Kelly Jensen's Blog, page 134

Time Traveling Teens

Time travel is huge in YA fiction right now. If you know my reading tastes at all, you will understand that I am not sad about this. Buzz about forthcoming books indicates that the trend is only set to strengthen in the coming months and years.





I've collected a list of books published within the last year or so, as well as upcoming titles, below. Several are sequels, which points to the trend's ongoing popularity. All descriptions are from WorldCat or Goodreads. Are there any I've missed? Any you're particularly excited about?





Recent Titles







 


Unremembered by Jessica Brody: A girl, estimated to be sixteen, awakens with amnesia in the wreckage of
a plane crash she should not have survived and taken into foster care,
and the only clue to her identity is a mysterious boy who claims she was
part of a top-secret science experiment. Kimberly's review





Vortex by Julie Cross: Despite his heartbreak at losing the love of his life, Holly,
nineteen-year-old Jackson throws himself into his role as an agent to
Tempest, the shadowy division of the CIA that handles all
time-travel-related threats, but Eyewall, an opposing division of the
CIA, puts the lives of both Jackson and Holly at risk again. Sequel to Tempest. 





Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier: Sixteen-year-old Gwen, the newest and final member of the secret
time-traveling Circle of Twelve, searches through history for the other
time-travelers, aided by friend Lesley, James the ghost, Xemerius the
gargoyle demon, and Gideon, the Diamond, whose fate seems bound with
hers. Sequel to Ruby Red.










My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris: While on a trip to Florence, Italy, Cat Crawford travels back in time to
the sixteenth century where she meets her ancestors, falls for an
aspiring artist, and becomes the target of an unwanted suitor.





The Cydonian Pyramid by Pete Hautman: Tucker Feye and Lah Lia each hurtle through time, relating their stories
in alternating viewpoints that converge at crucial moments. Sequel to The Obsidian Blade. Kimberly's review





Erasing Time by C. J. Hill: Eighteen-year-old twins Taylor and Sheridan are pulled into the future
and must find a way to stop the evil government from using the time
machine again. Kimberly's review 










Infinityglass by Myra McEntire: From the moment the Hourglass group violated the rules of the space time
continuum to rescue a murdered loved one, time has been in flux. People
from other centuries slide into our time, intruding into our space,
threatening our world. Frantically seeking a way to turn back this tide,
the Hourglass begins a search for the legendary Infinityglass, tracking
it to the city of New Orleans, a place where the past rests easily with the present. Conclusion to the Hourglass trilogy.





Kissing Shakespeare by Pamela Mingle: Although her parents are renowned Shakespearean actors, Miranda's
performance in a school play is disastrous. But before she can get away
to hide, Stephen, a castmate, whisks her to sixteenth century England to
meet--and save--the young Will Shakespeare.





Timekeeper by Alexandra Monir: Bewildered by a new student at her Manhattan high school who does not
know her but seems to be Philip Walker, her lost love from her time
travels, and threatened by Rebecca, who has held a grudge against her
family for 120 years, sixteen-year-old Michele Windsor seeks help in her
father journals and The Handbook of The Time Society. Sequel to Timeless.










 





Dark Destiny by M. J. Putney: Tory and her friends receive an urgent summons, leading the young mages
known as Merlin's Irregulars to ask Rebecca Weiss, an untrained telepath
from 1940, to join them in 1804 and stop Napoleon from invading
England. Third in Dark Mirror series.





Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone: In 1995 Evanston, Illinois, sixteen-year-old Anna's perfectly normal
life is turned upside-down when she meets Bennett, whose ability to
travel through space and time creates complications for them both. 





All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill: Em must travel back in time to prevent a catastrophic time machine from
ever being invented, while Marina battles to prevent the murder of the
boy she loves 





Forthcoming Titles










Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier (October 2013): Since learning she is the Ruby, the final member of the time-traveling
Circle of Twelve, nothing has gone right for Gwen and she holds
suspicions about both Count Saint-German and Gideon, but as she uncovers
the Circle's secrets she finally learns her own destiny. Conclusion to Ruby Red trilogy.





