Kelly Jensen's Blog, page 13

This Week at Book Riot

Over on Book Riot this week…

52 incredible picture book biographies of Black creators and leaders.

 

Update your home decor with this print-at-home bookish art, both free and paid.

 

On this week’s episode of Hey YA, Hannah and I dig into the settings we don’t see enough of in YA and highlight YA books set in rural places, as well as in lesser-represented places outside the US.

October 2020 Debut YA Novels

If you’ve felt overwhelmed by the debut YA novel releases this year, maybe October will feel like a relief as the list is shorter than in recent months. That doesn’t mean it’s short, of course, but it might make catching up a little easier.

 

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 September 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. 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.

October 2020 Debut YA Novels

 

*Beyond The Ruby Veil by Mara Fitzgerald

A dark, queer YA fantasy that’s perfect for fans of the Three Dark Crowns series and Wicked Saints. After Emanuela Ragno kills the one person in Occhia who can create water, she must find a way to save her city from dying of thirst.

Cunning and unapologetic, Emanuela Ragno is a socialite who plays by her own rules. In her most ambitious move yet, she’s about to marry Alessandro Morandi, her childhood best friend and the heir to the wealthiest house in Occhia. Emanuela doesn’t care that she and her groom are both gay, because she doesn’t want a love match. She wants power, and through Ale, she’ll have it all.

But Emanuela has a secret that could shatter her plans. In her city of Occhia, the only source of water is the watercrea, a mysterious being who uses magic to make water from blood. When their first bruise-like omen appears on their skin, all Occhians must surrender themselves to the watercrea to be drained of life. Everyone throughout history has obeyed this law for the greater good. Everyone except Emanuela. She’s kept the tiny omen on her hip out of sight for years.

When the watercrea exposes Emanuela during her wedding ceremony and takes her to be sacrificed, Emanuela fights back…and kills her. Before everyone in Occhia dies of thirst, Emanuela and Ale must travel through the mysterious, blood-red veil that surrounds their city to uncover the source of the watercrea’s power and save their people—no matter what it takes.

 

Blazewrath Games by Amparo Ortiz

How to Train Your Dragon meets Quidditch through the Ages in this debut fantasy, set in an alternate contemporary world, in which dragons and their riders compete in an international sports tournament

Lana Torres has always preferred dragons to people. In a few weeks, sixteen countries will compete in the Blazewrath World Cup, a tournament where dragons and their riders fight for glory in a dangerous relay. Lana longs to represent her native Puerto Rico in their first ever World Cup appearance, and when Puerto Rico’s Runner—the only player without a dragon steed—is kicked off the team, she’s given the chance.

But when she discovers that a former Blazewrath superstar has teamed up with the Sire—a legendary dragon who’s cursed into human form—the safety of the Cup is jeopardized. The pair are burning down dragon sanctuaries around the world and refuse to stop unless the Cup gets cancelled. All Lana wanted was to represent her country. Now, to do that, she’ll have to navigate an international conspiracy that’s deadlier than her beloved sport.

 

Everything I Thought I Knew by Shannon Takaoka

A teenage girl wonders if she’s inherited more than just a heart from her donor in this compulsively readable debut.

Seventeen-year-old Chloe had a plan: work hard, get good grades, and attend a top-tier college. But after she collapses during cross-country practice and is told that she needs a new heart, all her careful preparations are laid to waste.

Eight months after her transplant, everything is different. Stuck in summer school with the underachievers, all she wants to do now is grab her surfboard and hit the waves—which is strange, because she wasn’t interested in surfing before her transplant. (It doesn’t hurt that her instructor, Kai, is seriously good-looking.)

And that’s not all that’s strange. There’s also the vivid recurring nightmare about crashing a motorcycle in a tunnel and memories of people and places she doesn’t recognize.

Is there something wrong with her head now, too, or is there another explanation for what she’s experiencing?

As she searches for answers, and as her attraction to Kai intensifies, what she learns will lead her to question everything she thought she knew—about life, death, love, identity, and the true nature of reality.

 

A Golden Fury by Samantha Cohoe

Thea Hope longs to be an alchemist out of the shadow of her famous mother. The two of them are close to creating the legendary Philosopher’s Stone—whose properties include immortality and can turn any metal into gold—but just when the promise of the Stone’s riches is in their grasp, Thea’s mother destroys the Stone in a sudden fit of violent madness.

While combing through her mother’s notes, Thea learns that there’s a curse on the Stone that causes anyone who tries to make it to lose their sanity. With the threat of the French Revolution looming, Thea is sent to Oxford for her safety, to live with the father who doesn’t know she exists.

But in Oxford, there are alchemists after the Stone who don’t believe Thea’s warning about the curse—instead, they’ll stop at nothing to steal Thea’s knowledge of how to create the Stone. But Thea can only run for so long, and soon she will have to choose: create the Stone and sacrifice her sanity, or let the people she loves die.

 

*Something Happened to Ali Greenleaf by Hayley Krischer

Perfect for fans of Rory Power and Laurie Halse Anderson, this sharp, emotional debut follows two girls as they navigate tumultuous relationships, the effects of trauma, and what empowerment means to them.

Ali Greenleaf and Blythe Jensen couldn’t be more different. Ali is sweet, bitingly funny, and just a little naive. Blythe is beautiful, terrifying, and the most popular girl in school. They’ve never even talked to each other, until a party when Ali decides she’ll finally make her move on Sean Nessel, her longtime crush, and the soccer team’s superstar. But Sean pushes Ali farther than she wants to go. When she resists–he rapes her.

Blythe sees Ali when she runs from the party, everyone sees her. And Blythe knows something happened with Sean, she knows how he treats girls. Even so, she’s his best friend, his confidant. When he begs her to help him, she can’t resist.

So Blythe befriends Ali in her attempt to make things right with Sean, bringing Ali into a circle of ruthless popular girls, and sharing her own dark secrets. Despite the betrayal at the heart of their relationship, they see each other, in a way no one ever has before.

In her searing, empowering debut novel, Hayley Krischer tells the story of what happened that night, and how it shaped Ali and Blythe forever. Both girls are survivors in their own ways, and while their experiences are different, and their friendship might not be built to last, it’s one that helps each of them find a way forward on their own terms.

 

The Truth Project by Dante Medema

Seventeen-year-old Cordelia Koenig was sure of many things going into her last year of high school. For one, she wasn’t going to stress over the senior project all her peers were dreading—she’d just use the same find-your-roots genealogy idea that her older sister used for hers. Secondly, she’d put all that time spent not worrying about the project toward getting reacquainted with former best friend and longtime crush Kodiak Jones who, conveniently, gets assigned as Cordelia’s partner.

All she has to do is mail in her DNA sample, write about her ancestry results and breeze through the rest of senior year. Done, done and done.

But when Cordelia’s GeneQuest results reveal that her father is not the man she thought he was but a stranger who lives thousands of miles away, Cordelia realizes she isn’t sure of anything anymore—not the mother who lied, the life she was born into or the girl staring back at her in the mirror.

If your life began with a lie, how can you ever be sure of what’s true?

 

We Were Restless Things by Cole Nagamatsu

From debut author Cole Nagamatsu comes an atmospheric contemporary fantasy about three teens coming of age in the wake of a mysterious death.

Last summer, Link Miller drowned on dry land in the woods, miles away from the nearest body of water. His death was ruled a strange accident, and in the months since, his friends and family have struggled to make sense of it. But Link’s close friend Noemi Amato knows the truth: Link drowned in an impossible lake that only she can find. And what’s more, someone claiming to be Link has been contacting her, warning Noemi to stay out of the forest.

As these secrets become too heavy for Noemi to shoulder on her own, she turns to Jonas, her new housemate, and Amberlyn, Link’s younger sister. All three are trying to find their place—and together, they start to unravel the truth: about themselves, about the world, and about what happened to Link.

Unfolding over a year and told through multiple POVs and a dream journal, We Were Restless Things explores the ways society shapes our reality, how we can learn to love ourselves and others, and the incredible power of our own desires.

This Week at Book Riot

 

Over on Book Riot this week…

A look at the best book covers of 2020.

 

Awesome library tote bags, perfect for hauling your literary loot.

 

I’m solo on this week’s episode of Hey YA: Extra Credit, talking about why ghost stories are so great and highlighting a wide range of YA ghost stories (plus one middle grade title because I can!).

Quarantine Things

A few things (some book-related and some not) that are sustaining me during the pandemic:

Nonfiction about human history

I’ve been finding it difficult to get into fiction right now, but I have found a niche within nonfiction that has hooked me: human history, specifically history of the human species itself, not individuals or small groups within it. I really enjoyed Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari and Tribe by Sebastian Junger earlier this year, and I’m diving into Steven Pinker’s The Better Angels of Our Nature today.

