brianna R. Shrum

Seventeen-year-old Carter Lane has wanted to be a chef since she was old enough to ignore her mom’s warnings to stay away from the hot stove. And now she has the chance of a lifetime: a prestigious scholarship competition in Savannah, where students compete all summer in Chopped style challenges for a full-ride to one of the best culinary schools in the country. The only impossible challenge ingredient in her basket: Reid Yamada.

After Reid, her cute but unbearably cocky opponent, goes out of his way to screw her over on day one, Carter vows revenge, and soon they are involved in a full-fledged culinary war. Just as the tension between them reaches its boiling point, Carter and Reid are forced to work together if they want to win, and Carter begins to wonder if Reid’s constant presence in her brain is about more than rivalry. And if maybe her desire to smack his mouth doesn’t necessarily cancel out her desire to kiss it.

*Darius The Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram (Darius is obsessed with tea, so obviously, he gets included here!)

Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He’s a Fractional Persian—half, his mom’s side—and his first-ever trip to Iran is about to change his life.

Darius has never really fit in at home, and he’s sure things are going to be the same in Iran. His clinical depression doesn’t exactly help matters, and trying to explain his medication to his grandparents only makes things harder. Then Darius meets Sohrab, the boy next door, and everything changes. Soon, they’re spending their days together, playing soccer, eating faludeh, and talking for hours on a secret rooftop overlooking the city’s skyline. Sohrab calls him Darioush—the original Persian version of his name—and Darius has never felt more like himself than he does now that he’s Darioush to Sohrab.

*Finding Yvonne by Brandy Colbert

Since she was seven years old, Yvonne has had her trusted violin to keep her company, especially in those lonely days after her mother walked out on their family. But with graduation just around the corner, she is forced to face the hard truth that she just might not be good enough to attend a conservatory after high school.

Full of doubt about her future, and increasingly frustrated by her strained relationship with her successful but emotionally closed-off father, Yvonne meets a street musician and fellow violinist who understands her struggle. He’s mysterious, charming, and different from Warren, the familiar and reliable boy who has her heart. But when Yvonne becomes unexpectedly pregnant, she has to make the most difficult decision yet about her future.

Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food and Love anthology edited by Elise Chapman and Caroline Tung Richmond

A shy teenager attempts to express how she really feels through the pastries she makes at her family’s pasteleria. A tourist from Montenegro desperately seeks a magic soup dumpling that can cure his fear of death. An aspiring chef realizes that butter and soul are the key ingredients to win a cooking competition that could win him the money to save his mother’s life.

Welcome to Hungry Hearts Row, where the answers to most of life’s hard questions are kneaded, rolled, baked. Where a typical greeting is, “Have you had anything to eat?” Where magic and food and love are sometimes one in the same.

Told in interconnected short stories, Hungry Hearts explores the many meanings food can take on beyond mere nourishment. It can symbolize love and despair, family and culture, belonging and home

Salty, Bitter, Sweet by Mayra Cuervas

Aspiring chef Isa’s family life has fallen apart after the death of her Cuban abuela and the divorce of her parents. She moves in with her dad and her new stepmom, Margo, in Lyon, France, where Isa feels like an outsider in her father’s new life. Isa balances her time between avoiding the awkward, “why-did-you-cheat-on-Mom” conversation with figuring out how a perpetually single woman can at least be a perpetually single chef.

The upside of Isa’s world being turned upside-down?

Her father’s house is located only 30 minutes away from the restaurant of world-famous Chef Pascal Grattard, who runs a prestigiously competitive international kitchen apprenticeship. The prize job at Chef Grattard’s renowned restaurant also represents a transformative opportunity for Isa who is desperate to get her life back in order—and desperate to prove she has what it takes to work in an haute kitchen. But Isa’s stress and repressed grief begin to unravel when the attractive, enigmatic Diego shows up unannounced with his albino dog.

How can Isa expect to hold it together when she’s at the bottom of her class at the apprenticeship, her new stepmom is pregnant, she misses her abuela dearly, and things with the mysterious Diego reach a boiling point?

*With The Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

Ever since she got pregnant freshman year, Emoni Santiago’s life has been about making the tough decisions – doing what has to be done for her daughter and her abuela. The one place she can let all that go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness.

Even though she dreams of working as a chef after she graduates, Emoni knows that it’s not worth her time to pursue the impossible. Yet despite the rules she thinks she has to play by, once Emoni starts cooking, her only choice is to let her talent break free.

Delicious! I hope you’re as eager to enjoy these books as I am to catch up on the ones I haven’t yet read.

Stay healthy, and we’ll see you on Thursday!

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of Body Talk, (Don’t) Call Me Crazy, and Here We Are.

What's Up in YA

Score Some Major YA Ebook Deals!

Post author By Kelly Jensen
Post date May 15, 2020

Sponsored by Terraformer by the NYT bestselling author, Colleen Houck

In the future, a terraforming ship lands on a perfectly green planet.

Two young men, one a budding colony leader, the other an engineer, compete for the affection of one young woman training as a botanist.
The only problem?
Astra has a secret.
A big one.
And someone (or something) just maybe is trying to kill her for it.

Hey YA Pals!

Grab your ereader and get ready to load up on some excellent deals this weekend. There’s something here for every kind of reader, but what they all have in common is they’re great YA books (this is, after all, a YA newsletter!).

Deals are current as of Friday, May 15.

Aurora Rising, the first in a series by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, is $2.

If you’re itching for a mystery, April Henry’s The Girl I Used To Be will be up your alley. $3.

I have deep love for all things Maurene Goo, who writes some of the best rom coms in YA. Snag The Way You Make Me Feel for $3.

