Kelly Jensen's Blog, page 11

YA Title Twins: Pairing 2021 Releases With Backlist Books

I keep a spreadsheet of YA book releases each year to use for my own reading, as well as for writing about YA books here and on Book Riot. It gives me an opportunity to note things that interest me, as well as note what might be worth writing about.

Pulling together the list for titles through August, I noticed a number of YA book titles this year that share their names with titles gone by. Let’s take a look at these title twins, wherein a 2021 YA book release has the same title as a backlist YA read. They might have nothing to do with one another, but seeing them side by side is fun.

I’ve included descriptions for both books, from Goodreads, below each title twin. A colored box beside a book cover means the cover hasn’t yet been released.

But before we go into the backlist, why don’t we begin with two 2021 YA books sharing a title?

 

Off The Record by Camryn Garrett and Off The Record by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich

 

 

Off The Record by Camryn Garrett (May 18)

Ever since seventeen-year-old Josie Wright can remember, writing has been her identity, the thing that grounds her when everything else is a garbage fire. So when she wins a contest to write a celebrity profile for Deep Focus magazine, she’s equal parts excited and scared, but also ready. She’s got this.

Soon Josie is jetting off on a multi-city tour, rubbing elbows with sparkly celebrities, frenetic handlers, stone-faced producers, and eccentric stylists. She even finds herself catching feelings for the subject of her profile, dazzling young newcomer Marius Canet. Josie’s world is expanding so rapidly, she doesn’t know whether she’s flying or falling. But when a young actress lets her in on a terrible secret, the answer is clear: she’s in over her head.

One woman’s account leads to another and another. Josie wants to expose the man responsible, but she’s reluctant to speak up, unsure if this is her story to tell. What if she lets down the women who have entrusted her with their stories? What if this ends her writing career before it even begins? There are so many reasons not to go ahead, but if Josie doesn’t step up, who will?

From the author of Full Disclosure, this is a moving testament to the #MeToo movement, and all the ways women stand up for each other.

 

Off The Record by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich (Fall)

Two boys in America’s biggest boy band who fall for each other while on their first sold-out European tour, and are forced to keep their relationship a secret by their record label, but slowly realize those in charge have no intention of letting them announce their relationship to the world—ever.

 

 

Fire With Fire by Destiny Soria and Fire With Fire by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

 

 

Fire With Fire by Destiny Soria (June 8)

Dani and Eden Rivera were both born to kill dragons, but the sisters couldn’t be more different. For Dani, dragon slaying takes a back seat to normal high school life, while Eden prioritizes training above everything else. Yet they both agree on one thing: it’s kill or be killed where dragons are concerned.

Until Dani comes face-to-face with one and forges a rare and magical bond with him. As she gets to know Nox, she realizes that everything she thought she knew about dragons is wrong. With Dani lost to the dragons, Eden turns to the mysterious and alluring sorcerers to help save her sister. Now on opposite sides of the conflict, the sisters will do whatever it takes to save the other. But the two are playing with magic that is more dangerous than they know, and there is another, more powerful enemy waiting for them both in the shadows.

 

Fire With Fire by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Lillia, Kat, and Mary had the perfect plan. Work together in secret to take down the people who wronged them. But things didn’t exactly go the way they’d hoped at the Homecoming Dance.

Not even close.

For now, it looks like they got away with it. All they have to do is move on and pick up the pieces, forget there ever was a pact. But it’s not easy, not when Reeve is still a total jerk and Rennie’s meaner than she ever was before.

And then there’s sweet little Mary…she knows there’s something seriously wrong with her. If she can’t control her anger, she’s sure that someone will get hurt even worse than Reeve was. Mary understands now that it’s not just that Reeve bullied her—it’s that he made her love him.

Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, burn for a burn. A broken heart for a broken heart. The girls are up to the task. They’ll make Reeve fall in love with Lillia and then they will crush him. It’s the only way he’ll learn.

It seems once a fire is lit, the only thing you can do is let it burn.

 

Bruised by Tanya Boteju and Bruised by Sarah Skilton

 

 

Bruised by Tanya Boteju (March 23)

To Daya Wijesinghe, a bruise is a mixture of comfort and control. Since her parents died in an accident she survived, bruises have become a way to keep her pain on the surface of her skin so she doesn’t need to deal with the ache deep in her heart.

So when chance and circumstances bring her to a roller derby bout, Daya is hooked. Yes, the rules are confusing and the sport seems to require the kind of teamwork and human interaction Daya generally avoids. But the opportunities to bruise are countless, and Daya realizes that if she’s going to keep her emotional pain at bay, she’ll need all the opportunities she can get.

The deeper Daya immerses herself into the world of roller derby, though, the more she realizes it’s not the simple physical pain-fest she was hoping for. Her rough-and-tumble teammates and their fans push her limits in ways she never imagined, bringing Daya to big truths about love, loss, strength, and healing.

 

Bruised by Sarah Skilton

Imogen has always believed that her black belt in Tae Kwon Do made her stronger than everyone else–more responsible, more capable. But when she witnesses a holdup in a diner, she freezes. The gunman is shot and killed by the police. And it’s all her fault.

Now she’s got to rebuild her life without the talent that made her special and the beliefs that made her strong. If only she could prove herself in a fight–a real fight–she might be able to let go of the guilt and shock. She’s drawn to Ricky, another witness to the holdup, both romantically and because she believes he might be able to give her the fight she’s been waiting for.

But when it comes down to it, a fight won’t answer Imogen’s big questions: What does it really mean to be stronger than other people? Is there such a thing as a fair fight? And can someone who’s beaten and bruised fall in love?

 

Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson, Smoke by Darcy Woods, and Smoke by Ellen Hopkins

 

 

Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson (September 14)

Smoke, pitched as Get Out meets The Haunting of Hill House, is about a girl and her blended family who move into a newly renovated, picture-perfect home in a dilapidated Midwestern city and are haunted by what she thinks are ghosts, but might be far worse.

 

Smoke by Darcy Woods (June 15)

Sixteen-year-old Honor Augustine never set out to become a felon. As an academic all-star, avid recycler, and dedicated daughter to her PTSD-afflicted father, she’s always been the literal embodiment of her name. Coloring inside the lines is what keeps Honor’s chaotic existence orderly.

But when she discovers her father’s VA benefits drying up, coupled with a terrifying bank letter threatening the family’s greenhouse business–Honor vows to find a solution. She just doesn’t expect to spot it on the dry erase board of English lit–“Nature’s first green is gold.”

The quote by Frost becomes the seed of an idea. An idea that–with patience and care–could germinate into a means of survival. Maybe marijuana could be more than the medicinal plant that helps quiet her father’s demons. Maybe, it could save them all.

 

Smoke by Ellen Hopkins

Pattyn’s father is dead. Now she’s on the run in this riveting companion to New York Times bestseller Burned, which Kirkus Reviews calls “a strong, painful, and tender piece about wresting hope from the depths of despair.”

Pattyn Von Stratten’s father is dead, and Pattyn is on the run. After far too many years of abuse at the hands of her father, and after the tragic loss of her beloved Ethan and their unborn child, Pattyn is desperate for peace. Only her sister Jackie knows what happened that fatal night, but she is stuck at home with their mother, who clings to normalcy by allowing the truth to be covered up by their domineering community leaders. Her father might be finally gone, but without Pattyn, Jackie is desperately isolated.

Alone and in disguise, Pattyn starts a new life as a migrant worker on a California ranch. But is it even possible to rebuild a life when everything you’ve known has burned to ash and lies seem far safer than the truth?

 

Sanctuary by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio and Sanctuary by Paola Mendoza and Abby Sher

 

 

Sanctuary by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio (Fall)

The YA novel follows Marcela, a 16-year-old New Yorker and budding journalist whose world comes crashing down when she finds out her father is scheduled for immediate deportation. When he seeks sanctuary at a local church, Marcela finds herself fighting for her father’s rights and fending off exploitative media outlets she once hoped to join.

 

Sanctuary by Paola Mendoza and Abby Sher

It’s 2032, and in this near-future America, all citizens are chipped and everyone is tracked–from buses to grocery stores. It’s almost impossible to survive as an undocumented immigrant, but that’s exactly what sixteen-year-old Vali is doing. She and her family have carved out a stable, happy life in small-town Vermont, but when Vali’s mother’s counterfeit chip starts malfunctioning and the Deportation Forces raid their town, they are forced to flee.

Now on the run, Vali and her family are desperately trying to make it to her tía Luna’s in California, a sanctuary state that is currently being walled off from the rest of the country. But when Vali’s mother is detained before their journey even really begins, Vali must carry on with her younger brother across the country to make it to safety before it’s too late.

Gripping and urgent, co-authors Paola Mendoza and Abby Sher have crafted a narrative that is as haunting as it is hopeful in envisioning a future where everyone can find sanctuary.

