Kelly Jensen's Blog, page 5

This Week at Book Riot

 

Over on Book Riot this week (with the caveat that three posts are going up today, so they’ll be linked next week):

 

On the quiet censorship of queer stories in Nebraska.

 

A not-exhaustive but exhausting roundup of book challenge news from last week (this week’s is up today on Book Riot).

 

A deep dive into the legacy of the Baby-Sitters Club.

 

On Hey YA, Erica and I talk about mental illness in YA, as well as dig into pretty YA comics.

Beyond The Baby-Sitters Club: Side Series, Stand Alones, and Other BSC Universe Tie-Ins

Happy season two day of The Baby-Sitters Club on Netflix. I’m so glad that this series got a second season, and I’m eager to see how the new sitters are introduced. The first season did such a tremendous service to the books and added so much to make the stories more contemporary, without ever once losing the spirit of what made the books special.

I’ve written quite a bit about The Baby-Sitters Club. This includes a couple of in-depth, longform pieces about the series and why it endures. I love looking at this series as a fan, but also as someone who doesn’t consider themselves as part of the fandom — this distinction didn’t quite click for me until I read We Are The Baby-Sitters Club: Essays and Artwork from Grown-Up Readers edited by Marisa Crawford and Megan Milks. There are people like me who loved the books and appreciate them both for their staying power and for the nostalgia they bring up, and then there are people who are deeply invested in the fandom, seeking out opportunities to connect with other fans, to create fan fiction or art work, and to dig into theories and ideas about who these characters would turn out to be (if they ever leave 8th grade!). The anthology is super thought-provoking and worth picking up if you have any interest in the books at all, and it made for a great refresher before the new season of the adaptation.

Whether you’re a fan or BSC-curious or you’ve got young readers in your life who are passionate about the books (or their rad modern comic adaptations), you likely know the original series has 131 entries, alternating perspectives among the various Club members. The series launched in 1986 and ran through 1999. Ann M. Martin wrote the first 35 original books, and afterward, many were ghostwritten; you can often figure out who the ghostwriter is by the dedication page.

There are more books than those, though, as well as a number of iterations from those first novels. Let’s take a peek at some of the spin-off series, the additional series, the comics, and the one-off titles that you may or may not know.

 

 

Baby-Sitters Club Series Books The Super Specials — 15 Titles Between 1988 and 1998

One of the things that fans love about this series is that the sitters never age. They’re in eighth grade forever, so even though club members would have been well into their 20s by the time the series wraps up, they never actually age. This means they go on about a million jobs — and adventures — over the course of a year that never ends.

The Super Specials were longer books than the OG series titles, and rather than being told from a single viewpoint, they shifted. The books were typically set on a longer adventure, so there was more time and space dedicated to preserving the memories of whatever said adventure was. Some of the titles in the Super Specials included the time that Stoneybrook was hit by a massive snowstorm and everyone was trapped in their homes, the time when the sitters went with Mallory’s family to Sea Side for vacation, and when all of the babysitters went on an RV trip across the country.

These books are still available to purchase, including in ebook format, and they’ve taken on their new looks in paperback. It’s a more comic rendition, which should appeal to new readers (though forever the originals, with their white cover and image of the sitters on their adventure, are going to stay my favorites).

 

The Mysteries — 36 Titles Between 1991 and 1998

This may have been my first encounter with mystery as a genre, as I was in my prime BSC reading years when these titles emerged. As with the original books, these titles rotated among the sitters for whose point of view it came from, and these weren’t any longer or more “bonus” titles than the initial series. Instead, what was added was a minor mystery thread through the story.

What is amazing is how much was happening in Stoneybrook and how no one seemed to think there were bigger issues going on — lots of vandalism, a whole lot of suspicious folks who seemed like they were going to commit burglary, and a lot of ghosts and missing children. That these rag tag eighth graders were on it, well, it’s impressive is all. I suspect that was what made these books so appealing, the idea that young people could be the heroes (and, of course, we can attribute that and the Mysteries to Nancy Drew and similar sleuths in children’s literature throughout time).

You can definitely still pick up many of these books on Amazon, either via ebook where they’re really inexpensive at $2-$5 a pop or print, where they’re a little pricier.

 

The Super Mysteries — 4 Titles Between 1995 and 1997

I don’t know if it’s just me, but I can imagine the meeting that happened to make this short series of books happen. There’s a big round table at Scholastic headquarters and someone suggests melding the Super Specials books with the mystery books. Then you get a longer book, as well as a book that rotates narrators within the text, AND you can include a bigger, bolder mystery for the sitters to solve.

What makes the Super Mysteries stand out, too, is they’re all seasonally-themed. The first three are Halloween/creepy/horror-y mysteries, taking place at a haunted house; Salem, Massachusetts; and in Stoneybrook, where there’s been a series of “accidents.” The final title in the Super Mysteries series takes place at Christmas.

I don’t remember these books at all, but looking at the publication dates, it makes quite a bit of sense. I was in middle school during these years and while I sure didn’t avoid BSC books, I wasn’t actively seeking them out like I was in elementary school. You can snag these still in ebook and paperback.

 

The California Diaries — 16 Titles Between 1997 and 2000

One of the founding club members, Dawn — who I’ve always had a soft sport for and am especially enamored with in the Netflix take — was from California. This is a huge piece of her character development throughout the series and she travels back and forth because her parents are divorced. This series is a spin off, following Dawn and her California friends.

What makes this collection especially interesting is that it not only tackles darker topics than the originals, but it allows the characters to age. Martin noted that she loved writing the BSC books, and she loved that they could be appealing for younger readers. But what would happen as readers grew up and as the characters themselves magically could evolve beyond their 13-year-old selves? This series was the answer.

Dawn is the only OG sitter, and titles cycle through a number of new voices. You can still purchased these titles. This series hit well after my BSC years so I never looked at them, but I’m curious how they hold up now and more, how they might compare to the kinds of YA that began hitting shelves in these years, too (hello Speak and Monster and The Perks of Being a Wallflower).

Also, how great the cover is SO DIFFERENT from the other series? It’s clear this is a whole different flavor of story.

Friends Forever — 12 Titles in 1999 and 2000

In this series, we see the sitters preparing to graduate middle school finally! There are a ton of changes happening with each of the members, and the books cycle through each of their voices as they experience huge family changes, makeups and breakups, and what happens when you have to choose between a crush and a best friend.

These are an extension of the original series, offering readers a look at “and then what…”

You can still pick these books up in print or in digital formats. The covers are way different than the original series and I’m not a huge fan — they’re super dated because of the style the models are wearing.