 

Nonviolent, story-driven video games

I’m a mostly casual gamer – I succumbed to the lures of Candy Crush and Angry Birds during their heydays, and have kept one streak of Words With Friends going for 104 days so far. When I was a teen, I loved puzzle-based computer games like Myst. As an adult, I mostly stayed away from modern video games because they seemed really violent, and I’m becoming more and more like a senior citizen when it comes to violent media (no thank you). I decided to replay all the Myst games during the lockdown (they hold up!), and afterward, I went looking for similar games. Thanks to my partner, who is an avid gamer and plays extremely broadly, I discovered a treasure trove of modern games that I’ve loved playing, some for the Xbox and some for the computer.

The most Myst-like is Quern, which involves a mysterious story set in a beautiful land that unfolds as you solve various creative puzzles that build upon each other. As a fan of the Room games for mobile, I also really enjoyed The House of Da Vinci. And, most exciting of all, I found a treasure trove of interesting science fiction stories that play out in video games that involve no shooting, blood, or death (or scantily dressed women): The Talos Principle, Observation, Tacoma, and The Station. Other sci fi games that are a bit less story-driven but involve some really fun physics-based puzzles are Qube 2 and The Turing Test. These games stretch my mind with their puzzles, fire my imagination with their stories, and impress me with the graphics.

 

Vegetarian cooking

I’ve been thinking about the ethics of vegetarianism for the past few years, and after reading a brief snippet in Sapiens about the many harms caused by our dependence on meat (both environmentally and with regards to animal welfare), I decided it was a good time to try it out more seriously. I have more time to focus on cooking meals, even breakfast, and have tried out a number of vegetarian and vegan meal kits and recipes. I’m glad my tastes have expanded a lot in the past few years and I’ve found I enjoy bean, tofu, and chickpea-based meals just as much as I do many meat dishes – plus they’re easier for me to make well (I was never great at judging meat doneness), are generally cheaper, and often have more interesting flavor profiles (I’m using a much greater variety of spices, produce, and oils/vinegars than I ever did when I cooked with meat). I haven’t eliminated meat entirely, but I’ve settled into a pretty good rhythm of only eating meat when I order in or someone else cooks the meal.

 

Dogs, dogs, and more dogs

Within my immediate family, there is one dog (the light of my life and the cutest thing in the world). Within my partner’s immediate family, there are nine (seven near us and two about an hour away). Two of those nine are puppies just a few months old. The dogs are a variety of sizes and breeds; it’s like a potluck of the best dogs you’ll ever meet. Luckily, these dogs live in a house with a nice yard, so they get to run around and we get to visit them safely. They also get to visit us on occasion, and if you follow me on Instagram, you’ll see my feed is almost entirely dogs now. As it should be.

 

Schitt’s Creek

I think what I like best about this show (aside from how funny it is) is that it’s really hopeful about people’s ability to change. The Roses are selfish, lazy, entitled, and narrow-minded when they arrive in Schitt’s Creek, but by the end, they’re all more thoughtful and consciously trying to be better people. I love when stories show this happening in a believable way. I think non-fictional humans are capable of the same kind of transformation (I think I’m a much better person than I was ten years ago, for example), and it’s nice to see it play out so uncynically in a comedy.

This Week at Book Riot

Super proud of this week’s writing over at Book Riot:

 

A deep dive into the past, present, and future of Native and Indigenous children’s and YA literature.

 

Fun, creepy, and eerie Halloween-y bookmarks to make and to buy.

 

How Jessica Darling’s depression resonated with me as a teenager — and why the fact it’s never named mattered. (Bonus: some really fun news about Sloppy Firsts and the rest of the books in that series!).

 

And there’s a new episode of Hey YA! Meet Hannah Gomez, my new cohost, as we dive deep into girls in sports, as well as stand alone science fiction and fantasy reads.

Booklist: Twists on Little Women

Little Women is hot right now, no doubt spurred on in part by the latest film adaptation. Kidlit and YA authors have put their own creative spin on the classic story with a few recent adaptations of their own.