 

 

Don’t Breathe a Word by Jordyn Taylor and Don’t Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala

 

 

Don’t Breathe a Word by Jordyn Taylor (May 18)

Present Day:

Eva has never felt like she belonged . . . not in her own family or with her friends in New York City, and certainly not at a fancy boarding school like Hardwick Preparatory Academy. So when she is invited to join the Fives, an elite secret society, she jumps at the opportunity to finally be a part of something.

But what if the Fives are about more than just having the best parties and receiving special privileges from the school? What if they are also responsible for keeping some of Hardwick’s biggest secrets buried?

1962:

There is only one reason why Connie would volunteer to be one of the six students to participate in testing Hardwick’s nuclear fallout shelter: Craig Allenby. While the thought of nuclear war sends her into a panic, she can’t pass up the opportunity to spend four days locked in with the school’s golden boy. However, Connie and the other students quickly discover that there is more to this “test” than they previously thought. As they are forced to follow an escalating series of commands, Connie realizes that one wrong move could have dangerous consequences.

Separated by sixty years , Eva’s and Connie’s stories become inextricably intertwined as Eva unravels the mystery of how six students went into the fallout shelter all those years ago . . . but only five came out.

 

Don’t Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala

Joy Delamere is suffocating.

From asthma, from her parents, and from her boyfriend, Asher, who is smothering her from the inside out. She can take his cruel words, his tender words . . . until the night they go too far.

To escape, Joy sacrifices her suburban life to find the one who offered his help, a homeless boy called Creed. He introduces her to a world of fierce loyalty, to its rules of survival, and to love—a world she won’t easily let go.

Set against the backdrop of the streets of Seattle, Holly Cupala’s power­ful new novel explores the subtleties of abuse, the secrets we keep, and the ways to redemption. But above all, it is an unflinching story about the extraordinary lengths one girl will go to discover her own strength.

 

 

Remember Me by Estelle Laure and Remember Me by Christopher Pike

 

 

Remember Me by Estelle Laure (October 12)

Inspired by Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the story follows Remy, who rediscovers herself while on a mission to recover the troubling memories she has had erased in order to avoid her heartbreak

 

Remember Me by Christopher Pike

Shari Cooper hadn’t planned on dying, but four floors is a long way to fall. Her friends say she fell but Shari knew she had been murdered. Making a vow to herself to find her killer, Shari spies on her friends, and even enters their dreams. She also comes face-to-face with a nightmare from beyond the grave. The Shadow – a thing more horrible than death itself – is the key to Shari’s death, and the only thing that can stop her murderer from murdering again.

 

Lucky Girl by Jamie Pacton and Lucky Girl by Amanda Maciel

 

 

Lucky Girl by Jamie Pacton (May 11)

A hilarious and poignant reflection on what money can and cannot fix.

58,643,129. That’s how many dollars seventeen-year-old Fortuna Jane Belleweather just won in the lotto jackpot. It’s also about how many reasons she has for not coming forward to claim her prize.

Problem #1: Jane is still a minor, and if anyone discovers she bought the ticket underage, she’ll either have to forfeit the ticket, or worse…

Problem #2: Let her hoarder mother cash it. The last thing Jane’s mom needs is millions of dollars to buy more junk. Then…

Problem #3: Jane’s best friend, aspiring journalist Brandon Kim, declares on the news that he’s going to find the lucky winner. It’s one thing to keep her secret from the town, it’s another thing entirely to lie to her best friend. Especially when…

Problem #4: Jane’s ex-boyfriend, Holden, is suddenly back in her life, and he has big ideas about what he’d do with the prize money.

As suspicion and jealousy turn neighbor against neighbor, and no good options for cashing the ticket come forward, Jane begins to wonder: Could this much money actually be a bad thing?

 

Lucky Girl by Amanda Maciel

Being a pretty girl is who Rosie is, but it’s the start of a new school year and she wants to be more. Namely, she’s determined to be better to her best friend, Maddie, who’s just back from a summer program abroad having totally blossomed into her own looks. Rosie isn’t thrilled when Maddie connects with a football player who Rosie was hooking up with—but if it makes her friend happy, she’s prepared to move on. Plus someone even more interesting has moved to town: Alex, who recently garnered public attention after he stopped a classmate from carrying out a shooting rampage at his old high school. Rosie is drawn to Alex in a way she’s never really experienced for a boy before—and she is surprised to discover that, unlike every other guy, he seems to see more to her than her beauty.

Then one night, in the midst of a devastating storm, Rosie suffers an assault that tears apart her life and friendship with Maddie. Forced to face uncomfortable truths about beauty, reputation, and what it really means to be a friend, Rosie realizes that change doesn’t always happen the way you want it to—every disaster has consequences. But with a lot of help and the right people around you, there might also be a way forward.

 

Along For the Ride by Rachel Meinke and Along For the Ride by Sarah Dessen

 

Along For the Ride by Rachel Meinke (August 10)

Connor Jackson. These two words make every girl go crazy, screaming and begging for a chance to meet him. He’s the world’s biggest pop star, but for seventeen-year-old Katelyn Jackson: he’s just her older brother. When she’s forced to put her competitive soccer dreams on hold to go along on his US summer tour, she’s unimpressed. But when she meets the lead singer of his opening act, everything changes and life on the road takes a whole different turn.

 

Along For the Ride by Sarah Dessen

It’s been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents’ divorce—or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.

A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she’s been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.

This Week at Book Riot

 

Over on Book Riot this week…

 

If owning a former library is on your bucket list, here’s one for sale in northern Minnesota (bonus: a sweet Instagram account following folks who are rehabilitating another former library in Indiana).

 

A giant roundup of winter 2021 YA books hitting shelves.

 

The ultimate guide to bookish bullet journal supplies.

 

There’s also a new episode of Hey YA. This week, Hannah and I dig into YA reissues/graphic novel adaptations, as well as outstanding writing guides for those who are eager to start or hone their skills. Tune in!

2021 YA Nonfiction: A Guide to Early 2021 YA Nonfiction Releases

Let’s kick off 2021 with a look at an array of incredible young adult nonfiction hitting shelves in the first few months of the year.

Nonfiction for young readers — that 10-18 range, which spans both middle grade readers and teen readers — always seems to be one of the categories that doesn’t land on a whole lot of lists. I suspect part of it has to do with the fact these books are still not as widely publicized or reviewed as their fictional counterparts, part of it has to do with the fact it’s a bit of a strange age-range, part of it has to do with the stigma around nonfiction for young readers being “report books” still, and part of it has to do with the fact that many YA-centric reviews/blogs/publicity avenues ultimately cater to the adult reader of YA, as opposed to the young reader. Again, not a slight.

Young readers are the target market of nonfiction for young readers. How the word about these books spreads is just different.

One of the things that makes this category of books so special and has for the better part of the last decade is that they’re inclusive. They showcase a wide range of stories, of insights, and of perspectives.

As always, this isn’t a comprehensive list because finding publishers of YA nonfiction isn’t easy and few lists exist that compile large numbers of titles (this might be one of the only!).

It’s also challenging to differentiate between books which aremeant to help students with research projects — aka, reference books — and those meant to be more leisure reading without looking at them first hand. That doesn’t mean these two types of nonfiction are at odds but rather, it’s something that makes highlighting narrative nonfiction a little trickier.

All descriptions are from Goodreads, as are publication dates. Especially with the pandemic and printer challenges, publication dates can shift and change. Note, too, that these books cover a slightly different age range that typical YA books. Some will skew a little younger and encompass middle grade readers. I have also included nonfiction comics on the list.

 

Early 2021 YA Nonfiction Books
January
It’s All Love by Jenna Ortega (5)

This collection from actress Jenna Ortega is filled with Jenna’s own original quotes and affirmations, alongside intimate, personal stories about growing up Latina in Hollywood, working through depression, falling in–and out of–love, losing close family members, and so much more.

Jenna has had to balance her acting career, her private life, and public expectations from a young age, and she’s learned that the only way to get through it all is to wake up every morning and affirm her commitment to herself, her faith, her mental health, and her family. In this honest and moving debut, she shares openly and intimately what it means to live this life of self-appreciation.

Jenna’s vulnerability will remind readers that there’s power within us all and we are not alone in our struggles.

 

 

Race Against Time: The Untold Story of Scipio Jones and the Battle to Save Twelve Innocent Men by Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace (5)

Scipio Africanus Jones—a self-taught attorney who was born enslaved—leads a momentous series of court cases to save twelve black men who’d been unjustly sentenced to death.

In October 1919, a group of black sharecroppers met at a church in an Arkansas village to organize a union. Bullets rained down on the meeting from outside. Many were killed by a white mob, and others were rounded up and arrested. Twelve of the sharecroppers were hastily tried and sentenced to death. Up stepped Scipio Africanus Jones, a self-taught lawyer who’d been born enslaved. Could he save the men’s lives and set them free? Through their in-depth research and consultation with legal experts, award-winning nonfiction authors Sandra and Rich Wallace examine the complex proceedings and an unsung African American early civil rights hero.

 

 

Separate No More: The Long Road to Brown v. Board of Education by Lawrence Goldstone (5)

Since 1896, in the landmark outcome of Plessy v. Ferguson, the doctrine of “separate but equal” had been considered acceptable under the United States Constitution. African American and white populations were thus segregated, attending different schools, living in different neighborhoods, and even drinking from different water fountains. However, as African Americans found themselves lacking opportunity and living under the constant menace of mob violence, it was becoming increasingly apparent that segregation was not only unjust, but dangerous.

Fighting to turn the tide against racial oppression, revolutionaries rose up all over America, from Booker T. Washington to W. E. B. Du Bois. They formed coalitions of some of the greatest legal minds and activists, who carefully strategized how to combat the racist judicial system. These efforts would be rewarded in the groundbreaking cases of 1952-1954 known collectively as Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, in which the US Supreme Court would decide, once and for all, the legality of segregation — and on which side of history the United States would stand.

In this thrilling examination of the path to Brown v. Board of Education, Constitutional law scholar Lawrence Goldstone highlights the key trials and players in the fight for integration. Written with a deft hand, this story of social justice will remind readers, young and old, of the momentousness of the segregation hearings.

 

The Beautiful Struggle: Young Reader Edition by Ta-Nehisi Coates (12)

This was the abyss where, unguided, black boys were swallowed whole, only to re-emerge on corners and prison tiers

Ta-Nehisi Coates grew up in the tumultuous 1980’s in Baltimore known, back then as the murder capital of the United States.

With seven siblings, four mothers, and one highly unconventional father: Paul Coates, a larger-than-life Vietnam Vet, Black Panther, Ta-Nehisi’s coming of age story is gripping and lays bare the troubled, often violent life of the inner-city, and the author’s experience as a young black person in it

With candor, Ta-Nehisi Coates details the challenges on the streets and within one’s family, especially the eternal struggle for peace between a father and son and the important role family plays in such circumstances.

 

The Impossible Climb: Alex Honnold, El Capitan, and a Climber’s Life by Mark Synnott and Hampton Synnott (26)

On June 3, 2017, Alex Honnold achieved what most had written off as unattainable: a 3,000-foot vertical climb of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, without a rope or harness. At the time, only a few knew what he was attempting to do, but after topping out at 9:28 am, having spent just under four hours on this historic feat, author Mark Synnott broke the story for National Geographic and the world watched in awe.

Now adapted for a younger audience, The Impossible Climb tells the gripping story of how a quiet kid from Sacramento, California, grew up to capture the attention of the entire globe by redefining the limits of human potential through hard work, discipline, and a deep respect for the natural world.

 

 

February
#MeToo and You: Everything You Need to Know about Consent, Boundaries, and More by Halley Bondy (2)

The #MeToo movement has changed the way many people view the world, but how well do tweens understand it? Middle-grade readers are ready to learn about consent, harassment, and abuse, as well as healthy boundaries in all their relationships.

#MeToo and You includes essential terminology, from consent to assault, from just plain yes to just plain no. Author Halley Bondy explores the nuances of emotions, comfort, and discomfort in sexually charged and emotionally abusive situations. Detailed scenarios, both real and hypothetical, provide valuable examples of what’s acceptable and what is not, along with tools to help everyone treat others appropriately and to stand up for themselves and their peers.

 

 

Girlhood: Teens Around the World in Their Own Voices by Masuma Ahuja (9)

What do the lives of teenage girls look like in Cambodia and Kenya, in Mongolia and the Midwest? What do they worry about and dream of? What happens on an ordinary day?

All around the world, girls are going to school, working, creating, living as sisters, daughters, friends. Yet we know so little about their daily lives. We hear about a few exceptional girls who make headlines, and we hear about headline-making struggles and catastrophes. But since the health, education, and success of girls so often determines the future of a community, why don’t we know more about what life is like for the ordinary girls, the ones living outside the headlines? From the Americas to Europe to Africa to Asia to the South Pacific, the thirty-one teens from twenty-nine countries in Girlhood Around the World share their own stories of growing up through diary entries and photographs. They invite us into their day-to-day lives, through their eyes and in their voices, in a full-color, exuberantly designed scrapbook-like volume.

 

In The Shadow of the Moon by Amy Cherrix (9)

You’ve heard of the space race, but do you know the whole story?

The most ambitious race humankind has ever undertaken was masterminded in the shadows by two engineers on opposite sides of the Cold War: Wernher von Braun, a former Nazi officer living in the US, and Sergei Korolev, a Russian rocket designer once jailed for crimes against his country—and your textbooks probably never told you.

These two brilliant but controversial rocketeers never met, yet together they reshaped spaceflight and warfare. From Stalin’s brutal gulags and Hitler’s concentration camps to Cape Canaveral and beyond, their simultaneous quests pushed science—and human ingenuity—to the breaking point.

Von Braun became an American hero, recognized the world over, while Korolev toiled in obscurity. But as each of these men altered human history, they were eclipsed by their troubled pasts, living out their lives in the shadow of the same moon that drove them to such astonishing feats of scientific achievement.

From Amy Cherrix comes the extraordinary hidden story of the space race and the bitter rivalry that took humankind to the moon.

 

Meltdown: Earthquake, Tsunami, and Nuclear Disaster in Fukushima by Deirdre Langeland (9)

On March 11, 2011, the largest earthquake ever measured in Japan occurred off the northeast coast. It triggered a tsunami with a wall of water 128 feet high. The tsunami damaged the nuclear power plant in Fukushima triggering the nightmare scenario–a nuclear meltdown.

For six days, employees at the plant worked to contain the meltdown and disaster workers scoured the surrounding flooded area for survivors.

This book examines the science behind such a massive disaster and looks back at the people who experienced an unprecedented trifecta of destruction.

 

 

 

How To Change Everything: The Young Human’s Guide to Protecting the Planet and Each Other by Naomi Klein and Rebecca Stefoff (23)

Warmer temperatures. Fires in the Amazon. Superstorms. These are just some of the effects of climate change that we are already experiencing.

The good news is that we can all do something about it. A movement is already underway to combat not only the environmental effects of climate change but also to fight for climate justice and make a fair and livable future possible for everyone. And young people are not just part of that movement, they are leading the way. They are showing us that this moment of danger is also a moment of great opportunity—an opportunity to change everything.

Full of empowering stories of young leaders all over the world, this information-packed book from award-winning journalist and one of the foremost voices for climate justice, Naomi Klein, offers young readers a comprehensive look at the state of the climate today and how we got here, while also providing the tools they need to join this fight to protect and reshape the planet they will inherit.

 

March
Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip Hop Generation: Young Reader Edition by Jeff Chang and Dave Cook (2)

From award-winning author Jeff Chang, Can’t Stop Won’t Stop is the story of hip-hop, a generation-defining movement and the music that transformed American politics and culture forever.

Hip hop is one of the most dominant and influential cultures in America, giving new voice to the younger generation. It defines a generation’s worldview. Exploring hip hop’s beginnings up to the present day, Jeff Chang and Dave “Davey D” Cook provide a provocative look into the new world that the hip hop generation has created.

Based on original interviews with DJs, b-boys, rappers, activists, and gang members, with unforgettable portraits of many of hip hop’s forebears, founders, mavericks, and present day icons, this book chronicles the epic events, ideas and the music that marked the hip hop generation’s rise.

 

 

Singled Out: The True Story of Glenn Burke by Andrew Maraniss (2)

On October 2nd, 1977, Glenn Burke, outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers, made history without even swinging a bat. When his teammate Dusty Baker hit a historic home run, Glenn enthusiastically congratulated him with the first ever high five.

But Glenn also made history in another way–he was the first openly gay MLB player. While he did not come out publicly until after his playing days were over, Glenn’s sexuality was known to his teammates, family, and friends. His MLB career would be cut short after only three years, but his legacy and impact on the athletic and LGBTQ+ community would resonate for years to come.

In Singled Out, New York Times bestselling author Andrew Maraniss tells the story of a little-known but monumentally important sports pioneer, Glenn Burke: from his childhood growing up in Oakland, his journey to the World Series, and his joy in living free at a time of gay liberation, to more difficult times: facing injury, addiction, and the AIDS epidemic.

Packed with black-and-white photographs and never-before-seen details about Glenn’s life, Singled Out is the fascinating and thoroughly researched story of a trailblazer in sports–and the history and culture that shaped the world around him.

Master of His Fate: Roosevelt’s Rise from Polio to the Presidency by James Tobin (23)

In 1921, FDR contracted polio. Just as he began to set his sights on the New York governorship—and, with great hope, the presidency—FDR became paralyzed from the waist down. FDR faced a radical choice: give up politics or reenter the arena with a disability, something never seen before. With the help of Eleanor and close friends, Roosevelt made valiant strides toward rehabilitation and became even more focused on becoming president, proving that misfortune sometimes turns out to be a portal to unexpected opportunities and rewards—even to greatness.

This groundbreaking political biography richly weaves together medicine, disability narratives, and presidential history.