Time After Time by Tamara Ireland Stone (October 2013): Told from his point of view, continues the love story of Bennett, a time
traveler from 2012 San Francisco, and Anna, sixteen, of 1995 Evanston,
Illinois, as they try to make their relationship work despite his fear
that it is not meant to be. Companion to Time Between Us.





Timebound by Rysa Walker (October 2013): When Kate
Pierce-Keller’s grandmother gives her a strange blue medallion and
speaks of time travel, sixteen-year-old Kate assumes the old woman is
delusional. But it all becomes horrifyingly real when a murder in the
past destroys the foundation of Kate’s present-day life. Suddenly, that
medallion is the only thing protecting Kate from blinking out of
existence.










Timestorm by Julie Cross (January 2014): Sequel to Vortex and conclusion to Tempest trilogy.





Unforgotten by Jessica Brody (February 2014): After a daring escape from the scientists who created her, Seraphina and
Zen believe they are finally safe from the horrors of her past only to
discover that new threats await them. Sequel to Unremembered.





The Eighth Guardian by Meredith McCardle (February 2014): It’s
Testing Day. The day that comes without warning, the day when all
juniors and seniors at The Peel Academy undergo a series of intense
physical and psychological tests to see if they’re ready to graduate and
become government operatives. Amanda and her boyfriend Abe are top
students, and they’ve just endured thirty-six hours of testing. But
they’re juniors and don’t expect to graduate. That’ll happen next year,
when they plan to join the CIA—together. But when the graduates
are announced, the results are shocking. Amanda has been chosen—the
first junior in decades. And she receives the opportunity of a lifetime:
to join a secret government organization called the Annum Guard and
travel through time to change the course of history. No cover image yet.





The Fifty-Seven Lives of Alex Wayfare by M. G. Buehrlen (March 2014): For as long as
17-year-old Alex Wayfare can remember, she has had visions of the past.
Alex is desperate to find out what
her visions mean and get rid of them. It isn’t until she meets
Porter, a stranger who knows more than should be possible about her,
that she learns the truth: Her visions aren’t really visions. Alex is a
Descender – capable of traveling back in time by accessing Limbo, the
space between Life and Afterlife. Alex is one soul with fifty-six past
lives, fifty-six histories. No cover image yet.


            Related StoriesSeptember Debut YA NovelsLiterary Inspirations: YA Characters Hooked on InspirationThin Space by Jody Casella 

September Debut YA Novels

Ready for this month's debut YA novels? We've been keeping track of debut novels throughout the year, and you can get to past roundups by starting in our August post and working backwards. 





A note about the definition of the word "debut." I am strict in applying it -- these are first-time works by first-time authors, unless otherwise noted. I don't include first-time YA works by authors who have published in other categories. I don't include YA authors who have changed their names (I've seen a number of lists including books that are by authors who have published in YA previously but who are writing under a pen name or have married and changed their publication name). The books included are debuts in the truest sense of the word.





If I am missing a debut novel by a traditional publisher out in September, let me know in the comments. All descriptions are via WorldCat unless otherwise notes. 



















Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis: Sixteen-year-old Lynn will do anything to protect her valuable water source, but the arrival of new neighbors forces her to reconsider her attitudes.





Relativity by Cristin Bishara: If Ruby Wright could have her way, her dad would never have met and married her stepmother Willow, her best friend George would be more than a friend, and her mom would still be alive. Then she discovers a tree in the middle of an Ohio cornfield with a wormhole to nine alternative realities. But is there such a thing as a perfect world? What is Ruby willing to give up to find out?





Thin Space by Jody Casella: Consumed by guilt and secrets about his twin brother's death, Marsh Windsor is looking for a thin space--a place where the barrier between this world and the next is thin enough for a person to cross over--in hopes of setting things right.



















Find Me by Romily Bernard: When teen hacker and foster child Wick Tate finds a dead classmate's diary on her front step, with a note reading "Find me," she sets off on a perverse game of hide-and-seek to catch the killer.





