Kelly Jensen's Blog, page 70

This Week at Book Riot

 

Over on Book Riot this week . . .

 

131 YA novels hitting shelves through the remainder of 2016

 

This week’s “3 On A YA Theme” looked at YA authors who’ve also written middle grade

 

Nemesis by Anna Banks

One of the interesting things about reading a review copy months before its publication date is there are no professional reviews out yet. I’ve mentioned before that I’m a big review reader and use both professional and Goodreads reviews to help me select my next book. I deviated from my normal routine with Nemesis by Anna Banks, which I picked up simply because it sounded interesting and I was in the mood for some high fantasy with magic. I really enjoyed it, and I’m kind of surprised the professional reviews, which are out now, are pretty wishy washy about it. I wonder if the cover, which I really dislike and doesn’t make much sense in context, is influencing opinion.

Princess Sepora of Serubel is a Forger, which means she can produce a substance called spectorium from the palms of her hands. It’s an energy source in demand by all countries in the region, but it can also be weaponized. Her father, the king of Serubel, keeps Sepora’s abilities a secret, as she is the only remaining Forger and no one in any of the surrounding countries knows how spectorium is made. When Sepora learns that her father plans to use the spectorium to wage war on the mostly peaceful neighboring countries, she escapes to Theoria to prevent him from doing so. There, she finagles her way into the royal court as a servant where she meets the newly crowned teenage king, who is struggling himself with the waning supply of spectorium (used to power almost everything in the country) and a disease called the Quiet Plague that killed his father. To complicate matters, it’s possible that spectorium may be part of the cure for the Quiet Plague, but Sepora knows she cannot reveal her secret – can she?

I loved two main things about this story: the genuine human conflict and the world-building. Sepora fears that if she reveals she is a Forger, she’ll be used as a weapon by Theoria (a very real possibility), or returned to her father and used as a weapon by him, or kept captive to be a producer for the cure – essentially, she wouldn’t be free, and in the worst case scenario, she’d feel responsible for a war that would cause mass suffering and death. But if she doesn’t reveal it, people will continue to die from the Quiet Plague. There are some interesting subplots that provide additional conflict, too: Sepora’s attempts to forge an alliance with the vicious mermaid-like people who live in the nearby river and eat humans; her burgeoning romantic feelings for Tarik, the king of Theoria; Tarik’s need to use the remaining spectorium to defend his country from a potentially aggressive Serubel versus his need to use it to create a cure for the Quiet Plague. The perspective shifts almost evenly between Sepora and Tarik, so we get a good idea for Tarik’s own struggles as well.

But it’s the worldbuilding that really delighted me. Theoria has an Ancient Egyptian feel to it in the people’s clothing and the pyramids they build to house their dead, though they use spectorium to power the pyramids and preserve the bodies within rather than mummification. There are non-human creatures, both sentient and non, like the mermaid-like people in the river (this whole subplot is just really cool and imaginative) and the dragon-like creature Sepora rides to escape from Serubel. The idea of the spectorium is interesting, too – Sepora is the last person who can produce it (as far as anyone knows), but she must periodically excise it from her body or it builds up and weakens her, which can make it difficult to hide her ability. It’s clear that Banks put a lot of thought into her world, and it’s fascinating to read about. There is the love story referenced in the title, too – Sepora and Tarik fall for each other, when they are supposed to be each others’ nemeses – which should satisfy romance lovers but shouldn’t bother non-romance readers too much, as it’s not the entirety of the plot.

I’d recommend this to fans of high fantasy who really enjoy diving headlong into a new world. This is the first in a duology, and the second book, Ally, will be out sometime next year. Nemesis just hit shelves yesterday. An advance review copy was provided to me by the publisher.

Cybils 2016: The Non-Fiction Edition

 

As Kimberly mentioned last week, both of us are back on this year’s Cybils Awards committees. After doing the YA fiction panel for two years back-to-back, I needed some time off to recover from all of that reading. I decided instead of going for fiction this year, though, I wanted to try my hand at middle grade and young adult non-fiction. While I don’t read or review as much work in those categories as I do YA fiction, my background in writing non-fiction, as well as my extensive reading in adult non-fiction makes me feel like it’s an area I should spend some more time in. I want to write more about this growing area in YA and be able to talk more about it because of having read quite a bit. Upper middle grade non-fiction is a bonus to this reading, as it will be an awesome way to rework some of my thinking and approach to reading. I’m excited!

Because non-fiction isn’t an area we write about a whole lot, I thought I’d do like Kim and offer up a big list of titles you could nominate for my category. I’m pretty sure these are all eligible as either upper middle grade (5-8th grade publication age range) or YA, but do double check when you nominate that they are; I’ve gone by Amazon standards, which I believe is what Cybils organizers use. This post is going up Monday, and award nominations open on Saturday, so the chances of some of these titles already being nominated is pretty good.

But that’s why it’s such a huge list! I’ll absolutely be missing titles, so feel free to note others or nominate others that have been published between October 16, 2015 and October 15, 2016. I discovered while trying to compile this list that finding good resources for recent and forthcoming non-fiction is difficult. I put myself in the category of being bad about keeping up with it, but I’m determined now to be much better about it, knowing that the information is really hard to come by. If you know of sold resources outside of searching Edelweiss or Kirkus reviews, do let me know. My standbys for fiction don’t seem to offer the same depth for nonfiction.

I haven’t forgotten about the monthly debut round-up I do, so keep an eye out for that to tackle more than one month in my next post. I wanted to hop on the Cybils train first to ensure that there’s a huge selection of books for me to read over the next three months.

All of the information for how to nominate books for the Cybils — and again, anyone can nominate — is up on their website. Seriously: give Kimberly and I piles of books to read and write about. Or, well, give them to me, as Kim’s work will be much more secretive in the second round for graphic novels than mine will be in the first. Links on the titles below go to their Goodreads pages.

 