 

 

 

A Time of Fear: America in the Era of Red Scares and Cold War by Albert Marrin (30)

In twentieth century America, no power–and no threat–loomed larger than the communist superpower of the Soviet Union. America saw in the dreams of the Soviet Union the overthrow of the US government, and the end of democracy and freedom. Meanwhile, the Communist Party of the United States attempted to use deep economic and racial disparities in American culture to win over members and sympathizers.

From the miscarriage of justice in the Scotsboro Boys case, to the tragedy of the Rosenbergs to the theatrics of the Hollywood Ten to the menace of the Joseph McCarthy and his war hearings, Albert Marrin examines a unique time in American history…and explores both how some Americans were lured by the ideals of communism without understanding its reality and how fear of communist infiltration at times caused us to undermine our most deeply held values. The questions he raises ask: What is worth fighting for? And what are you willing to sacrifice to keep it?

Filled with black and white photographs throughout, this timely book from an award-author brings to life an important and dramatic era in American history with lessons that are deeply relevant today.

 

April
Everything You Wanted To Know About Indians But Were Afraid To Ask: Young Reader Edition by Anton Treuer (6)

From the acclaimed Ojibwe author and professor Anton Treuer comes an essential book of questions and answers for Native and non-Native young readers alike. Ranging from “Why is there such a fuss about nonnative people wearing Indian costumes for Halloween?” to “Why is it called a ‘traditional Indian fry bread taco’?” to “What’s it like for natives who don’t look native?” to “Why are Indians so often imagined rather than understood?”, and beyond, Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask (Young Readers Edition) does exactly what its title says for young readers, in a style consistently thoughtful, personal, and engaging.

Updated and expanded to include:

• Dozens of New Questions and New Sections—including a social activism section that explores the Dakota Access Pipeline, racism, identity, politics, and more!

• Over 50 new Photos

• Adapted text for broad appeal

 

The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler’s Ghettos: Young Reader Edition by Judy Batalion (6)

As their communities were being destroyed, groups of Jewish women and teenage girls across Poland began transforming Jewish youth groups into resistance factions. These “ghetto girls” helped build systems of underground bunkers, paid off the Gestapo, and bombed German train lines.

At the center of the book is eighteen-year-old Renia Kukielka, who traveled across her war-torn country as a weapons smuggler and messenger. Other women who joined the cause served as armed fighters, spies, and saboteurs, all risking their lives for their missions.

Never before chronicled in full, this is the incredible account of the strong Jewish women who fought back against the seemingly unstoppable Nazi regime. It follows the women through arrests, internment, and for a lucky few, into the late 20th century and beyond.

It also includes a section of black-and-white photos, so that readers can see firsthand the extraordinary women who bravely fought for their freedom in the face of overwhelming odds.

 

No Way. They Were Gay?: Hidden Lives and Secret Loves (Queer History Project) by Lee Wind (6)

History sounds really official. Like it’s all fact. Like it’s definitely what happened.

But that’s not necessarily true. History was crafted by the people who recorded it. And sometimes, those historians were biased against, didn’t see, or couldn’t even imagine anyone different from themselves.

That means that history has often left out the stories of LGBTQIA+ people: men who loved men, women who loved women, people who loved without regard to gender, and people who lived outside gender boundaries. Historians have even censored the lives and loves of some of the world’s most famous people, from William Shakespeare and Pharaoh Hatshepsut to Cary Grant and Eleanor Roosevelt.

Join author Lee Wind for this fascinating journey through primary sources―poetry, memoir, news clippings, and images of ancient artwork―to explore the hidden (and often surprising) Queer lives and loves of two dozen historical figures.

 

Notes From a Young Black Chef: Young Reader Edition by Kwame Onwuachi (13)

This inspiring memoir, now adapted for young adults, chronicles Top Chef star and Forbes and Zagat 30 Under 30 phenom Kwame Onwuachi’s incredible and odds-defying fame in the food world after a tough childhood in the Bronx and Nigeria.

Food was Kwame Onwuachi’s first great love. He connected to cooking via his mother, in the family’s modest Bronx apartment. From that spark, he launched his own catering company with twenty thousand dollars he made selling candy on the subway and trained in the kitchens of some of the most acclaimed restaurants in the country. He faced many challenges on the road to success, including breaking free of a dangerous downward spiral due to temptation and easy money, and grappling with just how unwelcoming the world of fine dining can be for people of color.

Born on Long Island and raised in New York City, Nigeria, and Louisiana, Kwame Onwuachi’s incredible story is one of survival and ingenuity in the face of adversity.

 

The Waiting Place by Dina Nayeri and Anna Bosch Miralpeix (13–no cover as of writing)

Every war, famine, and flood spits out survivors.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cites an unprecedented 71 million forcibly displaced people on the planet today. In 2018, Dina Nayeri–a former refugee herself and the daughter of a refugee–invited documentary photographer Anna Bosch Miralpeix to accompany her to Katsikas, a refugee camp outside Ioannina, Greece, to record the hopes and struggles of ten of them–siblings and friends from Iran and Afghanistan. “I wanted to play with them, to enter their imagined worlds, to see the landscape inside their minds,” she says. Ranging in age from five to seventeen, the children live in partitioned shipping-crate homes crowded on a field below a mountain. Robbed of curiosity and purpose, dignity and identity, each battles the dreary monster of a paused life.

Ten lyrical passages lead one into the next, punctuated by intimate photographs, to reveal the dreams, ambitions, and personalities of each displaced child, followed by a powerful account of the author’s own experiences in a camp. Locking the global refugee crisis sharply in focus, The Waiting Place is, finally, an urgent call to change what we teach young people about the nature of home and safety.

 

Violet and Daisy: The Story of Vaudeville’s Famous Conjoined Twins by Sarah Miller (27)

Violet and Daisy. They were as sweet and pretty as their names would suggest, the pair of them as alike as two flower buds on a single stem. They were also joined, back-to-back, at the base of their spine.

Freaks, monsters — that’s what conjoined twins were called in 1908. And so their mother abandoned Violet and Daisy to the care of her midwife, who immediately put the babies on exhibition in the back room of her pub, embarking on a course of blatant exploitation that would range from the Brighton seashore to Australian amusement parks, American sideshows, and eventually to the most phenomenal success in vaudeville’s history.

But Violet and Daisy were more than just an exhibit, of course. They were two distinct individuals with remarkably harmonious personalities: Violet thoughtful yet candid, Daisy impulsive and easygoing. Above all, they were sisters.

In a story packed to the brim with questions about individuality, identity, and exploitation, Sarah Miller delivers an engrossing, compassionate portrait of two sisters whose bonds were so sacred that nothing — not even death — would compel Violet and Daisy to break them.

Kimberly’s Favorite Reads of 2020

I’m going to close out the year with 61 books read, compared to my average of 100. Part of that smaller figure is due to the fact that I’m reading more books for adults and fewer for children and teens, so they take longer to read. But the reason is mostly that I just didn’t read as much because of the pandemic and the election.

In the early part of the year, I dedicated a not insignificant amount of time to volunteering in the Democratic primary. When the pandemic and subsequent shutdown hit, I figured I’d get in a lot more reading time. The time was there, but my ability to read was not. I found it difficult to maintain the kind of focus that sustained reading requires; my mind was almost always elsewhere. I know many of you are feeling this keenly too.

Still, I did manage to read a few really great books. All but one are nonfiction, and none of them were written for kids and teens. Here they are, in no particular order.

 

A Life on Our Planet by David Attenborough

Only partially an autobiography, Attenborough calls this his “witness statement and a vision for the future.” He writes about the dramatic loss of biodiversity on our planet as observed over the course of his long life, and then looks to the future, to the points of no return and what our continued unwillingness to make big changes will mean for the future of humanity and the rest of life on Earth. It’s a devastating account.

This was the most emotional book I read this year; it frequently made me tear up over the colossal scale of the tragedy and how little hope there seems to be for our future. But Attenborough dedicates a lot of the latter part of the book toward solutions. His tone here is serious but hopeful, encouraging readers to share in that hope while also taking action to ensure that hopeful future comes to pass.

 

Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger

Junger’s short book provides his explanation for why so many white colonists in America willingly abandoned their Western society and culture and went to live with Native American tribes – but there are no records of the reverse ever happening. He weaves this question together with the fact that many American soldiers returning from war have PTSD not only because of the extreme violence they witnessed and participated in, but because of the struggle of leaving behind a communal society (soldiers in war) and trying to reintegrate into an extreme individualist one (modern American society at peace). Certainly he is not arguing that war is good – but the more communal cultures of both the armed forces and Native American tribes exert an inexorable pull on humans. It’s a fascinating book that provides a lot to think about.

 

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

Harari has written an ambitious book about the history of humankind, from 100,000 years ago to the present. Among the most interesting things for me personally were these two bits: there were half a dozen or more different human species that lived at the same time as homo sapiens (not just the Neanderthals as most of us think); and the agricultural revolution may have been ultimately good for 21st century humans, but for most of its duration it actually caused a decrease in the quality of life for most people (not to mention animals).

