Happy end-of-January, YA Lovers!
This week’s “What’s Up in YA?” newsletter is sponsored by Wires & Nerve by Marissa Meyer.
In her first graphic novel, bestselling author Marissa Meyer extends the world of the Lunar Chronicles with a brand-new,action-packed story about Iko, the android with a heart of (mechanized) gold.When rogue packs of wolf-hybrid soldiers threaten the tenuous peace alliance between Earth and Luna, Iko takes it upon herself to hunt down the soldiers’ leader. She is soon working with a handsome royal guard who forces her to question everything she knows about love, loyalty, and her own humanity. With appearances by Cinder, Cress, Scarlet, Winter, and the rest of the Rampion crew, this is a must-have for fans of the bestselling series.
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Let’s take the opportunity to get caught up on a whole lot of YA news and pieces of interest from the last few weeks. Ready? Ready!
- Some of the biggest news in YA happened last week, when the winners of this year’s Youth Media Awards (YMAs) were announced at the American Library Association’s Midwinter meeting in Atlanta. Check out the winners here and get your to-read list ready because it’s going to grow.
- John Lewis’s March: Book 3 took home *four* prestigious honors from the YMAs. This piece at School Library Journal talks a bit more about the historic wins, as well as talks with the winners of some of the other awards this year.
- Keeping on with the awards talk, here are this year’s winners of the Sidney Taylor Award, which are the national awards for Jewish children’s literature.
- And here are the best feminist books from 2016 for young readers, courtesy of the Amelia Bloomer Project. Keep an eye on their site for the full list of great feminist reads (it might be posted by the time this newsletter hits your inbox).
- This year’s Edgar nominees — which go to the best mysteries — in YA span a nice range of topics. I’m a little embarrassed I’ve not read any of them….yet!
- A round-up of Disney Channel movies that were based on YA books (“YA” loosely defined here, but interesting anyway!).
- E. Lockhart, who wrote The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks and We Were Liars, among other titles, has a new book coming out this fall.
- Rick Riordan’s The Lightning Thief is being made into a play. How frequently do middle grade books get made into stage productions? This one’s got some wide appeal, especially for YA readers.
- Speaking of adaptations, Brandon Sanderson’s YA series “The Reckoners” is going to hit the big screen.
- Casting alert for the adaptation of Becky Albertalli’s Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda.
- And some casting news for the adaptation of Alexandra Bracken’s The Darkest Minds.
- Amy Poehler’s production company has scooped up rights to Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu, a YA book slated to hit shelves in the fall. I’m…so curious about this book, if for no reason than hoping that these teens who are moved by the zines of a parent have heard of a thing called Tumblr.
- Over on Bustle, a nice piece about YA books that challenge outdated stereotypes about virginity. I could add a bunch more, but this is a great starter list.
- Have you read Juliet Takes A Breath? It’s an adult book with mega YA crossover appeal (and many would argue it is YA). Here’s a nice list of what to read next if you’re eager for more Latinx feminist books.
- SELF-PROMOTION ALERT: the book I edited, Here We Are: Feminism For The Real World came out last Tuesday and got some really nice coverage on Teen Vogue, The Huffington Post, and on Barnes & Noble’s Teen Blog (written by one of the contributors!). I feel okay sharing this not because it’s *my* book but because this is a YA book that belongs squarely to YA readers. Also, Book Riot has a giveaway going for US residents on that ends tomorrow, Tuesday, January 31.
Now to take a peek at some of the YA posts that hit Book Riot in the last few weeks:
- We’ve taken a peek at teen spy stories, stand alone fantasy reads, and misfit teens in the “3 On A YA Theme” series.
- On The Outsiders, Ponyboy, and SE Hinton’s reluctance to accept queer interpretations of her classic.
- Eric talked about Under Rose-Tainted Skies and other great kid lit representations of mental illness.
- Some British YA to smuggle overseas (legally, of course!).
- And finally, some YA books to help keep you motivated and goal-driven this year.
Keep on keepin’ on, YA friends. Pick up a good book and settle in. We’ll be back next week with a really exciting interview with a debut YA author whose book is going to knock your socks off.