Author: Kelly Jensen

Hey YA fans!

I’m stoked to share a guest newsletter today by #1 New York Times Bestselling author Karen M. McManus. You likely know her from her debut One Of Is Is Lying, which is currently on the docket for adaptation. Her latest book, Two Can Keep A Secret, is a sequel to that title and hit shelves earlier this month.

Because she helped usher in a wave of thrillers in YA, I wanted to hear her thoughts on why it is we’re seeing more thrillers now and why the wave isn’t slowing down. What she said is smart and savvy and, I think, will give some incentive to people who, like me, might be wary of thrillers and encourage ravenous thriller readers to keep on with their passion.

Without further ado, welcome Karen!

**

A few nights ago, my phone rang at two a.m., waking me from a sound sleep. I squinted at the display, disoriented, and saw my thirteen-year-old son’s name. He was sleeping in our finished basement with the dog that night, and I instantly felt uneasy. When I answered, he whispered, “Someone is trying to get in.”

I ran for the stairs and peered into our living room. He was right. I watched the knob of our front door rattle, and saw the silhouette of someone’s head outside the window. I called 911, texted my son to stay downstairs, and waited for the police to arrive. Minutes later, they confirmed that our would-be intruder was a confused drunk.

Everything happened quickly and was resolved safely. But for a few terrifying minutes, it was like I’d been dropped into a plot from one of my own books.

I get asked a lot why thrillers are so popular, and my answer is always the same: in a world where life can be scary, confusing, and alarmingly random, there’s something cathartic and almost comforting about dark, twisted, and suspenseful storytelling. Current pop culture reflects this, from binge-worthy shows like Stranger Things, You, and Riverdale to the enduring popularity of true-crime podcasts and adult thrillers such as Gone Girl and The Silent Patient. In my second book, Two Can Keep a Secret, one of the main characters, Ellery, notes that “People love to be scared in a controlled environment. There’s something deeply, fundamentally satisfying about confronting a monster and escaping unscathed.”

That can be especially true for teens. The adolescent experience is characterized by a lot of firsts, and for many of us, that includes the realization that bad things can and do happen to us and to people we know. Schools, homes, and communities aren’t always the secure, welcoming places that we wish they were. Today’s kids are dealing with a lot of complicated issues, amplified by social media, and books provide a safe space to process these experiences on their own terms and at their own pace. Young adult thrillers allow teens (and adults) to grapple with the knowledge that fear and loss are inevitable, but in a way that leaves room for growth, hope, and connection.

The success of the YA thriller genre isn’t new. Some of its most prolific authors—including Sara Shepard, Lauren Oliver, and Barry Lyga—have been publishing heart-pounding mysteries for over a decade. But in recent years, the category has expanded to cover more types of stories and include an ever-growing cadre of diverse and dynamic authors. When people ask me for recommendations, I tend to shove an entire stack of books at them, with titles from both new and established authors like Kara Thomas, Tiffany D. Jackson, Caleb Roehrig, Mindy McGinnis, Arvin Ahmadi, Malinda Lo, Lamar Giles, Kit Frick, Derek Milman, Rory Power, Courtney Summers, and so many more.

There’s something for everyone among today’s YA thrillers: cutting-edge technology, social and political relevance, ripped-from-the-headlines story lines, complex family dynamics, locked-door mysteries, unlikely romances, and characters who feel so real that you can’t stop turning pages until you know what happens to them.

For a few days after our late-night, real-life scare, I didn’t sleep well. So I did what I’ve done ever since I was an anxious kid: turned to books, and got lost in a new story.

**

Karen M. McManus is the author of the New York Times and international bestselling young adult novels One of Us Is Lying and Two Can Keep a Secret. Her work has been translated into 40 languages worldwide.

Thank you so, so much, Karen, for stopping by today and thank you, readers, for hanging out again this week.

We’ll see you on Thursday!

— 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!.

Hey YA Readers!

It’s time for another roundup of this week’s YA news, new releases, and all things YA book talk.

Before we dive in, though! If you’re looking for another bookish podcast to add to your listening, you’ll want to try out Novel Gazing, our brand new, all things literary fiction, show. We just launched it, so you can brag about knowing it before anyone else.

And if you missed the memo about Hey YA going weekly (!), guess what? Hey YA is going weekly, so you’ll get to hear full shows one week, then a short show the following.

Now, onto the meat of this week’s YA talk!

This Week’s YA News and Talk

• Jason Reynolds is the new National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. A GREAT pick!
• Get inspired by these badass YA characters for your 2020 goals (aka: new books with rad characters!).
• Here’s a sentence that is hard for me to wrap my head around typing because it’s weird: the frontman of the Butthole Surfers wrote a YA book that you can read now.
• These are the best audiobooks for teens for 2020.
• And some of the best books for more reluctant teen readers (some of my 2019 favorites are on this one!).
• Lana Condor, star of the adaptation of Jenny Han’s “To All The Boys” series, talks about the upcoming second film and so much more in this fabulous interview.

This Week’s New YA Book Releases

Don’t miss out on some of these fabulous books which released this week. Books with a “*” are ones I’ve read and recommend. The second week of the month tends toward being a quieter release week, and this list reflects that.

*Black Girl Unlimited by Echo Brown (I raved about this one on this week’s episode of “All The Books”).