The Love Language of Cherries by Jen Marie Hawkins is a novel in verse that hit shelves this year, so maybe grab it while it’s $1.

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez is $3 and such a good read.

I loved Jen Wilde’s first book but haven’t yet read her next. But The Brightsiders being $3 might be motivation to get to it sooner!

Rebel by Marie Lu is $3.

Two books that are firsts in fantasy series to pick up: The Beholder by Anna Bright is $2 while Bloodleaf by Crystal Smith is $3. Oh, why not also add in Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim for $3?

Speaking of fantasy books that are the first in a series, The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala is $2.

Mimi Yu’s The Girl King is $2.

The Beauty of the Moment by Tanaz Bhathena is $3. You can also pick up her book A Girl Like That for the same price.

Brittany Cavallaro’s take on Sherlock in A Study in Charlotte is $3.

Stuck at home and want something fun to do? Maybe try your hands at some of the activities in Smithsonian’s book Maker Lab. $2. There’s also a Star Wars Maker Lab for $2!

Laurie Halse Anderson’s The Impossible Knife of Memory is $3.

X by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon is an excellent read. Grab it for $3.

For some reason, Watch Us Rise by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan is on sale frequently. It’s $2 and so. dang. good.

If you’re missing sports, Carl Deuker’s classic Gym Candy is on sale for $3.

Here’s to finding your next great read!

See you again on Monday.

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of Body Talk, (Don’t) Call Me Crazy, and Here We Are.

What's Up in YA

This Week’s YA News and New Books!

Post author By Kelly Jensen
Post date May 12, 2020

YA Book News

The first images for the Netflix show based on the YA novel Cursed have been released.
I wrote back in 2018 that vampires were back, and Publishers Weekly had a nice look at this year’s vampire stories.
Cassandra Clare’s “The Infernal Devices” might see an adaptation.
Fierce Reads has been doing bookshelf tours with YA authors and these are a lot of fun.
This look back at the film of Richard Peck’s classic YA title Are You In The House Alone was really fascinating. Yes, this is way, way backlist, but this book — and Peck himself — are pretty influential in the history of YA.
Speaking of backlist, Christopher Pike’s The Midnight Club might be coming to screens near you.
The Lovely War by Julie Berry won this year’s Amelia Elizabeth Walden award from ALAN. Here’s a link to the press release, as well as a look at the finalists for this award.

This Week’s New YA Books

Same caveat as the last few weeks here: some of these books may have had their publication date changed, and I’ve done the best I can to ensure this is up to date. A number of the books I read and recommend for this week had their pub dates shifted, so I’ve (sadly!) not yet read any of these.

By The Book by Amanda Sellet

Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard (paperback, series)

The Boy in the Red Dress by Kristin Lambert

Dear Universe by Florence Gonsalves

The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar

Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins (paperback, series)

House of Dragons by Jessica Cluess (first in a series)

How To Make Friends With The Dark by Kathleen Glasgow

Private Lessons by Cynthia Salaysay

Say Yes Summer by Lindsey Roth Culli

The Summer of Impossibilities by Rachael Allen

Trans Mission by Alex Bertie (paperback, nonfiction)

We Contain Multitudes by Sarah Henstra (paperback)

This Week on Book Riot

The first #OwnVoices Asian American YA book is being rereleased and has an amazing cover!
These 20+ adult books make perfect reading for YA fans. AKA: excellent crossover books.
Love the Netflix film The Half of It? You’ll want to read these YA books.
Hello, Baby-Sitters Club Netflix trailer and release date!
May 2020 YA releases for your TBR.
Quiz: Which Member of Dumbledore’s Army Are You?
Dig into the most popular books in libraries during the first quarter of 2020, including YA books.

Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you again on Saturday with some stellar ebook deals.

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of Body Talk, (Don’t) Call Me Crazy, and Here We Are.

What's Up in YA

YA Books as Candles For Your Home

Post author By Kelly Jensen
Post date May 7, 2020

YA Book News and New YA Books Out This Week

Post author By Kelly Jensen
Post date May 5, 2020

Sponsored by our 1-year Kindle Unlimited subscription giveaway, courtesy of Macmillan’s eDeals Newsletter. Enter now!

We’re giving away a 1-year Kindle Unlimited subscription to 5 lucky winners, courtesy of Macmillan’s eDeals Newsletter. Enter now!

Hey YA Readers!

I hope you’re hanging in there. Remember we’re all doing the best we can, and if your best is nothing at all, that’s absolutely fine. If this means you’re not reading much at all, that’s okay!

This week, like in weeks previous, there’s not a lot of YA news to share, but what there is to share is pretty big.

YA Book News

Stephenie Meyer announced that Midnight Sun, the Twilight volume from Edward’s point of view, is hitting shelves in August.
The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the National Council of Teachers of English announced their Amelia Elizabeth Walden award finalists and this is a heck of a slate of great YA!
I didn’t even know Erin Jade Lange’s YA novel Butter was being turned into a film.
A cool interview with YA legend Judy Blume.
I still need to read Amelia Westlake Was Never Here — sitting on my shelf, of course — and now even more so before it gets the adaptation treatment.
Goosebumps isn’t YA, but I suspect a lot of YA fans will be nostalgic and excited seeing the series come to live-action TV.
Netflix’s new series Summertime is apparently based on a very popular Italian YA book series.

This Week’s New YA Books

I’ve tried to verify release dates as much as possible, given that a number of books had their publication dates shifted because of COVID-19. If the book isn’t out this week, preorder it as a surprise to your future self. A * means I’ve read and recommend the book!

American Royals by Katherine McGee (first in a series, paperback)

Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff (series)

The Betrothed by Kiera Cass (first in a series)

Bloodleaf by Crystal Smith (first in a series, paperback)

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo