Hey YA Readers: Time to catch up on the latest and the greatest stuff in the world of young adult literature.
“What’s Up in YA?” is sponsored by Not Now, Not Ever by Lily Anderson from Wednesday Books.
Jennifer E. Smith meets The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy in this deliciously nerdy sequel to The Only Thing Worse than Me Is You, inspired this time by The Importance of Being Earnest.
Elliot Gabaroche is packing up her determination, her favorite Octavia Butler novels, and her Jordans, and going to summer camp. Specifically, a cutthroat academic competition for a full scholarship to Rayevich College, the only college with a Science Fiction Literature program. It’s going to be an epic summer.
Let’s dig into some of the most interesting and noteworthy YA news from the last few weeks. Don’t forget — if you haven’t shared your favorite YA title from 2017, fill out the survey ASAP.
Onto the news!
- Did you know there are not one, but two, YA adaptations being shown at Sundance? I didn’t know Walter Dean Myers’s Monster was happening, either.
- Riveted Lit is doing a “25 days of December” countdown of YA literature, offering up a free YA book each day through the 25th.
- Here are this year’s Morris award short listed titles. These are some of the best debut YA novels of the year — and I agree. Nice to see four out of five being authors of color.
- No surprise here: John Green’s Turtles All The Way Down has some movie news.
- The first full-length trailer for Love, Simon is out.
- Mortal Instruments author Cassie Clare is writing a new fantasy series. It’s not a YA series, but might be of interest to YA readers.
- There will be a YA Padme Amadala novel, Star Wars fans!
- The Wrath and The Dawn is getting the big screen treatment.
- I’ve seen the cover of Devils Unto Dust floating around. But since it’s been optioned for film, maybe that’s a sign to find out more about it.
- I’m not one to care too much about cover reveals, but I saw this one for MariNaomi’s first YA novel and had to share both the cover and description. MariNaomi has done a number of comics, so I’m eager for her foray into YA (“foray into YA” would be an awesome title for something).
- Why did a Katy, Texas, school pull The Hate U Give off shelves and skip the normal challenge process? I have some theories.
- Landscape With Invisible Hand by MT Anderson has been optioned for film.
- Gayle Forman has a new YA novel hitting shelves next spring.
- Robin Benway’s Far From The Tree won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. If you haven’t read it, y’all, get on it.
- This piece focuses on the adaptation of middle grade novel Wonder, but the beginning is about the film career of Stephen Chbosky. You may know him as author of The Perks of Being A Wallflower, but he’s made a ton of movies you likely know, too.
Cheap Reads!
Load up your ereader with some inexpensive and worthwhile YA.
CJ Redwine’s The Shadow Queen is only $2. Perfect for fantasy readers.
Speaking of fantasy readers, particularly those who like reimagined fairy tales, Robin McKinley’s Beauty is $2.
And those who’d like a contemporary love story, Emma Mills’s First & Then is $3.
Thanks for hanging out this week, and we’ll see you back here next Monday. We’ll reveal the top 2017 YA reads from “What’s Up in YA?” readers, as well as the titles they wish had seen more love this year (and we’ll shower that love!). Add your voice to the survey before Wednesday, December 13.
— Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars