Author: Kelly Jensen

Hey YA Fans: Let’s catch up on book talk from July.

We’re giving away $500 of the year’s best YA! Click here, or on the image below to enter:

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If you haven’t yet, go and enter to win that bounty of YA books noted above. I picked them all out and it’s a heck of a library.

Since we’re reaching the end of July, let’s take a peek at this month’s YA book talk from Book Riot. Grab your TBR list because it’s going to get longer:

• Five excellent fantasy YA series to inhale by the pool (or, you know, indoors if you don’t do outside stuff).
• I love this round-up of recent fat positive YA books. Things are improving on the fat main characters front since I wrote about the lack of fat teens in YA a few years ago.
• Because who doesn’t need some good YA horror reads?
• Same goes for great summer YA reads.
• Here are some solid adult books for YA readers.
• Hello from outer space YA reads.
• 10 of the best quotes from Blood Water Paint that feel like a gut punch. I loved this book and hope for readers who haven’t picked it up, the quotes encourage you to do just that.
• Must-read young adult romances. It might be cool for those who work in libraries or classrooms to do a display featuring these books, alongside a display featuring YA books with no romance (or very little).
• YA books featuring queer people of color.
• Have you added these July YA titles to your library holds list?
• These issue-driven YA books would make awesome limited television series.
• 8 YA authors talk about the myths and fairytales they’d like to see adapted.
• Adrienne Kisner, author of the debut novel Dear Rachel Maddow, talks about her book.
• How a school librarian used Jason Reynolds’s Long Way Down to get some of his boys to read. 
• Here are over 150 YA books hitting shelves between July and September (whoa!).
• And finally, here are some awesome award-winning YA books to up your reading game.

 

For Your Reading Radar…

Two books I’ve consumed lately I want to get on your reading radars!

I’ve never read a book in YA quite like Shannon Gibney’s forthcoming Dream Country. Out September 11, the book follows five different members of the same family through the generations, doing so both as a means of documenting their history but also as a means of highlighting the African diaspora. The book begins with a Liberian refugee teenager in modern Minneapolis, then transports readers back in time to Liberia, then back to slavery in America, then forward in time in Liberia. Each of the characters tells a part of history.

This book is remarkable in what it highlights, and Gibney includes a stellar author’s note at the end, talking about the immense research and work she put into it. Liberia, many may not know, became a place that many slaves who were freed returned to; those newly freed slaves used the same horrific tools of colonization and slavery used against them to the native people. Gibney weaves this painful history masterfully.

Reminiscent of Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing but for the YA reading crowd, this has some awesome crossover appeal (and readers who love Gibney’s book or Gyasi’s book will do well reading the other).

The second book is Our Stories, Our Voices: 21 YA Authors Get Real About Injustice, Empowerment, and Growing Up Female In America edited by Amy Reed and out August 14. This anthology highlights an incredible range of voices and experiences, all focused on growing up in a divided, challenged country.

I’m about half-way through at the time of writing, but these short, punchy essays are about action, about history, and about how these female-identifying writers have challenged themselves to be and to do better in their worlds. Standouts so far include an essay by Julie Murphy talking about why being fat made her political, Brandy Colbert writing about growing up one of the few black people in her Missouri town and why the town’s history played a part in that, and Maurene Goo talking about why she is an angry woman.

The only criticism of this collection is the lack of trans women included; trans women are acknowledged throughout the essays, but this hole is one worth nothing (especially as the essays have been by women of a myriad of backgrounds and experiences acknowledging their lanes and the lanes of others). That said, this collection will inspire today’s politically savvy and change hungry teen readers.

Cheap YA Reads

Grab ’em while they’re super affordable in e-format:

Internet Famous by Danika Stone will appeal to readers who love stories of life in the fandom. $3.

Isle of Blood and Stone by Makiia Lucier features an older teen and promises fantastical adventure. $3.

If you want something with a bit of a creepy edge, Dreamfall by Amy Plum is $2.

Romance + Roadtrip + Friendship = Margo Rabb’s delightful Kissing in America. $2.

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Thanks for hanging out and we’ll see you back here on Monday, where I’ll reveal your picks for best of 2018 so far (& shout out books you’d like to see more love for).

— Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Instagram and Twitter

Hey YA Readers: Let’s talk Frankenstein.

“What’s Up in YA?” is sponsored by Nyxia and Nyxia Unleashed by Scott Reintgen from Penguin Random House Books.

Emmett Atwater isn’t just leaving Detroit; he’s leaving Earth. Why the Babel Corporation recruited him is a mystery, but the number of zeroes on their contract has him boarding their lightship and hoping to return to Earth with enough money to take care of his family. Forever. Before long, Emmett discovers that he is one of ten recruits, all of whom have troubled pasts and are a long way from home. Now each recruit must earn the right to travel down to the planet of Eden—a planet that Babel has kept hidden—where they will mine a substance called Nyxia that has quietly become the most valuable material in the universe. But Babel’s ship is full of secrets. And Emmett will face the ultimate choice: win the fortune at any cost, or find a way to fight that won’t forever compromise what it means to be human.

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This year marks the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. A perennial classic of high school classrooms, the anniversary has meant that the book — and Shelley herself — have become topics of interest in the YA world.

Here’s a look at some of the books that have hit shelves for YA readers or will hit shelves for YA readers before the year is out that all play homage to Mary and/or her monster.

By virtue of the narrowly focused topic, it should be noted that this list is very white. There is Frankenstein in Baghdad by Iraqi writer Ahmed Saadawi, which came out in January this year for adult readers that would likely be perfect for YA readers who want a more inclusive take on the tale.

Descriptions are from Amazon.

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White

Elizabeth Lavenza hasn’t had a proper meal in weeks. Her thin arms are covered with bruises from her “caregiver,” and she is on the verge of being thrown into the streets . . . until she is brought to the home of Victor Frankenstein, an unsmiling, solitary boy who has everything–except a friend.

Victor is her escape from misery. Elizabeth does everything she can to make herself indispensable–and it works. She is taken in by the Frankenstein family and rewarded with a warm bed, delicious food, and dresses of the finest silk. Soon she and Victor are inseparable.