Perhaps that adds to the nostalgia? Hard to say. These books were out when I was myself graduating junior high and in my freshman year in high school but I never picked them up.

 

 

Friends Forever: Special — 2 Titles in 1999 and 2000

But do the babysitters ever graduate middle school? They sure do, and it happens in the final entry in the Forever Friends: Special edition. There were only two of these and in the tradition of previous Super Specials, these were longer books and rotated among the characters. The first book explores the sitters who are leaving the club and what new adventures they’re destined for. The second and final has the team attending their big graduation day.

Again with the less-than-awesome covers on these two titles. Part of it might be in addition to the styles being dated that the models don’t look like middle schoolers. I think the Netflix adaptation really made clear when characters look the right age because they are the right age.

You can grab these as ebooks or if you want to, you can spend something like $900 on the original paperbacks, which seems a little wild given the ebooks are $3. But to each!

 

 

Special Edition: Readers’ Requests — 3 Titles Between 1992 and 1994

I’ve been purposeful in not using “the girls” or other gendered language to describe the babysitters in this post because not all of the members are girls. This short series features Logan, the male associate babysitter, as well as Shannon, another of the associate members. These books were requested by readers, since neither associate had their own titles within the original series.

Logan, apparently, did a lot of weird things in his books. He was teased by the football team first because of his work with the babysitters, but then in the following book, he apparently gets involved in a gang? I didn’t read these because I wasn’t interested at the time — and I do really remember that — so I can’t explain the big flex there.

Shannon’s story follows as her mom chaperones a school trip to Paris and discovers Shannon might not be the good girl her mom thinks she is.

You can snag these on Amazon in ebook format and in some used paperback editions at non-astronomical prices.

 

Portrait Collections — 6 Titles Between 1994 and 1998

Why is it books that were essentially scrapbooks from the perspective of characters were so big in the 90s and then disappeared and we don’t see them anymore? I know the answer is that we simply don’t have series in the same way we did then, but it seems like some of the mega-popular series today would do well to expand to these sorts of ephemeral books. Peeta could easily have had his own cookbook, for example.

This short series allowed each of the babysitters who took part to write their own autobiography. Talk about fandom heaven — you could really get to know the girls beyond the basic info at the beginning of each original title and see them outside the context of the club.

As someone who was a huge Abby fan when she entered the series, I don’t remember if I actually read her edition or not. I might need to do so, since these are all available as ebooks.

 

 

Graphic Novels — 11 Titles (so far) Between 2006 and 2022

The original graphic novel series, adapted by Raina Telgemeier, hit shelves when I was working in libraries and it made me wonder whether or not the series would still resonate with young readers. They were released in 2006 through 2008, and they were in black and white. I don’t remember if I ended up buying them or not, though it did make me wander down the catalog into what of the original series were available still in the library system.

Fast forward to 2015 and the same four graphic novels were re-released, this time in full color. After Telgemeier’s rereleased titles published, Gail Galligan took over, bringing the series titles into full-color comic format from 2017. There are books under contract still, with at least one more publishing in 2022. I suspect because of the growing popularity of the series, between Netflix and millennials like me who are introducing their kids to these books, it won’t be stopping any time soon. Hooray for a whole new format to experience the series.

While Gail Galligan has done most of the newer titles, Gabriela Epstein was the artist behind Claudia and the New Girl (2021) and Chan Chau for Kristy and the Snobs (also 2021).

 

Baby-Sitters Little Sister — 122 Titles Between 1988 and 2000

I really liked this series growing up, too, despite the fact I found Karen to be pretty obnoxious. I’d check out a huge stack and knock ’em out in a couple of hours, really bulking up my summer reading club numbers.

Karen is Kristy’s step sister, and she’s much younger than the sitters themselves.

In addition to the original series, the Little Sister series also had six Super Specials (longer books, of course), along with a couple of scrapbooks and activity book one-offs. How much Scholastic was able to create these extensions is pretty impressive, given the next series in this roundup.

There are new graphic novel adaptations of the Little Sister books, too, illustrated by Katy Farina. The first six books of the series were also reprinted this year with new, updated covers.

You can get all of the series on Amazon in ebook, and if you dig, you can find the original covers in used copies of the non-reissued first books in the series (at a price…). I won’t lie: the new illustrated covers for the reissues aren’t my favorite by any stretch of the imagination. But then again, these aren’t for me, so it’s likely they’re super appealing to elementary school readers!

 

The Kids in Ms Coleman’s Class — 12 Titles Between 1995 and 1998

Get this: they made an extension of the Little Sister series, making it a some-kind-of-cousin-removed from the original series and yet, still part of the extended universe. This short series follows the kids in Ms. Coleman’s class, aka: Karen Brewer’s classmates.

They go to a zoo! They have a spelling bee! They have a snow war! This second grade class had a lot of adventures, and the series follows the various characters, as opposed to being solely from Karen’s perspective.

These were reissued in 2016 in paperback, so you can get those still, but you’re also able to snap up the ebooks at an even cheaper price.

I have zero recollection of this series, and part of me wonders if this was purposeful on the part of Scholastic. They don’t look exactly like the Little Sister books, which may have made them more inviting for readers who weren’t interested in that series. For readers OF the series, it may never have even hit their radar (and also, by 1995, I was not in the Little Sister demographic for readers, which definitely is part of it).

 

Baby-Sitters Club Stand Alone Books

I did not read any of these and have zero memory of them — save The Summer Before, which I absolutely purchased with my budget as a librarian and put a hold on immediately.

So rather than try to flub my way through, I’m going to rely on Amazon descriptions. There aren’t too many, but all of these books were fun additions and extensions to the series, which are things we still don’t quite see today when it comes to series books. (If I were thinking about this in about 2018, I’d talk about the lack of BSC coloring books, since those were a popular extension in some series).

The Summer Before (2010)

The BSC returns in this fantastic prequel from Newbery Honor author Ann M. Martin.

Before there was the Baby-Sitters Club, there were four girls named Kristy Thomas, Mary Anne Spier, Claudia Kishi, and Stacey McGill. As they start the summer before seventh grade (also before they start the BSC), each of them is on the cusp of a big change. Kristy is still hung up on hoping that her father will return to her family. Mary Anne has to prove to her father that she’s no longer a little girl who needs hundreds of rules. Claudia is navigating her first major crush on a boy. And Stacey is leaving her entire New York City life behind…

Postcard Book (1991)

Literally, a collection of Baby-Sitters Club postcards.