*Blanca and Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore (in paperback)

The Conference of the Birds by Ransom Riggs

Dark and Deepest Red by Anna-Marie McLemore

Echoes Between Us by Katie McGarry

Infinity Son by Adam Silvera

Inventing Victoria by Tonya Bolden

Lucky Caller by Emma Mills

Me and Mr. Cigar by Gibby Hines

Say Her Name by Zetta Elliott

Strange Exit by Parker Peevyhouuse

A Thousand Beginnings and Endings edited by Elsie Chapman and Ellen Oh (in paperback)

*We Set The Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Meija (in paperback)

This Week at Book Riot

Over on site this week…

• I’m so here for more visible disability representation on YA book covers.
• YA books featuring interracial couples.
• How Nancy Drew helped me reject toxic masculinity.
• Which boy from To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is your one true love? We’ve got a quiz for that.
• Pop some upcoming YA comics on your TBR.
• On Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies 15 years later.
• Essential January YA releases.

Thanks for hanging out again this week, and we’ll see you on Monday with a really special guest newsletter from a mega-selling, you-know-who-they-are author of YA thrill rides.

Until then!

— 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!

Hey YA Readers!

As we launch into a new year of exciting new YA books, let’s take a moment to look at some of the new series that will be starting in the first few months of the year.

These are new series and the beginnings of new tales, fantastical, sci-fi, and more. The only downside to a new series, of course, is that you’ll be waiting a bit for the sequels. But you also get some bragging rights for discovering these awesome stories first.

As a reader dedicated to only reading series when every book has been published, I’m relying here on descriptions from the publisher because, well, these aren’t complete series.

All The Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace (February 4)

Set in a kingdom where danger lurks beneath the sea, mermaids seek vengeance with song, and magic is a choice, Adalyn Grace’s All the Stars and Teeth is a thrilling fantasy for fans of Stephanie Garber’s Caraval and Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass series.

She will reign.

As princess of the island kingdom Visidia, Amora Montara has spent her entire life training to be High Animancer―the master of souls. The rest of the realm can choose their magic, but for Amora, it’s never been a choice. To secure her place as heir to the throne, she must prove her mastery of the monarchy’s dangerous soul magic.

When her demonstration goes awry, Amora is forced to flee. She strikes a deal with Bastian, a mysterious pirate: he’ll help her prove she’s fit to rule, if she’ll help him reclaim his stolen magic.

But sailing the kingdom holds more wonder―and more peril―than Amora anticipated. A destructive new magic is on the rise, and if Amora is to conquer it, she’ll need to face legendary monsters, cross paths with vengeful mermaids, and deal with a stowaway she never expected… or risk the fate of Visidia and lose the crown forever.

I am the right choice. The only choice. And I will protect my kingdom.

Blood Countess by Lana Popovic (January 28)

In 17th century Hungary, Anna Darvulia has just begun working as a scullery maid for the young and glamorous Countess Elizabeth Báthory. When Elizabeth takes a liking to Anna, she’s vaulted to the dream role of chambermaid, a far cry from the filthy servants’ quarters below. She receives wages generous enough to provide for her family, and the Countess begins to groom Anna as her friend and confidante. It’s not long before Anna falls completely under the Countess’s spell—and the Countess takes full advantage. Isolated from her former friends, family, and fiancé, Anna realizes she’s not a friend but a prisoner of the increasingly cruel Elizabeth. Then come the murders, and Anna knows it’s only a matter of time before the Blood Countess turns on her, too.

Infinity Son by Adam Silvera (January 14)

Growing up in New York, brothers Emil and Brighton always idolized the Spell Walkers—a vigilante group sworn to rid the world of specters. While the Spell Walkers and other celestials are born with powers, specters take them, violently stealing the essence of endangered magical creatures.

Brighton wishes he had a power so he could join the fray. Emil just wants the fighting to stop. The cycle of violence has taken a toll, making it harder for anyone with a power to live peacefully and openly. In this climate of fear, a gang of specters has been growing bolder by the day.

Then, in a brawl after a protest, Emil manifests a power of his own—one that puts him right at the heart of the conflict and sets him up to be the heroic Spell Walker Brighton always wanted to be.

Brotherhood, love, and loyalty will be put to the test, and no one will escape the fight unscathed.

Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon (February 18)

Will the princess save the beast?

For Princess Jaya Rao, nothing is more important than family. When the loathsome Emerson clan steps up their centuries-old feud to target Jaya’s little sister, nothing will keep Jaya from exacting her revenge. Then Jaya finds out she’ll be attending the same elite boarding school as Grey Emerson, and it feels like the opportunity of a lifetime. She knows what she must do: Make Grey fall in love with her and break his heart. But much to Jaya’s annoyance, Grey’s brooding demeanor and lupine blue eyes have drawn her in. There’s simply no way she and her sworn enemy could find their fairy-tale ending…right?

His Lordship Grey Emerson is a misanthrope. Thanks to an ancient curse by a Rao matriarch, Grey knows he’s doomed once he turns eighteen. Sequestered away in the mountains at St. Rosetta’s International Academy, he’s lived an isolated existence—until Jaya Rao bursts into his life, but he can’t shake the feeling that she’s hiding something. Something that might just have to do with the rose-shaped ruby pendant around her neck…

As the stars conspire to keep them apart, Jaya and Grey grapple with questions of love, loyalty, and whether it’s possible to write your own happy ending.