But her new life comes at a price. As the years pass, Elizabeth’s survival depends on managing Victor’s dangerous temper and entertaining his every whim, no matter how depraved. Behind her blue eyes and sweet smile lies the calculating heart of a girl determined to stay alive no matter the cost . . . as the world she knows is consumed by darkness.

Frankenstein by Junji Ito

Junji Ito meets Mary Shelley! The master of horror manga bends all his skill into bringing the anguished and solitary monster and the fouler beast who created him with the brilliantly detailed chiaroscuro he is known for.

 

 

Mary’s Monster: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein by Lita Judge

Pairing free verse with over three hundred pages of black-and-white watercolor illustrations, Mary’s Monster is a unique and stunning biography of Mary Shelley, the pregnant teenage runaway who became one of the greatest authors of all time.

Legend is correct that Mary Shelley began penning Frankenstein in answer to a dare to write a ghost story. What most people don’t know, however, is that the seeds of her novel had been planted long before that night. By age nineteen, she had been disowned by her family, was living in scandal with a married man, and had lost her baby daughter just days after her birth. Mary poured her grief, pain, and passion into the powerful book still revered two hundred years later, and in Mary’s Monster, author/illustrator Lita Judge has poured her own passion into a gorgeous book that pays tribute to the life of this incredible author.

The Strange True Tale of Frankenstein’s Creator: Mary Shelley by Catherine Reef

The story of Frankenstein’s creator is a strange, romantic, and tragic one, as deeply compelling as the novel itself. Mary ran away to Lake Geneva with the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley when she was just sixteen. It was there, during a cold and wet summer, that she first imagined her story about a mad scientist who brought a corpse back to life. Success soon followed for Mary, but also great tragedy and misfortune.

Catherine Reef brings this passionate woman, brilliant writer, and forgotten feminist into crisp focus, detailing a life that was remarkable both before and after the publication of her iconic masterpiece. Includes index.

 

And if you’d like more takes on the Frankenstein tale, some other YA titles you’ll want to know about include:

Boy Robot by Simon Curtis

Cadaver and Queen by Alisa Kwitney

A Cold Legacy by Megan Shepherd

This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel (series)

Dr. Frankenstein’s Daughters by Suzanne Weyn

Henry Franks by Peter Adam Saloman

Hideous Love: The Story of the Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein by Stephanie Hemphill

Man Made Boy by Jon Skovron

Spare and Found Parts by Sarah Maria Griffin

Steampunk: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein by Zdenko Basic

Teen Frankenstein: High School Horror by Chandler Baker

This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee

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Thanks for hanging out and we’ll see you again on Thursday. In the mean time, make sure you nominate your favorite 2018 YA books so far and the ones you wish had seen more attention. I’ll round those up for next Monday’s newsletter.

— Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Twitter and Instagram.

Hey YA Readers: It’s YA news-o’clock!

What’s Up in YA? is sponsored by Campfire from Shawn Sarles from JIMMY Patterson Books.

Be careful what stories you tell around the campfire… they just might come true.

While camping in a remote location, Maddie Davenport gathers around the fire with her friends and family to tell scary stories. Caleb, the handsome young guide, shares the local legend of the ferocious Mountain Men who hunt unsuspecting campers and leave their mark by carving grisly antlers into their victims’ foreheads.

The next day, the story comes true.

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Let’s take a look at the latest in YA news from around the web:

• There’s a new trailer for The Darkest Minds adaptation, out August 3.
• Check out the cover for Megan Whalen Turner’s Return of the Thief. 
• The trailer for Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly looks so freaking good.
• Apparently Kobe Bryant is writing a YA book and claims it’ll be like Harry Potter? So there’s that.
• I’ve never heard of Sage Alexander: Dark Realm, but there’s apparently an adaptation and it’s had some casting news.
• The first poster for the reboot of Sabrina the Teenage Witch looks awesome.
• Did you know there’s a Weetzie Bat adaptation coming?
• And here’s your trailer for the miseducation of cameron post, which will hit theaters soon.
• A really nice piece on Native YA writers and their recent and forthcoming Native YA books.
• Looking for a subscription YA book box? I wrote about 7 cool ones over on School Library Journal.
• I’m always dubious of any prepub buzz for a book that calls it the next big thing, but it’s likely worth knowing that buzz is coming for Crystal Smith’s Bloodleaf.
• Where are all the YA authors of color? Riding high on the bestseller list.
• Europa Publishing is branching out into YA. We are always in need of more international YA lit, so this is awesome.
• A look at some new children’s and YA books about the refugee crisis.
• And finally, over on my personal book blog, I rounded up all of the 2019 YA books featuring teens of color on the cover which have been revealed so far. Your TBR is going to explore, y’all.

Cheap Reads

Grab these delicious YA ebook deals while they’re hot:

And I Darken and Now I Rise by Kiersten White are each $2, and what a deal to find when the third book Bright We Burn just hit shelves.

Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn has had so many rave reviews. Grab it for $2.

Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman is a YA western! $2.

Little Monsters by Kara Thomas is a twisty, dark thriller and worth picking up for $2.

Radioactive by Winifred Conkling is the story of Irene Curie and Lise Meitner, radioactivity, and how these two women totally revolutionized science (it’s excellent YA nonfiction!). $2.

Blast From The Past

Some Book Riot YA themed posts from this month in years past that you might want to revisit — or visit for the first time:

• 5 YA romantic comedies to lift your spirits.
• 8 YA heroines you’ll love as much as Wonder Woman.
• 16 tips for surviving in a dystopian society.

Recent Book Mail

Here’s what has hit my mailbox in the last week, for your TBR considerations:

Apple in the Middle by Dawn Quigley (with awesome Native rep and totally fine for middle grade and younger YA readers)

Giant Days by Non Pratt (A novel based on the comics)

Blood Will Out by Jo Treggiari (I was underwhelmed with this thriller, but others have disagreed, especially because the twist is pretty fresh and unexpected)

The Agony House by Cherie Priest

Come November by Katrin van Dam

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

— Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Twitter and Instagram

Hey YA Readers: Time to talk books!

What’s Up in YA? is sponsored by Fawkes by Nadine Brandes.