Ann M. Martin: The Story of the Author of The Baby-Sitters Club (1993)

A look at the life of the creator of “The Baby-Sitters Club” series discusses her childhood in Princeton, New Jersey, her own babysitting adventures, her first published book, and her family.

Baby-Sitters Guide to Baby-Sitting (1993)

The members of the Baby-sitters Club and real baby-sitters offer advice on starting a club, changing diapers, helping kids to bed, what to do in an emergency, and other topics. Original.

The Complete Guide to The Baby-Sitters Club (1996)

A guide to the popular series contains a map of Stoneybrook, along with eight sections of facts about the club, the club’s members, and the families of Stoneybrook

Secret Santa (1994)

Kristy, Claudia, and the rest of the Baby-sitters Club work hard to make one little girl’s Christmas holidays the best ever, in an entertaining package that includes a storybook, greeting cards, letters, and a friendship necklace.

Chain Letter (1993)

While Kristy is in the hospital recovering from an appendectomy, she receives a chain letter for telling secrets, which throughout the summer circulates around the United States to her fellow club members, who are having better summer vacations than Kristy.While Kristy is in the hospital recovering from an appendectomy, she receives a chain letter for telling secrets, which throughout the summer circulates around the United States to her fellow club members, who are having better summer vacations than Kristy

Trivia and Puzzle Fun Book by Adam and Kara Adamo (1992)

A collection of trivia questions and puzzles tests readers knowledge of the Baby-sitters Club books, asking for such information as the name of Stacey’s teddy bear, the principal of Stoneybrook Middle School, and more.

 

 

Did I miss any? Did you have any favorites growing up or as an adult? I’d also love to hear if you’re a parent or teacher or librarian, whether or not you’ve shared these with your young readers and their response! 

 

This Week at Book Riot

 

At Book Riot this week…

 

A guide to how to fight book challenges and censorship. This toolkit gives you everything you need to get going.

 

Why you should slow down your audiobook speed.

 

Sweet skeleton + book goods.

 

On this week’s edition of Hey YA, Extra Credit, I talked about the career novels of the 1930s-1960s. This was such a fun dive into a category of early YA books, with what the offered and what they lacked.

September 2021 Debut YA Novels

September’s coming to a close, so now is the perfect time to make sure you’ve got these debut YA novels on your TBR.

 

 

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 and publication month. Starred titles are the beginning of a new series.

 

DEBUT YA NOVELS: September 2021

 

*Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray

Magic doesn’t exist in the broken city of Lkossa anymore, especially for girls like sixteen-year-old Koffi. Indentured to the notorious Night Zoo, she cares for its fearsome and magical creatures to pay off her family’s debts and secure their eventual freedom. But the night her loved ones’ own safety is threatened by the Zoo’s cruel master, Koffi unleashes a power she doesn’t fully understand–and the consequences are dire.

As the second son of a decorated hero, Ekon is all but destined to become a Son of the Six–an elite warrior–and uphold a family legacy. But on the night of his final rite of passage, a fire upends his plans. In its midst, Ekon not only encounters the Shetani–a vicious monster that has plagued the city and his nightmares for nearly a century–but a curious girl who seems to have the power to ward off the beast. Koffi’s power ultimately saves Ekon’s life, but his choice to let her flee dooms his hopes of becoming a warrior.

Desperate to redeem himself, Ekon vows to hunt the Shetani down and end its reign of terror, but he can’t do it alone. Meanwhile, Koffi believes finding the Shetani and selling it for a profit could be the key to solving her own problems. Koffi and Ekon–each keeping their true motives secret from the other–form a tentative alliance and enter into the unknowns of the Greater Jungle, a world steeped in wild magic and untold dangers. The hunt begins. But it quickly becomes unclear whether they are the hunters or the hunted.

 

A Dark and Starless Forest by Sarah Hollowell

Derry and her eight siblings live in an isolated house by the lake, separated from the rest of the world by an eerie and menacing forest. Frank, the man who raised them after their families abandoned them, says it’s for their own good. After all, the world isn’t safe for people with magic. And Derry feels safe—most of the time.

Until the night her eldest sister disappears. Jane and Derry swore to each other that they’d never go into the forest, not after their last trip ended in blood, but Derry is sure she saw Jane walk into the trees. When another sibling goes missing and Frank’s true colors start to show, feeling safe is no longer an option. Derry will risk anything to protect the family she has left. Even if that means returning to the forest that has started calling to Derry in her missing siblings’ voices.

As Derry spends more time amidst the trees, her magic grows more powerful . . . and so does the darkness inside her, the viciousness she wants to pretend doesn’t exist. But saving her siblings from the forest and from Frank might mean embracing the darkness. And that just might be the most dangerous thing of all.

 

For All Time by Shanna Miles

Tamar is a musician, a warrior, a survivor. Fayard? He’s a pioneer, a hustler, a hopeless romantic.

Together, Tamar and Fayard have lived a thousand lives, seen the world build itself up from nothing only to tear itself down again in civil war. They’ve even watched humanity take to the stars. But in each life one thing remains the same: their love and their fight to be together. One love story after another. Their only concern is they never get to see how their story ends. Until now.

When they finally discover what it will take to break the cycle, will they be able to make the sacrifice?

 

 

 

 

Idol Gossip by Alexandra Leigh Young

Every Friday after school, dressed in their new South Korean prep-school uniforms — sweater vests, knee-highs, pleated skirts, and blazers — seventeen-year old Alice Choy and her little sister, Olivia, head to Myeongdong, brave a dank, basement-level stairwell full of graffiti, and slip into a noreabang. Back in San Francisco, when she still had friends and earthly possessions, Alice took regular singing lessons. But since their diplomat mom moved them to Seoul, she pours herself into karaoke, vamping it up in their booth to Lady Gaga while loyal Olivia applauds and howls with laughter. Alice lives for Fridays, but when an older woman stops her on their way out one day, handing Alice a business card with a bow, singing turns serious. Could the chance encounter really be her ticket to elite status at Top10 Entertainment’s Star Academy? With a little sisterly support, backed by one of the world’s top talent agencies, can Alice lead her group on stage before a stadium of 50,000 chanting fans — and just maybe strike K-pop gold? Not if a certain influential blogger and the anti-fans get their way.

Delicious gossip squares off with genuine heart in a debut about standing out and fitting in, dreaming big and staying true — for avid K-pop fans and those just discovering the worldwide cultural phenomenon.

 

 

*Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn’t matter that the girls often die from the mental strain.