Scavenge The Stars by Tara Sim (January 7)

Wicked As You Wish by Rin Chupeco (March 3)

An unforgettable alternative history fairytale series from the author of The Bone Witch trilogy about found family, modern day magic, and finding the place you belong.

Many years ago, the magical Kingdom of Avalon was left desolate and encased in ice when the evil Snow Queen waged war on the powerful country. Its former citizens are now refugees in a world mostly devoid of magic. Which is why the crown prince and his protectors are stuck in…Arizona.

Prince Alexei, the sole survivor of the Avalon royal family, is in hiding in a town so boring, magic doesn’t even work there. Few know his secret identity, but his friend Tala is one of them. Tala doesn’t mind―she has secrets of her own. Namely, that she’s a spellbreaker, someone who negates magic.

Then hope for their abandoned homeland reignites when a famous creature of legend, and Avalon’s most powerful weapon, the Firebird, appears for the first time in decades. Alex and Tala unite with a ragtag group of new friends to journey back to Avalon for a showdown that will change the world as they know it.

Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you later this week!

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of (Don’t) Call Me Crazy and Here We Are.

Hey YA Readers!

It’s your lucky week — it’s ebook deal week! Grab your wallet and prepare to snag some excellent YA books on the cheap.

Deals are current as of Friday, January 10.

A twist on The Wizard of Oz, grab Danielle Paige’s Dorothy Must Die for $2.

Did you read Enchantee by Gita Trelease? If not, grab this historical fantasy for $3.

Terry Pratchett’s award-winning Nation is $2.

If reading more books in translation is one of your goals for the new year, try your hand at Kerstin Gier’s Ruby Red, translated by Anthea Bell. You can snag it for $3.

I’ve had The Disasters by MK England on my to-read list for a long time. This space-set book is $2.

Mindy McGinnis’s A Madness So Discreet is $2.

Lamar Giles is a YA author who should be on your radar, and if not — or you want to catch up on his catalog — Fake ID is $2. His book Endangered is also $2.

Naomi Shihab Nye’s super short story collection There Is No Long Distance Now is $2.

Itching for a mystery? Beth Fantasky’s Buzz Kill is $3.

Adi Alsaid’s road trip novel Let’s Get Lost is $2.

I absolutely loved Tehlor May Mejia’s We Set The Dark On Fire, and it’s currently on sale for $2.

Have you read Karen M. McManus’s bestselling One Of Us Is Lying? It’s on sale for $2.

The first book in Daniel José Older’s fabulous Shadowshaper series is $2.

One of my favorite YA anthologies is Black Enough, edited by Ibi Zoboi. Grab it for $2.

The graphic novel version of Walter Dean Myers’s Monster is $2.

Fall into a brand new fantasy series with Rena Baron’s Kingdom of Souls for $2.

The first book in Susan Dennard’s Witchlands series, Truthwitch, is $3.

Last, but not least, grab the first book in Kenneth Oppel’s Airborn series, a classic YA fantasy read, for $2.

Thanks for hanging out, and I hope you found your next great reads. See you on Monday for a really fun guest newsletter from one of the authors above (~mysterious!~).

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of (Don’t) Call Me Crazy and Here We Are.

Hey YA Readers!

I want to try something a little different with Thursday editions of the newsletter. Rather than do an inconsistent roundup of YA book news, I’d like to offer it up weekly. In addition, I’ll highlight some of the week’s new YA book releases — they’ll be listed and linked, so I can offer more than just a couple with descriptions at a time — as well as what we were talking about over on Book Riot when it comes to YA. Think of it as your one-stop shop for staying on top of YA news and books weekly. I’ve been asked for it, and I’m so happy to deliver.

Let’s dive in!

This Week’s YA News and Talk

It shouldn’t be a surprise we’re pretty light here this week, given the holidays. I suspect YA news will really ramp up soon.

• So many YA adaptations will hit the big and small screens this year.
• Librarians selected a big and fantastic list of best comics for teens from 2019.
• There’s a writer attached to the adaptation of Angie Thomas’s On The Come Up.
• Gorgeous book covers for Scholastic’s Fall 2020 titles.
• The de-colonization of Miles Morales.
• The play Almost, Maine, will be hitting shelves as a YA book.

This Week’s YA New Book Releases

January 7 was a huge book release day, so don’t miss out on some of these fabulous books. Books with a “*” are ones I’ve read and recommend.

All The Days Past, All The Days To Come by Mildred D. Taylor (the final in the Logan Family series)

*Black Enough edited by Ibi Zoboi (in paperback)

Chosen by Kiersten White (sequel to Slayer)

Every Other Weekend by Abigail Johnson

*Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Phillippe (in paperback)

Flowers in the Gutter by KR Grady (YA nonfiction)

Jane Anonymous by Laurie Faria Stolarz

The Light Between Us by Andrew Fukuda

A Love Hate Thing by Whitney D. Grandison

*Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wei

The Map From Here To There by Emery Lord

The Night Country by Melissa Albert (Sequel to The Hazel Wood)

One Of Us Is Next by Karen M. McManus

Only Love Can Break Your Heart by Katherine Webber

The PLAIN Janes by Cecil Castellucci (A repackaged and expanded classic in YA comics)

Scavenge The Stars by Tara Sim

Shadowshaper Legacy by DJ Older (The conclusion to the series)

Stolen Justice by Lawrence Goldstone (YA nonfiction)

Three Things I Know Are True by Betty Culley (Verse novel)

*We Used To Be Friends by Amy Spalding

Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez 

This Week at Book Riot

…Plus a few from the last couple of weeks.