America’s Tea Parties: Not One, But Four! by Marissa Moss (MG)
Being Jazz: My Life As A (Transgender) Teen by Jazz Jennings (YA)
Blood Brother: Jonathan Daniels and His Sacrifice for Civil Rights by Rich Wallace and Sandra Neil Wallace (YA)
The Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden and The Trial of the Century by Sarah MilleR (YA)
The Boy Who Became Buffalo Bill: Growing Up Billy Cody in Bleeding Kansas by Andrea Warren (MG)
Breakthrough!: How Three People Saved “Blue Babies” and Changed Medicine Forever by Jim Murphy (MG)
Bubonic Panic: When Plague Invaded America by Gail Jarrow (MG)
Clarina Nichols: Crusader for Women’s Rights Diane Eickhoff (YA)
Courageous Women of the Civil War by MR Cordell (YA)
The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande (YA)
The Ebola Epidemic: The Fight, The Future by Connie Goldsmith (YA)
Eureka!: 50 Scientists Who Shaped Human History by John Grant (YA)
Every Falling Star by Sungju Lee (YA)
Extreme Battlefields: When War Meets The Forces of Nature by Tanya Lloyd Kyi (MG)
The Extraordinary Suzy Wright: A Colonial Woman on the Frontier by Teri Kanefield (MG)
Fantastic Fugitives: Criminals, Cutthroats, and Rebels Who Changed History by Brianna DuMont (MG)
Fashion Rebels: Style Icons Who Changed The World Through Fashion by Carlyn Cerniglia Beccia (MG)
Feminism: Reinventing the F Word by Nadia Abushanab Higgins (YA)
Fight Like A Girl by Laura Barcella (YA)
Fight to Learn: The Struggle to Go to School by Laura Scandiffio (MG)
Floodwater and Flames: The 1913 Disaster in Dayton, Ohio by Lois Miner Huey (MG)
A Girl Called Vincent: The Life of Poet Edna St. Vincent Millay by Krystyna Poray Goddu (YA)
The Great White Shark Scientist by Sy Montgomery (MG)
The Gutsy Girl by Caroline Paul (MG)
Hillary Clinton: American Woman of the World by Cheryl Harness (MG)
In The Shadow of Liberty: The Hidden History of Slavery, Four Presidents, and Five Black Lives by Kenneth C. Davis (YA)
Irena’s Children by Tilar Mazzeo (MG)
It’s Getting Hot in Here: The Past, The Present, and The Future of Global Warming by Bridget Heos (YA)
The Jerrie Mock Story: The First Woman to Fly Solo Around The World by Nancy Roe Pimm (MG)
Just My Type: Understanding Personality Profiles by Michael J. Rosen (MG)
Last of the Giants: The Rise and Fall of Earth’s Most Dominent Species by Jeff Campbell (YA)
Let Your Voice Be Heard: The Life and Times of Pete Seeger by Anita Silvey (MG)
LGBTQ+ Athletes Claim the Field: Striving for Equality by Kirstin Cronn-Mills (YA)
March of the Suffragettes by Zachary Michael Jack (YA)
Marooned in the Arctic by Peggy Caravantes (YA)
Mercy: The Incredible Story of Henry Bergh, Founder of ASPCA and Friend to Animals by Nancy Furstinger (MG)
Misunderstood: A Book About Rats by Rachel Toor (YA)
Next Round: A Young Athlete’s Journey to Gold by John Spray (YA)
Our Moon: New Discoveries About Earth’s Closest Companion by Elaine Scott (MG)
Plants vs. Meats: The Health, History, and Ethics of What We Eat by Meredith Hughes (YA)
The Plot to Kill Hitler: Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Spy, Unlikely Hero by Patricia McCormick (YA)
Presenting Buffalo Bill: The Man Who Invented The Wild West by Candace Flemming (MG)
Pride: Celebrating Diversity and Community by Robin Stevenson (MG)
Quiet Power by Susan Cain (YA)
Rad Women Worldwide by Kate Schatz (MG)
Radioactive!: How Irene Curie and Lise Meitner Revolutionized Science and Changed The World by Winifred Conkling (YA)
Sabotage: The Mission to Destroy Hitler’s Atomic Bomb by Neal Bascomb
Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor’s Story by Caren Stelson (MG)
Samurai Rising by Pamela S. Turner (MG)
Seeing Things: A Kid’s Guide to Looking at Photographs Joel Meyerowitz (MG)
Sitting Bull: Lakota Warrior and Defender of His People by SD Nelson (MG)
The Slowest Book Ever by April Pulley Sayre (MG)
Sondheim: The Man Who Changed Music by Susan Goldman Rubin (YA)
Space Junk: The Dangers of Polluting Earth’s Orbit by Karen Romano Young (MG)
Speak Up: A Guide to Having Your Say and Speaking Your Mind by Halley Bondy (MG)
A Storm Too Soon: A Remarkable True Survival Story in 80-Foot Seas by Michael Tougias (MG)
The Story of Seeds by Nancy Castaldo (YA)
Ten Days a Madwoman: The Daring Life and Turbulent Times of the Original “Girl” Reporter Nelly Bly by Deborah Noyes (MG)
This Land Is Our Land: A History of American Immigration by Linda Barrett Osborne (MG)
Urban Tribes: Native Americans in The City by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale (YA)
Ugly by Robert Hoge (MG)
UnSlut by Emily Lindon (YA)
The V-Word edited by Amber J. Keyser (note: since my own writing is included in this collection, I will be 100% sitting out any discussion or reading of the title)
Vietnam: A History of the War by Russell Freedman (MG)
We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler by Russell Freedman (MG)
A Weird and Wild Beauty: The Story of Yellowstone, America’s First National Park by Erin Peabody (MG)
You Can Fly: The Tuskegee Airmen by Carole and Jeffery Boston Weatherford (MG)
You Got This: Unleash Your Awesomeness, Find Your Path, and Change Your World by Maya Penn (MG)

This Week at Book Riot

 

Now that I’ve found a routine in my work schedule that allows me solid time most days to do a little writing, I’m finally able to tackle the mounting list of posts I want to be writing. Here’s the tip of what’s to come over the next few months:

This week’s “3 On A YA Theme” takes a look at YA books from 50 years ago in 1966 (whoa!).

 

Love The Baby-Sitters Club? There’s some great stuff you can buy to show off that love.

 

A literary tour of Marfa and greater west Texas. Writing this makes me want to go back so bad.

 

With the help of fellow Book Rioters, I present this list of PURRfect literary cat puns.

 

Here are 36 ways to have a more fun, creative, and uniquely bookish fall. Consider it your bucket list.

 

Did you know I write a biweekly newsletter about YA for Book Riot? If you don’t subscribe, it’d be a great time to do so. There’s a really great interview hitting in the next issue, which goes out on October 10. You can click here to sign up for “What’s Up in YA?,” if you don’t already get it.

 

Related: for the first YA Book Mail box I did, I had a a quote tote bag created through Out of Print featuring a wonderfully bookish line from Nova Ren Suma’s The Walls Around Us. Want one? Lucky for you, they’re available for sale in the Book Riot Store. These are big, sturdy totes with a pocket inside. It’s become my go-to everyday bag.

Cybils 2016

In case you missed it, the judges for the 2016 Cybils awards were announced on the 21st, and I’m thrilled to be a Round 2 judge of the Graphic Novels category this year. (Kelly is back on Cybils, too, as a Round 1 panelist for Middle Grade and YA Nonfiction!) After the past two years of heavy reading on Round 1 of YA Speculative Fiction, it will be nice to take it a bit easier this year on Round 2. It also means I get to help select two winners, one from Elementary/Middle Grade and the other from Young Adult.

As I do every year, I’ve created a list of potential nominees for my category. Nominations run from Saturday, October 1 through Saturday, October 15, and I’d love to see all the titles on this list get some consideration from Round 1. Here are the official rules for nominations, but the gist is this: it has to be a graphic novel (obviously), been published between October 16, 2015 and October 15, 2016, and you can only nominate one title per category.

I confess that manga is a weakness of mine, but as part of my day job, I have been reading a bit more of it, so if you have some awesome manga titles to nominate, please do so.

Young Adult

Delilah Dirk and the King’s Shilling by Tony Cliff
Geis: A Matter of Life and Death by Alexis Deacon
Faith Vol. 1: Hollywood and Vine by Jody Houser, Francis Portela, and Marguerite Sauvage
March: Book Three by John Lewis
Einstein by Corinne Maier and Anne Simon
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 2: Squirrel You Know it’s True by Ryan North and Erica Henderson
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 3: Squirrel, You Really Got Me Now by Ryan North and Erica Henderson
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Beats Up the Marvel Universe by Ryan North and Erica Henderson
The Golden Compass Graphic Novel, Vol. 2 by Philip Pullman, Stephane Melchior-Durand, Clement Oubriere, and Annie Eaton
Lumberjanes, Vol. 3: A Terrible Plan by Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters, and Carolyn Nowak
Lumberjanes, Vol. 4: Out of Time by Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, and Brooke Allen
Princeless: Raven the Pirate Princess Book 1: Captain Raven and the All-Girl Pirate Crew by Jeremy Whitley, Rosy Higgins, and Ted Brandt
Princeless: Raven the Pirate Princess Book 2: Free Women by Jeremy Whitley, Rosy Higgins, and Ted Brandt
Ms. Marvel Vol. 4: Last Days by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona
Ms. Marvel Vol. 5: Super Famous by G. Willow Wilson, Takeshi Miyazawa, Adrian Alphona, and Nico Leon