 

Jo: An Adaptation of Little Women (Sort Of) by Kathleen Gros

With the start of eighth grade, Jo March decides it’s time to get serious about her writing and joins the school newspaper. But even with her new friend Freddie cheering her on, becoming a hard-hitting journalist is a lot harder than Jo imagined. That’s not all that’s tough. Jo and her sisters–Meg, Beth, and Amy–are getting used to a new normal at home, with their dad deployed overseas and their mom, a nurse, working overtime. What does it take to figure out who you are? Jo March is about to find out.

 

Littler Women (A Modern Retelling) by Laura Schaefer

The March sisters encounter new friends, challenges, school dances, and more in this fresh, modern retelling of the perennial classic, Little Women.

Thirteen-year-old Meg March and her sisters Jo (twelve), Beth (ten), and Amy (nine) are a close-knit group who share in one another’s hopes and dreams, as well as struggles and frustrations. Over the course of one year they get to know their neighbors the Lawrences, attend school dances and sleepovers, have first crushes, and grow closer as sisters despite their differences.

This sweet, contemporary take on part one of the beloved novel Little Women is the perfect introduction for young readers to the March family. With a craft project or recipe at the end of every chapter, Littler Women is sure to become a cherished favorite.

 

Jo & Laurie by Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz

1869, Concord, Massachusetts: After the publication of her first novel, Jo March is shocked to discover her book of scribbles has become a bestseller, and her publisher and fans demand a sequel. While pressured into coming up with a story, she goes to New York with her dear friend Laurie for a week of inspiration—museums, operas, and even a once-in-a-lifetime reading by Charles Dickens himself!

But Laurie has romance on his mind, and despite her growing feelings, Jo’s desire to remain independent leads her to turn down his heartfelt marriage proposal and sends the poor boy off to college heartbroken. When Laurie returns to Concord with a sophisticated new girlfriend, will Jo finally communicate her true heart’s desire or lose the love of her life forever?

 

Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy: A Modern Retelling of Little Women by Rey Terciero and Bre Indigo

Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy are having a really tough year: with their father serving in the military overseas, they must work overtime to make ends meet…and each girl is struggling in her own way. Whether it’s school woes, health issues, boy troubles, or simply feeling lost, the March sisters all need the same thing: support from each other. Only by coming together–and sharing lots of laughs and tears–will these four young women find the courage to discover who they truly are as individuals…and as a family.

Meg is the eldest March, and she has a taste for the finer things in life. She dreams of marrying rich, enjoying fabulous clothes and parties, and leaving her five-floor walk-up apartment behind.

Jo pushes her siblings to be true to themselves, yet feels like no one will accept her for who she truly is. Her passion for writing gives her an outlet to feel worthy in the eyes of her friends and family.

Beth is the shy sister with a voice begging to be heard. But with a guitar in hand, she finds a courage that inspires her siblings to seize the day and not take life for granted.

Amy may be the baby of the family, but she has the biggest personality. Though she loves to fight with her sisters, her tough exterior protects a vulnerable heart that worries about her family’s future.

 

 

Play That YA Song: 2021 Edition

One of my favorite things is the YA earworm. You know what it is: that book title which is the name of a song or the chorus of a song and whenever you see the book pop up, that song is suddenly in your head. Sometimes this is intentional but other times, it’s a complete coincidence that the book title matches a song.

I’ve written about 2019 YA earworms and 2020 YA earworms, and given that 2021 YA books seem to already be showing off their book tile song games, let’s take a look at the earworms to prepare for in the new year.

The book descriptions come from Goodreads, with the corresponding song pulled from YouTube. Enjoy!

2021 YA Book Titles That Are Also Song Titles

 

Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler (5/11)

Lara’s had eyes for exactly one person throughout her three years of high school: Chase Harding. He’s tall, strong, sweet, a football star, and frankly, stupid hot. Oh, and he’s talking to her now. On purpose and everything. Maybe…flirting, even? No, wait, he’s definitely flirting, which is pretty much the sum of everything Lara’s wanted out of life.

Except she’s haunted by a memory. A memory of a confusing, romantic, strangely perfect summer spent with a girl named Jasmine. A memory that becomes a confusing, disorienting present when Jasmine herself walks through the front doors of the school to see Lara and Chase chatting it up in front of the lockers.

Lara has everything she ever wanted: a tight-knit group of friends, a job that borders on cool, and Chase, the boy of her literal dreams. But if she’s finally got the guy, why can’t she stop thinking about the girl?

