Hey YA Readers!
Last week, remember how I said on Monday that it was the first “normal” week of the year? Yep, not here. We had 2 snow days, and now, we’re in the midst of the coldest weather so far this season (the high as I write this is -12, and that’s not the wind chill). If you’re here with me, I hope you’re staying warm and safe. If you’re somewhere with better weather, know my envy is palpable.
The plus side to this is that I did not push myself to do more than I needed to. I got a lot of reading in, and that was everything I really needed.
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Let’s dive into this week’s new books and YA book news. May it warm you up if you’re in need.
Bookish Goods
Late Night Reader Sticker by KindleStickersStudio
I don’t know what exactly this little creature is, but it is so dang cute. I want to snuggle up to the crescent moon with a book and my cozy clothes! Grab this fun sticker for your Kindle/water bottle/planner for $8.
New Releases
I’m going to mix things up a tiny bit here today. I mean tiny. There are only three YA books releasing in paperback this week, and rather than leave one out, I’m going to shout all three out. We’ve got two novels and a powerful memoir.
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
One of the most moving YA memoirs also happens to be one of the most banned in the country. This is Johnson’s story of growing up at the intersections of queerness and Blackness. It’s a story of complicated families, of toxic masculinity, Black joy, and so much more.
Friday I’m In Love by Camryn Garrett
It might be too late for Mahalia to have the Sweet Sixteen party of her dreams. The kind that would be like her best friend’s and maybe help her get closer to her crush, Siobhan. But Mahalia has another idea—she’s going to throw herself a coming-out party. She’ll take on extra work and use that money to throw a spectacular event.
In theory, it’s good. In practice, it’s turning into a mess. Will Mahalia even get to have her party, or will she throw in the towel before it even happens?
The Chosen One by Echo Brown
This is a unique take on the memoir, following Echo as she enters her first year at Dartmouth College. She’s been sold a promise about the Ivy League school, but she soon finds herself struggling to keep up with the class, the dating scene isn’t great, and the campus isn’t as diverse as she was led to believe.
Echo realizes in order to succeed, she needs to become her own Chosen One. This will require healing her past to understand her present, including her experiences of grief, racism, difficult friendships, and more.
This is a memoir with a fabulism twist (and that cover is out of this world good!).
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
YA Book News
- The winners of this year’s Walter Awards from We Need Diverse Books have been announced, and it is an amazing slate.
- Here’s January’s roundup of science fiction and fantasy YA releases.
- The tragic true story of Lois Duncan, queen of teen suspense. Duncan’s life has always fascinated me, and it’s eerie how someone who wrote stories of tragedy became involved in one herself.
- Here’s an excerpt from the new behind-the-scenes book about Mean Girls. I’m including this link since this is a classic YA film (based off of an adult nonfiction book), and the alternate casting is interesting to think about.
- R. L. Stine’s book Prom Queen is being adapted to film.
- I love this look at ALA’s Schneider Award honoring disability literature as the award turns 20 years old. My book (Don’t) Call Me Crazy won this honor, and the entire experience was fantastic.
- DC’s Prez, a darkly satirical story of a teen president, is being rereleased as a YA graphic novel.
As always, thanks for hanging out. We’ll see you on Saturday with your YA book deals.
Until then, happy reading!
–Kelly Jensen, currently listening to the Sold A Story podcast.