This isn’t my highest rated book of the year, but it’s the one I think about and talk about the most. It’s also the one that made me decide to eat a more plant-based diet, a decision that was reinforced when I read A Life On Our Planet later in the year.

 

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond

This modern classic of nonfiction writing is just the kind of nonfiction I love, a mix of history and science that’s fascinating from beginning to end. It tracks the rise of human civilizations all over the world, elegantly and convincingly arguing that geographical and environmental factors shaped humanity (and all its differences) much more than did any innate qualities of race or DNA. Along with Tribe and Sapiens, these three books all share the common theme of why humans are the way we are – an endlessly fascinating topic that I’ve really dug into this year.

 

Exhalation: Stories by Ted Chiang

My favorite fiction book of the year is also one that made me realize I liked short stories. Every single story is good, in part because Chiang really thinks through his ideas, carefully creating worlds and characters that follow the set of fictional rules he’s established for his SF premises. But they also say a lot about humanity without diving too far into the “literary” stereotypes where plot is often sacrificed. These are SF stories that revel in their SF-ness. My favorite story now is not one I mentioned in my original review. It’s called The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling, and it’s about truth, memory, and how they intertwine, a topic I come back to often in my own ruminations. I asked my husband to read it, and we had a long and interesting discussion about it afterward.

 

 

Kelly’s Favorite Reads of 2020

Maybe little else went according to plan for 2020, but one thing was true for me: I read a lot of good books. As of this writing, I’ve crested 150 reads for the year, which is about average, and I spent far more time reading books I like and knew I’d like while letting go of the ones I felt I should read or couldn’t connect with.

As always, rather than offering up a “Best of,” I prefer to write about the books that were my favorite for one reason or another. These are all 2020 releases — save the one which came out at the tail end of 2019 — and each one was a reading experience I deeply enjoyed. Interestingly, I found myself gravitating toward science fiction, magical realism, and fabulism more this year than in the past, and that’s reflected here.

This isn’t an entirely comprehensive list, as I didn’t include my pick for best book of 2020 that I noted on Book Riot, nor did I include the two picks I had for best children’s book of 2020, also noted on Book Riot.

My Favorite Books of 2020

 

The Falcon Thief: A True Tale of Adventure, Treachery, and The Hunt for the Perfect Bird by Joshua Hammer

Talk about a breathlessly-paced adventure story that is 100% true. This is the kind of bloodless true crime I find utterly fascinating and engaging, and this book would be a perfect one to pass along to fans of The Feather Thief.

In May 2010, Jeffrey Lendrum was arrested in the UK at an airport after a security guard in one of the lounges thought something suspicious was going on. Lendrum had left his partner in the lounge while he went into the bathroom for twenty minutes. The guard went in after and noticed nothing had been touched while he was in there — no shower, no running water. But there was a suspicious looking egg in the garbage can. Before long, it was discovered Lendrum had numerous eggs secured to his body, along with numerous eggs in his luggage. These were the eggs of falcons, each of which — were they to make it alive to his destination in Dubai — would net him a lot of money from political leaders in the region who practiced the art and sport of falconry.

From here, the book follows the rise of falconry in the middle east and how it ties into their history, as well as how it is Lendrum got caught up in the theft of some of the world’s most rare raptor eggs and how he traversed some of the most dangerous places in order to steal the eggs and make a profit. It’s a fascinating and infuriating story, not only because of how it plays into disturbing nature and causing further harm to hurting species, but also because of how Lendrum’s passion for nature went so off-course from his boyhood days in South Africa.

Books that marry true crime and history like this scratch such an itch for me. This one, besides its obvious exploration of theft of eggs, has some moments of animal harm, but it’s one I think those who are sensitive to that might be able to stomach without too much problem. Hammer offers a fair assessment of why Lendrum would partake in such illegal acts, while balancing the history and legacy of falconry in the middle east. It’s not an apology nor excuse for his behavior; rather, it’s context and conjecture for the whys, particularly where Hammer was unable to get the information first-hand.

I blew through this one and will forever look at birds in a new way.

 

Goldilocks by Laura Lam

Thirty years after the Atalanta took five pioneering women to space in hopes to settling a far-away planet named Cavandish, Naomi, one of the Atalanta 5, is finally telling her story. It begins with grand theft spaceship — yes, the spaceship was stolen — and ends with Earth’s humans falling victim to a pandemic that may have been started purposefully.

Naomi, who’d been raised by Valerie Black after the deaths of her mother and father, is deeply in love with the smart woman who invites her to be among the five women who will travel to the new planet in order to set up a new world, free of the flaws plaguing Earth. Right now, women’s rights have been decimated, the environment is collapsing, and the reality is there aren’t more than a few dozen “good” years left for it. Naomi, along with three other women, embark on the journey without permission from the government, but they believe in their heart of hearts they’re doing the right thing.

Then Naomi finds out she’s pregnant, and the father is one of the people who might be able to help change the course of the future of planet Earth. But it won’t come easy and it won’t come without the power of these women to steer the ship right.

Wholly immersive and dark, this book is about what leadership is — and what it is not. Lam’s writing is captivating and engrossing, evoking a scarily close-to-home scenario of a global pandemic destroying the planet in conjunction with human consumption, climate change, and the revoking of liberties for women across the globe. What sounds like will ultimately be a utopian setting at Cavendish, though, isn’t: instead, the story takes a ton of twists and turns that are surprising and ultimately change what it is these women perceive to be good and flawed about human nature.

When you’re destined to start something new, do you go for it? Burn down the past and try to forget it? Or do you learn from that past and build with the materials you have at hand to do better?

 

My Eyes Are Up Here by Laura Zimmermann

I’m not going to spend much time talking about this one because I wrote a lengthy piece about it over on Book Riot earlier this year. The long and short is this is a hilarious and painfully real book about growing up with big boobs and how challenging it is to navigate your body and adolescence when you can’t just buy a bra at the store. Greer was so relatable to me, down to where she grew up, to loving sports but realizing that uniforms and bras won’t fit a large chest, and having a snarky sense of humor about  it all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

I listened to this one on audio and cannot recommend that route enough. Nicole Lewis is a phenomenal performer. Her voices are great, intonation spot on, and she makes the entire experience even more immersive than the book already is. This is one where the hype is real.

What I loved about this book is how it’s the perfect snapshot of what the phrase “the personal is political” means. It’s also a mirror to white people to look at where and how you’re being a savior to people of color, be it in micro or macro ways. It’s contemporary and timeless.

I loved Mira deeply, and she embodies what it means to be a young adult coming into her own in a world not made with her in mind. Though this book is marketed for adults, Mira is in her 20s, and I suspect YA readers looking for a good adult book that has a YA feel to it will dig this one.

 

 

Tigers, Not Daughters by Samantha Mabry

A clever twist on King Lear and Little Women, this story about four Latina sisters in San Antonio desperate to escape their home — one of patriarchal standards, oppression, and pain — is laced with a story of what it means to grieve tremendous loss. Lush and evocative, Mabry writes three achingly beautiful sisters, each dealing with the loss of their oldest sister Ana in a different way. Jessica, by trying to become Ana; Iridian, reading her sister’s books and attempting to write those stories; and Rosa, trying to connect deeply with the beating hearts of the living world of creatures around her. But Ana isn’t gone, not really. It’s her ghost which keeps the girls connected and fighting the power attempting to keep them down.

Readers who love Nova Ren Suma will love this, not only for the writing, but for the weaving of a ghost story with a story of sisterhood. This is a book about desire to escape but the pull — both chosen and not — that keeps girls tied to the places where they are. Fans of Mabry will see this as such a natural next book for her, as it is a “true” ghost story, as opposed to a story which toys with ghostly spirits in other ways.

There’s a clever subplot here about the escape of a wild animal, and the way it parallels the desire within the Tores sisters sings.

Many may not see this as a clear Lear retelling because it’s not. It subverts Lear, utilizing a line from the story “tigers, not daughters,” to catapult it to something else entirely. They’d make a fascinating pairing for study.

 

 

Turtle Under Ice by Juleah del Rosario

This absolute gem of a book fell totally off the radar this year and I really hope more people pick it up. It’s a brilliant portrayal of grief and sisterhood.

Ariana has disappeared. Her sister Row is first to discover this, but she can’t find any clues as to where she might be. Told in two voices in verse, this is a heart-felt story about grief and the ways it can manifest and emerge so differently for everyone.

When Row and Ariana’s stepmother loses her 12-week pregnancy, Ariana spirals into grief as the wounds of losing her mother six years prior — and being the person with her as she died. Row, too, finds sadness welling up inside her again, but she takes it out by turning deep into her love of soccer. For her, whenever she’s on the field, her mother is right there with her.

With the help of her friend Kennedy, Row begins to look for her sister, and it’s here we see the wells of her sadness emerge, particularly as Kennedy gets overbearing in relation to why it was she didn’t know Row’s stepmother had been pregnant.