• 175+ new YA books you’ll be seeing on shelves this winter.
• Over 50 YA books featuring queer girls hitting shelves this year.
• Some UK YA for the 2020 TBR.
• Harry Potter Duvet Covers.
• These are the books teens want you to read.
• Great graphic memoirs for young readers.

Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you on Saturday with some excellent YA ebook deals. Prepare your wallet!

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of (Don’t) Call Me Crazy and Here We Are.

Hey YA Readers!

I’ve got a treat of a guest newsletter for you today. Long-time readers — as well as listeners of the Hey YA podcast — know that Amy Spalding is a favorite author of mine. She’s well-known for her delightful and well-drawn romantic comedies. But in her latest book, We Used To Be Friends, which comes out tomorrow, she turns her storytelling skills to friendship and what happens when a friendship comes to an end.

The book is told in a unique timeline, from the perspective of two girls who used to be close but who drift apart. What happened? Who is at fault? Where so often we see these stories about romances, it’s powerful to see the breakup/breakdown of a long-time friendship.

I asked Amy to stop by and talk about friendship in YA and some of the most powerful stories of friendships and friendship breakups she’s read.

Without further ado, Amy!

**

Since I’ve mainly written YA romcoms, I’ve spent a delightful amount of time discussing romance. Kissing scenes, how to make a love interest swoony (good hair and good banter is a winning formula, I’ve found), how to find enough drama to keep those pages turning without dooming your sweet couple forever! I love it all, from the meet cutes to the happily ever after, but these are not the only love stories I’m after in books.

In my life, friendship has been such a defining and powerful force. It can be as deep, complex, and transforming as romance, but unfortunately it doesn’t always get that elevated treatment in pop culture. Luckily, there are many books where friendship takes a major role.

I’ve fallen hard for books about friendship since I was little. The first group of friends that captured my heart were Betsy, Tacy, and Tib, in Maud Hart Lovelace’s classic Betsy-Tacy series. I remember how refreshing it was to read when Tib met the tight-knit best friends Betsy and Tacy that instead of splintering the friends or causing jealousies, the friendship circle simply expanded.

A few years later I discovered the Baby-Sitters Club by Ann M. Martin, and immediately loved every member of that iconic initial foursome: Kristy, Mary-Anne, Claudia, and Stacey. Like Betsy, Tacy, and Tib, the girls were so different from each other, but they worked together and appreciated each other’s strengths. Over the course of the series, of course, things happened. They fought, people were jealous, new friends came in and made old friends nervous. But the girls took their friendships and their business seriously!

Luckily there are so many modern books featuring incredible friendships too. The ghost story might be at the center of Robyn Schneider’s Invisible Ghosts, but I loved getting to watch Rose reconnect with an old friend group, as well as see the easy, lived-in way these kids already connect with each other. Groups of friends have such wonderful, sweet, and silly ways of functioning, and Schneider is a master at capturing that complicated network seemingly effortlessly on the page.

I adore books about travel and new experiences, but sometimes in watching a character explore, we miss out on seeing their existing beautiful friendships. This is one thing I love so much about Sarah Kuhn’s I Love You So Mochi. Kimi might be learning about her family—and herself—in Japan, but she stays in tight contact with her BFFs thanks to her phone. She might be halfway around the world, but she never feels disconnected from their support, advice, and (loving) teasing.

Full Disclosure, Camryn Garrett’s debut novel, deals beautifully with knotty best friend dynamics. Simone isn’t great at balancing friendship with everything else in her life, understandably. I love how much empathy this story has for all the people surrounding Simone, even when Simone can’t see how much others have to offer. Getting to see Simone grow as she lets her friends and support group into her life more is one of the book’s biggest joys.

But, of course, as wonderful as friendship can be, just like romance, sometimes it ends too. The worst heartbreaks of my life have all been friendship breakups, and so even though I love writing best friends who support each other, I wanted to write about this part too. The hard times. The misunderstandings. The way it dawns on you that someone doesn’t mean to you what they used to…or is it the other way around?

In We Used to Be Friends, James and Kat have been BFFs since kindergarten, but things have gotten tougher senior year. Everything is changing, and maybe their friendship is too. While James is dealing with a huge shift within her family, Kat’s fallen in love with her first girlfriend, and suddenly the friends don’t quite seem to connect anymore. They’re facing their futures from completely different perspectives, so what does it mean when the person you were closest to suddenly feels so far away?

I tell the story backward and forward, and from both girls’ points of view, because like in many breakups, there’s no bad guy or hero. There are just people doing their best to connect at a time when it’s gotten really hard.

Thank you so much, Amy, and thank you all for hanging out again this week. I hope you found some excellent books to dig into to start your new year of reading.

We’ll see you again later this week.

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of (Don’t) Call Me Crazy and Here We Are.

I am a big believer in the power of color, from the way it can impact your mood to the way a favorite can say something about a person. Every year, when Pantone names their color of the year, I love to think about what it might mean about the new year to come.