When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it’s to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister’s death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.​

To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia​. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed.

 

The Jasmine Project by Meredith Ireland

Jasmine Yap’s life is great. Well, it’s okay. She’s about to move in with her long-time boyfriend, Paul, before starting a nursing program at community college—all of which she mostly wants. But her stable world is turned upside down when she catches Paul cheating. To her giant, overprotective family, Paul’s loss is their golden ticket to showing Jasmine that she deserves much more. The only problem is, Jasmine refuses to meet anyone new.

But…what if the family set up a situation where she wouldn’t have to know? A secret Jasmine Project.

The plan is simple: use Jasmine’s graduation party as an opportunity for her to meet the most eligible teen bachelors in Orlando. There’s no pressure for Jasmine to choose anyone, of course, but the family hopes their meticulously curated choices will show Jasmine how she should be treated. And maybe one will win her heart.

But with the family fighting for their favorites, bachelors going rogue, and Paul wanting her back, the Jasmine Project may not end in love but total, heartbreaking disaster.

 

Kneel by Candace Buford

The system is rigged.

For guys like Russell Boudreaux, football is the only way out of their small town. As the team’s varsity tight end, Rus has a singular goal: to get a scholarship and play on the national stage. But when his best friend is unfairly arrested and kicked off the team, Rus faces an impossible choice: speak up or live in fear.

“Please rise for the national anthem.”

Desperate for change, Rus kneels during the national anthem. In one instant, he falls from local stardom and becomes a target for hatred. But he’s not alone. With the help of his best friend and an unlikely ally, Rus will fight for his dreams, and for justice.

 

 

*Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone

There are monsters in the world.

When Violeta Graceling arrives at haunted Lakesedge estate, she expects to find a monster. She knows the terrifying rumors about Rowan Sylvanan, who drowned his entire family when he was a boy. But neither the estate nor the monster are what they seem.

There are monsters in the woods.

As Leta falls for Rowan, she discovers he is bound to the Lord Under, the sinister death god lurking in the black waters of the lake. A creature to whom Leta is inexplicably drawn…

There’s a monster in the shadows, and now it knows my name.

Now, to save Rowan—and herself—Leta must confront the darkness in her past, including unraveling the mystery of her connection to the Lord Under.

 

Not Here To Be Liked by Michelle Quach

Eliza Quan is the perfect candidate for editor in chief of her school paper. That is, until ex-jock Len DiMartile decides on a whim to run against her. Suddenly her vast qualifications mean squat because inexperienced Len—who is tall, handsome, and male—just seems more like a leader.

When Eliza’s frustration spills out in a viral essay, she finds herself inspiring a feminist movement she never meant to start, caught between those who believe she’s a gender equality champion and others who think she’s simply crying misogyny.

Amid this growing tension, the school asks Eliza and Len to work side by side to demonstrate civility. But as they get to know one another, Eliza feels increasingly trapped by a horrifying realization—she just might be falling for the face of the patriarchy himself.

 

 

The Problem With The Other Side by Kwame Ivery

Uly would rather watch old Westerns with his new girlfriend, Sallie, than get involved in his school’s politics—why focus on the “bad” and “ugly” when his days with Sallie are so good? His older sister Regina feels differently. She is fed up with the way white school-body presidential candidate Leona Walls talks about black students. Regina decides to run against Leona . . . and convinces Uly to be her campaign manager.

Sallie has no interest in managing her sister’s campaign, but how could she say no? After their parents’ death, Leona is practically her only family. Even after Leona is accused of running a racist campaign that targets the school’s students of color—including Sallie’s boyfriend, Uly—Sallie wants to give her sister the benefit of the doubt. But how long can she ignore the ugly truth behind Leona’s actions?

Together and apart, Uly and Sallie must navigate sibling loyalty and romantic love as the campaign spirals toward a devastating conclusion.

 

Stalking Shadows by Cyla Panin

Seventeen-year-old Marie mixes perfumes to sell on market day in her small eighteenth-century French town. She wants to make enough to save a dowry for her sister, Ama, in hopes of Ama marrying well and Marie living in the level of freedom afforded only to spinster aunts. But her perfumes are more than sweet scents in cheap, cut-glass bottles: A certain few are laced with death. Marie laces the perfume delicately—not with poison but with a hint of honeysuckle she’s trained her sister to respond to. Marie marks her victim, and Ama attacks. But she doesn’t attack as a girl. She kills as a beast.

Marking Ama’s victims controls the damage to keep suspicion at bay. But when a young boy turns up dead one morning, Marie is forced to acknowledge she might be losing control of Ama. And if she can’t control her, she’ll have to cure her. Marie knows the only place she’ll find the cure is in the mansion where Ama was cursed in the first place, home of Lord Sebastien LeClaire. But once she gets into the mansion, she discovers dark secrets hidden away—secrets of the curse, of Lord Sebastien . . . and of herself.

 

To Break a Covenant by Alison Ames

Moon Basin has been haunted for as long as anyone can remember. It started when an explosion in the mine killed sixteen people. The disaster made it impossible to live in town, with underground fires spewing ash into the sky. But life in New Basin is just as fraught. The ex-mining town relies on its haunted reputation to bring in tourists, but there’s more truth to the rumors than most are willing to admit, and the mine still has a hold on everyone who lives there.

Clem and Nina form a perfect loop—best friends forever, and perhaps something more. Their circle opens up for a strange girl named Lisey with a knack for training crows, and Piper, whose father is fascinated with the mine in a way that’s anything but ordinary. The people of New Basin start experiencing strange phenomena—sleepwalking, night terrors, voices that only they can hear. And no matter how many vans of ghost hunters roll through, nobody can get to the bottom of what’s really going on. Which is why the girls decide to enter the mine themselves.

 

 

When We Make It by Elisabet Velasquez

Sarai is a first-generation Puerto Rican eighth grader who can see with clarity the truth, pain, and beauty of the world both inside and outside her Bushwick apartment. Together with her older sister Estrella, she navigates the strain of family traumas and the systemic pressures of toxic masculinity and housing insecurity in a rapidly gentrifying Brooklyn. Sarai questions the society around her, her Boricua identity, and the life she lives with determination and an open heart, learning to celebrate herself in a way that she has been denied.

 

 

 

 

 

Your Life Has Been Delayed by Michelle I. Mason

Jenny Waters boards her flight in 1995, but when she lands, she and the other passengers are told they disappeared . . . 25 years ago. Everyone thought they were dead.

