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Readers' Most Anticipated August Young Adult Releases
As dedicated readers already know, some of the best and most innovative stories on the shelves come from the constantly evolving realm of young adult fiction. Every month our team looks at the books being published and how they're resonating with early readers. We use this information to put together a roundup of soon-to-be favorites.
New in August: A tight group of prep school friends confronts a killer in Katie Zhao’s How We Fall Apart. A newly crowned empress prepares to enter the Underworld in Jordan Ifueko’s Redemptor. And the classic story of Beauty and the Beast gets a major script-flip in Lish McBride’s Curses. Also: ghostly witches, bayou swamps, and several missing teenagers…
Add the books that catch your eye to your Want to Read shelf, and let us know what you're reading and recommending in the comments!
New in August: A tight group of prep school friends confronts a killer in Katie Zhao’s How We Fall Apart. A newly crowned empress prepares to enter the Underworld in Jordan Ifueko’s Redemptor. And the classic story of Beauty and the Beast gets a major script-flip in Lish McBride’s Curses. Also: ghostly witches, bayou swamps, and several missing teenagers…
Add the books that catch your eye to your Want to Read shelf, and let us know what you're reading and recommending in the comments!
Dalloway School, perched high in the Catskill mountains, is haunted. It’s common knowledge. Legend holds that the ancient boarding school was once home to the Dalloway Five—girls who died on school grounds, one after the other, under mysterious circumstances. In fact, some say they were witches. Present-day Dalloway student Felicity Morrow is determined to stay away from the dark side of the school. But the call of the occult is hard to resist.
Teenagers are disappearing in the small town of Snakebite, Oregon. Some are turning up dead. Some aren’t turning up at all. Ashley Barton’s boyfriend was among the first to go missing, and now she’s developing feelings for Logan Ortiz-Woodley, the daughter of two ghost hunters with their own connection to Snakebite. Courtney Gould’s deliciously spooky debut is part horror, part mystery, part queer romance, and part ghost story. But the best part is yet to be revealed.
A tightly knit group of friends at an elite prep school are thrown into crisis when one of their number is found dead. Making matters even worse, someone on social media is hinting that Nancy Luo and her crew of besties are responsible for the killing. The group’s mysterious nemesis, known only as the Proctor, has discovered the group’s deepest, darkest secrets. Katie Zhao’s thriller is being called a cross between Crazy Rich Asians and One of Us Is Lying.
In this final installment of author Jordan Ifueko’s Raybearer fantasy duology, young Tarisai has taken the throne as Empress Redemptor of Aritsar. It sounds impressive, but part of the job involves descending into the Underworld to confront the sinister spirits of the dead. Then there’s the mysterious stranger she can’t quite trust. And the child ghosts who haunt her day and night. Oh, and the assassination attempts. It’s not easy at the top.
The tiny bayou hamlet of La Cachette, Louisiana, is the self-proclaimed Psychic Capital of the World. And yet when teenage Elora Pellerin goes missing, no one seems to have the first clue. Dark secrets bubble beneath the swamps of La Cachette, and there may be a killer on the loose. Debut author Ginny Myers Sains’ supernatural thriller is recommended for fans of Natasha Preston, Karen McManus, and Rory Power.
This sounds pretty great: Young Peheli leads a group of lost and broken girls endowed with special powers—magical abilities granted them by “a boy with stars in his eyes.” The boy’s gift allows the girls to access the Between, a plane of magic, from which they help other kids around the world. But now the magical boy himself is in trouble, and it’s up to the Wild Ones to pay it forward one more time.
Author Stephanie Perkins (There’s Someone Inside Your House) takes an admirably straightforward approach to naming her horror-thriller novels. The title of her latest, The Woods Are Always Watching, continues in this helpfully descriptive style. The setup is pretty simple: Two girls go backpacking in the sprawling forests of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Unfortunately, they cross paths with a serial killer. Troubletown!
Courageous Merit Cravan has a problem. After refusing to marry a prince she doesn’t love, she’s been cursed by a fairy godling to roam the world as a beast. Handsome Tevin Dumont has a different problem: His con artist family has sold him to pay off a debt. Lish McBride’s gender-flipped retelling of Beauty and the Beast introduces some delightful and innovative twists to the classic legend.
Summoning the dead is an interesting and exciting way to make a living, but it really does not pay as much as you might imagine. Teenage Katrell barely makes enough to support herself and her unemployed mom. So when her latest summoning produces a live body, rather than a cranky apparition, Katrell is determined to make this latest gig pay off. Jessica Lewis’ debut promises “a witchy story full of Black girl magic” in the vein of Sabrina and Us.
For scholarly trans teen Finch Kelly, the upcoming National Speech & Debate Tournament means everything. If he can bring home the gold, he could win the college scholarship he desperately needs. This year’s topic at Nationals? Transgender rights. To win the debate, Finch may have to argue against his own most deeply held convictions. Author Peyton Thomas introduces a new bighearted hero for our complicated times.
Which new releases are you looking forward to reading? Let's talk books in the comments!
Check out more recent articles, including:
Readers' Most Anticipated Books of August
The 20 Most Popular Book Club Picks of July
9 Books That Goodreads Editors Highly Recommend
Check out more recent articles, including:
Readers' Most Anticipated Books of August
The 20 Most Popular Book Club Picks of July
9 Books That Goodreads Editors Highly Recommend
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Maddy
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Aug 02, 2021 11:54PM
The Dead And The Dark looks interesting, I'm not a hug fan of thrillers but the synopsis looks promising!! But OH MY GOD I need to read Both Sides Now this very instant!!!
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why half of these 10 books are LGBT?this is 50% of them that's a lot
Danial wrote: "why half of these 10 books are LGBT?this is 50% of them that's a lot"
why not? I don't understand your problem
these all look SO good! so happy for all the LGBTQ+ rep!
Danial wrote: "why half of these 10 books are LGBT?this is 50% of them that's a lot" Representation matters. And the LGBTQIA+ community hasn't had it in literature for YEARS. It's nice to see it's finally happening.
I'm quite glad that, until I read the comments, the level of LGBT+ plot lines did not register.
Bruce wrote: "I'm quite glad that, until I read the comments, the level of LGBT+ plot lines did not register."Same here. I was wondering why there's so much fantasy and horror on the list and was happy to see the plotline of Both Sides Now. Presumably the protagonist debates without the aid of any supernatural abilities.
I am super excited for Cazadora by Romina Garber! I have been eagerly waiting for it ever since I read Lobizona last year.Also, really excited to read How We Fall Apart, The Wild Ones, and The Dead and the Dark.
Danial wrote: "why half of these 10 books are LGBT?this is 50% of them that's a lot"
get fucked