Elementary/Middle Grade

Lucy and Andy Neanderthal by Jeffrey Brown
Love: The Lion by Frederic Brremaud and Federico Bertolucci
Lowriders to the Center of the Earth by Cathy Camper
Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea by Ben Clanton
Hippopotamister by John Patrick Green
Dream Jumper: Nightmare Escape by Greg Grunberg, Lucas P. Turnbloom, and Guy Major
Mighty Jack by Ben Hatke
by Faith Erin Hicks
Compass South by Hope Larson
Princess Princess Ever After by Katie O’Neill
Bera the One-Headed Troll by Eric Orchard
Hilda and the Stone Forest by Luke Pearson
Snow White by Matt Phelan
Dog Man by Dav Pilkey
Ogres Awake! by James Sturm
Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier
The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo by Drew Weing
HiLo: Saving the Whole Wide World by Judd Winick
Secret Coders: Paths and Portals by Gene Luen Yang

Mental Health & Teens of Color: A Guest Post by Patrice Caldwell

Over the last few years, I’ve really paid attention to how the YA community discusses and writes about mental health. Part of it is my own interest in the topic as someone who experiences mental illness, but a far larger part is because the conversations are important and vital to teenagers and the books that aim to reach them. I’ve written before about a pivotal moment in my career, where a teen girl came to an open mic night at my library and shared a piece she’d written in honor of her friend, who’d committed suicide the previous day. It reminded me about the power of talking and sharing and not being ashamed of bringing these big, tough issues to light.

But one of the things that bothers me about this conversation is how rarely we talk about it in regards to people of color. The girl I referenced above was black, as were a good majority of teens I served in that community; in previous communities, the bulk of faces I served were brown, from various Hispanic heritages. It is, however, rare we see depictions of teens of color struggling with and coming to understand their mental health.

Even booklists compiled for major library journals or websites often fail to highlight the books that do exist showcasing mental health as an issue important to teens of color. Part of it is because there aren’t many books, but a good part of it is not paying attention to the importance of this issue to people of color.

I wanted to have someone write about this, and after putting out a call asking, I was flooded with interest for a piece about this, as well as a book list, and I was lucky enough to get a fantastic guest post from Patrice Caldwell on this. Please enjoy this post. Please think about it. Please share it. Talking about mental health and wellness is crucial, and it’s just as crucial to look at it through cultural and inclusive lenses.

____________________

 

Patrice is a twenty-three-year-old introvert gone wild. By day, she’s an editorial assistant at Scholastic, and by night, weekend, and early morning (if she’s had enough green tea) she’s a writer. You can learn more about Patrice, her writing, favorite books, and general musings at her blog, patricecaldwell.com. You can also find her on Twitter (@whimsicallyours), her secondary home.

 

 

 

In my family mental illness is often referenced as a “the white man’s disease.” As people of color (POC) in a nation with a history of profiting off black and brown bodies, we endured slavery, we endured sharecropping, we endured segregation and so anything else, anything that literally doesn’t threaten your physical existence, is nothing compared to those past. At least that’s how I was raised.

Because formal schooling was a luxury many of my ancestors couldn’t afford, the importance of getting a education was stressed since I was born. And so I received a “good education,” a great one, even. In my neighborhood, this always meant going to the “whiter” school. Unlike my ancestors, I know I’ve had it easier. Like them, I often felt like I, too, had been ripped from my community, sent to some foreign land where I was now expected to be better than the rest while also putting up with every microaggression my well-meaning classmates and teachers threw my way. In short, I was to become a woman of steel who always smiled and never raised her voice as sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me. I can’t tell you how many times I repeated that meaningless rhyme.

I’m not alone in this experience.

As I mentioned to Kelly, mental illness runs through my family. And though my dad likes to claim it’s only on my mom’s side (my parents are divorced so they blame everything on “the other side of the family”), his brother committed suicide when he was younger, which is something he only talked about with me once—when I was suicidal myself.

I’m not going to lie and say that a book can save a life. I honestly don’t remember if that’s true. However, books have helped me to understand myself. Books told me I wasn’t alone when my entire family refused to acknowledge the depression and anxiety I’d been battling for years. We like to talk about how books provide both mirrors and windows. Windows being books that offer alternative views of worlds real or imagined—a peek into someone else’s life, and mirrors being books in which you see your own stories and self reflected.

I can only think of two books from my childhood that provided true mirrors for most of my experiences: Yorbua Girl Dancing by Simi Bedford, about an African girl’s metamorphosis into an upper-class English schoolgirl and the homesickness and microaggressions she deals with, and At Her Majesty’s Request, a nonfiction account by Walter Dean Myers about an African princess in Victorian England. Those books meant the world to me and during my hardest times I read them weekly. If I were to add few more, that I discovered later in life, it’d be the works of Octavia Butler + Ash by Malinda Lo (the first time I read queers girl in literature) as well as The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, which gave me the vocabulary through which to speak my experiences.

In light of this I’d like to share YA novels I loved, that I found later in life, and ones the others have recommended. They all feature POC as main or major characters (we’re not having any of that oh, look here’s a POC on page 104) who are living, struggling, and thriving with mental illnesses.

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

In the months after his father’s suicide, it’s been tough for 16-year-old Aaron Soto to find happiness again–but he’s still gunning for it. With the support of his girlfriend Genevieve and his overworked mom, he’s slowly remembering what that might feel like. But grief and the smile-shaped scar on his wrist prevent him from forgetting completely.

When Genevieve leaves for a couple of weeks, Aaron spends all his time hanging out with this new guy, Thomas. Aaron’s crew notices, and they’re not exactly thrilled. But Aaron can’t deny the happiness Thomas brings or how Thomas makes him feel safe from himself, despite the tensions their friendship is stirring with his girlfriend and friends. Since Aaron can’t stay away from Thomas or turn off his newfound feelings for him, he considers turning to the Leteo Institute’s revolutionary memory-alteration procedure to straighten himself out, even if it means forgetting who he truly is.

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina

One morning before school, some girl tells Piddy Sanchez that Yaqui Delgado hates her and wants to kick her ass. Piddy doesn’t even know who Yaqui is, never mind what she’s done to piss her off. Word is that Yaqui thinks Piddy is stuck-up, shakes her stuff when she walks, and isn’t Latin enough with her white skin, good grades, and no accent. And Yaqui isn’t kidding around, so Piddy better watch her back. At first Piddy is more concerned with trying to find out more about the father she’s never met and how to balance honors courses with her weekend job at the neighborhood hair salon. But as the harassment escalates, avoiding Yaqui and her gang starts to take over Piddy’s life. Is there any way for Piddy to survive without closing herself off or running away? In an all-too-realistic novel, Meg Medina portrays a sympathetic heroine who is forced to decide who she really is. 

Pointe by Brandy Colbert

Theo is better now.

She’s eating again, dating guys who are almost appropriate, and well on her way to becoming an elite ballet dancer. But when her oldest friend, Donovan, returns home after spending four long years with his kidnapper, Theo starts reliving memories about his abduction—and his abductor.

Donovan isn’t talking about what happened, and even though Theo knows she didn’t do anything wrong, telling the truth would put everything she’s been living for at risk. But keeping quiet might be worse.

(This was my FAVORITE book from 2014 and still means the world to me for its frank portrayal of teenage-life and the mental health struggles of a black girl. Be sure to check out her forthcoming novel, Little & Lion, which also deals with the aftermath of mental health crises.)

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.

(This book, y’all. It’s so good! Read it as a Cybils Panelist in 2014 and fell in love.)

Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra & Dhonielle Clayton

Gigi, Bette, and June, three top students at an exclusive Manhattan ballet school, have seen their fair share of drama. Free-spirited new girl Gigi just wants to dance—but the very act might kill her. Privileged New Yorker Bette’s desire to escape the shadow of her ballet star sister brings out a dangerous edge in her. And perfectionist June needs to land a lead role this year or her controlling mother will put an end to her dancing dreams forever. When every dancer is both friend and foe, the girls will sacrifice, manipulate, and backstab to be the best of the best.