This year’s pick is a really safe color, Classic Blue. I’ll admit to it not being my favorite choice out of the last few years, and it’s not my favorite shade of blue either (I prefer darker, and I hoped to see a rich emerald green or a brassy gold for 2020).

That said, let’s take a peek at what YA books coming out this year have taken this color as their primary cover color, without even knowing Classic Blue would be The Color of the year (I recognize this sounds like I’m personifying book covers). Note that these aren’t necessarily going to be perfect matches, but they’ll be close, and this isn’t a comprehensive list.

Descriptions are from the ‘zon, as I’ve not yet read any of these titles as of writing this newsletter.

Almost American Girl by Robin Ha (January 28)

For as long as she can remember, it’s been Robin and her mom against the world. Growing up as the only child of a single mother in Seoul, Korea, wasn’t always easy, but it has bonded them fiercely together.

So when a vacation to visit friends in Huntsville, Alabama, unexpectedly becomes a permanent relocation—following her mother’s announcement that she’s getting married—Robin is devastated.

Overnight, her life changes. She is dropped into a new school where she doesn’t understand the language and struggles to keep up. She is completely cut off from her friends in Seoul and has no access to her beloved comics. At home, she doesn’t fit in with her new stepfamily, and worst of all, she is furious with the one person she is closest to—her mother.

Then one day Robin’s mother enrolls her in a local comic drawing class, which opens the window to a future Robin could never have imagined.

Fragile Remedy by Maria Ingrande Mora (June 16)

Sixteen-year-old Nate is a GEM — a Genetically Engineered Medical Surrogate — created by Gathos City scientists as a cure for the elite from the fatal lung rot ravaging the population. As a child, Nate was smuggled out of the laboratory where he was held captive and into the Withers — a quarantined, lawless region. He manages to survive as a Tinker, fixing broken tech in exchange for food or a safe place to sleep. When he meets Reed, a kind and fiercely protective boy that makes his heart race, and his misfit gang of scavengers, Nate finds the family he’s always longed for even if he can’t risk telling them what he is.  But Gathos created a genetic failsafe in their Gemsa flaw in their DNA that causes their health to rapidly deteriorate as they age unless they are regularly dosed with medication controlled by Gathos City. When violence erupts across the Withers, Nates illegal supply of medicine is cut off, and a vicious attack on Reed threatens to expose his secret. With time running out, Nate is left with only two options: work for a shadowy terrorist organization that has the means to keep him alive, or stay — and die — with the boy he loves.

The Jewel Thief by Jeannie Mobley (May 26)

Her story begins . . . in Paris. The only daughter of the King’s crown jeweler, Juliette marvels at the large, deep-blue diamond Louis XIV has commanded her father to make shine like the sun. But Jean Pitau has never cut a diamond quite like this, and shaping it is a risky endeavor. As Jean spirals into depression, Juliette takes it upon herself to cut the stone, and with every misstep, brings her family closer to ruin.

Her story resumes . . . in a cold, dark cell of the Bastille prison. Charged with stealing the King’s diamond, Juliette has but one chance to convince him that her motives were pure. If she fails, this night may very well be her last. Though, death wouldn’t be her worst fate. Because recording Juliette’s confession is René, a court-appointed scribe, and the man she loves. But René holds his own grudge against Juliette, and this is her one and only chance to win back his heart.

The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu (March 3)

Two siblings. Two brilliant talents. But only one Mozart.

Born with a gift for music, Nannerl Mozart has just one wish–to be remembered forever. But even as she delights audiences with her masterful playing, she has little hope she’ll ever become the acclaimed composer she longs to be. She is a young woman in 18th century Europe, and that means composing is forbidden to her. She will perform only until she reaches a marriageable age–her tyrannical father has made that much clear.

And as Nannerl’s hope grows dimmer with each passing year, the talents of her beloved younger brother, Wolfgang, only seem to shine brighter. His brilliance begins to eclipse her own, until one day a mysterious stranger from a magical land appears with an irresistible offer. He has the power to make her wish come true–but his help may cost her everything.

Lost Roads by Jonathan Maberry (August 25)

Gutsy Gomez’s danger-filled journey to save those infected with the zombie plague continues in New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry’s terrifying follow-up to Broken Lands.

Gabriella “Gusty” Gomez lost her mother, and now she’s losing her home.

Gutsy and her friends, along with Benny and his crew, have just survived a massive attack on New Alamo by the Night Army—a mix of mindless shambling los muertos and sentient half-zombie ravagers. She’s also reeling from the revelation that the residents of her town were the lab rats of the biological testing facility linked to creating the most dangerous zom, the Raggedy Man, who controls all of the living dead.

And the first raid was only a test. The real Night Army is coming, and this time, it’ll be a handful of survivors against seven billion zombies.

The Night Country by Melissa Albert (January 7)

In The Night Country, Alice Proserpine dives back into a menacing, mesmerizing world of dark fairy tales and hidden doors. Follow her and Ellery Finch as they learn The Hazel Wood was just the beginning, and that worlds die not with a whimper, but a bang.

With Finch’s help, Alice escaped the Hinterland and her reclusive grandmother’s dark legacy. Now she and the rest of the dregs of the fairy tale world have washed up in New York City, where Alice is trying to make a new, unmagical life. But something is stalking the Hinterland’s survivors―and she suspects their deaths may have a darker purpose. Meanwhile, in the winking out world of the Hinterland, Finch seeks his own adventure, and―if he can find it―a way back home…

Saving Savannah by Tonya Bolden (January 14)

Savannah Riddle is lucky. As a daughter of an upper class African American family in Washington D.C., she attends one of the most rigorous public schools in the nation–black or white–and has her pick among the young men in her set. But lately the structure of her society–the fancy parties, the Sunday teas, the pretentious men, and shallow young women–has started to suffocate her.