Project Cain by Geoffrey Girard: Fifteen-year-old Jeff Jacobson learns that not only was he cloned from infamous serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer's blood as part of a top-secret government experiment, but there are other clones like him and he is the only one who can track them down before it is too late.





The Paradox of Vertical Flight by Emil Ostrovski: When, on his eighteenth birthday, Jack Polovsky's almost-suicide is interrupted by his ex-girlfriend Jess's call saying she is in labor, he impulsively snatches the baby and hits the road with his best friend Tommy and Jess to introduce baby Socrates to Jack's aging grandmother.
















All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill: Em must travel back in time to prevent a catastrophic time machine from ever being invented, while Marina battles to prevent the murder of the boy she loves. 





Leap of Faith by Jamie Blair: Seventeen-year-old Faith shepherds her neglectful, drug-addicted mother through her pregnancy and then kidnaps the baby, taking on the responsibility of being her baby sister's parent while hiding from the authorities.





Relic by Renee Collins: After a raging fire consumes her town and kills her parents, Maggie Davis is on her own to protect her younger sister and survive best she can in the Colorado town of Burning Mesa. In Maggie’s world, the bones of long-extinct magical creatures such as dragons and sirens are mined and traded for their residual magical elements, and harnessing these relics’ powers allows the user to wield fire, turn invisible, or heal even the worst of injuries. Working in a local saloon, Maggie befriends the spirited showgirl Adelaide and falls for the roguish cowboy Landon. But when she proves to have a particular skill at harnessing the relics’ powers, Maggie is whisked away to the glamorous hacienda of Álvar Castilla, the wealthy young relic baron who runs Burning Mesa. Though his intentions aren’t always clear, Álvar trains Maggie in the world of relic magic. But when the mysterious fires reappear in their neighboring towns, Maggie must discover who is channeling relic magic for evil before it’s too late. (Description via Goodreads). 



















This is How I Find Her by Sara Polsky: High school junior Sophie has always had the burden of taking care of her mother, who has bipolar disorder, but after her mother's hospitalization she must learn to cope with estranged family and figure out her own life.





A Wounded Name by Dot Hutchison: A reimagining of the world and story of Hamlet--from Ophelia's perspective and set in an American boarding school.


            Related StoriesLiterary Inspirations: YA Characters Hooked on InspirationThin Space by Jody CasellaYA in the Witness Protection Program: A Reading List 

Literary Inspirations: YA Characters Hooked on Inspiration

Did you have a book or an author who inspired you significantly when you were a teenager? I suspect even as adults, there are those authors and books who hold a big place in your heart for what it is they've written that you've just connected with strongly. These are the words and stories we think about all of the time and that sometimes, we use to guide our own decisions and paths because we believe in them so much. 





I love seeing this homage trend play out in YA fiction. It's something I've kept a small list on, and it's something I'd love to explore more of. Note that these are not books where the story or characters are modeled after other works of literature (so books like April Lindner's Catherine don't fit); these are instead books where the character has had a strong connection to or bond with an author or book. These are stories where the character's passion for a particular book or author is one of their defining characteristics. 





Below is my (somewhat short) list of books that do that, with descriptions from WorldCat. I welcome additions to this list in any genre -- my knowledge tends to fall to contemporary/realistic, but I know there are plenty of books outside this arena that have characters deeply devoted to a specific book or author. 













And Then Things Fall Apart by Arlaina Tibensky -- an obsession with Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar. Reviewed here. 












Devastated by her parents' decision to split up, pressured by her boyfriend to have sex, and saddled with a case of chicken pox, fifteen-year-old Keek finds consolation in her beloved, well-worn copy of Sylvia Plath's "The Bell Jar."



















Emily's Dress and Other Missing Things by Kathryn Burak -- an obsession with all things Emily Dickinson. Reviewed here. 