(As shown by my love for Pointe, I adore books that highlight mental health issues + the arts world through girls of color. This does just that, so well, and from the perspective of three, diverse girls.)

Silhouetted by the Blue by Traci L. Jones

Seventh-grader Serena Shaw is trying to keep up at school while rehearsing for the lead role in the spring musical and dealing with a father so “blue” he is nearly catatonic. With the aid of a not-so-secret admirer as well as a growing sense of self-confidence, she faces the challenges of caring for herself and her ball-of-charm younger brother, all while attempting to lead the life of a normal pre-teen. Readers will be drawn into this convincing portrait of a vivacious young person who is on a path to discovering that taking on responsibility sometimes means finding the best way to ask for help. 

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

Hanna simply wants to be loved. With a head plagued by hallucinations, a medicine cabinet full of pills, and a closet stuffed with frilly, violet dresses, Hanna’s tired of being the outcast, the weird girl, the freak. So she runs away to Portero, Texas in search of a new home.

But Portero is a stranger town than Hanna expects. As she tries to make a place for herself, she discovers dark secrets that would terrify any normal soul. Good thing for Hanna, she’s far from normal. As this crazy girl meets an even crazier town, only two things are certain: Anything can happen and no one is safe.

Irises by Francisco X. Stork

TWO SISTERS: Kate is bound for Stanford and an M.D. — if her family will let her go. Mary wants only to stay home and paint. When their loving but repressive father dies, they must figure out how to support themselves and their mother, who is in a permanent vegetative state, and how to get along in all their uneasy sisterhood.

THREE YOUNG MEN: Then three men sway their lives: Kate’s boyfriend Simon offers to marry her, providing much-needed stability. Mary is drawn to Marcos, though she fears his violent past. And Andy tempts Kate with more than romance, recognizing her ambition because it matches his own.

ONE AGONIZING CHOICE: Kate and Mary each find new possibilities and darknesses in their sudden freedom. But it’s Mama’s life that might divide them for good — the question of *if* she lives, and what’s worth living for.

The Memory of Light by Francisco X. Stork

Vicky Cruz shouldn’t be alive.

That’s what she thinks, anyway—and why she tried to kill herself. But then she arrives at Lakeview Hospital, where she meets Mona, the live wire; Gabriel, the saint; E.M., always angry; and Dr. Desai, a quiet force. With stories and honesty, kindness and hard work, they push her to reconsider her life before Lakeview, and offer her an acceptance she’s never had.

Yet Vicky’s newfound peace is as fragile as the roses that grow around the hospital. And when a crisis forces the group to split up—sending her back to the life that drove her to suicide—Vicky must find her own courage and strength. She may not have any. She doesn’t know.

(Francisco X. Stork is truly a literary genius. If you haven’t read his works, get on it. They’re so powerful and he’s so talented at getting to the heart of what it means to strive to be yourself.)

Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood (Sisterhood #3) by Ann Brashares

It’s the summer before the sisterhood departs for college . . . their last real summer together before they head off to start their grown-up lives. It’s the time when Lena, Tibby, Bridget, and Carmen need their Pants the most.

When the Stars Go Blue by Caridad Ferrer

Dance is Soledad Reyes’s life. About to graduate from Miami’s Biscayne High School for the Performing Arts, she plans on spending her last summer at home teaching in a dance studio, saving money, and eventually auditioning for dance companies. That is, until fate intervenes in the form of fellow student Jonathan Crandall who has what sounds like an outrageous proposition: Forget teaching. Why not spend the summer performing in the intense environment of the competitive drum and bugle corps? The corps is going to be performing Carmen, and the opportunity to portray the character of the sultry gypsy proves too tempting for Soledad to pass up, as well as the opportunity to spend more time with Jonathan, who intrigues her in a way no boy ever has before.

But in an uncanny echo of the story they perform every evening, an unexpected competitor for Soledad’s affections appears: Taz, a member of an all-star Spanish soccer team. One explosive encounter later Soledad finds not only her relationship with Jonathan threatened, but her entire future as a professional dancer. 

When Reason Breaks by Cindy L. Rodriguez

A Goth girl with an attitude problem, Elizabeth Davis must learn to control her anger before it destroys her. Emily Delgado appears to be a smart, sweet girl, with a normal life, but as depression clutches at her, she struggles to feel normal. Both girls are in Ms. Diaz’s English class, where they connect to the words of Emily Dickinson. Both are hovering on the edge of an emotional precipice. One of them will attempt suicide. And with Dickinson’s poetry as their guide, both girls must conquer their personal demons to ever be happy.

The Meaning of Consuelo by Judith Ortiz Cofer

The Signe family is blessed with two daughters. Consuelo, the elder, is thought of as pensive and book-loving, the serious child-la niña seria-while Mili, her younger sister, is seen as vivacious, a ray of tropical sunshine. Two daughters: one dark, one light; one to offer comfort and consolation, the other to charm and delight. But, for all the joy both girls should bring, something is not right in this Puerto Rican family; a tragedia is developing, like a tumor, at its core.

Call Me Maria by Judith Ortiz Cofer

Maria is a girl caught between two worlds: Puerto Rico, where she was born, and New York, where she now lives in a basement apartment in the barrio. While her mother remains on the island, Maria lives with her father, the super of their building. As she struggles to lose her island accent, Maria does her best to find her place within the unfamiliar culture of the barrio. Finally, with the Spanglish of the barrio people ringing in her ears, she finds the poet within herself.

Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz

Everywhere she turns, someone feels she’s too fringe for the fringe. Not gay enough for the Dykes, her ex-clique, thanks to a recent relationship with a boy; not tiny and white enough for ballet, her first passion; and not sick enough to look anorexic (partially thanks to recovery). Etta doesn’t fit anywhere— until she meets Bianca, the straight, white, Christian, and seriously sick girl in Etta’s therapy group. Both girls are auditioning for Brentwood, a prestigious New York theater academy that is so not Nebraska. Bianca seems like Etta’s salvation, but how can Etta be saved by a girl who needs saving herself? 

Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman

Caden Bosch is on a ship that’s headed for the deepest point on Earth: Challenger Deep, the southern part of the Marianas Trench.

Caden Bosch is a brilliant high school student whose friends are starting to notice his odd behavior.

Caden Bosch is designated the ship’s artist in residence, to document the journey with images.

Caden Bosch pretends to join the school track team but spends his days walking for miles, absorbed by the thoughts in his head.

Caden Bosch is split between his allegiance to the captain and the allure of mutiny.

Caden Bosch is torn.

Last Night I Sang to the Monster by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Zach is eighteen. He is bright and articulate. He’s also an alcoholic and in rehab instead of high school, but he doesn’t remember how he got there. He’s not sure he wants to remember. Something bad must have happened. Something really, really bad. Remembering sucks and being alive – well, what’s up with that? 

(I cannot recommend Benjamin Alire Sáenz enough, this is one of his lesser known works that’s equally as powerful. It’s so rare to see novels with teens of color, particularly boys, struggling with mental illness and addiction.)

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

I Will Save You by Matt De La Peña

Kidd is running from his past and his future. No mom, no dad, and there’s nothing for him at the group home but therapy. He doesn’t belong at the beach where he works either, unless he finds a reason to stay.

Olivia is blond hair, blue eyes, rich dad. The prettiest girl in Cardiff. She’s hiding something from Kidd—but could they ever be together anyway?

Devon is mean, mysterious, and driven by a death wish. A best friend and worst enemy. He followed Kidd all the way to the beach and he’s not leaving until he teaches him a few lessons about life. And Olivia.

We Were Here by Matt De La Peña

When it happened, Miguel was sent to Juvi. The judge gave him a year in a group home—said he had to write in a journal so some counselor could try to figure out how he thinks. The judge had no idea that he actually did Miguel a favor. Ever since it happened, his mom can’t even look at him in the face. Any home besides his would be a better place to live.

But Miguel didn’t bet on meeting Rondell or Mong or on any of what happened after they broke out. He only thought about Mexico and getting to the border to where he could start over. Forget his mom. Forget his brother. Forget himself.

Life usually doesn’t work out how you think it will, though. And most of the time, running away is the quickest path right back to what you’re running from.

(By now, you’ve probably heard of Matt De La Peña. Be sure to check out these novels, two of his earlier works.)

Enter Title Here by Rahul Kanakia

Reshma is a college counselor’s dream. She’s the top-ranked senior at her ultra-competitive Silicon Valley high school, with a spotless academic record and a long roster of extracurriculars. But there are plenty of perfect students in the country, and if Reshma wants to get into Stanford, and into med school after that, she needs the hook to beat them all.

What’s a habitual over-achiever to do? Land herself a literary agent, of course. Which is exactly what Reshma does after agent Linda Montrose spots an article she wrote for Huffington Post. Linda wants to represent Reshma, and, with her new agent’s help scoring a book deal, Reshma knows she’ll finally have the key to Stanford.

But she’s convinced no one would want to read a novel about a study machine like her. To make herself a more relatable protagonist, she must start doing all the regular American girl stuff she normally ignores. For starters, she has to make a friend, then get a boyfriend. And she’s already planned the perfect ending: after struggling for three hundred pages with her own perfectionism, Reshma will learn that meaningful relationships can be more important than success—a character arc librarians and critics alike will enjoy.

Of course, even with a mastermind like Reshma in charge, things can’t always go as planned. And when the valedictorian spot begins to slip from her grasp, she’ll have to decide just how far she’ll go for that satisfying ending. (Note: It’s pretty far.)

Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia by Jenny Torres Sanchez

Frenchie Garcia can’t come to grips with the death of Andy Cooper. Her friends didn’t know she had a crush him. And they don’t know she was the last person with him before he committed suicide. But Frenchie’s biggest concern is how she blindly helped him die that night.

Frenchie’s already insane obsession with death and Emily Dickinson won’t help her understand the role she played during Andy’s “one night of adventure.” But when she meets Colin, she may have found the perfect opportunity to recreate that night. While exploring the emotional depth of loss and transition to adulthood, Sanchez’s sharp humor and clever observations bring forth a richly developed voice.

Willow Tree and Olive by Irini Savvides

Enough waterwave taffeta for a lifetime of weddings, always in apricot, matching shoes and a sugared almond under your pillow so you can dream of the man you love. Olive laughs wildly and counts the expensive plates as they hit the wall. But she can’t hide her desperate struggle to piece together a shattered sense of trust. Sometimes Olive is embarrassed by her culture, and even hates being Greek. But, as her friend Kerry tells her, the rest of the time she harps on as if the Greeks invented everything. Olive’s parents decide that a change of scene will help her through her inability to handle school, family and growing up in general. So they send her on a holiday to Greece. And it’s the Greek determination to survive, along with their love of poetry and myth, that finally encourage Olive to step out of a past she can no longer face, and take on the future.

Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn

Evie Tanaka is the put-upon personal assistant to Aveda Jupiter, her childhood best friend and San Francisco’s most beloved superheroine. She’s great at her job—blending into the background, handling her boss’s epic diva tantrums, and getting demon blood out of leather pants.

Unfortunately, she’s not nearly as together when it comes to running her own life, standing up for herself, or raising her tempestuous teenage sister, Bea.

But everything changes when Evie’s forced to pose as her glamorous boss for one night, and her darkest comes out: she has powers, too. Now it’s up to her to contend with murderous cupcakes, nosy gossip bloggers, and supernatural karaoke battles—all while juggling unexpected romance and Aveda’s increasingly outrageous demands. And when a larger threat emerges, Evie must finally take charge and become a superheroine in her own right… or see her city fall to a full-on demonic invasion.

(Though this book is technically adult, the main character is only in her early 20s and the voice is so perfect that I had to include it. It’s a laugh-out-loud hilarious novel featuring a diverse cast & a main character who struggles with anxiety. Such a unique premise, I can’t wait to see what Sarah Kuhn writes next.)

Forthcoming:

Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson

Mary B. Addison killed a baby.

Allegedly. She didn’t say much in that first interview with detectives, and the media filled in the only blanks that mattered: a white baby had died while under the care of a churchgoing black woman and her nine-year-old daughter. The public convicted Mary and the jury made it official. But did she do it?

There wasn’t a point to setting the record straight before, but now she’s got Ted—and their unborn child—to think about. When the state threatens to take her baby, Mary’s fate now lies in the hands of the one person she distrusts the most: her Momma. No one knows the real Momma. But does anyone know the real Mary?

(Add this to your to-reads now. It’s out in January 2017, and it’s sure to be a debut novel you don’t want to miss!)

Thank you for reading this post. I hope you’ve found a new novel, or two! Crises with mental illness and addiction have at times defined and consumed my life. If you’re struggling with your mental health, you are not alone. I promise that there are others who understand how you feel. Don’t suffer alone. There’s this idea in POC communities that we have to be strong, that we have to be polite, that we can’t ask for help. I faked all for years and though it was scary as hell to eventually to reach out to others, asking and following through with getting help, along with reading books like these that humanized and destigmatized my experiences, saved my life.

I’d love to hear about any other titles that you know of, that I left out. Feel free to continue this conversation in the comments or contact me via Twitter, @whimsicallyours.

Thank you, again!

Patrice

P.S. If you’re interested in other mediums that highlight POC with mental illnesses, check out this awesome photo series by Dior Vargas.

This Week at Book Riot

Over at Book Riot this week . . .

Fun with Feminism: a round-up of some feminist-themed activity, craft, and workbooks.

 

Some of the weird, unique, and cool YA-themed goods you can buy. . . including a spoon and a planter.

 

Last week I was interviewed for the Metro News in Toronto about the wave of young reader editions of books hitting shelves. It’s an interesting piece (though a little different than I envisioned). Not bad!

My Top 10 Romance Novels, Ranked

Romance novel reading has always been intensely personal for me, and I think that’s true for a lot of people. Pleasure reading can be highly subjective regardless of what genre the book is, but it seems that romance readers have a particular affinity for certain tropes, characters, and situations, and will avoid others like the plague. This is one reason I almost exclusively read romances based on friends’ recommendations, not strangers’ reviews – a romance novel can be technically very well-written and just what some readers are looking for, but if it doesn’t have some of my favorite ingredients, chances are I won’t enjoy it. So consider this my top ten list of recommendations, if you are into a few of the same things I am when it comes to your romances: smart women with jobs, confident men, sex-positivism, secrets, revenge, witty banter, humor, sizzling chemistry, and at least a little overt feminism.

10. Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas

This is the only contemporary romance on my list, mainly because it’s one of the few that I’ve read. I’ve read a lot of Kleypas historicals, and I like most of them, but this is the first romance novel I’ve read that makes me want to read more contemporaries, which is quite a feat. It’s set in Texas but is not about cowboys, so the details of the setting were a real treat for me. It’s also the first romance novel I’ve read told entirely in first person from one person’s perspective (the heroine, Haven). The first part of the book chronicles her abusive first marriage, and it is really hard to read, but it makes her growth and ability to move beyond it and love again all the more satisfying. I really appreciated getting away from the historical romance fixation upon virginity (always something that’s annoyed me about the genre, having to marry someone because you’ve slept with them is not a trope I enjoy) and reading a love story that seemed like it could actually happen. There are some great realistic family and friend relationships as well. Kleypas also has some really great lines.

9. The Luckiest Lady in London by Sherry Thomas

Sherry Thomas’ books have some of the best writing in romance. This is quite a feat, considering English is not even her first language. With a Thomas book, you’re guaranteed to find perfectly evocative sentences and challenging word choices; hers are the most literary romances I’ve read. The Luckiest Lady in London is my favorite of hers. The conflict is an internal one (no romantic suspense here), driven by two characters learning about each other and how to love each other. It’s got Bridgerton-esque banter with a bit more of an edge, and the interactions between the hero and heroine feel taut, like at any moment they could either start shouting at each other or tearing each other’s clothes off – or maybe both. Thomas made me believe entirely in their initial attraction to each other and the love that eventually develops.

8. Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare

I like most of Tessa Dare’s books that I’ve read, but it’s rare that I love one. This is my favorite of hers. It’s a common story in historical romance – titled man and untitled woman fall in love, must come to terms with their different social stations, eventually figure things out and live happily ever after. But Dare writes the journey well, and her hero has just the right amount of arrogance to be slightly annoying but not insufferable. Her heroine takes no shit and isn’t ashamed of being a serving girl. The setup for the story is also a lot of fun: Griff is being pressured by his mother to get married and agrees to pick a bride from the women in “Spinster Cove.” To taunt his mother, he picks Pauline, the serving girl, and his mother goes along with the game, agreeing to give her “duchess lessons.” Griff tells Pauline he’ll pay her a load of cash if she deliberately fails the training and his mother insists he drop her. This will allow Pauline to open a bookshop, so she agrees. Of course, they fall in love instead. This is just a fun, well-written, sex-positive romance.

7. An Offer From a Gentleman by Julia Quinn

This is Julia Quinn’s take on Cinderella, always my favorite fairy tale, and it’s just wonderful. I appreciate the fact that Benedict, the hero, doesn’t decide right away to give his society the middle finger and marry Sophie, the servant he’s fallen in love with. Initially, he wants her to be his mistress, which does make him look like a dick – but it also grounds the book a bit in its time period, making it less of a fantasy and more of a story where the characters have to grapple with real situations and problems. Of course, there is the marriage and happily ever after in the end.

6. The Heiress Effect by Courtney Milan

Jane Fairfield is socially awkward, wears outrageous clothes, and has a laugh that makes people want to cover their ears. She does all this on purpose – she wants to make sure anyone interested in marrying her stays far, far away. She has her reasons. Oliver Marshall is politically ambitious, and when a powerful person tells him to humiliate Jane in return for a political favor, he takes the bait – at least initially. These are two complex characters – Jane exaggerates her social awkwardness, but she also does have an astonishing laugh and loves her ridiculous clothes, and she’s in real danger; Oliver wants desperately to use the political system to make poorer people’s lives better, but he’s at risk of compromising his ideals to do so. This is a historical romance novel with almost as much history as romance (Oliver’s political troubles mirror what was really going on at the time), and it has a lovely B-romance featuring a man of Indian descent. It’s also one of Milan’s funniest books – Jane’s deliberate social missteps are a riot.

5. Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke’s Heart by Sarah MacLean

Juliana Fiorini is considered a walking scandal in rules-conscious upper-crust British Victorian society. She’s of Italian ancestry with an Italian accent, so she started off at a disadvantage. She tried to fit in for a while, but eventually decided it was pointless. Her hero in this novel is Simon, a Duke who disdains anyone who cannot follow the rules – like Juliana. In fact, he’s called the Duke of Disdain because this is what he is known for. He makes appearances in the previous novels in this series, and he does not come off looking good. This is a common trope in romance novels – opposites attract; the two leads find in each other exactly what they thought they didn’t want. MacLean writes it really well. I appreciated this novel for the heroine who accepts who she is (eventually) and the hero who is more than what he seems on the surface – there’s a reason for the disdain. The heroine doesn’t change him, but she does bring out the better parts of his nature. In a good partnership, that’s what should happen. Like all MacLean books, there are misunderstandings and other stumbling blocks on the way to happiness, but the journey is a joy to read and the happily ever after eminently satisfying.

4. A Kiss for Midwinter by Courtney Milan (novella)

I normally stay away from novellas, but this one is so good. I read it during my initial Courtney Milan kick, when I was devouring everything she had written that I could find. Milan’s books are some of the most obviously feminist and this gem of a novella is no exception. Jonas Grantham is a doctor who advocates for birth control in a time when such things were considered obscene.      Lydia Grantham is a young woman who saw Grantham’s mentor-doctor when she was a pregnant teen; this older doctor gave her medicine that ended her pregnancy against her wishes, and Lydia remembers the younger doctor who sat by and did nothing. Now, Jonas is overcome with feelings of guilt, and Lydia strives to put on a cheerful front, and of course when the two meet again, they fall in love – after significant misunderstandings and forgiveness. It’s a story about reproductive rights without being message-driven, and the romance is just lovely.

3. The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan

This is a book about a smart woman who is only able to do the work she does by allowing the credit to be taken by a man (the novel that occupies the top spot on this list has this trope as well, after a fashion; clearly it’s one that resonates with me). Violet is a countess from a bad marriage; thankfully her husband is now dead. She’s had a long-term partnership with her good friend Sebastian, who takes the credit for her scientific research so it can be published and taken seriously. He has intense feelings of guilt over this. Like in all my favorite romance novels, the hero genuinely respects the heroine’s mind and wishes the rest of the world would, too. Violet knows that Sebastian harbors romantic feelings for her beyond their friendship, but due to damage from her marriage and Sebastian’s reputation, she doesn’t let herself develop the same feelings (at least in the beginning; this is a romance novel, after all). Like the other heroes from my top five romance novels, Sebastian is an alpha without being domineering – he’s assertive, confident, respectful, and a listener. And I love that Milan has written us a historical romance novel featuring a female scientist (her book is dedicated to several of these real-life women).

2. When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn

While my number one book takes its top spot fairly easily, this is not a distant second. I don’t think it’s necessary to be able to relate to a character to really enjoy a novel, but in romance, I always love the books most where I can see at least a part of myself in the heroine. Francesca Bridgerton was married to a man she loved, and then he died, and When He Was Wicked is the story about her grief, recovery, and finding love again. Normally I avoid really sad romances (and this one is sad; Francesca genuinely loved her first husband), and I didn’t love this one much when I first read it as a teenager. But as an adult, it really resonated with me. Not because of the loss, but rather because of how Francesca handles her emotions. She’s more closed-off than the rest of her siblings, who tend to be pretty verbose and demonstrative and open. She feels things just as deeply, but she prefers to keep these feelings a bit more under wraps. She’s not a sharer. It can be harder to get to know who she really is. As readers, of course, we’re privy to her innermost thoughts and feelings, but it can be tricky for other characters to know. As someone who occasionally comes across as cold, I get Francesca. And of course, the romance between her and Michael is lovely – they’ve been friends for ages, and Michael has loved her for ages, but he’s her first husband’s cousin and there are so many guilty feelings swirling over their developing affection. When Francesca finally allows herself to love him and admit that she loves him, it is one of the best scenes Julia Quinn has ever written.

1. Never Judge a Lady By Her Cover by Sarah MacLean

While some of the other books may drop further down (or off) the list at some point, I think this one will always remain in the number one position. It is a practically perfect romance novel that ticks all of my boxes. It features a heroine with an incredible amount of power – but power she must keep hidden, power she must pretend belongs to someone who doesn’t actually exist. She’s underestimated and overlooked. She’s known only for her biggest mistake, but she’s stronger than anyone realizes. So this book is about pushing back against society’s strictures, but also pushing back against your own personal limitations. It’s about being strong enough to be on your own, but also wanting someone to share your life. The hero is staggeringly non-judgmental for his time (he falls in love with the heroine when he believes she is a prostitute), respects her decisions, but also is far from a beta. The storyline features revenge and mistaken identities and great male-female friendships and hot sex. It is a perfect book.

