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Hey YA Fans!
Let’s dive into this week’s YA book news, new releases, and book talk.
YA Book News
- Vampires never left YA: a history of the sharp-toothed creature throughout young adult literature’s lifetime.
- Add these YA books by Black British authors to your TBR.
- Look at the covers of these Epic Reads Editions of some recent and recent-classic YA books.
- A peek at Chemical Hearts, an upcoming YA adaptation.
- Did you get a chance to join the Juneteenth Book Festival live? If not — or if you want to revisit some of your favorite panels — you can check them all out on YouTube. I know where I’ll be spending some time!
- This year I’m not celebrating the holiday at the beginning of July. I’m instead celebrating Baby-Sitters Club on Netflix day. If you haven’t, I encourage you to read the piece I did about why this series endures, including insight from the producer of the Netflix series (talking with her was an incredible treat!).
- How friends and coauthors built a safe space to write a book about race. If you’ve seen Kimberly Jones’s viral video, you likely know she’s a YA author. This piece is excellent.
This Week’s New YA Books
So many books out this week to get on your TBR, if you haven’t already. A * means I’ve read and recommend the book!
The Beauty of the Moment by Tanaz Bhathena (paperback)
Deadly Curious by Cindy Anstey
Forest of Souls by Lori M. Lee
Girl, Unframed by Deb Caletti
Hunted By The Sky by Tanaz Bhathena (first in a series)
Keep My Heart in San Francisco by Amelia Diane Coombs
My Eyes Are Up Here by Laura Zimmermann
Rebel Spy by Veronica Rossi
Scorpion by Jeff Sweat (series)
Seasons of the Storm by Elle Cosimano
Sisters of Sword and Song by Rebecca Ross (series)
A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood
*The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus (paperback)
Take Me With You by Tara Altebrando
*There’s Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon
The Virtue of Sin by Shannon Schuren (paperback)
What Unbreakable Looks Like by Kate McLaughlin
This Week on Book Riot
- Where to begin reading the work of Francesca Lia Block (great for revisiting her work, too!).
- I added A Pho Love Story to my TBR so quick I got finger burn.
- Books up for the YA book prize in the UK and Ireland.
- There are some outstanding YA books in this roundup of asexual novels.
- YA books with complicated father relationships.
Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you on Saturday with a 🛥️ boatload 🛥️ of YA ebook deals.
— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of Body Talk, (Don’t) Call Me Crazy, and Here We Are.