Now contending with her family and friends fast-forwarding decades, Jenny must quickly adjust to smartphones and social media while being the biggest story to hit the internet. She feels betrayed by her once-best friend and fights her attraction to a cute boy with an uncomfortable connection to her past. Meanwhile, there’s a growing group of conspiracy theorists determined to prove the whole situation is a hoax. Will Jenny figure out how to move forward, or will she always be stuck in the past?

This Week at Book Riot and SLJ

 

Over on Book Riot this week…

 

Out of Darkness was pulled from a central Texas school district library shelves for review after an unhinged complaint at a school board meeting. I’ve included a form letter you can send to the district’s board to keep it in circulation.

 

35 new and upcoming YA horror books.

 

Over on School Library Journal, I talked with a number of authors who have adapted adult books into young reader editions, about what makes for a great young reader edition, and how these books can be used and enjoyed by tweens and teens.

Microtrend: YA Tarot Card Book Covers

How about a fun cover microtrend from 2021 YA books? I like to call these microtrends because unlike noticeable, obvious design choices that parallel one another, these only pop up when you really pay attention. They don’t hit a lot of books, but just a few, and yet because it’s such a hyper-specific design aesthetic, it’s noteworthy.

One that I can’t stop thinking about — perhaps because I believe there’s another one of these hiding in plain sight from either 2020 or 2021 or, perhaps, a forthcoming 2022 title — is the YA tarot card book cover. I keep thinking the one I can’t remember is this one or this one, but it is neither. Tarot has popped up quite a big in recent YA, but the actual use of tarot cards on the cover hasn’t really come up. But in 2021, I can immediately identify three that do. They each play with tarot cards a bit differently, so let’s take a look.

Book descriptions are from Goodreads. This little roundup makes me want to pull together a whole list of Tarot in YA books.

 

All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O’Donoghue, Cover art by Lisa Sterle

Maeve’s strangely astute tarot readings make her the talk of the school, until a classmate draws a chilling and unfamiliar card—and then disappears.

After Maeve finds a pack of tarot cards while cleaning out a closet during her in-school suspension, she quickly becomes the most sought-after diviner at St. Bernadette’s Catholic school. But when Maeve’s ex–best friend, Lily, draws an unsettling card called The Housekeeper that Maeve has never seen before, the session devolves into a heated argument that ends with Maeve wishing aloud that Lily would disappear. When Lily isn’t at school the next Monday, Maeve learns her ex-friend has vanished without a trace.

Shunned by her classmates and struggling to preserve a fledgling romance with Lily’s gender-fluid sibling, Roe, Maeve must dig deep into her connection with the cards to search for clues the police cannot find—even if they lead to the terrifying Housekeeper herself. Set in an Irish town where the church’s tight hold has loosened and new freedoms are trying to take root, this sharply contemporary story is witty, gripping, and tinged with mysticism.

 

 

The Salt In Our Blood by Ava Morgyn, Cover art and design by Aphelandra

Ten years ago, Cat’s volatile mother, Mary, left her at her grandmother’s house with nothing but a deck of tarot cards. Now seventeen, Cat is determined to make her life as different from Mary’s as possible. When Cat’s grandmother dies, she’s forced to move to New Orleans with her mother. There, she discovers a picture of Mary holding a baby that’s not her, leading her to unravel a dark family history and challenge her belief that Mary’s mental health issues are the root of all their problems. But as Cat explores the reasons for her mother’s breakdown, she fears she is experiencing her own. Ever since she arrived in New Orleans, she’s been haunted by strangely familiar visitors–in dreams and on the streets of the French Quarter–who know more than they should. Unsure if she can rebuild her relationship with her mother, Cat is realizing she must confront her past, her future, and herself in the fight to try.

 

 

 

 

These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling, Cover artist unknown*

Hannah’s a witch, but not the kind you’re thinking of. She’s the real deal, an Elemental with the power to control fire, earth, water, and air. But even though she lives in Salem, Massachusetts, her magic is a secret she has to keep to herself. If she’s ever caught using it in front of a Reg (read: non-witch), she could lose it. For good. So, Hannah spends most of her time avoiding her ex-girlfriend (and fellow Elemental Witch) Veronica, hanging out with her best friend, and working at the Fly by Night Cauldron selling candles and crystals to tourists, goths, and local Wiccans.

But dealing with her ex is the least of Hannah’s concerns when a terrifying blood ritual interrupts the end-of-school-year bonfire. Evidence of dark magic begins to appear all over Salem, and Hannah’s sure it’s the work of a deadly Blood Witch. The issue is, her coven is less than convinced, forcing Hannah to team up with the last person she wants to see: Veronica.

While the pair attempt to smoke out the Blood Witch at a house party, Hannah meets Morgan, a cute new ballerina in town. But trying to date amid a supernatural crisis is easier said than done, and Hannah will have to test the limits of her power if she’s going to save her coven and get the girl, especially when the attacks on Salem’s witches become deadlier by the day.

 

 

*It bothers me to no end when the publisher does a cover reveal and can’t bother to include this information.

This Week at Book Riot

 

Over on Book Riot this week…

 

A Chicagoland third grade teacher was pulled from the classroom for her personal TikToks highlighting inclusive books she had in her classroom. A call to action for this one is at the bottom of the piece.

 

Ever heard of Library Hand? Get to know the style of penmanship and its exacting nature that was taught in library schools before digital record keeping.

 

These Ex Libris stamps are everything.

YA Abortion Books: Fiction About Terminating a Pregnancy as a Teen

I’ve never been in the position of needing to terminate a pregnancy. In fact, I lost a very early pregnancy — it was there, and then it wasn’t, as can happen to so many childbearing folks in those first 6 weeks of pregnancy — before seeking more aggressive fertility treatment. Throughout the process and learning exactly what needs to happen for successful pregnancy, followed by a pregnancy that became very challenging at the end, and a labor and delivery experience that could have left me dead, have made me really come to understand how little the general population understands, nor cares to understand, fertility and bearing children.

My experience made me far more pro-abortion than I’d ever been before. And make no mistake: I’m pro-abortion. I think using the term “pro-choice” allows too many loopholes and too many ways for clauses to be added to the who in relation to access to the medical procedure. You do not need to have been a victim of a sexual assault, rape, or incest to be granted an abortion, just as you don’t need to be in a life-or-death situation. It’s a medical procedure that needs to be accessible for any and all.