A new girl in Amherst, Massachusetts, comes to terms with her mother's suicide and her best friend's disappearance with the help of Emily Dickinson's poetry--and her dress.
















Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos -- an obsession with all things Walt Whitman. Reviewed here.





A sixteen-year-old boy wrestling with depression and anxiety tries to cope by writing poems, reciting Walt Whitman, hugging trees, and figuring out why his sister has been kicked out of the house.
















Kiss the Morning Star by Elissa Janine Hoole -- a road trip spurred by Jack Kerouac's The Dharma Bums. Reviewed here.





The summer after high school graduation and one year after her mother's tragic death, Anna and her long-time best friend Kat set out on a road trip across the country, armed with camping supplies and a copy of Jack Kerouac's Dharma Bums, determined to be open to anything that comes their way. 
















Being Henry David by Cal Armistead -- an obsession with Henry David Thoreau and Walden Pond.





Seventeen-year-old 'Hank,' who can't remember his identity, finds himself in Penn Station with a copy of Thoreau's Walden as his only possession and must figure out where he's from and why he ran away.








Can you think of other YA books that fall into this category? I'd love to know more.


            Related StoriesYA in the Witness Protection Program: A Reading ListThin Space by Jody CasellaFangirl by Rainbow Rowell 

Thin Space by Jody Casella

I'm a little torn on putting up a spoiler alert for my review of Thin Space -- yes, I plan on going into territory that could ruin major plot points in the book. That said, the jacket copy for the book completely ruins the twist right in it. I hadn't read the jacket copy before I dove in, but about half way through reading, I flipped the book over and gave it a read.





The twist was ruined for me. And while it didn't ruin my reading experience, it was incredibly disappointing to have it spelled out right there on cover copy for me. Perhaps it won't spoil the story for all readers. The reason it did for me was that the title likened to Casella's book is one I am familiar with, and therefore, I knew immediately what was going to happen. 





Which is to say, there are spoilers in this review, but you are going to be spoiled reading jacket copy, too. At least that was the case on the ARC -- I hope that the finished copy doesn't have that major spoiler on it. Proceed as you wish.





Marsh's twin brother died in a car accident a few months ago; Marsh was the driver. It was only a couple months following that when Mrs. Hansel, Marsh's neighbor, died. She was the older woman that Marsh and brother Austin used to do community service for, and she was the one who introduced the boys to the concept of the thin space -- the portal where souls enter and leave the body, where it's possible to traverse time and space and be reunited with those who've passed on. Now that both Austin and Mrs. Hansel are gone, Marsh has become the crazy kid, looking for this thin space.



He's convinced there is a thin space in Mrs. Hansel's old home, since she was born there and died there. 



The grief consumes Marsh, and he's finding himself acting out of character. He's being aggressive, getting involved in altercations, wandering around barefoot, careless. When Mrs. Hansel's home is sold to a new family, he finds himself making quick friends with Maddie, one of the new kids who moved in. He's not so much taken with her in a romantic sense; he knows that getting to know Maddie means he can get into the house and seek out this thin space. 



Of course, he begins to fall for her. It's slow but earned. However, it's not without complications -- Logan, Marsh's girlfriend, isn't ready for them to break up. And it's not entirely clear whether or not Marsh is ready for that relationship to end either. Because that relationship reminds him of Austin and Austin's relationship with Katie. The four of them would double date.



The four of them had been on a double date the night Austin died.



Little by little, Marsh opens up to Maddie, though, and he learns that she, too, is dealing with loss in her life. That she, too, would love to find a thin space to reconnect with her departed father. And the night that Mrs. Golden, school counselor, wanders into Maddie's house on the promise of delivering treats, Maddie discovers that the counselor is also looking for the thin space. And she has found it.