 

 

Pair it with Demi Leovato’s “Cool For The Summer”

 

I Think I Love You by Auriane Desombre (3/2)

A YA contemporary rom com about two girls who start as rivals but after a twist of events, end up falling for one another–at least they think so. A pitch perfect queer romance–and it’s a paperback original!

Arch-nemeses Emma, a die-hard romantic, and more-practical minded Sophia find themselves competing against one another for a coveted first-prize trip to a film festival in Los Angeles . . . what happens if their rivalry turns into a romance? For fans of Becky Albertalli’s Leah on the Offbeat, full of laugh-out-loud humor and make-your-heart-melt moments.

 

 

 

Pair it with The Partridge Family’s “I Think I Love You”

 

 

Mysterious Ways by Wendy Wunder (no pub date or cover yet!)

When 18-year-old Maya looks at someone, she instantly knows everything about them, which makes starting at a new school and meeting a guy she actually wants to be around more than a little challenging. No one would ever believe her superpower—so what happens when someone does, and challenges her to use it for good? Publication is set for fall 2021.

 

Pair it with U2’s “Mysterious Ways”

 

 

 

Rise To The Sun by Leah Johnson (No pub date or cover yet!)

Set over the course of four days at a music festival, the novel features strangers Toni and Olivia, who meet and realize that the music is more than just a way out; it’s a way through… if they are brave enough to face it together.

 

Pair it with Alabama Shakes’s “Rise To The Sun”

 

 

She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen (April 20)

After losing spectacularly to her ex-girlfriend in their first game since their break up, Scottie Zajac gets into a fender bender with the worst possible person: her nemesis, the incredibly beautiful and incredibly mean Irene Abraham. Things only get worse when their nosey, do-gooder moms get involved and the girls are forced to carpool together until Irene’s car gets out of the shop.

Their bumpy start the only gets bumpier the more time they spend together. But when an opportunity presents itself for Scottie to get back at her toxic ex (and climb her school’s social ladder at the same time), she bribes Irene into playing along. Hijinks, heartbreak, and gay fake-dating scheme for the ages. From author Kelly Quindlen comes a new laugh-out-loud romp through the ups and downs of teen romance.

 

Pair it with Fine Young Cannibals, “She Drives Me Crazy”

 

Take Me Home Tonight by Morgan Matson (May 4, no cover or description yet!)

 

Since there’s no description yet, just know it’s a new Morgan Matson. Pair it with “Take Me Home Tonight” by Eddie Money.

 

 

Those Summer Nights by Laura Silverman (May, no official cover yet)

Hannah used to be all about focus, back before she shattered her ankle and her Olympic dreams in one bad soccer play. These days, she’s all about distraction—anything to keep the painful memories of her recent past at bay, including the string of bad decisions that landed her in a boarding school for troubled teens. Enter Bonanza, the local entertainment multiplex and site of Hannah’s summer employment. With its miniature golf, bowling alley, and arcade—not to mention her hot, flirty coworker Patrick—Bonanza seems like the perfect way to stay distracted. Until her boss announces the annual Bonanza tournament, a staff

competition that brings her past Olympic nightmares crashing back into her present.

On top of that, the Bonanza staff includes Brie, the ex–best friend she cut off last year, and Ethan, her brother’s best friend who suddenly glowed up into a hot, sensitive sweetheart who seems to accept her, even knowing her worst secrets. Under the neon lights of Bonanza, Hannah must decide whether she can find a way to discover a new self in the midst of her old life.

 

Pair it with “Summer Nights” from Grease.

 

 

With You All The Way by Cynthia Hand (3/30)

Ada’s sick of being the invisible good girl in her family. She’s just caught her boyfriend cheating on her after she said she wasn’t ready for sex, and she’s had it up to here with her perfect, beautiful older sister trying to give her advice, especially when that advice includes staying a virgin until she’s truly in love.

But all of that pales in comparison to what Ada discovers when her mom drags them to Hawaii for an annual surgeons’ conference: her mom is having an affair. Just like that, Ada’s whole world comes crashing down, all because it seems like no one can stop themselves from falling into bed with people they shouldn’t.

So Ada decides it’s time for her to do just that, and get sex over with. But what she thinks is one of her best laid plans doesn’t actually leave room for the truth: That feelings, romantic or not, always get in the way.