Both Epic Reads and BN Teen have named Fawkes to their ‘Most Anticipated July Reads’ lists.

“I was up late in the night reading, waiting to get to the fifth of November to see how the plot would actually unfold, and it did not disappoint. An imaginative, colorful tale about choosing for yourself between what’s right and what others insist is the truth.” —Cynthia Hand, New York Times bestselling author of My Lady Jane

“Hold on to your heart as this slow-burning adventure quickly escalates into an explosion of magic, love, and the truth about loyalty.” —Mary Weber, bestselling author of the Storm Siren Trilogy

Remember, remember… Fawkes!

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Given how much focus is currently on immigration in the United States, it seems fitting to talk about YA books about immigration. You can dig into a big round-up of titles at that link.

Over the last few months, I’ve stumbled upon even more YA books written by immigrants who are undocumented or are in the midst of navigating the political challenges of acquiring that documentation. These books are the literal voice to the voiceless in so many discussions of immigration and refugee/asylum seekers — rather than being told their stories by others, it’s refreshing, powerful, and vital to hear these stories in their own words.

Let’s take a peek at what has hit shelves so far this year and what we have to look forward to. I’ve broadened this round-up a little bit and included both a title about a refugee family settling in Canada that, while published for the adult market, will have appeal to YA readers and an essay collection aimed at adults with names that will have that same YA reader appeal.

Descriptions come from Amazon, since I’ve not gotten my hands on all of these yet.

America, Border, Culture, Dreamer: The Young Immigrant Experience from A to Z by Wendy Ewald (October 16)

In a unique collaboration with photographer and educator Wendy Ewald, eighteen immigrant teenagers create an alphabet defining their experiences in pictures and words. Wendy helped the teenagers pose for and design the photographs, interviewing them along the way about their own journeys and perspectives.

American Like Me edited by America Ferrera (September 25)

America Ferrera has always felt wholly American, and yet, her identity is inextricably linked to her parents’ homeland and Honduran culture. Speaking Spanish at home, having Saturday-morning-salsa-dance-parties in the kitchen, and eating tamales alongside apple pie at Christmas never seemed at odds with her American identity.

Still, she yearned to see that identity reflected in the larger American narrative.

Now, in American Like Me, America invites thirty-one of her friends, peers, and heroes to share their stories about life between cultures. We know them as actors, comedians, athletes, politicians, artists, and writers. However, they are also immigrants, children or grandchildren of immigrants, indigenous people, or people who otherwise grew up with deep and personal connections to more than one culture. Each of them struggled to establish a sense of self, find belonging, and feel seen. And they call themselves American enthusiastically, reluctantly, or not at all.

Ranging from the heartfelt to the hilarious, their stories shine a light on a quintessentially American experience and will appeal to anyone with a complicated relationship to family, culture, and growing up.

Americanized: Rebel Without a Green Card by Sara Saedi

At thirteen, bright-eyed, straight-A student Sara Saedi uncovered a terrible family secret: she was breaking the law simply by living in the United States. Only two years old when her parents fled Iran, she didn’t learn of her undocumented status until her older sister wanted to apply for an after-school job, but couldn’t because she didn’t have a Social Security number.

Fear of deportation kept Sara up at night, but it didn’t keep her from being a teenager. She desperately wanted a green card, along with clear skin, her own car, and a boyfriend.

Americanized follows Sara’s progress toward getting her green card, but that’s only a portion of her experiences as an Iranian-“American” teenager. From discovering that her parents secretly divorced to facilitate her mother’s green card application to learning how to tame her unibrow, Sara pivots gracefully from the terrifying prospect that she might be kicked out of the country at any time to the almost-as-terrifying possibility that she might be the only one of her friends without a date to the prom. This moving, often hilarious story is for anyone who has ever shared either fear.

The Boy On The Beach: My Family’s Escape from Syria and Our Hope for a New Home by Tima Kurdi (August 21)

Alan Kurdi’s body washed up on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea on September 2, 2015, and overnight, the political became personal, as the world awoke to the reality of the Syrian refugee crisis. Tima Kurdi first saw the shocking photo of her nephew in her home in Vancouver, Canada. But Tima did not need a photo to understand the truth—she and her family had already been living it.

In The Boy on the Beach, Tima recounts her idyllic childhood in Syria, where she grew up with her brother Abdullah and other siblings in a tight‑knit family. A strong‑willed, independent woman, Tima studied to be a hairdresser and had dreams of seeing the world. At twenty‑two, she emigrated to Canada, but much of her family remained in Damascus. Life as a single mother and immigrant in a new country wasn’t always easy, and Tima recounts with heart‑wrenching honesty the anguish of being torn between a new home and the world she’d left behind.

As Tima struggled to adapt to life in a new land, war overtook her homeland. Caught in the crosshairs of civil war, her family risked everything and fled their homes. Tima worked tirelessly to help them find safety, but their journey was far from easy. Although thwarted by politics, hounded by violence, and separated by vast distances, the Kurdis encountered setbacks at every turn, they never gave up hope. And when tragedy struck, Tima suddenly found herself thrust onto the world stage as an advocate for refugees everywhere, a role for which she had never prepared but that allowed her to give voice to those who didn’t have an opportunity to speak for themselves.

I Am Home: Portraits of Immigrant Teenagers by Ericka McConnell and Rachel Neumann (September 11)

Sixty full-page portraits of students at Oakland International High School, photographed by award-winning photographer Ericka McConnell, are accompanied by their own unique, diverse, and surprising stories of what makes them feel at home. Each of these young people is inspiring in their own right and together their stories will help us consider the issue of immigration with new mindfulness and compassion. All profits from the publication of this book will be donated to Oakland International High School.

My Family Divided: One Girl’s Journey of Home, Loss, and Hope by Diane Guerrero and Erica Moroz

Before landing a spot on the megahit Netflix show Orange is the New Black; before wow-ing audiences as Lina on Jane the Virgin; and before her incredible activism and work on immigration reform, Diane Guerrero was a young girl living in Boston. One day, while Guerrero was at school, her undocumented immigrant parents were taken from their home, detained, and deported. Guerrero’s life, which had been full of the support of a loving family, was turned upside down.