Abortion isn’t a women’s rights issue. It’s a human rights issue, and we need to address it as such. Nonbinary, transgender, and agender folks, as well as those who identify outside those labels who can get pregnant deserve to be heard in this discussion, too. Their already-marginalized bodies and experiences are only further harmed with the language we use to discuss abortion. It’s not a decision between a woman and her doctor. It’s a decision between a pregnant person and their doctor or other healthcare worker who can do the procedure.

Texas’s draconian new abortion law makes termination of pregnancy at 6 weeks illegal and more, puts a bounty on those who are trying to seek a safe one. Wealthy, able-bodied, healthy people will have access no matter what. This will most harm those who are chronically ill, low income, disabled, and, of course, from communities of the global majority. I knew I was pregnant at 3.5 weeks, which is absolutely unheard of. I knew because I was taking drugs and had a procedure, and I tested at every chance to see what was going on. I knew early because the hormones were there. Most folks who can get pregnant do not know until at least 4 weeks, and usually, it’s more like 6, as pregnancy dating begins at the first date of your last period. You’re rendered a month pregnant as soon as you can possibly know.

Had I not known because I was hoping for pregnancy, it would have been very likely for me to be nearly 25 weeks along before knowing. I did not show, and because my periods have always been erratic, the missing menstruation would not have meant anything.

In addition to this new law harming the most vulnerable communities and rewards those who enjoy the process of endangering those lives, this bill is catastrophic for teenagers. Though teen pregnancy rates have been on the decline for nearly a decade, thanks to increased access to birth control, to decreases in sexual activity, and indeed, to popular culture depicting the realities of teen parenthood, teens still become pregnant. They, like anyone who can have a child, deserve access to abortion. For many, it’s the most safest option available to them.

I wanted to pull together a list of YA books that tackle abortion, both to bring this discussion on and to encourage engaging with the topic in books for young readers. The abortions here range from easy decisions in terms of knowing becoming a parent wasn’t the right choice to far more challenging looks at the ways access to abortion forces young parenthood on teens. All of the books below are, as you’ll see, gender normative, though as we’re seeing more books in YA especially that look at stories of all genders and sexualities, chances that we’ll see this slide away from a “teen girls only” issue to one that addresses the reality of who does experience pregnancy. Likewise, few of these books address abortion from the perspective of the person who impregnated someone. Though they do not share the same burden as the pregnant person does, those stories also deserve to be told and experienced, especially as they play a support role during the abortion and decision-making/aftercare processes. The bulk of these titles are by and about white people and the lack of representation is another reminder of just who is left out of the discussion and who is, subsequently, most harmed by these laws.

We know in Texas, though, this is the point.

Descriptions come from Goodreads. Once you read through or pick up a title or are simply looking for things you can do about the new law in Texas, consider a donation to Jane’s Due Process. This Texas non-profit helps minors secure safe abortions, as well as birth control, shelter, education, and more.

 

 

 

YA Books About Abortion

 

Aftercare Instructions by Bonnie Pipkin

“Troubled.” That’s seventeen-year-old Genesis according to her small New Jersey town. She finds refuge and stability in her relationship with her boyfriend, Peter—until he abandons her at a Planned Parenthood clinic during their appointment to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. The betrayal causes Gen to question everything.

As Gen pushes herself forward to find her new identity without Peter, she must also confront her most painful memories. Through the lens of an ongoing four act play within the novel, the fantasy of their undying love unravels line by line, scene by scene. Digging deeper into her past while exploring the underground theater world of New York City, she rediscovers a long-forgotten dream. But it’s when Gen lets go of her history, the one she thinks she knows, that she’s finally able to embrace the complicated, chaotic true story of her life, and take center stage.

This powerfully immersive and format-crushing debut follows Gen from dorm rooms to diners to house parties to auditions—and ultimately, right into readers’ hearts.

 

 

And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard

Senior Paul Wagoner walks into his school with a stolen gun, he threatens his girlfriend, Emily Beam, and then takes his own life. Soon after, angry and guilt-ridden Emily is sent to a boarding school in Amherst, Massachusetts, where two quirky fellow students and the spirit of Emily Dickinson offer helping hands. But it is up to Emily Beam to heal her own damaged self, to find the good behind the bad, hope inside the despair, and springtime under the snow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ask Me How I Got Here by Christine Heppermann

Addie has always known what she was running toward. In cross-country, in life, in love. Until she and her boyfriend—her sensitive, good-guy boyfriend—are careless one night and she ends up pregnant. Addie makes the difficult choice to have an abortion. And after that—even though she knows it was the right decision for her—nothing is the same anymore. She doesn’t want anyone besides her parents and her boyfriend to know what happened; she doesn’t want to run cross-country; she can’t bring herself to be excited about anything. Until she reconnects with Juliana, a former teammate who’s going through her own dark places.

 

 

 

 

 

Baby and Solo by Lisabeth Posthuma

Seventeen-year-old Joel Teague has a new prescription from his therapist—a part-time job—the first step toward the elusive Normal life he’s been so desperate to live ever since The Bad Thing happened. Lucky for Joel, ROYO Video is hiring. It’s the perfect fresh start—Joel even gets a new name. Dubbed “Solo” after his favorite Star Wars character, Joel works his way up the not-so-corporate ladder without anyone suspecting What Was Wrong With Him. That is, until he befriends Nicole “Baby” Palmer, a smart-mouthed coworker with a chip on her shoulder about . . . well, everything, and the two quickly develop the kind of friendship movie montages are made of. However, when Joel’s past inevitably catches up with him, he’s forced to choose between preserving his new blank slate persona and coming clean—and either way, he risks losing the first real friend he’s ever had. Set in a pop-culture-rich 1990s, this remarkable story tackles challenging and timely themes with huge doses of wit, power, and heart.

 

 

 

Borrowed Light by Anna Fienberg

Note: This is a book from 1999, so it’d be especially fascinating as a read in that historical context vs our current one.

Sixteen-year-old Callisto May feels a deep connection to astronomy, but feels completely alone on planet Earth. Now that she’s pregnant, her loneliness is acute. She can’t turn to her mother, her father, or even her surfer boyfriend. Only Callisto’s little brother loves her unfailingly, but she can’t be there for him right now. She’s got to make a huge decision–and that means thinking of herself first.

 

 

 

 

 

Crazy Horse’s Girlfriend by Erika T. Wurth

Margaritte is a sharp-tongued, drug-dealing, sixteen-year-old Native American floundering in a Colorado town crippled by poverty, unemployment, and drug abuse. She hates the burnout, futureless kids surrounding her and dreams that she and her unreliable new boyfriend can move far beyond the bright lights of Denver that float on the horizon before the daily suffocation of teen pregnancy eats her alive.