 

Pair it with New Edition’s “With You All The Way”

 

 

You Can Go Your Own Way by Eric Smith (Fall pub date and no official cover yet)

A YA romantic comedy about a boy trying to save his family’s aging pinball arcade, and a girl whose tech giant dad wants to buy it. When the two get stuck there during Philadelphia’s biggest-ever snowstorm, they’ll have to work together to make it out.

 

Pair this one with the Fleetwood Mac classic “Go Your Own Way.”

 

Roundup of Recent Book Riot Writing, Podcasts, and More

 

I took a couple of much-needed weeks off work — here’s your reminder that if you’ve got a pile of paid time off days sitting around, USE them, even if it’s to do nothing for two weeks like me! — and that meant I didn’t do my weekly writing roundup here. Time for a little catch up!

 

Here’s a look at a whole slew of fall 2020 YA books hitting shelves.

 

Sweet literary pencils for your home or work office. I am obsessed with the book fair one.

 

All of the Mary Oliver gifts you could want, from pillows to jewelry and more.

 

I pulled together 30 of the best body positive books you can read, explaining what body positivity means and why it’s sometimes a loaded phrase.

 

And last, but not least, all of the best spooky horror gifts for book lovers.

 

This week, I was back at Hey YA and in this Extra Credit episode, I had the honor of chatting with YA author Kristina Forest (go read her delightful rom coms!) all about a mutual favorite YA book, Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty.

If you weren’t able to attend the incredible event I did with Alice Wong and the Longmore Institute on Disability about editing anthologies and disability, you can catch the playback now.

 

Last, but not least, I was the guest on Sarah’s Bookshelves, wherein we discussed libraries during the time of COVID-19. Tune in!

Cybils 2020

I almost didn’t apply to be a part of the Cybils Awards this year. Despite the lockdown, I feel like I have more going on and less energy to tackle it with. However, I’m glad I did apply – I’m serving as a Round 2 judge for graphic novels this year, which includes comics for both kids and teens. Nominations are currently open, so this is my annual post asking you to nominate. You can nominate one title per category. Read about the process and nominate here. Nominations close October 15.

If you need a few suggestions for the graphic novel category, here are some I’d like to read or possibly consider for the win in Round 2. As of the time I’m writing this (Tuesday afternoon), none of these titles have been nominated, but check before you submit yours to ensure it’s not a duplicate.

 

Elementary & Middle Grade

Shirley & Jamila Save Their Summer by Gillian Goerz

Donut the Destroyer by Sarah Graley and Stef Purenins

Jo: An Adaptation of Little Women (Sort Of) by Kathleen Gros

Dungeon Critters by Natalie Riess and Sara Goetter

Diana: Princess of the Amazons by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale, and Victoria Ying

Lily the Thief by Janne Kukkonen

Dewdrop by Katie O’Neill

The Tea Dragon Tapestry by Katie O’Neill

Aster and the Accidental Magic by Thom Pico

History Comics: The Roanoke Colony: America’s First Mystery by Chris Schweizer

Doodleville by Chad Sell

Pea, Bee, and Jay Stuck Together by Brian “Smitty” Smith

Crabapple Trouble by Kate Vandorn

Kerri and the Night of the Forest by Andi Watson

Seance Tea Party by Reimena Yee

 

Young Adult

The Phantom Twin by Lisa Brown

Black Canary Ignite by Meg Cabot

The Blue Road: A Fable of Migration by Wayde Compton

Flamer by Mike Curato

Fights by Joel Christian Gill

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

The Oracle Code by Marieke Nijkamp

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

Bloom by Kevin Panetta

You Brought Me the Ocean by Alex Sanchez

A Girl Called Echo vol. 3: Northwest Resistance by Katherena Vermette

The Mars Challenge by Alison Wilgus

Witchlight by Jessi Zabarsky

YA Cover Updates: The Reissue/New Edition Looks For Favorite Reads

Packed into my list of cover changes to highlight in the coming months are a number of YA books which have been staples in the category for a while or are books that didn’t quite land with audiences when they were first published — as you’ll see, many of them are by and about characters of color — that are getting new looks. These reissue editions are meant to entice new readers or encourage long-time fans to step into the backlist of favorite long-time YA authors. Let’s take a look at some of these YA reissue/new editions and talk about the new looks they’re getting.

Original packaging is on the left, while the new looks are on the right.

