Hey, YA Readers!
We’re quickly approaching the longest days of the year, and I don’t know if it’s just me, but this period of time is one of doing a lot of lounging. I love a good bed lounge when the alarm goes off in the morning and a long lounge in the evening before going to bed, enjoying the sunlight as it streams into my room during each. It’s one of those small things that I truly notice with the seasons.
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I’m unfortunately not lounging now physically, but I am in spirit. That’s because it’s time to talk about one of the best things to lounge with: books.
Bookish Goods
Galaxy Planet Bookmark by JarteaDesigns
Now that I’ve talked about daylight, how about something that goes opposite? This evening galaxy planet bookmark is so pretty and would be perfect for keeping your page when you drift off or find yourself stargazing. $2 and you can choose to round the corners, too.
New Releases
We are beginning to wane in our new releases, which typically happens as summer progresses. That’s especially noticeable in the paperback releases each week. But use these “quieter” weeks of the publishing season to catch up on the books you’ve been stacking all year long—just, you know, know you’ll be adding only a couple more per week for a bit, rather than dozens.
You can catch the entire roundup of this week’s paperback releases over here. As always, you might need to toggle your view to see the paperback editions of the books below.
Give Me A Sign by Anna Sortino
Deaf pride is at the heart of this one, which follows Lilah, who always feels she’s not “enough.” She’s not deaf enough to be part of the Deaf community, but she has hearing loss.
She decides to spend the summer as a camp counselor at a place for those who are Deaf and/or blind. Here, she finally finds a world where she not only fits in but where she can thrive…and fall head over heels for some of the cute campers. Along the way, she’s able to learn ASL, too.
Lilah might be falling hard for a Deaf counselor, which was never on her agenda. And yet, he might be just who she needs to help her become fully who she wants to be.
The Grimoire of Grave Fates edited by Hanna Alkaf and Margaret Owen
This book is so clever and creative. It’s a novel and a mystery but it’s presented as a series of interwoven stories by 18 different YA authors. There’s been a murder of a well-known professor at Galileo Academy, and now every student is a suspect. The school is a magic academy, and over the years, it has become far more of an inclusive institution. Though welcomed by many, there are still people angry that, you know, don’t like the fact it’s diverse.
The young magicians each have a voice in this collection and work not only to clear their names from the list of murder suspects but also to track down who is responsible for Septimius Dropwort’s death.
Check out the contributor list here: Cam Montgomery, Darcie Little Badger, Hafsah Faizal, Jessica Lewis, Julian Winters, Karuna Riazi, Kat Cho, Kayla Whaley, Kwame Mbalia, L. L. McKinney, Marieke Nijkamp, Mason Deaver, Natasha Díaz, Preeti Chhibber, Randy Ribay, Tehlor Kay Mejia, Victoria Lee, and Yamile Saied Méndez. Whew!
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
YA Book News
- Here’s a roundup of all the YA science fiction and fantasy novels hitting shelves this month.
- Bad headline—not all of the books mentioned here are YA because journalists still don’t bother to learn that book labels mean things—but the piece is an interesting look at why adapting books for young readers is challenging.
- By now you likely know but in the event you didn’t, there’s a new Hunger Games novel coming next spring, with the adaptation to follow in fall 2026.
- Here are the shortlists for New Zealand’s best books for young readers, including their best YA finalist titles.
- Several of Walter Dean Myers’s books will be getting some fresh covers and new introductions. Check ’em out.
Thanks, as always, for hanging out. We’ll see you on Saturday for some fabulous YA book deals.
Until then, happy reading!
–Kelly Jensen