 

 

 

 

 

Exit, Pursued By a Bear by EK Johnston

Note: being a Canadian title, the comparison of access and stigma to what it is in the US is especially noteworthy.

“I love you,” Polly says suddenly when I’m almost to the door.
“I know.” I say.

Hermione Winters has been a flyer. She’s been captain of her cheerleading team. The envied girlfriend and the undisputed queen of her school. Now it’s her last year and those days and those labels are fading fast. In a few months she’ll be a different person. She thinks she’s ready for whatever comes next.
But then someone puts something in her drink at a party, and in an instant she finds herself wearing new labels m ones she never imagined:
Victim. Survivor. That raped girl.
Even though this was never the future she imagined, one essential thing remains unchanged: Hermione can still call herself Polly Oliver’s best friend, and that may be the truest label of all.

 

 

Falling Into Place by Amy Zhang

Inertia, force, mass, gravity, velocity, acceleration… cause and effect.

Liz Emerson doesn’t understand any of it.

But I do.

I understand how we fall. Where we fall. Why we fall.

I understand her sadness and loneliness and silence, her shattered heart.

It doesn’t have to be this way, does it?

It wasn’t always this way, was it?

Stay alive, Liz Emerson, stay alive.

On the day Liz Emerson tries to die, they had reviewed Newton’s laws of motion in physics class. Then, after school, she put them into practice by running her Mercedes off the road. Why did Liz Emerson decide that the world would be better off without her? Why did she give up? The nonlinear novel pieces together the short and devastating life of Meridian High’s most popular junior girl. Mass, acceleration, momentum, force—Liz didn’t understand it in physics, and even as her Mercedes hurtles toward the tree, she doesn’t understand it now. How do we impact one another? How do our actions reverberate? What does it mean to be a friend? To love someone? To be a daughter? Or a mother? Is life truly more than cause and effect?

 

Finding Yvonne by Brandy Colbert

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

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

 

 

 

 

Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero

Gabi Hernandez chronicles her last year in high school in her diary: college applications, Cindy’s pregnancy, Sebastian’s coming out, the cute boys, her father’s meth habit, and the food she craves. And best of all, the poetry that helps forge her identity.

July 24

My mother named me Gabriella, after my grandmother who, coincidentally, didn’t want to meet me when I was born because my mother was unmarried, and therefore living in sin. My mom has told me the story many, many, MANY, times of how, when she confessed to my grandmother that she was pregnant with me, her mother beat her. BEAT HER! She was twenty-five. That story is the basis of my sexual education and has reiterated why it’s important to wait until you’re married to give it up. So now, every time I go out with a guy, my mom says, “Ojos abiertos, piernas cerradas.” Eyes open, legs closed. That’s as far as the birds and the bees talk has gone. And I don’t mind it. I don’t necessarily agree with that whole wait until you’re married crap, though. I mean, this is America and the 21st century; not Mexico one hundred years ago. But, of course, I can’t tell my mom that because she will think I’m bad. Or worse: trying to be White.

 

 

Girls Like Us by Randi Pink

Set in the summer of 1972, this moving YA historical novel is narrated by teen girls from different backgrounds with one thing in common: Each girl is dealing with pregnancy.
Four teenage girls. Four different stories. What they all have in common is that they’re dealing with unplanned pregnancies.

In rural Georgia, Izella is wise beyond her years, but burdened with the responsibility of her older sister, Ola, who has found out she’s pregnant. Their young neighbor, Missippi, is also pregnant, but doesn’t fully understand the extent of her predicament. When her father sends her to Chicago to give birth, she meets the final narrator, Susan, who is white and the daughter of an anti-choice senator.

 

 

 

Girl Mans Up by ME Girard

All Pen wants is to be the kind of girl she’s always been. So why does everyone have a problem with it? They think the way she looks and acts means she’s trying to be a boy—that she should quit trying to be something she’s not. If she dresses like a girl, and does what her folks want, it will show respect. If she takes orders and does what her friend Colby wants, it will show her loyalty. But respect and loyalty, Pen discovers, are empty words. Old-world parents, disintegrating friendships, and strong feelings for other girls drive Pen to see the truth—that in order to be who she truly wants to be, she’ll have to man up.

 

 

 

 

 

Girls on the Verge by Sharon Biggs Waller

A powerful, timely coming-of-age story about a young woman from Texas who goes on a road trip with two friends to get an abortion, from award-winning author Sharon Biggs Waller.

Camille couldn’t be having a better summer. But on the very night she learns she got into a prestigious theater program, she also finds out she’s pregnant. She definitely can’t tell her parents. And her best friend, Bea, doesn’t agree with the decision Camille has made.

Camille is forced to try to solve her problem alone . . . and the system is very much working against her. At her most vulnerable, Camille reaches out to Annabelle Ponsonby, a girl she only barely knows from the theater. Happily, Annabelle agrees to drive her wherever she needs to go. And in a last-minute change of heart, Bea decides to come with.

 

 

I Know It’s Over by CK Kelly Martin

PURE. UNPLANNED. PERFECT. Those were Nick’s summer plans before Sasha stepped into the picture. With the collateral damage from his parents’ divorce still settling and Dani (his girl of the moment) up for nearly anything, complications are the last thing he needs. All that changes, though, when Nick runs into Sasha at the beach in July. Suddenly he’s neck-deep in a relationship and surprised to find he doesn’t mind in the least. But Nick’s world shifts again when Sasha breaks up with him. Then, weeks later, while Nick’s still reeling from the breakup, she turns up at his doorstep and tells him she’s pregnant. Nick finds himself struggling once more to understand the girl he can’t stop caring for, the girl who insists that it’s still over.

 

 

 

 

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki

All Freddy Riley wants is for Laura Dean to stop breaking up with her.

The day they got together was the best one of Freddy’s life, but nothing’s made sense since. Laura Dean is popular, funny, and SO CUTE … but she can be really thoughtless, even mean. Their on-again, off-again relationship has Freddy’s head spinning — and Freddy’s friends can’t understand why she keeps going back.

When Freddy consults the services of a local mystic, the mysterious Seek-Her, she isn’t thrilled with the advice she receives. But something’s got to give: Freddy’s heart is breaking in slow motion, and she may be about to lose her very best friend as well as her last shred of self-respect. Fortunately for Freddy, there are new friends, and the insight of advice columnist Anna Vice, to help her through being a teenager in love.

Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell bring to life a sweet and spirited tale of young love that asks us to consider what happens when we ditch the toxic relationships we crave to embrace the healthy ones we need.