Then Savannah meets Lloyd, a young West Indian man from the working class who opens Savannah’s eyes to how the other half lives. Inspired to fight for change, Savannah starts attending suffragist lectures and socialist meetings, finding herself drawn more and more to Lloyd’s world.

Set against the backdrop of the press for women’s rights, the Red Summer, and anarchist bombings,Saving Savannah is the story of a girl and the risks she must take to be the change in a world on the brink of dramatic transformation.

Spellhacker by M. K. England (January 21)

In Kyrkarta, magic—known as maz—was once a freely available natural resource. Then an earthquake released a magical plague, killing thousands and opening the door for a greedy corporation to make maz a commodity that’s tightly controlled—and, of course, outrageously expensive.

Which is why Diz and her three best friends run a highly lucrative, highly illegal maz siphoning gig on the side. Their next job is supposed to be their last heist ever.

But when their plan turns up a powerful new strain of maz that (literally) blows up in their faces, they’re driven to unravel a conspiracy at the very center of the spellplague—and possibly save the world.

No pressure.

This Coven Won’t Break by Isabel Sterling (May 19)

In this gripping, romantic sequel to These Witches Don’t Burn, Hannah must work alongside her new girlfriend to take down the Hunters desperate to steal her magic.

Hannah Walsh just wants a normal life. It’s her senior year, so she should be focusing on classes, hanging out with her best friend, and flirting with her new girlfriend, Morgan. But it turns out surviving a murderous Witch Hunter doesn’t exactly qualify as a summer vacation, and now the rest of the Hunters seem more intent on destroying her magic than ever.

When Hannah learns the Hunters have gone nationwide, armed with a serum capable of taking out entire covens at once, she’s desperate to help. Now, with witches across the country losing the most important thing they have–their power–Hannah could be their best shot at finally defeating the Hunters. After all, she’s one of the only witches to escape a Hunter with her magic intact.

Or so everyone believes. Because as good as she is at faking it, doing even the smallest bit of magic leaves her in agony. The only person who can bring her comfort, who can make her power flourish, is Morgan. But Morgan’s magic is on the line, too, and if Hannah can’t figure out how to save her–and the rest of the Witches–she’ll lose everything she’s ever known. And as the Hunters get dangerously close to their final target, will all the Witches in Salem be enough to stop an enemy determined to destroy magic for good?

Thanks for starting the new year here, and we’ll see you again next week!

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of (Don’t) Call Me Crazy and Here We Are.

Hey YA Readers!

This is the last YA newsletter of the year. You’ll see a new edition in your inbox come January 2. But even though the end of the year is here, there’s still some good YA news to share. Let’s dig in.

• The trailer for Jenny Han’s P. S., I Love You adaptation is live!
• Have you read the YA novel titled Beach Lane? I haven’t heard of it. Chances are we’ll hear more about it, though, as rights for adaptation were just acquired.
• More names have been added to the cast for the adaptation of Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone.
• Jon Chu is attached to a potential adaptation of Mary H.K. Choi’s Permanent Record.
• Here are the best Jewish YA books of 2019.
• Tamora Pierce says that her beloved character Alanna is gender fluid.
• What do you think about Time’s Best YA of 2019 list?
• All The Bright Places will hit Netflix on February 28.
• Neal Shusterman’s upcoming book titled Game Changer already had adaptation rights snapped up.
• Want to see the stage performance of Be More Chill but aren’t in New York? There’s a run of the show coming to Chicago.
• Sara Shepard, author of Pretty Little Liars among a ton of other books both for YA and adult readers, talks about writing 40 books in 13 years (!!!).

In Case You Missed It…

• How YA changed over the last decade.
• A whole host of YA books under 200 pages.
• Get these 2020 queer YA books on your radar.
• Tune into the sounds of Harry Potter music.

Thanks for hanging out, y’all, and we’ll meet again in the new year!

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of (Don’t) Call Me Crazy and Here We Are.

As we roll through the last weeks of the decade, it seems fitting to highlight some of the biggest YA books from the past ten years. It’s fascinating to look at the big book from each year and how it reflected the general vibe of that year. But more fascinating is looking at the ways that the themes of the books evolved and shifted over the years. What does it mean? What does it show about how much YA has grown in the last 10 years?

Below, find the “biggest” book of the year, determined by it residing on the YA bestsellers list for a significant period of time. Those titles are pulled from among a number of sources, including Publishers Weekly’s lists, the New York Times lists, and other compilations around the web; they’re not scientific.

I also included the winner of the National Book Award (NBA) from that year, as a means of comparing what it was the general reading audience determined as the best book (we all know that the bestselling book doesn’t mean “best,” but this is a measure we have) and what it was a jury of kid lit writers and experts determined to be the best that same year.

2010

Bestseller: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

NBA winner: Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

Erskie’s book is middle grade, so not the most apt to compare. But what is interesting is the title similarity here. Collins book was the final in “The Hunger Games” series — or at least until April 2020 when the prequel releases — and as we’ll see, the series did not slow down in sales for years.

