Sponsored by Penguin Teen
If I Stay meets One of Us is Lying in this gripping contemporary thriller.
When Ivy and her friends get together, things start with a rousing board game and end with arguments about Star Wars.
Her older sister Autumn is different. Enigmatic, aloof, and tough as nails, Autumn hasn’t had real friends in years. After a drug deal gone wrong, Autumn is trapped between life and death, and leaves her body, seeking help. No one can sense her presence—except her sister.
Unable to escape the chilling feeling that something isn’t right, Ivy follows a string of clues that bring her closer to her sister and the truth.
Hey YA Fans!
Let’s dive into the meat, tofu, or seitan and potatoes, kale, or chickpeas of the week in all things young adult books.
YA Book News
- A couple of worthwhile pieces related to Jason Reynolds this week: A look at why he writes for young people, as well as a reflection on the time he interacted with Kobe Bryant in a really meaningful way. This second piece is especially powerful, as everyone wrestles with the highs and lows of Kobe’s life and reputation.
- Adam Silvera’s More Happy Than Not is coming to HBO. I can’t help but wonder when a YA book goes to HBO how much it will be tailored to reach teen viewers.
- I cannot wait for Nic Stone’s Dear Justyce.
- Fellow Chicago-area folks: go see I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter while it’s on stage at Steppenwolf.
- Is watching To All The Boys on Netflix self-care for adults? I love this deep dive on Oprah (and not just because I am quoted — everyone’s insights here are so interesting).
- Have you read I Am Not Okay With This? If not, you might want to pick up the YA comic that inspired the upcoming adaptation.
- I can’t recall whether or not this ended up in the last news roundup, but there’s a potential new Judy Blume adaptation in the works.
- And just for fun, behind-the-scenes facts from the filming of Twilight.
YA New Releases
Let’s dive into the new books that hit shelves this week. A * means I have read and recommend the title. . . and this week, it turns out, I’ve read none of the new releases (I record All The Books episodes for the second Tuesday of the month, so sometimes those third week releases are challenging to get to–it’s no indication of their merit).
All The Ways The World Can End by Abby Sher (paperback)
The Blossom and the Firefly by Sherri L. Smith
Break The Fall by Jennifer Iacopelli (I cannot wait to read this gymnastics book!).
Fatal Throne by MT Anderson (paperback)
The Feminist Agenda of Jemima Kincaid by Kate Hattemer
Foul Is Fair by Hannah Capin
Girls With Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young (series, paperback)
Glitch Kingdom by Sheena Boekweg
The Life Below by Alexandra Monir (series)
Miss You Love You Hate You Bye by Abby Sher
Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon (series starter!)
Solstice by Lorence Alison
The Upside of Falling by Alex Light
With A Star In My Hand by Margarita Engle
YA On Book Riot
So much great YA talk over on site this past week!
- Must-listen middle grade and YA audiobooks with Muslim girl protagonists.
- Snap up some of these To All The Boys themed makeup and accessory kits at Sephora.
- Audiobooks performed by black women to listen to.
- 15 excellent Harry Potter quotes about love.
- Put a little HEART in your YA book title.
Thanks for hanging out, y’all, and we’ll see you again with some great ebook deals on Saturday.
— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of (Don’t) Call Me Crazy and Here We Are.
**Psst — you can now also preorder my upcoming August release, Body Talk: 37 Voices Explore Our Radical Anatomy!