Hey YA Readers!
If you had a long weekend, I hope it was a good one. If you did not get three days off, then know we’re only a day out from the weekend so the time to kick your feet up with a book is nearing ever closer.
This week, since we did not have a Monday edition, I’ll dive into two new hardcover releases and round up what is likely a quieter-than-usual survey of YA news. I suspect with the publishing season amping up, we’ll get more news over the next couple of months.
Did you know that Book Riot’s editorial team is writing for casual and power readers alike over at The Deep Dive? During the month of September, all new free subscribers will be entered to win Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler plus 5 mystery books from The Deep Dive. To enter, simply start a free subscription to The Deep Dive. No payment method required! (My piece for this month centers on the increase of book prices over the last 5 years, and previously, I wrote about the publishing power of Barbie!).
Bookish Goods
Reading Book Wall Art by TimPattersonGifts
If you’re looking for a unique piece of bookish art, look no further. This is a beautiful metal design of books and flowers–it’ll pop on whatever wall or in whatever space you put it! $31.
New Releases
I don’t want to short-change the paperbacks hitting shelves this week, so do take the time to dig into them over here. Find below two of this week’s lineup of excellent hardcovers, with the full list here. We’re entering the time of year when there are an abundance of books being published, so your TBRs will be ~*~flourishing~*~.
Psst: I’m actually cheating this week and giving you some bonus highlights. Enjoy!
Into the Bright Open by Cherie Dimaline
I’m not going to offer a big description for this one because it’s an easy, hooky premise: this is a retelling of The Secret Garden but with an Indigenous cast of characters.
The Library of Shadows by Rachel Moore
Este Logano enrolls in Radcliffe Prep, knowing it is the third most haunted school in the country. Knowing that it is a place students disappear. Knowing it’s a place where she may encounter ghosts.
This is actually the draw for her.
Este’s father was a student, and she hopes that by attending, she can get to know him a little better now that he’s dead.
Then Este meets Mateo, a ghost who haunts the library. When he frames her for the theft of a rare book, Este’s plan to learn about her father may come more quickly and unexpectedly than she could have ever known. She’s got to clear her name, and doing so will involve time in the haunted library.
Phoebe’s Diary by Phoebe Wahl
Mixing fact and fiction, this illustrated, diary-style book about being a teenage girl is the kind of book I would 100000% eat up as a teen myself. I’m eager to dive into my copy — it looks fun and fresh.
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White
In 1883 London, 16-year-old trans autistic Silas Bell does not want to become a Speaker Wife. When he attempts to escape an arranged marriage, he’s caught and diagnosed with something called Veil Sickness, which those in charge claim will turn him mad.
Silas is shipped to Braxton’s Finishing School and Sanitorium and begins to hear from the ghosts of missing students. Silas is determined to expose the school and the truth behind it, but he’ll have to ensure he’s kept safe enough to do so.
Suddenly a Murder by Lauren Muñoz
Izzy Morales, her best friend Kassidy, and five more of their friends are going to celebrate the end of high school by attending a 1920s-themed party at a fancy manor called Ashwood. All seems well until Kassidy’s boyfriend is found dead, and now the police are saying that he was murdered at the event.
Every one of the attendees is now a suspect. None can leave the Manor until the killer is found.
Will any of them get out alive?
There’s No Way I’d Die First by Lisa Springer
Black horror continues to be amazing in the world of YA, and this addition is one packed with humor and appeal for horror buffs.
Noelle, 17, loves horror. It is her personality. Her brand. She’s going to throw the biggest Halloween bash this year, and she invites all of the popular classmates she can. It’ll help bolster her popularity, super useful for brand opportunities as an influencer.
But as the party begins, her low-budget It impersonator begins his rampage and suddenly, Noelle may find herself in the role of the Final Girl.
YA Book News
- It is kind of mindblowing to me that Brent Hartinger’s The Geography Club turns 20 this year. This piece about the book’s impact and longevity is a great read.
- The unexpected hotbed of YA: Utah. This is an interesting piece about the popularity of YA – writing and reading – in Utah and where and how it clashes with the Latter Day Saints philosophies. (Gift link from the NYT).
- Here are all of the free YA books you can read this month on SimonTeen (legally!).
- This is the tiniest teaser for Heartstopper‘s next season on Netflix.
- Maia Kobabe penned this powerful comic about having the most banned book in America over on The Nib.
As always, thanks for hanging out. We’ll see you on Saturday for your YA book deals.
Until then, happy reading!
– Kelly Jensen, currently reading The Blackwoods by Brandy Colbert