2011

Bestseller: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

NBA winner: Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai

The NBA winner is again a middle grade read, but for long-time YA fans, 2011 might be remembered as the year of the Chime/Shine confusion at the awards.

The first book in Collins’s trilogy enjoyed a return to the top of the bestsellers list in 2011, in large part due to the upcoming film release and the way the series caught fire (heh) following the conclusion in fall of 2010.

2012

Bestseller: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

NBA winner: Goblin Secrets by William Alexander

Another year where the NBA title happened to be a middle grade title; interestingly, it was the only middle grade book in the short list, as the other three were YA books. Although John Green’s The Fault In Our Stars released this year, it wasn’t until 2013 where sales shot into the stratosphere (it sold very well in 2012, too). Roth’s second entry in her “Divergent” series was the biggest seller and it’s likely we can thank the success of Collins’s adaptation that brought hunger for more dystopia.

For YA history fans, 2012 was the year when we learned how many adults were buying YA books. This is still an oft-cited study with so many flaws that it should be read with some understanding of how teenagers are able to — or not able to, as it were — acquire books on their own.

2013

Bestseller: The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

NBA winner: The Thing About Luck by Cynthia Kadohata

I promise there are YA books which will make the NBA list, but that’ll be happening in the latter half of the decade. Although John Green has been popular since his debut in 2005, it was his 2012 book which really flew off shelves. It would sell tremendously well in 2014, too, with the release of the film adaptation that year.

2014

Bestseller: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

NBA winner: brown girl dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Rowell’s debut YA novel sold extremely well in 2013, but it went up against some slightly-heavier hitters. With it receiving a Printz honor to kick off 2014, though, it seemed right to include it here as the bestseller of the year. After years of dystopian domination on the bestseller list, Green and Rowell made it clear that realistic fiction was far from dead.

Woodson’s memoir in verse, which neatly toes the line between middle grade and YA, was a huge win and huge seller in 2014 as well. For many, it was their introduction to the long-time kid lit fan. It was also a forerunner to how the NBA awards would shift from middle grade heavy to YA.

Another big thing in 2014? We Need Diverse Books began.

2015

Bestseller: See below!

NBA winner: Challenger Deep by Neal Schusterman

In August 2015, the New York Times changed how they were ranking their YA bestsellers. It would be hardcover books only, which was a bit of a game-changer in terms of what books remained on the list and which would fall off. In the second half of the year, after the change was implemented, Victoria Aveyard’s The Red Queen, Nicola Yoon’s Everything, Everything, and Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl all remained on the list for a good period of time.

But according to Publishers Weekly, once the John Green titles were removed, the bestselling YA title was Ransom Riggs’s Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. It’d released a few years prior, but with news of the movie, the book’s sales soared.

The NBA winner in 2015 seems, like the bestsellers list, to indicate shift. We’re into the world of YA winning this award now, and more, the winner was Schusterman, a man of color, who depicts mental health in the story.

2016

Bestseller: This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

NBA winner: March Book 3 by John Lewis, Nate Powell, and Andrew Aydin

The year when the election signaled a tone shift in the books we were discussing more broadly — no longer were dystopian titles the biggest books — we saw a graphic novel win the biggest award for children’s literature. Nijkamp’s multi-perspective debut YA novel explored gun violence. Both books highlight the hunger for social and cultural reform that would continue through the following years.

2017

Bestseller: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

NBA winner: Far From The Tree by Robin Benway

Whispers about a huge book hitting shelves in 2017 from an author of color about Black Lives Matter began to hit in early 2016. So it’s no surprise that Thomas’s debut took the world by storm when it came out. The book is still in hardcover as of this writing, which is a remarkably long run in that format.

Although not focused on social justice, Benway’s novel seems to have represented the power of a range of family experiences that readers have been clamoring for. Perhaps, too, the emotional release this book encouraged helped readers build up their resilience and reserves for continuing to advocate for a breadth of stories that were both windows and mirrors.

2018

Bestseller: One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

NBA winner: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Readers wanted a thriller last year, and McManus’s book delivered. Currently in development for small screen adaptation and with a sequel due out next month, chances are we’ll be seeing McManus on the top of the best selling list for a while to come. The other huge seller last year? Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone.

Acevedo’s novel in verse took home the NBA. This is the second book in verse to win in the last five years, as well as the third book not told in a “traditional” prose format. It explores family and cultural heritage — topics that, as seen, began to take center stage in the biggest YA books over the last few awards years.

2019

It’s too early to know what the best seller will be this year, exactly, but dollars to donuts it’ll be far more like the bestsellers of the last couple of years than those in the early part of the decade.

As for the NBA winner this year, 1919 by Martin W. Sandler won. This nonfiction dive into the social, cultural, and political history of 100 years ago was an interesting selection. The book is certainly savvy for connecting those past events to today’s reality, but in my read, it wasn’t necessarily representative of the most memorable book of 2019, but instead, one which spoke more to this moment. In other words, it’s powerful now, but might not have the same punch upon reflection in a few years.

Thanks for hanging out and going down this memory lane of YA from the 2010s. Here’s to amazing history to be made in the 2020s.

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of (Don’t) Call Me Crazy and Here We Are.

As you’re gearing up for the new year, I suspect it’s not a stretch to guess for many of us, that means thinking about our reading goals. If you’re taking part in Read Harder in 2020, you might know one of the tasks for the coming year is to read a YA nonfiction book.

Whether or not you’re doing the challenge, you shouldn’t miss out on YA nonfiction. 2020 promises such a wonderful range of voices and stories, and below are a few hitting shelves in the first few months of the year that should be on your radar.

I haven’t read any of these yet (!), so apologies for using Amazon descriptions. But I assure you that I’ve got all of these sitting on my own TBR…and some, literally, on a pile to get to ASAP.

All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson (4/28)

In a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson explores his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia. From the memories of getting his teeth kicked out by bullies at age five, to flea marketing with his loving grandmother, to his first sexual relationships, this young-adult memoir weaves together the trials and triumphs faced by Black queer boys.

Both a primer for teens eager to be allies as well as a reassuring testimony for young queer men of color, All Boys Aren’t Blue covers topics such as gender identity, toxic masculinity, brotherhood, family, structural marginalization, consent, and Black joy. Johnson’s emotionally frank style of writing will appeal directly to young adults.

Flowers In The Gutter by KR Gaddy (1/7)

The true story of the Edelweiss Pirates, working-class teenagers who fought the Nazis by whatever means they could.

Fritz, Gertrud, and Jean were classic outsiders: their clothes were different, their music was rebellious, and they weren’t afraid to fight. But they were also Germans living under Hitler, and any nonconformity could get them arrested or worse. As children in 1933, they saw their world change. Their earliest memories were of the Nazi rise to power and of their parents fighting Brownshirts in the streets, being sent to prison, or just disappearing.

As Hitler’s grip tightened, these three found themselves trapped in a nation whose government contradicted everything they believed in. And by the time they were teenagers, the Nazis expected them to be part of the war machine. Fritz, Gertrud, and Jean and hundreds like them said no. They grew bolder, painting anti-Nazi graffiti, distributing anti-war leaflets, and helping those persecuted by the Nazis. Their actions were always dangerous. The Gestapo pursued and arrested hundreds of Edelweiss Pirates. In World War II’s desperate final year, some Pirates joined in sabotage and armed resistance, risking the Third Reich’s ultimate punishment. This is their story.

The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh by Candace Fleming (2/11)

First human to cross the Atlantic via airplane; one of the first American media sensations; Nazi sympathizer and anti-Semite; loner whose baby was kidnapped and murdered; champion of Eugenics, the science of improving a human population by controlled breeding; tireless environmentalist. Charles Lindbergh was all of the above and more. Here is a rich, multi-faceted, utterly spellbinding biography about an American hero who was also a deeply flawed man. In this time where values Lindbergh held, like white Nationalism and America First, are once again on the rise, THE RISE AND FALL OF CHARLES LINDBERGH is essential reading for teens and history fanatics alike.

Say Her Name by Zetta Elliott, illustrated by Loveis Wise (1/14)

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi (3/10)

A timely, crucial, and empowering exploration of racism–and antiracism–in America

This is NOT a history book.
This is a book about the here and now. 
A book to help us better understand why we are where we are.
A book about race. 

The construct of race has always been used to gain and keep power, to create dynamics that separate and silence. This remarkable reimagining of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning reveals the history of racist ideas in America, and inspires hope for an antiracist future. It takes you on a race journey from then to now, shows you why we feel how we feel, and why the poison of racism lingers. It also proves that while racist ideas have always been easy to fabricate and distribute, they can also be discredited.

Through a gripping, fast-paced, and energizing narrative written by beloved award-winner Jason Reynolds, this book shines a light on the many insidious forms of racist ideas–and on ways readers can identify and stamp out racist thoughts in their daily lives.

Stolen Justice by Lawrence Goldstone (1/7)

A thrilling and incisive examination of the post-Reconstruction era struggle for and suppression of African American voting rights in the United States.

Following the Civil War, the Reconstruction era raised a new question to those in power in the US: Should African Americans, so many of them former slaves, be granted the right to vote?

In a bitter partisan fight over the legislature and Constitution, the answer eventually became yes, though only after two constitutional amendments, two Reconstruction Acts, two Civil Rights Acts, three Enforcement Acts, the impeachment of a president, and an army of occupation. Yet, even that was not enough to ensure that African American voices would be heard, or their lives protected. White supremacists loudly and intentionally prevented black Americans from voting — and they were willing to kill to do so.

In this vivid portrait of the systematic suppression of the African American vote, critically acclaimed author Lawrence Goldstone traces the injustices of the post-Reconstruction era through the eyes of incredible individuals, both heroic and barbaric, and examines the legal cases that made the Supreme Court a partner of white supremacists in the rise of Jim Crow. Though this is a story of America’s past, Goldstone brilliantly draws direct links to today’s creeping threats to suffrage in this important and, alas, timely book.

Don’t miss these pieces on Book Riot over the last week…

• YA books about interracial dating.
• The top 10 Nancy Drew book covers. Agree? Disagree?
• 10 of the best genre-blending YA novels from 2019.
• While Flowers In The Attic isn’t a YA book, it’s one so many readers discovered in their teen years, and this piece about revisiting the book on its 40th anniversary is just fabulous.
• Here are all of the collector’s editions of YA books you’ll want this holiday season.

Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you again later this week!

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of (Don’t) Call Me Crazy and Here We Are.