And then, the marvelous, smart, savvy twist occurs -- skip down a paragraph if you don't want it. See, Marsh isn't Marsh. In fact, that's the bigger point of the story: Marsh really hated being a twin. He despised the fact it was so easy for him and Austin to be confused with one another, for them to be seen as the same person, despite being so different from one another. It was easy to trick Logan and Katie into believing Marsh was Austin and vice versa. And the night of the double date at the movie theater -- the night of the accident -- the boys had gone all the way in their identity swapping. Austin assumed the role of Marsh and Marsh, the role of Austin. So when Marsh discovers the thin space with Maddie, what happens is the true unravels: Marsh is actually Austin, and the dead twin is actually Marsh. Everything that Marsh had lived and experienced post-Austin's death had actually been Austin living as Marsh instead. Because even the boys couldn't separate their own selves from one another, and the weight of grief -- not just of the loss, but the grief in knowing that the truth would further harm relationships and the people who loved the boys -- kept Austin from telling everyone about their own history of deception.



The writing here is good, and the pacing is spot-on. The story kept me hooked and eager to see how much Marsh would reveal and how much he'd hold back. I wanted to know what would happen, what could change, the moment he got to see Austin through the thin space. The story was wholly satisfying and solid, and it'll appeal big time to readers who loved the parallel worlds of Emily Hainsworth's Through to You, as well as those who love the whats-real-what's-supernatural elements of Nova Ren Suma's books. While it is not as lush in the writing aspect, it is similarly structured in plot. This is a book that tiptoes the line and begs the reader to wonder whether or not there is a thin space or whether or not that thin space is simply a matter of narrative choice of truth vs deception.



I see this being really popular with readers who love ghost stories, who love stories about grief and mourning, and who like there to be just a tiny touch of romance. This isn't about finding and falling in love with someone else. It's about finding and appreciating the love that's already around you and coming to terms with what it is you have to do to maintain and sustain it. For Marsh, it meant games of truth and games of deceit. For Marsh, it's about dealing with grief in its many ugly, confusing, frustrating forms. Jody Casella's Thin Space is satisfying, well-written, and compelling, with loads of reader appeal. I really look forward to seeing what she writes next. 








Thin Space is available now. Review copy received from the publisher. 


            Related StoriesFangirl by Rainbow RowellAudio Review: Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane NickersonSex & Violence by Carrie Mesrobian 

Horror in YA in SLJ

Happy Friday the 13th!





As a treat, you can now read my entire piece about horror in YA at School Library Journal. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing it.


             

All over the place at Book Riot

It feels like cheating not to have actual content here at Stacked for a day, but it's for good reason. I have two -- yes, two -- posts going up at Book Riot today. I'll update this post as each goes up, but I promise they're good. Maybe two of my favorite posts I've written in a while.








First up: some thoughts on gendering reading -- in other words, calling things "books for boys" and "books for girls" and the problems of those designations.


            Related StoriesOver at Book RiotElsewhere in the book worldPost on Adults Fearing YA at Book Riot 

Battling Boy by Paul Pope

Paul Pope is quite the name in comics. As a relative newcomer myself, Battling Boy was the first I had heard of him, but I know his reputation for high-quality comic storytelling.





In this graphic novel for kids, the first in a projected series, Pope first introduces us to Haggard West, hero of the town of Arcopolis. He's fighting one of the monsters that have been taking over the town, and he seems to be winning, as he always does...until he's not. In fact, the monster kills him. Haggard West is dead.





The town is distraught. Who will hold back the tide of monstrous creatures? West's daughter, still a child, thinks she's the natural successor.





Meanwhile, the godlike Battling Boy is living in his home above the clouds, with his godlike father and his godlike friends. His father announces that it's time for Battling Boy to go rambling, a rite of passage for their culture. This means Battling Boy is sent to a part of the mortal world where he will test himself against whatever plagues the people - and he's sent to Arcopolis.





Things start out rough for Battling Boy, and they don't get any better in his first battle. Except...a series of events fools the citizens into thinking he is a full-fledged hero with the power of gods, when really, he's only a hero in training, and not a great one at that. He tries to keep up appearances with the help of a set of t-shirts with images of animals on them, which give him powers based on the animals' strengths. Will Battling Boy be able to save the town, even though he's basically an impostor hero? (Hint: you don't actually find out in this volume.)