Ode to the Moon: A YA Reading List

Friday marked the Harvest Moon. That would be the first full moon closest to the autumnal equinox. If your social media is anything like mine, your feeds were filled with gorgeous shots of a big, beautiful moon. The moon wasn’t visible to me because of an otherwise cloudy sky, but we sure did get a heck of a sky show anyway:

 

 

Two years back, I wrote a post featuring YA books that had a moon on the cover. In honor of this year’s Harvest Moon, how about a look at YA books which feature titles with reference to the moon? This would make for a fun book display, for sure. It’s a great mix of contemporary, fantasy, science fiction, and more. Some of these are new books, some are back list, and some are forthcoming, and this list is not exhausive. I’ve left off books which are not the first in a series.

And of course, some of these books *also* feature a moon on the cover.

All descriptions are from Goodreads.

 

 

When The Moon Was Ours by Anne-Marie McLemore (October 4)

To everyone who knows them, best friends Miel and Sam are as strange as they are inseparable. Roses grow out of Miel’s wrist, and rumors say that she spilled out of a water tower when she was five. Sam is known for the moons he paints and hangs in the trees, and for how little anyone knows about his life before he and his mother moved to town.

But as odd as everyone considers Miel and Sam, even they stay away from the Bonner girls, four beautiful sisters rumored to be witches. Now they want the roses that grow from Miel’s skin, convinced that their scent can make anyone fall in love. And they’re willing to use every secret Miel has fought to protect to make sure she gives them up.

 

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough.

Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo’s sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.

Emaline’s mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he’s convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby?

Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she’s going?

 

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Volume 1 by Amy Reeder

Lunella Lafayette is a preteen genius who wants to change the world, but lives in fear of the Inhuman genes inside her! Now, Lunella’s life is turned upside down when a red-scaled beast is teleported from the prehistoric past to a far-flung future we call…today! Together they’re the most Marvelous Team-Up of all — Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur! But will they be BFFs forever, or just until DD’s dinner time? And Lunella soon learns that there are other problems with having a titanic T-Rex as a pet in the modern-day Marvel Universe. School, for one. Monster hunters are another — especially when they’re the Totally Awesome Hulk! Then there’s the fact that everyone’s favorite dino didn’t journey through time alone. Beware the prehistoric savages known as the Killer-Folk — New York City’s deadliest tourists!

 

 

Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen

Colie expects the worst when she’s sent to spend the summer with her eccentric aunt Mira while her mother, queen of the television infomercial, tours Europe. Always an outcast — first for being fat and then for being “easy” — Colie has no friends at home and doesn’t expect to find any in Colby, North Carolina.

But then she lands a job at the Last Chance Cafe and meets fellow waitresses Morgan and Isabel, best friends with a loving yet volatile relationship. Wacky yet wise, Morgan and Isabel help Colie see herself in a new way and realize the potential that has been there all along.

 

Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee

San Francisco, 1906: Fifteen-year-old Mercy Wong is determined to break from the poverty in Chinatown, and an education at St. Clare’s School for Girls is her best hope. Although St. Clare’s is off-limits to all but the wealthiest white girls, Mercy gains admittance through a mix of cunning and a little bribery, only to discover that getting in was the easiest part. Not to be undone by a bunch of spoiled heiresses, Mercy stands strong—until disaster strikes.

On April 18, a historic earthquake rocks San Francisco, destroying Mercy’s home and school. With martial law in effect, she is forced to wait with her classmates for their families in a temporary park encampment. Though fires might rage, and the city may be in shambles, Mercy can’t sit by while they wait for the army to bring help—she still has the “bossy” cheeks that mark her as someone who gets things done. But what can one teenage girl do to heal so many suffering in her broken city?

 

Beneath a Meth Moon by Jacqueline Woodson

Laurel Daneau has moved on to a new life, in a new town, but inside she’s still reeling from the loss of her beloved mother and grandmother after Hurricane Katrina washed away their home. Laurel’s new life is going well, with a new best friend, a place on the cheerleading squad and T-Boom, co-captain of the basketball team, for a boyfriend. Yet Laurel is haunted by voices and memories from her past.

When T-Boom introduces Laurel to meth, she immediately falls under its spell, loving the way it erases, even if only briefly, her past. But as she becomes alienated from her friends and family, she becomes a shell of her former self, and longs to be whole again. With help from an artist named Moses and her friend Kaylee, she’s able to begin to rewrite her story and start to move on from her addiction.

Incorporating Laurel’s bittersweet memories of life before and during the hurricane, this is a stunning novel by one of our finest writers. Jacqueline Woodson’s haunting—but ultimately hopeful—story is beautifully told and one readers will not want to miss.

 

 

 

Sun and Moon and Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George

Blessed—or cursed—with an ability to understand animals, the Lass (as she’s known to her family) has always been an oddball. And when an isbjorn (polar bear) seeks her out, and promises that her family will become rich if only the Lass will accompany him to his castle, she doesn’t hesitate. But the bear is not what he seems, nor is his castle, which is made of ice and inhabited by a silent staff of servents. Only a grueling journey on the backs of the four winds will reveal the truth: the bear is really a prince who’s been enchanted by a troll queen, and the Lass must come up with a way to free him before he’s forced to marry a troll princess.

 

172 Hours On The Moon by Johan Harstad

Three teenagers are going on the trip of a lifetime. Only one is coming back. It’s been more than forty years since NASA sent the first men to the moon, and to grab some much-needed funding and attention, they decide to launch an historic international lottery in which three lucky teenagers can win a week-long trip to moon base DARLAH 2.

 

Cleopatra’s Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter

Selene grew up in a palace on the Nile under parents Cleopatra and Mark Antony – the most brilliant, powerful rulers on earth. But when a cruel Roman Emperor takes the country and whisks the princess to Rome against her will. She finds herself torn between two young men and two possible destinies – until she reaches out to claim her own.

 

 

Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin

The only thing Avery Hood can remember about the night her parents died is that she saw silver-deadly silver, moving inhumanly fast. As much as she wants to remember who killed them, she can’t, and there’s nothing left to do but try to piece her life back together. Then Avery meets the new boy in school-Ben, mysterious and beautiful, with whom she feels a connection like nothing she’s ever experienced. When Ben reveals he’s a werewolf, Avery still trusts him-at first. Then she sees that sometimes his eyes flash inhuman silver. And she learns that she’s not the only one who can’t remember the night her parents died.Part murder mystery, part grief narrative, and part heart-stopping, headlong romance, Low Red Moon is a must-read for teen paranormal fans.

 

Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner

What if the football hadn’t gone over the wall. On the other side of the wall there is a dark secret. And the devil. And the Moon Man. And the Motherland doesn’t want anyone to know. But Standish Treadwell — who has different-colored eyes, who can’t read, can’t write, Standish Treadwell isn’t bright — sees things differently than the rest of the “train-track thinkers.” So when Standish and his only friend and neighbor, Hector, make their way to the other side of the wall, they see what the Motherland has been hiding. And it’s big…One hundred very short chapters, told in an utterly original first-person voice, propel readers through a narrative that is by turns gripping and darkly humorous, bleak and chilling, tender and transporting.

 

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Senior year is over, and Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight, she’s going to find Shadow, the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the city. He’s out there somewhere—spraying color, spraying birds and blue sky on the night—and Lucy knows a guy who paints like Shadow is someone she could fall for. Really fall for. Instead, Lucy’s stuck at a party with Ed, the guy she’s managed to avoid since the most awkward date of her life. But when Ed tells her he knows where to find Shadow, they’re suddenly on an all-night search around the city. And what Lucy can’t see is the one thing that’s right before her eyes.

 

 

 

Girl In The Moon by Janet McNally (November 29)

Everyone in Phoebe Ferris’s life tells a different version of the truth. Her mother, Meg, ex–rock star and professional question evader, shares only the end of the story—the post-fame calm that Phoebe’s always known. Her sister, Luna, indie-rock darling of Brooklyn, preaches a stormy truth of her own making, selectively ignoring the facts she doesn’t like. And her father, Kieran, the cofounder of Meg’s beloved band, hasn’t said anything at all since he stopped calling three years ago.