 

Like Sisters on the Homefront by Rita Williams-Garcia

Note: this is another deep backlist title to read for context and our historical trajectory with abortion.

When Gayle gets into trouble with her boyfriend, her mother sends the street-smart 14-year-old-and her baby, José, down to Georgia to live with Uncle Luther and his family. There’s nothing to do, nowhere to go, and no one around except kneesock-wearing, Jesus-praising cousin Cookie. Then Gayle meets Great, the family matriarch-and her stories of the past begin to change how Gayle sees her future.

 

 

 

 

 

My Life as a Rhombus by Varian Johnson

Staying on track at school means a boy-free equation for Rhonda Lee, who spends most evenings doing homework and eating Chinese takeout with her dad. While Rhonda needs a scholarship for college, some kids at her private high school, like beautiful Sarah Gamble, seem to coast along on popularity and their parents’ money.

When forced to tutor Sarah in trigonometry, Rhonda recognizes all too well the symptoms-queasiness, puking, exhaustion-that Sarah is trying to mask. On a sudden impulse, Rhonda shares her past with Sarah. Exchanging their secrets adds up to more truths than either girl would have dreamed.

 

 

 

 

Rebel Girls by Elizabeth Keenan

When it comes to being social, Athena Graves is far more comfortable creating a mixtape playlist than she is talking to cute boys—or anyone, for that matter. Plus her staunchly feminist views and love of punk rock aren’t exactly mainstream at St. Ann’s, her conservative Catholic high school.

Then a malicious rumor starts spreading through the halls…a rumor that her popular, pretty, pro-life sister had an abortion over the summer. A rumor that has the power to not only hurt Helen, but possibly see her expelled.

Despite their wildly contrasting views, Athena, Helen, and their friends must find a way to convince the student body and the administration that it doesn’t matter what Helen did or didn’t do…even if their riot grrrl protests result in the expulsion of their entire rebel girl gang.

 

 

A Sense of the Infinite by Hilary T Smith

It’s senior year of high school, and Annabeth is ready—ready for everything she and her best friend, Noe, have been planning and dreaming. But there are some things Annabeth isn’t prepared for, like the constant presence of Noe’s new boyfriend. Like how her relationship with her mom is wearing and fraying. And like the way the secret she’s been keeping hidden deep inside her for years has started clawing at her insides, making it hard to eat or even breathe.

But most especially, she isn’t prepared to lose Noe.

For years, Noe has anchored Annabeth and set their joint path. Now Noe is drifting in another direction, making new plans and dreams that don’t involve Annabeth. Without Noe’s constant companionship, Annabeth’s world begins to crumble. But as a chain of events pulls Annabeth further and further away from Noe, she finds herself closer and closer to discovering who she’s really meant to be—with her best friend or without.

 

 

Unpregnant by Jenni Hendricks and Ted Caplan

Seventeen-year-old Veronica Clarke never thought she would wish she’d failed a test until she finds herself holding a thick piece of plastic in her hands and staring at two solid pink lines. Even the most consistent use of condoms won’t prevent pregnancy when your boyfriend secretly pokes holes in them to keep you from going out-of-state for college.

Veronica needs an abortion, but the closest place she can legally get one is over nine hundred miles away—and Veronica doesn’t have a car. Too ashamed to ask her friends or family for help, Veronica turns to the one person she believes won’t judge her: Bailey Butler, Jefferson High’s own little black cloud of anger and snark—and Veronica’s ex-best friend. Once on the road, Veronica quickly remembers nothing with Bailey is ever simple and that means two days of stolen cars, shotguns, crazed ex-boyfriends, truck stop strippers with pro-life agendas, and a limo driver named Bob. But the pain and betrayal of their broken friendship can’t be outrun. When their fighting leads to a brutal moment of truth, Bailey abandons Veronica. Now Veronica must risk everything in order to repair the hurt she’s caused

 

 

What Girls Are Made Of by Elana K Arnold

This is not a story of sugar and spice and everything nice.

When Nina Faye was fourteen, her mother told her there was no such thing as unconditional love. Nina believed her. Now Nina is sixteen. And she’ll do anything for the boy she loves, just to prove she’s worthy of him. But when he breaks up with her, Nina is lost. What if she is not a girlfriend? What is she made of?

Broken-hearted, Nina tries to figure out what the conditions of love are. She’s been volunteering at a high-kill animal shelter where she realizes that for dogs waiting to be adopted, love comes only to those with youth, symmetry, and quietness. She also ruminates on the strange, dark time her mother took her to Italy to see statues of saints who endured unspeakable torture because of their unquestioning devotion to the divine. Is this what love is?

 

 

What They Don’t Know by Nicole Maggi

Mellie has always been the reliable friend, the good student, the doting daughter. But when an unspeakable act leads her to withdraw from everyone she loves, she is faced with a life-altering choice―a choice she must face alone.

Lise stands up―and speaks out―for what she believes in. And when she notices Mellie acting strangely, she gets caught up in trying to save her…all while trying to protect her own secret. One that might be the key to helping Mellie.

Told through Mellie and Lise’s journal entries, this powerful, emotional novel chronicles Mellie’s struggle to decide what is right for her and the unbreakable bond formed by the two girls on their journey.

 

 

 

 

The Whitsun Daughters by Carrie Mesrobian

“How quickly everything in the world disintegrates. Everything but the loneliness of young women.”

So begins The Whitsun Daughters, a story of three contemporary teenage girls–sisters and cousins–in a small Midwestern town, narrated by the ghost of a young woman who, over a century earlier, lived and loved on the same small patch of farmland the girls now call home.

The book follows both the present-day story of the three Whitsun girls and the story of Jane Murphy a century earlier as they fight to assert their own desires in worlds determined to ignore and minimize them. The Whitsun girls struggle with an unplanned pregnancy. Jane is determined to defy her arranged marriage and have both the baby she carries and the young man she loves.

The Whitsun Daughters leaves readers with a profound sense of the unbreakable thread connecting generations of young women who sought and continue to seek control their destinies.

This Week at Book Riot

 

Over on Book Riot this week…

Students at Central York High School in Pennsylvania protest the four-page list of banned books and materials from curriculum. The kids are all right.

 

Witchy book goods for the season and beyond.

 

And did you know there are a ton of zodiac books for babies? Me either, until I started looking.

This Week at Book Riot

Over on Book Riot this week…

 

Check out the the history of 1950s teen pulp comic magazines that were anything but chaste.

 

And enjoy these awesome bookish baby costumes.