This title has been getting a huge marketing push from First Second, and it's getting a lot of early critical acclaim as well. I felt pretty tepid toward it, though. Mostly, I was frustrated there was so much beginning here. It never seemed to advance beyond exposition, despite the frenetic action. There's a certain plot point near the end that I felt could have happened much earlier and propelled the story further along in this first volume.





I thought the mythology was a bit muddled as well, but I've always been more interested than most in backstory. Without more details about Battling Boy and his cultural background, it seems quite generic, perhaps a bit too much like Asgard.





I would have liked to see more of Haggard West's daughter. She seems interesting; I genuinely want to know more about what it was like to grow up with a superhero (without any supernatural powers) as a father. We get snippets of that upbringing, but she doesn't get to do much except go to her classes, which include advanced science as well as fighting. Her story doesn't meet up with Battling Boy's (though I expect it will in future volumes).





But those are mostly personal complaints. Kids who like the serial nature of comics and are used to waiting several volumes to progress beyond chapter one probably won't mind that nothing is resolved here. The t-shirt concept is very modern; I can picture kids throwing on their own graphic tees and imagining themselves with super powers based on the images. The art, also done by Pope, fits right in with the traditional comic book aesthetic. It's actually a bit better than most, I think, with vivid colors and a vibrancy that complements all the action. Kids who love comics will be thrilled with this new superhero and Pope's modern take on it.





Review copy provided by the publisher. Battling Boy will be available October 8.


            Related StoriesFangirl by Rainbow RowellAudio Review: Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane NickersonConjured by Sarah Beth Durst 

What I'm Reading Now

 

The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas

This is one of those books that I already love so much, I'm deliberately reading it slowly. Iolanthe is an elemental mage living in an area called the Domain. It's ruled by Atlantis, which is in turn ruled by the Bane. Iolanthe thinks she has pretty pedestrian talents, but when experimenting with lightning one day, she's spotted by Prince Titus, and he recognizes her for what she is: the mage prophesied to bring down the Bane.



I generally dislike books that center on prophecies. Usually, the prophecy is a cheat, a shortcut for a plot point. Here, I don't mind it so much (though I'm still not sold on it). And part of the reason I don't mind is because this book has so many other amazing things: a unique magical system, an interesting political situation that I'm eager to learn more about, instantly dynamic characters in the two leads, a girl passing as a boy in a boys' school...I could go on. Love high fantasy? Pick this up.



The Waking Dark by Robin Wasserman

This is my next audiobook read, after the merely OK Strands of Bronze and Gold . The town of Oleander, Kansas experiences a horrific event they later term the Killing Day. Five people murder a dozen people around them, for no apparent reason. Then four them kill themselves. The fifth, Cass, doesn't - and she has no explanation for why she and the others killed that day.



It's a very dark but intriguing concept. Wasserman's previous novel, The Book of Blood and Shadow , was also quite dark, although not as overtly violent (at least initially). Narrator Mark Deakins sets a nicely grim tone right off the bat. I'm not too far in yet, but I'm certainly interested enough to keep going.



Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Out of all the Gaiman novels I've tried, I think this is by far the most broadly appealing. I actually first saw the movie several years ago (and loved it) and finally gave the book a try this year. It's close in tone to the movie, I think, though it has adult elements that would have pushed the movie beyond its PG rating (mainly fairly detailed descriptions of sex).



Gaiman's writing style is very well suited to a fairy tale-type story, great at communicating whimsy as well as darkness. It's funny and interesting and I enjoy picking out the parts that were changed for the movie. I gave up on all other Gaiman novels I've tried, but this one is a winner for me.








            Related StoriesWhat I'm Reading Now 

YA in the Witness Protection Program: A Reading List

A recent microtrend I noticed lately is an odd one, but it's one that's been present in YA books for years: the witness protection program. Because its recent emergence in a number of titles has me fascinated (why so many at once?), I thought it'd be worth looking at the trend over time. We'll start with the most recent, as well as a forthcoming title or two, then I'll call out back list titles -- and classics of YA -- which feature the witness protection program in some capacity.