Reflective of the experiences of millions of undocumented immigrant families in the United States, Guerrero’s story is at once heartbreaking and hopeful.

Someone Like Me: How One Undocumented Girl Fought For Her American Dream by Julissa Arce (September 18)

Born in the picturesque town of Taxco, Mexico, Julissa Arce was left behind for months at a time with her two sisters, a nanny, and her grandma while her parents worked tirelessly in America in hopes of building a home and providing a better life for their children. That is, until her parents brought Julissa to Texas to live with them. From then on, Julissa secretly lived as an undocumented immigrant, went on to become a scholarship winner and an honors college graduate, and climbed the ladder to become a vice president at Goldman Sachs.

This moving, at times heartbreaking, but always inspiring story will show young readers that anything is possible. Julissa’s story provides a deep look into the little-understood world of a new generation of undocumented immigrants in the United States today–kids who live next door, sit next to you in class, or may even be one of your best friends.

Undocumented: A Worker’s Fight by Duncan Tonatiuh (August 7)

Undocumented is the story of immigrant workers who have come to the United States without papers. Every day, these men and women join the work force and contribute positively to society. The story is told via the ancient Mixtec codex—accordion fold—format. Juan grew up in Mexico working in the fields to help provide for his family. Struggling for money, Juan crosses over into the United States and becomes an undocumented worker, living in a poor neighborhood, working hard to survive. Though he is able to get a job as a busboy at a restaurant, he is severely undercompensated—he receives less than half of the minimum wage! Risking his boss reporting him to the authorities for not having proper resident papers, Juan risks everything and stands up for himself and the rest of the community.

Note: Goodreads users are labeling this as a children’s picture book, but both the publisher’s catalog and Amazon list this as 14 and up. 

We Are Displaced: True Stories of Refugee Lives by Malala Yousafzi (January 8)

With her powerful new book, Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai starts with her own story of displacement as an Internally Displaced Person to show what it means to lose your home, your community, and the only world you’ve ever known. She also shares the personal stories of some of the incredible girls she has met on her various journeys to refugee camps and the cities where refugee girls and their families have settled.

Note: No cover yet and the link above takes you to the audio version — print doesn’t yet look like it’s available for preorder.

We Are Here To Stay: Voices of Undocumented Young Adults by Susan Kunklin (January 8, 2019)

Susan Kuklin uses her considerable interviewing and photography skills to portray nine courageous young adults who have lived in the United States with a secret for much of their lives: they are not U.S. citizens. They came from Colombia, Mexico, Ghana, Independent Samoa, and Korea. They came seeking education, fleeing violence, and escaping poverty. All have harrowing, heartbreaking, and hopeful stories about leaving their homeland and starting a new life in America. And all of them are weary of living in the shadows. Enlightening and honest, these nine brave accounts encourage open, thoughtful conversation about the complexities of immigration — and the uncertain future of immigrants in America.

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

–Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars at Twitter and Instagram.

 

PS: Remember to share your favorite read of 2018 so far, as well as one you’d love to get more attention in this reader poll.

Hey YA Readers: Let’s catch up on the latest in YA haps.

“What’s Up in YA?” is sponsored by Audible. Just for Book Riot readers: sign up for an Audible account, and get two audiobooks free!

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Let’s take a peek at the world of recent YA news:

• Jimmy Fallon’s book club will launch with The Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi.
• Not one. Not two. But three! YA pilots have been ordered by Amazon. The impending doom for YA adaptations that was predicted over and over continues to be disproven.
• PBS’s “The Great American Read” put together a pretty nice video about the history of YA literature. It’s quick and short, so unable to be comprehensive, but a really great primer for those curious.
• This Cleveland teenager wins heroine of the year.
• Megan Whalen Turner fans rejoice! The sixth book in “The Queen’s Thief” series is coming next spring.
• Ibi Zoboi’s upcoming anthology Black Enough has a stellar list of authors and a stellar cover.
• Samira Ahmed’s Internment looks and sounds incredible.
• You’ll get chills watching the full trailer for The Hate U Give.
• 3 YA writers talk about why they wrote asexual main characters in their novels.
• Check out the trailer for To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, hitting Netflix next month.
• Readers who are eager for Marcus Zusak’s new book Bridge of Clay might want to know he’s touring the US in October.
• We have another name attached to the adaptation of The Sun is Also a Star, too.
• Anna Todd’s After adaptation has a star for its lead.
• Though the first titles will be middle grade, knowing he’s a name in the YA world, it’s worth sharing that RL Stine is doing some graphic novels.
• Want to add some books hitting shelves next year to your TBR? Here are a pile of cover reveals for Harper’s Winter 2019 YA books.
• And some upcoming YA from Penguin (including a new AS King).

https://twitter.com/angiecthomas/status/1012802805663399937

Cheap Reads

Grab ’em while they’re hot and super affordable ebooks.

Maureen Johnson’s 13 Little Blue Envelopes is $2.

Grab a copy of Victoria Schwab’s This Savage Song for $2.

If you want some pirate adventure in your reading life, you’ll want to drop $2 for LA Meyer’s Bloody Jack.

Akemi Dawn Bowman’s Morris-nominated Starfish is $2.

Pick up Stacey Lee’s Secret of a Heart Note for $2.

Keeping Her Secret by Sarah Nicolas — one of our very own Book Rioters — is $1. Today’s the last day on the sale, so grab it ASAP.

Blast From The Past

A handful of Book Riot YA pieces from this month in years gone by:

• 25 great books for readers smack between middle grade and YA books.
• Awesome Asian-American protagonists in YA lit.
• 65 great YA horror reads by female authors.
• Fantastic feminist reads for young adults (includes books across all age categories that YA readers would like).
• Jessica Wakefield: Literary Fashion Icon.
• What are grownups afraid of in YA books?

This Week’s Book Mail

Curious what books are coming soon? Here’s a peek at the YA titles that hit my mailbox this week:

A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi

When We Caught Fire by Anna Godbersen

Sawkill Girls by Claire LeGrande

Broken Things by Lauren Oliver

This Is Kind of An Epic Love Story by Kheryn Callender

That Night by Amy Giles

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James

Open Mic Night at Westminster Cemetery by Mary Amato

Girls On The Line by Jennie Liu

I, Claudia by Mary McCoy

Campfire by Shawn Sarles

Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini

The Unwanted: Stories of Syrian Refugees by Don Brown

Rad Girls Can by Kate Schatz

You Are The Everything by Karen Rivers (not pictured)

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See you all back here next week!

–Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Twitter and Instagram.

 

Hey YA Fans: Let’s talk about some of the books that haven’t been talked about enough so far this year.

“What’s Up in YA?” is sponsored by The Edge of Over There by Shawn Smucker.

Abra Miller carries a secret and a responsibility she never expected.

Abra finds a clue to the whereabouts of the next Tree of Life when an ominous woman—who looks exactly like a ghost from her past—compels her to travel to New Orleans where she’ll find one of seven gateways between this world and Over There. As Abra enters the Edge of Over There and begins her pursuit of the Tree once more, she doesn’t know whom to fear or whom to trust.

She’s also starting to think that some doorways should never be opened.

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Welcome new subscribers and long-timers! This week kicks off “What’s Up in YA?” going twice a week. You’ll see all of the YA news and talk in your inboxes on Mondays and Thursdays.

Those who’ve been around the newsletter for a while know that every year I like to ask for your favorites, and this mid-year is no exception. Today, I’ll share a small number of YA titles from the first half of 2018 that I think deserve a little more love, and I’d love if you’d fill out this quick, painless survey to tell me what 1. your favorite YA book published so far in 2018 has been and 2. what YA book published so far this year you think deserves a shout out. I’ll do a top ten of each and round them up later this month. Drop your picks in this form by July 23 to be included.

Here are a few of the books I think deserve a little more reader love this year. All have been published and are available now from your favorite bookstore or library. My reading tends toward a lot of contemporary fiction, so know this list reflects that (which is precisely why I like asking y’all to throw your titles at me!):

All That I Can Fix by Crystal Chan

This was my first Chan book but it will certainly not be my last. Set in a small town in Indiana, the story follows 15-year-old Ronney as he navigates a father struggling with mental illness, a little sister who is a genius, a crush on a girl who has been his best friend but seems like she’s keeping a secret from him, and oh, a bunch of wild animals on the loose thanks to a heavy wind storm.

At times funny, this book is ultimately a slice of life about a boy who doesn’t know how to be who he truly is around people who aren’t the people he thought they were. The exploration of mental illness here is powerful, and the way that we see Ronney deal with his crush’s pulling away from him makes the heart ache (and never does she become a manic pixie dream girl nor become faulted for her decisions). Be aware this one talks about suicide.

…And I didn’t even talk about the kid who is stalking Ronney, begging him for his jeans. Worth noting, too, that Ronney is a mixed-race kid in small town Indiana and that plays an important role in the book.

Down and Across by Arvin Ahmadi

When I say this is a book to hand to fans of John Green, I mean it.

Scott has a history of being a quitter, and this is something his immigrant parents cannot stand. They want him to have a better life, and they’re determined to help him do so by encouraging him to discover grit and power through the things he doesn’t love.

But when the parents go out of the country, Scott decides to ditch his internship and travel down to Washington, D.C., in order to befriend a professor who studies grit. He believes she’ll be able to help him solve his problems.

Except, of course, he only encounters more along the way. This book is about finding your own path, about crossword puzzles, and about how to live up to the expectations of your parents (though maybe without the running away from home part? Or maybe WITH it).

Mary’s Monster: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein by Lita Judge

Part comic, part verse, and entirely nonfiction, this book blew me away with how well constructed and creative it was. As the title suggests, it’s a look at the life of Mary Shelley and how it was she created the classic Frankenstein.

It’s not what you think.

Judge’s book shows us the back story of Shelley, from her youth through her publication of the famous book, and it explores in depth the truth behind the myth that she wrote the book on a dare. Sure, there was a dare involved, but by leveling her talent with that, her hard work and thinking about the story prior to that are undermined.

Smart, captivating, and one you’ll want to pick up for the construction itself.

The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo

I’ve tried to highlight books I haven’t talked about in the newsletter so far (or featured an author interview/essay for), but I honestly cannot remember if this is one I’ve talked about yet. In either case, it’s worth mentioning (again, maybe).

Goo writes some of the best rom-coms in YA. This one follows Clara Shin, perhaps best described as a bit…squirrely. She likes to have attention and cause trouble, but it’s nothing that’s especially destructive. Just mildly disruptive. But one joke that goes too far causes her father to step in and decide that her punishment will be a summer spent working his food truck….with the girl from school she absolutely cannot stand.

It goes about as well as you might expect.

Toss in a boy named Hamlet, a sweet relationship between Clara and her father, and food trucks (!!), the recipe here is for a satisfying and funny romp. Maybe pair this one up with Siobhan Vivian’s Stay Sweet for two great reads about girls working in food over the summer…with weirdly similar outcomes, despite very different means of getting there.

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See you again on Thursday, where we’ll round up some recent YA news, great book deals, and more. And don’t forget to drop your favorite reads and most underrated YA picks of 2018 so far in the form.

— Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Twitter and Instagram.

Hey YA Fans: Let’s take a look at some books hitting shelves next year to get excited about!

“What’s Up in YA?” is sponsored by Wild Blue Wonder by Carlie Sorosiak from Epic Reads.

This wondrous novel about love and loss is perfect for fans of Morgan Matson and Jenny Han.

Last June, the summer camp Quinn’s family owns was still a magical place–where wild blueberries grew no matter the season, a legendary sea monster lurked in the waters, and Quinn fell in love with her best friend, Dylan.

Then the accident happened.

Now it’s winter, the magic has drained from Quinn’s life, and she knows it’s her fault. But the new boy in town, Alexander, doesn’t see her as the monster she believes herself to be. And Quinn begins to understand the truth about love, loss, and monsters—real and imagined.

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Last week I attended the American Library Association convention in my author capacity, but before putting on that hat, I chatted with a few Book Riot readers about what they’d like to see more of. One of those things included more previews of books coming out wayyy in the future — the books you’ll have to wait 6 or more months for but that you will want to be excited about.

