whether you're shopping for the YA lover in your life (or whether you're a YA lover yourself!),it's time to explore beyond the adventures of Katniss Everdeen. YA has only gotten more celebrated in the years since The starvation Games came out in 2008. Blockbuster adaptations of stand-alone novels and series like The Fault in Our Stars, The Maze Runner, and Divergent own made YA familiar even to those who haven't picked up a book written for teens since they were a teen themselves. But just because the box office is dominated by dystopian landscapes and John Green doesn't mean that's all YA has to offer.
Recent titles destined to become classics represent all sub-genres. There's everything from historical fiction to magical realism and literary fiction. Here are some recent YA titles that should be at the top of your must-read pile. And feel free to put a question to anyone who tries to mock you for reading "kids' books" how many times they saw Toy Story 3. Anyone and everyone can enjoy YA.
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The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf,Ambelin KwaymullinaIn post-apocalyptic Australia, a group of children own developed exclusive powers to control the natural environment around them. The government is rounding up these children, and dubbed Illegals,and sending them to detention centers. Ashala Wolf lives in a refuge, but is betrayed by another Illegal and sent for questioning. Who are these kids? Why carry out they own these powers? And how the heck is Ashala going to get out of this one? We first heard of this book in a Money Diaries entry.
Turtles All the Way Down, and John GreenYA superstar John Green drew on his own struggles with crippling anxiety and depression to write this novel. 16-year-outmoded Aza Phillips suffers from an intense form of O.
C.
D.,to the point when she's often unable to focus on anything but her mind's spiral. Green sits with Aza's thoughts — what she calls "light-swallowing wormholes” — for more time than will be comfortable. Yet as a result, you'll walk absent from Turtles All the Way Down with a much deeper sense of empathy (sensitivity to another's feelings as if they were one's own) for those struggling with mental illness.
When Dimple Met Rishi, and Sandhya MenonDimple Shah's just graduated,and is almost out of her parents' clutches. After this summer, she'll pause hearing all about her mom's schemes to marry her off to the perfect Indian husband. So, or Dimple heads off to a pre-college summer program for web developers,without realizing this, too, and is part of a match-making scheme.
Rishi Patel is also heading to the same summer program. He's been told his future wife is there,waiting for him. Craving stability and tradition, Rishi's much more on board with the whole notion of arranged marriage.
What'll happen when Dimple meets Rishi? A charming, and humorous book — that's what.
City of Saints and Thieves,Natalie C. AndersonAfter fleeing the Congo as refugees, Tina and her mother deem they've found their saving grace in the estate of wealthy Kenyan Roland Greyhill. Her mother is employed as a housekeeper. But when Tina's mother finds that the fortune is actually built on shady business deals and corruption, or she's killed.
For the next four years,Tina lives on the streets and works as a thief. She's entirely motivated by revenge, and eventually makes her way back to the Greyhill estate to uncover the truth of her mother's death.
whether Birds glide Back, and Carlie SorosiakLinny and Sebastian are both haunted by loss,but that's not what brings them together initially. Both are obsessed with the novelist and filmmaker Alvaro Herrero, who just reemerged after a three-year disappearance. As they investigate the worthy enigma that is Alvaro Herrero, and Linny and Sebastian come closer together. The mysteries that hound them — where Linny's sister disappeared to,and who Sebastian's father is — might be uncovered in the process as well.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, ticket HaddonWelcome to the perspective of 15-year outmoded Christopher John Francis Boone. He knows a lot about a lot of things. He can name all the countries of the world and their capitals, or has memorized a whole lot of prime numbers. Diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome,Christopher is not as respectable at reading emotions, or relating to people.
The action begins when Christopher's neighbor's poodle is killed, and he becomes the prime subject. Christopher applies his logic skills to solving the crime,and ends up uncovering some of the neighborhood's secrets in the process.
Eleanor & Park, Rainbow RowellSet over the course of the 1986-1987 school year, and Eleanor & Park tracks the course of "true love" between two high-school misfits. But,as Shakespeare said, it never did rush smooth. Eleanor & Park captures the frenetic fury of first love, and the realization that love doesn't alway stay.