Ariana’s voice is present in this story, though it’s told primarily through flashbacks. She’s hopped on a bus, and we know there’s a piece of artwork in her lap. A few stops in, a former best friend gets on the bus, and she begins to share the story of the dissolution of their once-close connection. Ariana wanted to be so mired in her grief she couldn’t understand that other people, including this friend named Alex, deal with their personal losses in different means.

Row finds Ariana, and the end of the book is a beautiful reflection of friendship, sisterhood, and the ways that loss and sadness can tie and unite people, as much as hurt and divide them. Rosario nails grief so perfectly, offering up the ways we can be cruel and isolating toward others, as much as the ways we can seek the comfort of a loved one through the things we cherish. For Ariana, it turns out, art is therapeutic in a way that she never anticipated until Row shares how much pouring herself into soccer has meant her mother is with her always.

The verse is well written and the story is tightly told over a period of less than a single day. But within that day, we see a large expanse of life for both Row and Ariana. Both are girls of color who are part Filipino, and their ethnicity is something that furthers the power of exploring grief here — it’s not something palatable, clean, easy, and consumable like the white media and “research” suggests it should be.

This one hit me in some tender places, as I deal with a big loss in my own life. I felt both girls’ pains deeply and saw their methods of working through it as part of my own, too. This is a quick read, but it is in no way a slight one.

 

Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour

I’ve been meaning to write more about this book, as well as Mabry’s, and how these types of ghost stories are far more about the ghosts we carry inside ourselves than about the ghosts outside us. It’s a concept I cannot get enough of and one reason I love ghost stories so deeply.

No one writes loneliness and grief quite like Nina LaCour. This book is about the ghosts we live with in our minds, the ghosts of our bodies and past selves, and what it takes to piece together each part of us so we may find the true whole of who we are.

Mina’s grief is palpable, as is her desire to find peace with the decisions she’s made in her life that lead her to where she is. It’s a book about loss, but it’s equally a book about finding and being found, both by others and yourself.

Moving and thoughtful. This has ghosts in it, but they’re ghosts of the past and the present, as opposed to ghosts out for vengeance. LaCour carefully balances realism with the otherworldly in a way that packs a punch.

Quiet but immensely powerful. There is an older protagonist in this one — Mina is 19, and she doesn’t go to college — and there’s no romance, for readers who seek those things out in their reading.

 

We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry

I almost feel bad about how frequently I’ve recommended Barry’s book this year and yet, I don’t feel bad because it’s such a delightful romp of a read. It’s adult but has tremendous teen appeal and plays out a bit like the movie Now and Then insomuch that it’s adults reflecting upon their high school experience.

The story follows a team of field hockey players in Danvers, Massachusetts, who believe they’re imbued with the power of witchcraft as bestowed upon them by Emilio Estevez. Each of the main characters tells one of the chapters from a third person POV, and it all rounds back to the team revisiting one another on their hallowed ground 30 years later.

Inclusive, soaked in late-80s pop culture references, and downright hilarious at times, this is also a surprisingly thoughtful story of the power of being a teen girl, the ways our society has shifted in the last 30 years, and what it means to make your own type of power.

Here’s just a peek at the kind of humor to expect: there are two rabbits in the story, and their names are Marilyn Bunroe and Luke Skyhopper.

 

 

Now tell me: what were your favorite books of 2020? 

Orange Is The New YA Book Cover Color in 2021

As I scrolled through YA book covers for 2021, I was looking for trends to highlight and it struck me: there are a good chunk of YA book covers in the new year where the primary color is orange. Orange hasn’t gotten the cover love it deserves, and every time I passed one of the covers by, I paused to admire it. It’s a catchy color and really pops both on screen and on shelves.

Take a gander at the world of 2021 YA books featuring a big dose of orange. As always with cover trend posts, since not everything that’s hitting shelves in the new year has had a cover revealed, so chances are there may be more (please!). If I’m missing any 2021 YA book covers with a major orange theme, drop ’em in the comments!

Descriptions are from Goodreads, as are the covers themselves. I tried to find the designers for the covers but that information is so difficult to find. Here’s a regular plea for authors to credit the cover designers on your website. It’d be great if publishers would do the same.

2021 Orange YA Book Covers

 

Blade of Secrets by Tricia Levenseller (first in a series, May 4)

A teenage blacksmith with social anxiety accepts a commission from the wrong person and is forced to go on the run to protect the world from the most powerful magical sword she’s ever made.

Eighteen-year-old Ziva prefers metal to people. She spends her days tucked away in her forge, safe from society and the anxiety it causes her, using her magical gift to craft unique weapons imbued with power.

Then Ziva receives a commission from a powerful warlord, and the result is a sword capable of stealing its victims’ secrets. A sword that can cut far deeper than the length of its blade. A sword with the strength to topple kingdoms. When Ziva learns of the warlord’s intentions to use the weapon to enslave all the world under her rule, she takes her sister and flees.

Joined by a distractingly handsome mercenary and a young scholar with extensive knowledge of the world’s known magics, Ziva and her sister set out on a quest to keep the sword safe until th

 

Bones of a Saint by Grant Farley (March 2)

Fifteen-year-old RJ Armante has never known a life outside his dead-end hometown of Arcangel, CA. The Blackjacks still rule as they have for generations, luring the poorest kids into their monopoly on petty crime. For years, they’ve left RJ alone…until now.

When the Blackjacks come knocking, they want RJ to prey upon an old loner. But RJ is at his breaking point. It’s not just about the gang who rules the town. It’s about Charley, his younger brother, who is disabled. It’s about Roxanne, the girl he can’t reach. It’s about the kids in his crew who have nothing to live for. If RJ is to resist, he must fight to free Arcangel of its past.

 

 

 

 

The Chariot at Dusk by Swati Teerdhala (third in a series, June 29)

A queen at last. An empty palace. A kingdom to save.

Esha is reeling from Kunal’s betrayal, but she has a kingdom to rule from behind a thin smokescreen—pretending to be Princess Reha while she sends her most trusted soldiers to collect Reha and Kunal by any means necessary. Traitors, after all, must be punished.

But the Yavar are attacking from every front—tracking down Kunal and Reha in the remote mountains, kidnapping Harun—in search of legendary artifacts that will give them the power to break the precarious janma bond and release the destructive magic back into the lands.

Now that the race is on to find the missing artifacts, Esha must put aside her rage and work with Kunal again—but can she find the strength to forgive him, or will the Viper have her revenge at any cost?

In the final book of Swati Teerdhala’s epic fantasy trilogy, the lands’ fate, their people’s livelihoods, and the bond that sustains their world all depend on what Kunal and Esha can offer—to the gods and to each other.

Cover Design: David Curtis; Illustrator: Michael Marsicano.

 

Fire With Fire by Destiny Soria (June 8)

Dani and Eden Rivera were both born to kill dragons, but the sisters couldn’t be more different. For Dani, dragon slaying takes a back seat to normal high school life, while Eden prioritizes training above everything else. Yet they both agree on one thing: it’s kill or be killed where dragons are concerned.

Until Dani comes face-to-face with one and forges a rare and magical bond with him. As she gets to know Nox, she realizes that everything she thought she knew about dragons is wrong. With Dani lost to the dragons, Eden turns to the mysterious and alluring sorcerers to help save her sister. Now on opposite sides of the conflict, the sisters will do whatever it takes to save the other. But the two are playing with magic that is more dangerous than they know, and there is another, more powerful enemy waiting for them both in the shadows.

Cover Design: Mary Claire Cruz; Illustrator: Viv Tanner. 

 

 

List of Ten by Halli Gomez (March 2)

Ten: three little letters, one ordinary number. No big deal, right? But for Troy Hayes, a 16-year-old suffering from Tourette Syndrome and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, the number ten dictates his life, forcing him to do everything by its exacting rhythm. Finally, fed up with the daily humiliation, loneliness, and physical pain he endures, Troy writes a list of ten things to do by the tenth anniversary of his diagnosis—culminating in suicide on the actual day. But the process of working his way through the list changes Troy’s life: he becomes friends with Khory, a smart, beautiful classmate who has her own troubled history. Khory unwittingly helps Troy cross off items on his list, moving him ever closer to his grand finale, even as she shows him that life may have more possibilities than he imagined. This is a dark, intense story, but it’s also realistic, hopeful, and deeply authentic.

 

Cover Design: Elizabeth Lindy. 

 

Once Upon a Quinceañera by Monica Gomez-Hira (March 2)

Carmen Aguilar just wants to make her happily ever after come true. Except apparently “happily ever after” for Carmen involves being stuck in an unpaid summer internship! All she has to do is perform! In a ball gown! During the summer. In Miami.

Fine. Except that Carmen’s company is hired for her spoiled cousin Ariana’s over the top quinceañera.

And of course, her new dance partner at work is none other than Mauro Reyes, Carmen’s most deeply regrettable ex.

If Carmen is going to move into the future she wants, she needs to leave the past behind. And if she can manage dancing in the blistering heat, fending off Mauro’s texts, and stopping Ariana from ruining her own quinceañera Carmen might just get that happily ever after after all.

Cover Design: Corina Lupp; Illustrator: Isabela Humphrey.