I love the idea and think it’ll be fun to round up those far-future titles periodically.

Find below seven awesome YA titles hitting shelves in early 2019. All descriptions are from Goodreads, since as much as I read ahead, I am not this far in the future.

Grab your TBR and open up your Goodreads, since you’ll be adding these titles to ’em.

Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte

Get in quick, get out quicker.

These are the words Keralie Corrington lives by as the preeminent dipper in the Concord, the central area uniting the four quadrants of Quadara. She steals under the guidance of her mentor Mackiel, who runs a black market selling their bounty to buyers desperate for what they can’t get in their own quarter. For in the nation of Quadara, each quarter is strictly divided from the other. Four queens rule together, one from each region:

Toria: the intellectual quarter that values education and ambition
Ludia: the pleasure quarter that values celebration, passion, and entertainment
Archia: the agricultural quarter that values simplicity and nature
Eonia: the futurist quarter that values technology, stoicism and harmonious community

When Keralie intercepts a comm disk coming from the House of Concord, what seems like a standard job goes horribly wrong. Upon watching the comm disks, Keralie sees all four queens murdered in four brutal ways. Hoping that discovering the intended recipient will reveal the culprit – information that is bound to be valuable bartering material with the palace – Keralie teams up with Varin Bollt, the Eonist messenger she stole from, to complete Varin’s original job and see where it takes them.

Dealing in Dreams by Lilliam Rivera

At night, Las Mal Criadas own these streets.

Nalah leads the fiercest all-girl crew in Mega City. That roles brings with it violent throw downs and access to the hottest boydega clubs, but the sixteen-year-old grows weary of the life. Her dream is to get off the streets and make a home in the exclusive Mega Towers, in which only a chosen few get to live. To make it to the Mega towers, Nalah must prove her loyalty to the city’s benevolent founder and cross the border in a search for a mysterious gang the Ashé Ryders. Led by a reluctant guide, Nalah battles other crews and her own doubts, but the closer she gets to her goal, the more she loses sight of everything—and everyone— she cares about.

Nalah must do the unspeakable to get what she wants—a place to call home. But is a home just where you live? Or who you choose to protect?

Heroine by Mindy McGinnis

Three screws in her hip.
Two months until spring training.
One answer to all her problems.

Mickey Catalan is no stranger to the opioid epidemic in her small town. There are obituaries of classmates who “died suddenly” and stories of overdoses in gas station bathrooms—but none of that is her. No, Mickey is a star softball catcher—one part of a dynamic duo with her best friend and pitcher Carolina—about to start her senior season with hopes of college recruitment. Until a car accident shatters that plan, along with her hip and Carolina’s arm.

Now Mickey is hurting. She can barely walk, much less crouch behind the plate. Yet a little white pill can make it better. After all, it is doctor prescribed. But when the prescription runs out, Mickey turns to an elderly woman who pushes hot meatloaf and a baggie full of oxy across the kitchen counter. It’s there Mickey makes new friends—other athletes in pain, others with just time to kill—and finds peaceful acceptance, a place where she can find words more easily than she ever has before. But as the pressure to be Mickey Catalan heightens, her desire for pills becomes less about pain and more about want, something that could send her spiraling out of control.

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

Nikolai Lantsov has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country’s bloody civil war—and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, the young king must find a way to refill Ravka’s coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army.

Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha Squaller, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him. He will risk everything to save his country and himself. But some secrets aren’t meant to stay buried—and some wounds aren’t meant to heal.

Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds

Jack Ellison King. King of Almost.

He almost made valedictorian.

He almost made varsity.

He almost got the girl . . .

When Jack and Kate meet at a party, bonding until sunrise over their mutual love of Froot Loops and their favorite flicks, Jack knows he’s falling—hard. Soon she’s meeting his best friends, Jillian and Franny, and Kate wins them over as easily as she did Jack. Jack’s curse of almost is finally over.

But this love story is . . . complicated. It is an almost happily ever after. Because Kate dies. And their story should end there. Yet Kate’s death sends Jack back to the beginning, the moment they first meet, and Kate’s there again. Beautiful, radiant Kate. Healthy, happy, and charming as ever. Jack isn’t sure if he’s losing his mind. Still, if he has a chance to prevent Kate’s death, he’ll take it. Even if that means believing in time travel. However, Jack will learn that his actions are not without consequences. And when one choice turns deadly for someone else close to him, he has to figure out what he’s willing to do—and let go—to save the people he loves.

The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala

Esha is a legend, but no one knows. It’s only in the shadows that she moonlights as the Viper, the rebels’ highly skilled assassin. She’s devoted her life to avenging what she lost in the royal coup, and now she’s been tasked with her most important mission to date: taking down the ruthless General Hotha.

Kunal has been a soldier since childhood, training morning and night to uphold the power of King Vardaan. His uncle, the general, has ensured that Kunal never strays from the path—even as a part of Kunal longs to join the outside world, which has been growing only more volatile.

Then Esha’s and Kunal’s paths cross—and an unimaginable chain of events unfolds. Both the Viper and the soldier think they’re calling the shots, but they’re not the only players moving the pieces. As the bonds that hold their land in order break down and the sins of the past meet the promise of a new future, both rebel and soldier must make unforgivable choices.

Drawing inspiration from ancient Indian history and Hindu mythology, the first book in Swati Teerdhala’s debut fantasy trilogy captivates with electric romance, stunning action, and the fierce bonds that hold people together—and that drive them apart.

We Set The Dark On Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia

At the Medio School for Girls, distinguished young women are trained for one of two roles in their polarized society. Depending on her specialization, a graduate will one day run a husband’s household or raise his children, but both are promised a life of comfort and luxury, far from the frequent political uprisings of the lower class. Daniela Vargas is the school’s top student, but her bright future depends upon no one discovering her darkest secret—that her pedigree is a lie. Her parents sacrificed everything to obtain forged identification papers so Dani could rise above her station. Now that her marriage to an important politico’s son is fast approaching, she must keep the truth hidden or be sent back to the fringes of society, where famine and poverty rule supreme.