Illegal by Bettina Restrepo’s reissue isn’t exactly brand new, but I wanted to begin with this one because the reissue hit shelves in August 2019, when culturally, discussions of immigration really ramped up. It was the perfect timing to bring this book to the attention of YA readers, as it was a debut in 2011. The new and updated look follows what we’ve seen in terms of YA cover trends — it’s illustrated, and we know immediately that the main character is a girl of color — but it doesn’t necessarily convey the same sense of longing that the original cover does. But for today’s YA readers, I suspect that paperback is extremely appealing and the tagline, “We are all immigrants,” nicely conveys the essential nature of Nora’s story.

 

When I was working as a teen librarian, Helen Frost was a go-to for YA verse novels. I’m not sure whether that’s still the case or not, but I do think the decision to repackage her classic Crossing Stones this August with a new, fresh cover is a smart way to introduce her writing to a new generation of readers. It’s a far more compelling and contemporary cover in paperback, with bright colors, but it’s also quite clear that it’s a historical verse novel given the ways that the characters are dressed. Since it’s set and about the women’s suffrage movement, the choice for putting a strong-looking girl at the center and holding a flag cues the reader to the main character in a way that the somewhat removed, wistful looking girl in the original cover does not. A new tagline was added as well, which reads “Maybe you won’t rock a cradle. Some women prefer to rock the boat.” A definite cover upgrade timed well with the 100th anniversary of (white) women’s suffrage.

 

I could not love the new look of Cynthia Leitich Smith’s debut YA novel any more. The original cover feels a tiny bit dated, in so much as her style of dress is very early-2000s and the images that are behind her are black and white photographs (and that boy in one of the photographs also does a great job showcasing just how great early 00s was for style). The new look, which will be part of Leitich Smith’s inaugural line for her imprint Heartdrum, hits shelves February 9 and is beautifully contemporary and timeless. It’s illustrated, with a much larger font choice for the title and author, and the style of the girl’s clothing and hair give less clues as to when the book was written and published. I love that it looks like it’s a perfect read for younger YA readers, too, as I think Leitich Smith writes such great work for that emerging YA reader without watering down the big issues she seeks to convey.

 

Marie Myung-Ok Lee’s Finding My Voice is believed to be the first Asian American #OwnVoices novel for YA readers, and the fact it’s being reissued with such a beautiful, modern cover in December is an utter treat. The original book, published in October of 1992, has a very of-the-time cover. That was a few years before I was reading YA books, but I remember that style of cover being popular for chapter books at the time. It’s not bad nor spectacular but very 1992. What’s interesting and most noteworthy, though, is that Marie’s full-name is not on the cover. Rather, she’s Marie G. Lee, a moniker that doesn’t make her heritage front and center. We really only know that the main character in the story is Asian by the illustration. The new cover, though, highlights Marie’s full name, and it features an incredible illustration of a modern Asian American girl. Like with Leitich Smith’s book above, I’m especially happy to see that her style doesn’t date her, meaning that this design will likely look fresh and modern years from now. The title font is big and central, and the colorful stripes in the background make the cover pop. I don’t know about you, but I am so eager to get my hands on this reissue.

 

 

Coming June 1 next year is the five-year anniversary edition of Nina LaCour and David Levithan’s You Know Me Well. What I love about this set of covers is how much they tell you about the ways cover design and the push to see diverse characters on YA book covers has changed in just a short period of time. The initial cover is fine, but it’s very 2016 — it’s font drive, with an illustration that doesn’t really tell you much. If you didn’t know the authors and what they tend to write, you might not pick up the cues that this is a queer YA book by two leading queer YA authors (and yes, there are a lot of YA readers who wouldn’t!). But the paperback reissue is queer as queer can be, without reinventing the entire cover. The bridge is still there, the font for the title is still big and bold, but now you see all kinds of teenagers showing their pride. It’s beautiful and inclusive and tells the reader everything they’d want to know (though if I could nitpick, I’d note that there’s not a physical disability represented, which feels a bit like a missed opportunity given everything else this cover nails). I’m not usually a big fan of taglines, but this one here is a nice addition: “Kate’s in love with Violet. Mark’s in love with Ryan. The hard part comes next.” That hardcover is very much for grownups who are fans of the authors. The paperback? For readers who want queer YA.

 

What do you think? Favorites in the bunch? Are there any older or classic YA books you’d love to see recovered and repackaged?