All descriptions come from WorldCat, unless otherwise noted. If I missed any titles I should know about, leave 'em in the comments. All of my titles are YA, but I would be interested in adult titles with YA crossover appeal that feature this as well. I suspect there are a number of great genre titles, particularly in the mystery/thriller arena, that feature witness protection and have appeal to teen readers. 







Conjured by Sarah Beth Durst: Haunted by disturbing dreams and terrifying visions, a teenaged girl in a paranormal witness protection program must remember her past and why she has strange abilities before a magic-wielding serial killer hunts her down.



The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston: High school student "Meg" has changed identities so often that she hardly knows who she is anymore, and her family is falling apart, but she knows that two of the rules of witness protection are be forgettable and do not make friends--but in her new home in Louisiana a boy named Ethan is making that difficult.



Shadowlands by Kate Brian: Rory, a girl in witness protection, thinks the serial killer she turned in has found her and is killing people around her. But as she investigates, she discovers a dark, disturbing truth about her new hometown 









Don't Look Behind You by Lois Duncan: Seventeen-year-old April finds her comfortable life changed forever when death threats to her father, a witness in a federal case, force her family to go into hiding under assumed names and flee the pursuit of a hired killer.



See Jane Run by Hannah Jayne (January 2014): Riley Spencer never thought twice about keeping secrets from her parents, but when she finds a birth certificate with the name Jane O'Callahan hidden in her baby book, she must consider that her parents are lying to her.



When I Was Joe by Keren David: After Ty and his mother are placed in a witness protection program because he can identify his friend's murderers, he finds himself adjusting, but when his grandmother is hurt in a deliberate attack designed to get him to return to London, he knows he must make a choice.









Fake ID by Lamar Giles (January 2014): An African-American teen in the Witness Protection Program moves to a new town and finds himself trying to solve a murder mystery when his first friend is found dead. 



By Any Other Name by Laura Jarratt: Holly is fifteen years old, but she's only been "Holly" for a matter of months. Because of something that happened, she and her family have had to enter witness protection and have all assumed new identities. Starting at a new school mid-term is hard enough at the best of times, and Holly has no clue who she is any more.



Hush by Jacqueline Woodson: Twelve-year-old Toswiah finds her life changed when her family enters the witness protection program.











Safe House by James Heneghan: Northern Ireland. In 1999, one year after the Good Friday peace accord, sectarian violence still runs rampant in Belfast and the hatred between Protestant and Catholic runs deep. Liam's father is a peacemaker to the Catholic community. When his parents are brutally murdered, Liam is forced to run for his life. Taken to a police safe house, Liam is betrayed and forced to run again, from the very people who are supposed to be protecting him.



The Unprotected Witness by James Stevenson: After the murder of his father, who has been hiding under the Witness Protection Program, Pete finds himself the target of sinister men who seem to think he knows where a large sum of money is hidden.



Tunnel Vision by Susan Shaw: After witnessing her mother's murder, sixteen-year-old high school student Liza Wellington and her father go into the witness protection program.


            Related StoriesFangirl by Rainbow RowellAudio Review: Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane NickersonConjured by Sarah Beth Durst 

Read me in SLJ!

I am so, so, SO excited to share that I have a piece in this month's School Library Journal. It's all about horror in YA, and it not only offers up a huge reading list for recent horror titles -- everything published within the last two years or so -- but it also talks about whether or not horror is the "next big thing" in YA. I talked with a couple of YA editors for this piece, as well as an author, and I think it all came together quite well (after a lot of work with a very patient editor).





But can we talk about the real story here? That illustration! It's amazing and perfect for the story. I want to hang it on my wall. I'm going to be spending a little time exploring what else Kim Rosen has done.





If you get the chance to read the story, I hope you enjoy it. And if you don't get the chance to read it in print, I believe it will eventually be available online. I'll link to it if/when it does.