 

Playing With Fire by April Henry (January 19)

Natalia is not the kind of girl who takes risks. Six years ago, she barely survived the house fire that killed her baby brother. Now she is cautious and always plays it safe. For months, her co-worker Wyatt has begged her to come hiking with him, and Natalia finally agrees.

But when a wildfire breaks out, blocking the trail back, a perfect sunny day quickly morphs into a nightmare. With no cell service, few supplies, and no clear way out of the burning forest, a group of strangers will have to become allies if they’re going to survive. Hiking in the dark, they must reach the only way out―a foot bridge over a deep canyon―before the fire catches them.

 

Cover Design: Mike Burroughs.

 

 

Prepped by Bethany Mangle (February 23)

Always be ready for the worst day of your life.

This is the mantra that Becca Aldaine has grown up with. Her family is part of a community of doomsday preppers, a neighborhood that prioritizes survivalist training over class trips or senior prom. They’re even arranging Becca’s marriage with Roy Kang, the only eligible boy in their community. Roy is a nice guy, but he’s so enthusiastic about prepping that Becca doesn’t have the heart to tell him she’s planning to leave as soon as she can earn a full ride to a college far, far away.

Then a devastating accident rocks Becca’s family and pushes the entire community, including Becca’s usually cynical little sister, deeper into the doomsday ideology. With her getaway plans thrown into jeopardy, the only person Becca can turn to is Roy, who reveals that he’s not nearly as clueless as he’s been pretending to be.

When Roy proposes they run away together, Becca will have to risk everything—including her heart—for a chance to hope for the best instead of planning for the worst.

Cover Design and Illustration: Rebecca Syracuse. 

 

Radha & Jai’s Recipe for Romance by Nisha Sharma (July 13)

Radha is on the verge of becoming one of the greatest Kathak dancers in the world . . . until a family betrayal costs her the biggest competition of her life. Now, she has left her Chicago home behind to follow her stage mom to New Jersey. At the Princeton Academy of the Arts, Radha is determined to leave performing in her past, and reinvent herself from scratch.

Jai is captain of the Bollywood Beats dance team, ranked first in his class, and an overachiever with no college plans. Tight family funds means medical school is a pipe dream, which is why he wants to make the most out of high school. When Radha enters his life, he realizes she’s the exact ingredient he needs for a show-stopping senior year.

With careful choreography, both Radha and Jai will need to face their fears (and their families) if they want a taste of a happily ever after.

 

Sisters of the Snake by Sasha and Sarena Nanua (first in a series, June 15)

A lost princess. A dark puppet master. And a race against time—before all is lost.

Princess Rani longs for a chance to escape her gilded cage and prove herself. Ria is a street urchin, stealing just to keep herself alive.

When these two lives collide, everything turns on its head: because Ria and Rani, orphan and royal, are unmistakably identical.

A deal is struck to switch places—but danger lurks in both worlds, and to save their home, thief and princess must work together. Or watch it all fall into ruin.

Deadly magic, hidden temples, and dark prophecies: Sisters of the Snake is an action-packed, immersive fantasy that will thrill fans of The Crown’s Game and The Tiger at Midnight.

 

Cover Design: Chris Kwon; Illustrator: Fatima Baig. 

 

The Tragedy of Dane Riley by Kat Spears (June 22)

Dane Riley’s grasp on reality is slipping, and he’s not sure that he cares. While his mother has moved on after his father’s death, Dane desperately misses the man who made Dane feel okay to be himself. He can’t stand his mother’s boyfriend, or the boyfriend’s son, whose favorite pastime is tormenting Dane. Then there’s the girl next door: Dane can’t quite define their relationship, and he doesn’t know if he’s got the courage to leave the friend zone.

An emotional novel about mental health, and dealing with grief and growing up, The Tragedy of Dane Riley is the story of a teenager looking to make sense of his feelings in the wake of tragedy, and finding the strength he needs to make life worth living.

 

 

 

Untethered by KayLynn Flanders (series, July 20)

Although King Atháren’s sister, Jennesara, saved Hálendi from the Gray Mage, the reprieve came at a steep price–the life of their father. Now Ren rules over a divided kingdom, with some who want him dead, and a Medallion that warns of worse trouble brewing in the south.

As second born, Princess Chiara is the perfect Turian royal–perfectly invisible. She longs to help restore peace on the Plateau, but with no magic and no fighting skills, she doesn’t stand a chance against a mage. So when a member of the Turian royal family goes missing and Chiara finds a clue about the rumored resting place of the mages’ long-lost artifacts, she decides it’s time to be seen.

As Ren’s and Chiara’s paths cross, they find the depth of the mages’ hold on the Plateau is more powerful than anyone suspected, and that they must learn to trust themselves, and each other, before the mages retrieve their artifacts and become too powerful to ever defeat.

 

Cover Art: Alex Dos Diaz; Cover Design: Regina Flath

 

Where The Rhythm Takes You by Sarah Dass (May 11)

Seventeen-year-old Reyna has spent most of her life at the Plumeria, her family’s gorgeous seaside resort in Tobago. But what once seemed like paradise is starting to feel more like purgatory. It’s been two years since Reyna’s mother passed away, two years since Aiden—her childhood best friend, first kiss, first love, first everything—left the island to pursue his music dreams. Reyna’s friends are all planning their futures and heading abroad. Even Daddy seems to want to move on, leaving her to try and keep the Plumeria running.

And that’s when Aiden comes roaring back into her life—as a VIP guest at the resort.

Aiden is now one-third of DJ Bacchanal—the latest, hottest music group on the scene. While Reyna has stayed exactly where he left her, Aiden has returned to Tobago with his Grammy-nominated band and two gorgeous LA socialites. And he may (or may not be) dating one of them…

Inspired by Jane Austen’s Persuasion, Where the Rhythm Takes You is a romantic, mesmerizing novel of first love and second chances.

Cover design: Jessie Gang and Alison Donalty; Illustrator: Kingsley Nebechi. 

This Week at Book Riot

 

Over on Book Riot this week…

All of the 2021 YA book to movie adaptations you’ll want to know about.

 

Over 53 inspiring quotes about change.

 

Phone cases for book lovers.

 

This week’s episode of Hey YA: Extra Credit is one I’m so excited to share. Crystal Maldonado — author of the forthcoming Fat Chance, Charlie Vega — and I talked about Susan Vaught’s My Big Fat Manifesto from 2007. As much as we talked about how progressive this novel about a fat girl was, we dug deep into what it means to be a “fat girl” and where and how that representation in YA is lacking. Because of a recent series of comments in a post here about fat girls on 2021 YA covers, we hit on why it is okay, even GOOD, to use the word “fat” to describe these characters, as well as people who are indeed fat. Tune in.

What’s On My Shelf (again)

In this last quarter of 2020, I’ve been starting a lot of books and making very slow progress with them. In addition to the two I’m still working on from my last post, I’ve started two more. I used to be the kind of reader who had half a dozen or more books going at once, and I’m finding that’s what I need to help pull me out this mild reading funk I’ve been in for the past couple of months. With four books in progress, I have a variety to choose from based on my mood, and it doesn’t feel as daunting as starting a book from the beginning.

 

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

My husband is a big fan of Brandon Sanderson’s books, and I read the Mistborn trilogy when he recommended it to me. (Sidenote for those of you wanting to impress a reader: actually read the books they recommend to you. It is very attractive.) I was in the mood for a good standalone epic fantasy that didn’t require a huge investment of time, and since I enjoyed Mistborn, Elantris – Sanderson’s first published book – seemed like a good pick. I’m about a quarter of the way through and enjoying it a lot so far. Sanderson does a really good job in this book of establishing his three main characters’ voices and personalities right away (unlike Mistborn, where I felt that it took at least one full book before I really got to know Vin or Kelsier). The plot – about a city of godlike beings who have “fallen” due to a disease that rots their bodies and minds but will never kill them – feels like classic fantasy without being a retread of only old tropes.

 

A Life on Our Planet by Richard Attenborough

I watched the Netflix documentary that serves as a companion to this book a few months ago and was very moved by it. Only partially an autobiography, Attenborough calls this his “witness statement and a vision for the future.” He writes about the dramatic loss of biodiversity on our planet as observed over the course of his long life, and then looks to the future, to the points of no return and what our continued unwillingness to make big changes will mean for the future of humanity and the rest of life on Earth. It’s a devastating account, but it also presents solutions: a path forward. All is not yet lost. Attenborough narrates the audiobook, and I find his voice (particularly now when he’s in his 90s) very soothing, even when he’s talking about calamities.

Debut YA Novels: November and December 2020

Time to round out this year’s roster of 2020 debut YA boos. Gear up for great books that hit shelves in November and December.

 

 

This round-up includes debut novels, where “debut” is in its purest definition. These are first-time books by first-time authors. I’m not including books by authors who are using or have used a pseudonym in the past or those who have written in other categories (adult, middle grade, etc.) in the past. Authors who have self-published are not included here either.