On her graduation night, Dani seems to be in the clear, despite the surprises that unfold. But nothing prepares her for all the difficult choices she must make, especially when she is asked to spy for a resistance group desperately fighting to bring equality to Medio. Will Dani cling to the privilege her parents fought to win for her, or to give up everything she’s strived for in pursuit of a free Medio—and a chance at a forbidden love?

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I don’t know about you, but it looks to me like 2019 is looking to be [fire emoji].

See you again next week!

— Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Twitter and Instagram.

Hey YA Fans: Let’s catch up the latest YA talk.

“What’s Up in YA?” is sponsored by The Art of Escaping by Erin Callahan.

Seventeen-year-old Mattie is hiding her obsession with Harry Houdini and Dorothy Dietrich from everyone. With the help of a world-renowned escape artist named Miyu, Mattie secretly transforms herself into a burgeoning escapologist and performance artist. That’s when Will appears. A popular varsity athlete from Mattie’s high school, Will stumbles onto her act at an underground venue. But it turns out Will has surprises of his own, and the two of them find out that not all secrets can remain hidden forever.

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Here’s what we’ve been talking about in the world of YA lit over on Book Riot this month.

• Under-the-radar YA adaptations you can stream right now.
• An interview with debut YA novelist Aminah Mae Safi about her new book, feminism, and more.
• Get excited: you can snag a retro set of Baby-Sitters Club books this August, complete in their original covers and with rad tin case.
• All of the awesome Anne of Green Gables bookish stuff you could want. Speaking of Anne, you can discover what character you are with this quiz.
• Take a quiz to discover which Lumberjane you are.
• Award-winning YA audiobooks to listen to all summer long.
• We’re getting a YA memoir in verse from Laurie Halse Anderson!
• Pick up some great YA set in Chicago.
• If you haven’t already slung these YA books on your June holds list at the library or picked up ’em at your favorite bookstore, you can now.
• Speaking of slinging books on your to-borrow or to-buy list, here’s a roundup of YA paperbacks hitting shelves this summer.
• There’s a trailer for The Mortal Engines!
• The 10 best feminist fantasy YA reads of 2018 so far.
• And finally, here’s what other books you should pick up if you love Melissa Albert’s debut YA novel The Hazel Wood. 

Cheap Reads…

Grab these great ebook deals while they’re on sale!

Snag Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George, a retelling of the classic “12 Dancing Princesses,” for $2.

Love romance? Pick up Katie McGarry’s Nowhere But Here for $2.

Grab the standalone fantasy Uprooted by Naomi Novick for $3.

And you’ll want this queer superhero story Dreadnought by April Daniels for $2.

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Thanks for hanging out. We’ll see you again next week!

–Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Twitter and Instagram.

 

Hey YA Readers: It’s time for a good old fashioned booklist for fighting the system.

“What’s Up in YA?” is sponsored by Blood Will Out by Jo Treggiari.

Ari Sullivan is alive — for now. She wakes at the bottom of a cistern, confused, injured and alone, with only the shadowy recollection of a low-pitched voice and a gloved hand. No one can hear her screams. And the person who put her there is coming back. Told in alternating perspectives of predator and prey, Blood Will Out is a gripping and terrifying read for fans of THERE’S SOMEONE INSIDE YOUR HOUSE and MY FAVORITE MURDER.

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The last couple of years have been tremendous in terms of publishing in YA and more specifically, publishing handbooks and collections intended to encourage social and political activism and resistance for young readers. It seemed appropriate to round up some recent and forthcoming titles. For those of you who work with teens, use this as a tool for not only books to hand over to young activists, but also to strengthen your bookshelves and collections.

Descriptions come from Goodreads, unless otherwise noted. I’ve only dipped into a couple of these myself, but the more I read about them, the more I’m excited to take home a stack from the library and dive in deep.

I’ve stuck to books published in 2018, in part to show how many of these books are emerging. As with all nonfiction for teen readers, some of these books may skew a bit younger, as many nonfiction age ranges begin at 10-14, then move from 14-up. But just because it’s “for” younger teens doesn’t mean older teens (or adults!) won’t tear through the title with enthusiasm.

A Girl’s Guide to Joining The Resistance: A Feminist Handbook On Fighting For Good by Emma Rose Gray

Have recent events given you pause? Does Trump’s America make you fearful for the future of women? Do you want to become more involved in helping to preserve women’s rights but aren’t sure how? In A Girl’s Guide to Joining the Resistance, Emma Rose Gray, Executive Editor at The Huffington Post, outlines all that young women need to know on pivotal women’s rights issues and offers a blueprint for those who want to take a stand and participate in the cause.

Girls Resist!: A Guide to Activism, Leadership, and Starting a Revolution by KaeLyn Rich (June 26)

Take on the world and make some serious change with this handbook to everything activism, social justice, and resistance. With in-depth guides to everything from picking a cause, planning a protest, and raising money to running dispute-free meetings, promoting awareness on social media, and being an effective ally, Girls Resist! will show you how to go from “mad as heck about the way the world is going” to “effective leader who gets stuff done.” Veteran feminist organizer KaeLyn Rich shares tons of expertise that’ll inspire you as much as it teaches you the ropes. Plus, quotes and tips from fellow teen girl activists show how they stood up for change in their communities. Grab this handbook to crush inequality, start a revolution, and resist!

Hope Nation: YA Authors Share Personal Moments of Inspiration edited by Rose Brock

We all experience moments when we struggle to understand the state of the world, when we feel powerless and–in some cases–even hopeless. The teens of today are the caretakers of tomorrow, and yet it’s difficult for many to find joy or comfort in such a turbulent society. But in trying times, words are power.

Some of today’s most influential young adult authors come together in this highly personal nonfiction collection of essays, poems, and letters, each a first-hand account that ultimately strives to inspire hope

How I Resist: Activism and Hope for the Next Generation edited by Maureen Johnson

Now, more than ever, young people are motivated to make a difference in a world they’re bound to inherit. They’re ready to stand up and be heard – but with much to shout about, where they do they begin? What can I do? How can I help?

