YA – Young Adult

Please click on the book title to read the full review.

American Street

Ibi Zoboi’s American Street is a powerful Own Voice novel that will draw in teens who are interested in social issues of immigration, racism, police violence, and economic inequality.  Fabiola is an extremely likable and relatable character, and readers will love to root for her. She offers a much-needed representation that’s rare in young adult literature and empowering to so many teens.

 

Any Sign of Life

When Paige Miller wakes up, all she knows is that she fell asleep early the night before due to a fever. Except she soon finds that it wasn’t the night before, it was six days ago, and now her house is eerily quiet. Weak from being in a coma and fed by I.V. bags, Paige pulls herself from her room to look for her family, and finds that she is the only one in her house–and her town–still alive.

 

As Good As Dead (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #3)

The conclusion to the trilogy that introduced us to Pippa Fitz-Amobi and her life as a young investigator with a podcast. In this conclusion, we see Pippa start another case as she gets ready to leave for university.

 

Children of Blood and Bone

A beautiful fantasy novel with elements of West African culture, Children of Blood and Bone is a fantastic debut book from Adeyemi that captivates readers, both teens and adults alike. Zélie (a maji in-training) and her protective brother Tzain are left heartbroken and desperate after the King’s army takes the life of their mother (a reaper or summoner of souls) in an unyielding pursuit to eliminate magic in Orïsha.

 

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager is teen romance and high school drama at its best. In addition to dealing with his parents’ divorce, Norris is starting out at a new high school in Austin, Texas. Before he even steps inside the school’s building he’s sure that he’ll be treated as an unwelcome outsider; he’s a new student, Canadian, bilingual, black, and a child of immigrants from Haiti.

 

The Grace Year

Kim Liggett’s novel begins in Garner county as Tierny prepares for her Grace Year. In this dystopia, when girls turn sixteen-years-old they are forced to spend a year fenced off in the wilderness as they work off their “magic” which otherwise can be used against men.

 

Heartstopper: Volume One

Charlie, an openly-gay year 10, and Nick, a year 11 rugby player both attend an all-boys school in Britain and become the unlikeliest of friends. But is there more to the relationship than meets the eye?

 

History Is All You Left Me

In History is All You Left Me, Griffin, a high schooler, must face the grief and complications that surround loss when his first love, Theo, passes away. He finds the courage to attend Theo’s funeral, but to fully grasp and move past his grief, he must relive and reexamine the losses that preceded this parting.

 

How to Make Friends with the Dark

This is a book about losing someone and navigating the loneliness of grief when someone you love dies. While it may not seem like the most fun book to read, it kept me on my toes. It felt like every chapter, Tiger and I were catching another curveball.

 

The Last Cuentista

There is nothing Petra wants more than to be a storyteller like her grandmother. However, with earth’s imminent destruction by a comet, Petra and her family are chosen to leave Earth, and travel to the nearest inhabitable planet.

 

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me (2020 Michael L. Printz Honor Book) is an engaging, beautifully illustrated graphic novel that tells the story of a teenage girl named Freddy and her experience in a tumultuous relationship with Laura Dean.

 

The Lost Dreamer

The Lost Dreamer

Rich in worldbuilding and strong female characters, “The Lost Dreamer” introduces readers to a complex fantasy world inspired by ancient Mesoamerica with unforgettable characters, and an intricate plot. The chapters change between perspectives as the two main characters Indir and Saya uncover secrets surrounding themselves, and learn that they both have a fated place in the world that is changing around them.

 

Music From Another World

In Music From Another WorldTammy and Sharon are paired as pen pals for a school assignment. As they grow closer, they divulge secrets they don’t dare tell anyone about who they truly are. A historical fiction look at being LGBT in The 1970s.

 

The Nature of Witches 

Clara is an Everwitch – someone whose magic is tied to every season, and this is rare. Most witches have one season they are tied to. Throughout a year, we see Clara grow, thrive, fall in love, and risk losing those she loves to save everyone.

 

Ordinary Hazards: A Memoir

Ordinary Hazards: A Memoir (a 2020 Michael L. Printz Honor Book) will showcase the power and freedom of verse in a whole new light to teens. Grimes’ vivid imagery, wide repertoire of poetic devices, and straightforward, yet insightful conclusions are artful, yet accessible.

 

Six Crimson Cranes

“Six Crimson Cranes” is an imaginative retelling of several classic stories including “The Wild Swans,” “Cinderella,” “the legend of Chang E,” and the “Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.” Lim expertly weaves together the core elements of each story with an original twist that will keep readers enthralled until the end, and then wishing for more. In true fashion of traditional fairytales, this story has all the hallmarks of a classic tale–a lost slipper, a cursed princess in disguise, an evil stepmother, and a monster who may not be so monstrous.

 

We Are Okay

Nina LaCour tells the beautiful and heart-wrenching story of Marin’s experience of grief, pain, and betrayal as she explores her complicated relationships with her mother, grandfather, and best friend/ex-girlfriend, Mable. Through flashbacks and a much-needed heart-to-heart with Mable, we unveil the mystery around Marin’s quick and mysterious departure and ease the unspoken tension between these two friends.

 

We Set the Dark On Fire

In Medio, graduates from the School for Girls marry into prominent families. One of those women is Daniela Vargas, the top student with fake papers about who she is.

 

When Dimple Met Rishi

Sandhya Menon offers a refreshing and well-written Own Voice perspective in the world of teen romance in When Dimple Met Rishi. Dimple just graduated high school and is ecstatic that her parents are letting her take a summer program in app development. Little does she know, her parents are using this opportunity to give Dimple time to get to know Rishi, a potential candidate for an arranged marriage.