But Phoebe, a budding poet in search of an identity to call her own, is tired of half-truths and vague explanations. When she visits Luna in New York, she’s determined to find out how she fits in to this family of storytellers, and to maybe even continue her own tale—the one with the musician boy she’s been secretly writing for months. Told in alternating chapters, Phoebe’s first adventure flows as the story of Meg and Kieran’s romance ebbs, leaving behind only a time-worn, precious pearl of truth about her family’s past—and leaving Phoebe to take a leap into her own unknown future.

 

Between Us and the Moon by Rebecca Maizel

Ever since Sarah was born, she’s lived in the shadow of her beautiful older sister, Scarlett. But this summer on Cape Cod, she’s determined to finally grow up. Then she meets gorgeous college boy Andrew. He sees her as the girl she wants to be. A girl who’s older than she is. A girl like Scarlett.

Before she knows what’s happened, one little lie has transformed into something real. And by the end of August, she might have to choose between falling in love, and finding herself.

 

Moon Over Manifest by Claire Vanderpool

Abilene Tucker feels abandoned. Her father has put her on a train, sending her off to live with an old friend for the summer while he works a railroad job. Armed only with a few possessions and her list of universals, Abilene jumps off the train in Manifest, Kansas, aiming to learn about the boy her father once was.

Having heard stories about Manifest, Abilene is disappointed to find that it’s just a dried-up, worn-out old town. But her disappointment quickly turns to excitement when she discovers a hidden cigar box full of mementos, including some old letters that mention a spy known as the Rattler. These mysterious letters send Abilene and her new friends, Lettie and Ruthanne, on an honest-to-goodness spy hunt, even though they are warned to “Leave Well Enough Alone.”

Abilene throws all caution aside when she heads down the mysterious Path to Perdition to pay a debt to the reclusive Miss Sadie, a diviner who only tells stories from the past. It seems that Manifest’s history is full of colorful and shadowy characters—and long-held secrets. The more Abilene hears, the more determined she is to learn just what role her father played in that history. And as Manifest’s secrets are laid bare one by one, Abilene begins to weave her own story into the fabric of the town.

 

 

 

Once In A Full Moon by Ellen Schreiber

Celeste Parker is used to hearing scary stories about werewolves—Legend’s Run is famous for them. She’s used to everything in the small town until Brandon Maddox moves to Legend’s Run and Celeste finds herself immediately drawn to the handsome new student. But when, after an unnerving visit with a psychic, she encounters a pack of wolves and gorgeous, enigmatic Brandon, she must discover whether his transformation is more than legend or just a trick of the shadows in the moonlight.

Her best friends may never forgive her if she gives up her perfect boyfriend, Nash, for Brandon, who’s from the wrong side of town. But she can’t deny her attraction or the strong pull he has on her. Brandon may be Celeste’s hero, or he may be the most dangerous creature she could encounter in the woods of Legend’s Run.

Psychic predictions, generations-old secrets, a town divided, and the possibility of falling in love with a hot and heroic werewolf are the perfect formula for what happens . . . once in a full moon.

 

Shadows On The Moon by Zoe Marriott

A powerful tale of magic, love and revenge with a strong female lead set in fairy-tale Japan; this is “Cinderella” meets “Memoirs of a Geisha”. Trained in the magical art of shadow-weaving, sixteen-year-old Suzume is able to recreate herself in any form – a fabulous gift for a girl desperate to escape her past. But who is she really? Is she a girl of noble birth living under the tyranny of her mother’s new husband, Lord Terayama, or a lowly drudge scraping a living in the ashes of Terayama’s kitchens, or Yue, the most beautiful courtesan in the Moonlit Lands? Whatever her true identity, Suzume is destined to capture the heart of a prince – and determined to use his power to destroy Terayama. And nothing will stop her, not even love.

 

Shine, Coconut Moon by Neesha Meminger

Seventeen-year-old Samar — a.k.a. Sam — has never known much about her Indian heritage. Her mom has deliberately kept Sam away from her old-fashioned family. It’s never bothered Sam, who is busy with school, friends, and a really cute but demanding boyfriend.But things change after 9/11. A guy in a turban shows up at Sam’s house, and he turns out to be her uncle. He wants to reconcile the family and teach Sam about her Sikh heritage. Sam isn’t sure what to do, until a girl at school calls her a coconut — brown on the outside, white on the inside. That decides it: Why shouldn’t Sam get to know her family? What is her mom so afraid of? Then some boys attack her uncle, shouting, “Go back home, Osama!” and Sam realizes she could be in danger — and also discovers how dangerous ignorance can be. Sam will need all her smarts and savvy to try to bridge two worlds and make them both her own.

 

 

 

Emily of New Moon by LM Montgomery

Emily Starr never knew what it was to be lonely — until her beloved father died. Now Emily’s an orphan, and her mother’s snobbish relatives are taking her to live with them at New Moon Farm. She’s sure she won’t be happy. Emily deals with stiff, stern Aunt Elizabeth and her malicious classmates by holding her head high and using her quick wit. Things begin to change when she makes friends: with Teddy, who does marvelous drawings; with Perry, who’s sailed all over the world with his father yet has never been to school; and above all, with Ilse, a tomboy with a blazing temper. Amazingly, Emily finds New Moon beautiful and fascinating. With new friends and adventures, Emily might someday think of herself as Emily of New Moon.

 

The Trouble With Half A Moon by Danette Vigilante

Ever since her brother’s death, Dellie’s life has been quiet and sad. Her mother cries all the time, and Dellie lives with the horrible guilt that the accident that killed her brother may have been all her fault.

But Dellie’s world begins to change when new neighbors move into her housing project building. Suddenly, men are fighting on the stoop and gunfire is sounding off in the night. In the middle of all that trouble is Corey, an abused five-year-old boy, who’s often left home alone and hungry. Dellie strikes up a dangerous friendship with this little boy who reminds her so much of her brother. She wonders if she can do for Corey what she couldn’t do for her brother—save him.

 

Dead Girl Moon by Charlie Price

As their hardscrabble lives intertwine in a small, corrupt Montana town, Grace, a scheming runaway, JJ, her drifty fostercare sister, and Mick, the son of a petty thief, discover the body of a young woman.

Afraid to come forward, the teens try to hide their knowledge of the crime, because they believe the murderer is one of the corrupt officials and businessmen who rule their town. But after a series of false moves and dumb mistakes, the teens are soon suspects themselves in a murder investigation threatening their freedom—and maybe their lives.

 

This Week at Book Riot

 

I got to reveal the cover and share the introduction to my book Here We Are: Feminism For The Real World over on Book Riot. This cover is so perfect. I cannot wait to share this book with readers.

Other Book Riot happenings . . .

A look at 3 lesser-buzzed YA titles from this year that you should pick up.

 

Some nifty trivia to pack away: here are 3 YA writers who are related to other YA writers.

 

Three YA books set in the 1970s. I just read one after posting that, too, with the same time period and it gave me a lot of Feelings, since the time period was only useful in getting around that pesky tool of technology. Perhaps I’ll be writing about that soon.

 

Now that my vacation is over and fall is finally in the air (I love summer, but I also love fall and am so ready for it), expect more Book Riot posts to fill these round-ups on Fridays. I’ve got a huge list of things I’m excited to write about and am tackling them one by one.

Likewise: if there is ever a topic for “3 On A YA Theme” you’d like me to cover, please let me know. You can always comment on this blog, over there, or reach me on social media. It might take me a couple of weeks to pull together, but the reader-suggested themes ARE my favorite to do.

And keep your eye out for another potential weekly series at Book Riot this fall, too. I’ve been cooking something up for a while!