All descriptions are from Goodreads, unless otherwise noted. If I’m missing any debuts that came out in these last two months from traditional publishers — and I should clarify that indie/small presses are okay — let me know in the comments.

As always, not all noted titles included here are necessarily endorsements for those titles. List is arranged alphabetically by title and publication month. Starred titles are the beginning of a new series.

Note: for some reason, the 2020 debut groups that have been so helpful for me in the past in compiling these lists seem to be scant this year. Likewise, those groups which do exist don’t have book titles or publication dates readily accessible. Here’s my repeat plea for making that easily located, not just for me but for any reader, librarian, and teacher who wants the essential information without having to click a ton of links.

 

Debut YA Novels: November and December 2020
November Debuts
Here The Whole Time by Vitor Martins, translated by Larissa Helena 

What would you do if you had to spend the next 15 days with your lifelong crush?

Felipe gets it — he’s fat. Not chubby. Not big-boned. Fat. And he doesn’t need anyone to remind him, which is, of course, what everyone does. That’s why he’s been waiting for this moment ever since the school year began: school break. Finally, he’ll be able to spend some time far away from school and the classmates who tease him incessantly. His plans include catching up on his favorite TV shows, finishing his to-be-read pile, and watching YouTube tutorials on skills he’ll never actually put into practice.

But things get a little out of hand when Felipe’s mom informs him that Caio, the neighbor kid from apartment 57, will be spending the next 15 days with them while his parents are on vacation. Felipe is distraught because A) he’s had a crush on Caio since, well, forever, and B) Felipe has a list of body image insecurities and absolutely NO idea how he’s going to entertain his neighbor for two full weeks.

Suddenly, the days ahead of him that once promised rest and relaxation (not to mention some epic Netflix bingeing) end up bringing a whirlwind of feelings, forcing Felipe to dive head-first into every unresolved issue he has had with himself — but maybe, just maybe, he’ll manage to win over Caio, too.

Note: Martins has written additional titles, but this is the first to be translated in English. 

 

Master of One by Jaida Jones and Dani Bennett

Rags is a thief—an excellent one. He’s stolen into noble’s coffers, picked soldier’s pockets, and even liberated a ring or two off the fingers of passersby. Until he’s caught by the Queensguard and forced to find an ancient fae relic for a sadistic royal sorcerer.

But Rags could never have guessed this “relic” would actually be a fae himself—a distractingly handsome, annoyingly perfect, ancient fae prince called Shining Talon. Good thing Rags can think on his toes, because things just get stranger from there…

 

 

 

 

*Rebel Rose by Emma Theriault

Happily ever after is only the beginning as Belle takes on the responsibility of becoming queen and learns to balance duty, love, and sacrifice, all while navigating dark political intrigue—and a touch of magic.

It’s 1789 and France is on the brink of revolution. Belle has finally broken the Enchantress’s curse, restoring the Beast to his human form and bringing life back to their castle in the province of Aveyon. But in Paris, the fires of change are burning, and it’s only a matter of time before the rebellion arrives on their doorstep.

Not so very long ago, Belle dreamed of leaving her provincial home for a life of adventure. But now she finds herself living in a palace, torn between her past as a commoner, and her future as royalty. While Belle grapples with her newfound position, there are those who would do anything to keep her from power.

When she stumbles across a magic mirror that holds a dire warning, Belle wants nothing more than to ignore the mysterious voice calling her to accept a crown she never desired. But violent factions of the revolution may already be lurking within her own castle, and doing nothing would endanger everything she holds dear. With the fate of her country, her love, and her life at stake, Belle must decide if she is ready to embrace her own strength–and the magic that ties her to so many female rulers before her–to become the queen she is meant to be.

Sasha Masha by Agnes Borinsky

Alex feels like he is in the wrong body. His skin feels strange against his bones. And then comes Tracy, who thinks he’s adorably awkward, who wants to kiss him, who makes him feel like a Real Boy. But it is not quite enough. Something is missing.

As Alex grapples with his identity, he finds himself trying on dresses and swiping on lipstick in the quiet of his bedroom. He meets Andre, a gay boy who is beautiful and unafraid to be who he is. Slowly, Alex begins to realize: maybe his name isn’t Alex at all. Maybe it’s Sasha Masha.

 

 

 

 

*These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.

A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.

But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.

 

Those Who Prey by Jennifer Moffett

College life isn’t what Emily expected.

She expected to spend freshman year strolling through the ivy-covered campus with new friends, finally feeling like she belonged. Instead, she walks the campus alone, still not having found her place or her people so far away from home.

But then the Kingdom finds her.

The Kingdom, an exclusive on-campus group, offers everything Emily expected of college and more: acceptance, friends, a potential boyfriend, and a chance to spend the summer in Italy on a mission trip. But the trip is not what she thought it would be. Emily and the others are stripped of their passports and money. They’re cut off from their families back home. The Kingdom’s practices become increasingly manipulative and dangerous.

And someone ends up dead.

At times unsettling and always riveting, Those Who Prey looks at the allure of cult life, while questioning just how far we’re willing to go to find where we belong.

 

December Debuts
Ballad of Ami Miles by Kristy Dallas Alley

Raised in isolation at Heavenly Shepherd, her family’s trailer-dealership-turned-survival compound, Ami Miles knows that she was lucky to be born into a place of safety after the old world ended and the chaos began. But when her grandfather arranges a marriage to a cold-eyed stranger, she realizes that her “destiny” as one of the few females capable of still bearing children isn’t something she’s ready to face.

With the help of one of her aunts, she flees the only life she’s ever known, and sets off on a quest to find her long-lost mother (and hopefully a mate of her own choosing). But as she journeys, Ami discovers many new things about the world… and about herself.

 

 

 

The Black Friend by Frederick Joseph (nonfiction!)

“We don’t see color.” “I didn’t know Black people liked Star Wars!” “What hood are you from?” For Frederick Joseph, life in a mostly white high school as a smart and increasingly popular transfer student was full of wince-worthy moments that he often simply let go. As he grew older, however, he saw these as missed opportunities not only to stand up for himself, but to spread awareness to the white friends and acquaintances who didn’t see the negative impact they were having and who would change if they knew how.

Speaking directly to the reader, The Black Friend calls up race-related anecdotes from the author’s past, weaving in his thoughts on why they were hurtful and how he might handle things differently now. Each chapter includes the voice of at least one artist or activist, including Tarell Alvin McCraney, screenwriter of Moonlight; April Reign, creator of #OscarsSoWhite; Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U Give; and eleven others. Touching on everything from cultural appropriation to power dynamics, “reverse racism” to white privilege, microaggressions to the tragic results of overt racism, this book serves as conversation starter, tool kit, and invaluable window into the life of a former “token Black kid” who now presents himself as the friend many of us need. Back matter includes an encyclopedia of racism, providing details on relevant historical events, terminology, and more.

 

Coming Up for Air by Nicole Tyndall

Ever since her mom’s cancer scare, Hadley hasn’t been one for taking risks. And after seeing her sister go through one too many heartbreaks, she definitely has no interest in dating. Hadley just wants to keep her head down and enjoy the rest of high school with her friends, focusing on her photography and getting into the art school of her dreams.

Then enters Braden, star of the swim team and precisely the kind of person Hadley avoids, all bravado and charm and impulsivity. From their first moment together, they are perfect sparring partners, equally matched. And it’s intoxicating. Braden sees her, really sees her, and Hadley decides it might be time to break all her rules.

Braden shows Hadley how to live again, and soon Hadley is happier than she’ll ever admit out loud. But that’s before her family is faced with devastating news, and Braden starts hiding a growing, dark secret. As it threatens to shatter everything they’ve built, Hadley must confront her own actions and determine if she has the strength to walk away.

 

*Heiress Apparently by Diana Ma

Gemma Huang is a recent transplant to Los Angeles from Illinois, having abandoned plans for college to pursue a career in acting, much to the dismay of her parents. Now she’s living with three roommates in a two-bedroom hovel, auditioning for bit roles that hardly cover rent. Gemma’s big break comes when she’s asked to play a lead role in an update of M. Butterfly filming for the summer in Beijing. When she arrives, she’s stopped by paparazzi at the airport. She quickly realizes she may as well be the twin of one of the most notorious young socialites in Beijing. Thus kicks off a summer of revelations, in which Gemma uncovers a legacy her parents have spent their lives protecting her from—one her mother would conceal from her daughter at any cost.

 

 

This Week at Book Riot

Over on Book Riot this week…

 

Winter 2020-2021 YA paperbacks hitting shelves.

 

A Louisiana public library pulled LGBTQ+ books from its children’s section. Read this knowing the director did not want to do it, and there’s a follow-up to come, as the Board overturned their initial decision on Wednesday night.

 

Book bath holders for enjoying a good read with your soak.

 

Here are the most popular books in US libraries for the third quarter of 2020.

 

And the most popular books purchased and read by Amazon customers this year.

 

There’s also a new episode of Hey YA. This week Hannah and I take a deep dive into YA nonfiction, as well as YA books in translation. Tune in!