How I Resist is the response, and a way to start the conversation. To show readers that they are not helpless, and that anyone can be the change. A collection of essays, songs, illustrations, and interviews about activism and hope, How I Resist features an all-star group of contributors, including, John Paul Brammer, Libba Bray, Lauren Duca, Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson and his husband Justin Mikita, Alex Gino, Hebh Jamal, Malinda Lo, Dylan Marron, Hamilton star Javier Muñoz, Rosie O’Donnell, Junauda Petrus, Jodi Picoult, Jason Reynolds, Karuna Riazi, Maya Rupert, Dana Schwartz, Dan Sinker, Ali Stroker, Jonny Sun (aka @jonnysun), Sabaa Tahir, Daniel Watts, Jennifer Weiner, Jacqueline Woodson, and more, all edited and compiled by New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson.

Nevertheless, We Persisted: 48 Voices of Defiance, Strength, and Courage (September 4)

“Aren’t you a terrorist?” “There are no roles for people who look like you.” “That’s a sin.” “No girls allowed.” They’ve heard it all. Actress Alia Shawkat reflects on all the parts she was told she was too “ethnic” to play. Former NFL player Wade Davis recalls his bullying of gay classmates in an attempt to hide his own sexuality. Teen Gavin Grimm shares the story that led to the infamous “bathroom bill,” and how he’s fighting it. Holocaust survivor Fanny Starr tells of her harrowing time in Auschwitz, where she watched her family disappear, one by one.

What made them rise up through the hate? What made them overcome the obstacles of their childhood to achieve extraordinary success? How did they break out of society’s limited view of who they are and find their way to the beautiful and hard-won lives they live today? With a foreword by Minnesota senator and up-and-coming Democratic party leader Amy Klobuchar, these essays share deeply personal stories of resilience, faith, love, and, yes, persistence.

Resist: 35 Profiles of Ordinary People Who Rose Up Against Tyranny and Injustice by Veronica Chambers (September 25)

You may only be one person, but you have the power to change the world.

Before they were activists, they were just like you and me. From Frederick Douglass to Malala Yousafzai, Joan of Arc to John Lewis, Susan B. Anthony to Janet Mock—these remarkable figures show us what it means to take a stand and say no to injustice, even when it would be far easier to stay quiet.

Resist profiles men and women who resisted tyranny, fought the odds, and stood up to bullies that threatened to harm their communities. Along with their portraits and most memorable quotes, their stories will inspire you to speak out and rise up—every single day.

Roadmap for Revolutionaries: Resistance, Activism, and Advocacy For All by Elisa Camahort Page, Carolyn Gerin, and Jamia Wilson (September 18)

It’s a direct, snappy guidebook on engaging in effective day-to-day activism and advocacy at all levels that uses checklists, interviews, and case studies to showcase the tools for making the changes you want to see in society, culture and government.

Steal This Country: A Handbook for Resistance, Persistence, and Fixing Almost Everything by Alexandra Styron (September 4)

Styron’s irreverent and informative primer on how to make a difference is organized into three sections: The Why, The What, and The How. The book opens with a personal essay and a historic look at civil disobedience and teenage activism in America. That’s followed by a deep dive into several key issues: climate change, racial justice, women’s rights, LGBTQIA rights, immigration, religious understanding, and intersectionality. Each chapter is introduced by an original full page comic and includes a summary of key questions, interviews with movers and shakers–from celebrities to youth activists–and spotlights on progressive organizations. The book’s final section is packed with how-to advice on ways to engage, from group activities such as organizing, marching, rallying, and petitioning to individual actions like voting with your wallet, volunteering, talking with relatives with different viewpoints, and using social activism to get out a progressive message.

Wake Rise Resist: The Progressive Teen’s Guide To Fighting Tyrants and A*Holes by Joanna Spathis and Kerri Kennedy (October 24)

Joanna Spathis and Kerri Kennedy’s how-to guide to social activism for teens—or anyone, really—includes 128 well-researched actions (and plenty of entertaining snark) in ten chapters. Set up in three parts, the book is designed to guide readers into finding their political voice and is set up in such a way to help those feeling disenfranchised be more empowered instantly.

Wake, Rise, Resist shows readers how to get involved in the work for social justice, racial equality, refugees, feminism, the environment, and more. This book has something to engage and empower every reader, no matter their age or personality type.

Part I: Building Your Activist Toolkit sets all activists up for success, with actions to help extroverts, introverts, artists, techies, social media junkies, and more. Part II: Activism Gets Real takes a long look at racism, sexism, and privilege and also offers a chapter with more than 15 passion projects to capture the imagination of any reader. Part III: From Activist to Advocate offers advice on how to raise awareness, raise funds, and use self-care to keep yourself in the fight.

You Are Mighty: A Guide To Changing The World by Caroline Paul

Being a good citizen means standing up for what’s right-and here’s just the way to start. From the author of The Gutsy Girl comes a book for those with a fierce sense of justice, a good sense of humor, and a big heart. This guide features change-maker tips, tons of DIY activities, and stories about the kids who have paved the way before, from famous activists like Malala Yousafzai and Claudette Colvin to the everyday young people whose habit changes triggered huge ripple effects. So make a sign, write a letter, volunteer, sit-in, or march! There are lots of tactics to choose from, and you’re never too young to change the world.

Young Revolutionary: A Teen’s Guide to Activism by Chanice Lee

Chris Suggs started Kinston Teens when he noticed gun violence rising in his hometown. Sawyer Taylor-Arnold created her own nationwide awareness campaign by making stickers, to empower girls and women. Both of these people have one thing in common: THEY’RE TEENAGERS! Are you a Teenager aspiring to make change in your community or beyond? Young Revolutionary will give you the confidence, tools and resources you need to be a successful Activist. Written by a Teenager, for Teenagers. This guide is a mixture of personal experiences from the author herself and real-life stories of several Teen Activists. Whether you are new to activism or if you are already an experienced, you’ll learn everything from how to organize events, reaching out to your local officials, and spreading the word on your cause. Young people have always been at the forefront of movements, so now it’s your turn.

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Keep fighting the good fight, and we’ll see you again here next week!

— Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Twitter and Instagram.

 

PS: If you are interested, Here We Are: Feminism For The Real World — edited by me! — is on sale in ebook form for $2 this week. I didn’t plan to write this newsletter about activism the same week of the discount, but the coincidence was enough to merit a mention.