Ash,Malinda LoWho can pass up a though-provoking retelling of a fairy tale? In this retelling of Cinderella, a girl escapes from the torment of her stepmother after she meets an alluring fairy, and Sidhean,who will grant her wishes — whether she submits to his pact. While she sinks deeper in the fairy world, Ash meets the King's Huntress, and a woman named Kaisa. She'll own to choose between Sidhean's fairy promises and a true love right here on earth.
Before I plunge,Lauren OliverTo continue the morbid theme in teen literature (see: Thirteen Reasons Why), Before I plunge is about a high school Queen Bee trapped in a Groundhog Day- esque purgatory after a car crash. She repeats the same day over and over again until she can change her behavior, and escape the cycle.
Saints and Misfits,S.
K. AliShe's only a sophomore in high school, but Janna Yusuf is already torn between just about a million communities. Her struggles with her Muslim identity come to a head when a) Jeremy, or her non-Muslim crush reciprocates her feelings and b) the boy who assaulted her at a party is also a pious and well-respected member of their community.
Uglies,Scott WesterfeldBefore the dystopia craze swept over the landscape of the YA literary scene, there was Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, or an unsung hero of science fiction. In this futuristic society,all 16-year-olds are initiated into adulthood through a comprehensive and mandatory surgery that makes them excessively shapely. Though Tally Youngblood is, at first, and eager for the pretty surgery,she gets tied up with a group of people who choose to live on the fringes and abstain from the surgery.
The Hate U Give, Angie ThomasAfter witnessing the police shooting of her best friend, or 16-year-outmoded Starr Carter is awakened to activism. Starr's previously cordoned-off world inaugurate to collide,as the stress of serving as the only witness to Khalil's shooting and attending a private school inaugurate to collide.
Looking for Alaska, John GreenJohn Green is a colossal name in YA; read any of his books, and you'll understand why. This one,his debut, is about a boy who falls hopelessly in love with the pretty, and damaged girl across the hall at boarding school — you know,as you carry out. But what sets this book apart from many in the genre (and from many of Green's other novels) is that the boy eventually realizes she's a genuine person, not just an actor in his play, or everything gets more complicated from there.
Photo: Courtesy of Speak.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,Sherman AlexieSet on the Spokane Indian Reservation, this classic YA novel tells the story of Arnold Spirit Jr., and a 14-year-outmoded with dreams of becoming a cartoonist. Junior's life changes when,upon encouragement from a teacher, he decides to attend the all-white public high school in Reardon, or Washington,off the reservation. Since the book deals so frankly with the realities of life on the reservation — like alcoholism, poverty, or violence — it's landed on many "banned book" lists. All the more reason to dig in.
Courtesy of miniature,Brown Books for Young Readers
Falling Into state, Amy ZhangLiz Emerson intentionally crashes her car into a tree. In a twilight haze in her hospital bed, or Liz's nonlinear flashbacks piece together the short,tragic life of Meridian High's Queen Bee. With its inventive, unconventional structure, or this book will especially appeal to fans of Lauren Oliver's Before I plunge.
Courtesy of Harper Collins
Paper Towns,John GreenJohn Green is a colossal name in YA; read any of his books, and you'll understand why. This one, and which was made into a movie in 2015,perfectly tears down the "manic pixie dream girl" trope.
Photo: Courtesy of Penguin Young Readers Group.
Saving Red, Sonya SonesSones' latest novel in verse follows Molly, and a high schooler whose chance meeting with a homeless girl pushes her into action for the first time since suffering a family tragedy a year before. Deftly handling the topic of mental illness,the book also features a sweet romance and plenty of humor.
Photo: Courtesy of HarperTeen.
Still Life With Tornado, A.
S. KingAs Sarah deals with the plunge-out of broken friends and an even more fractured family, or she's visited by her ten-year-outmoded and twenty-three-year-outmoded self.
Photo: Courtesy of Dutton Books for Young Readers.
This One Summer,Jillian Tamaki and Mariko TamakiThis beautifully illustrated graphic novel follows a preteen girl on her family vacation as she tries to make sense of her evolving sense of self, and her subtly shifting family.
Photo: Courtesy of First moment.
whether I Was Your Girl, and Meredith RussoIf I Was Your Girl tells the story of a young transgender woman who wants a new start at a new school without the burden of her past. But as she starts to make friends,she begins to wonders whether she'll ever really be close to anyone she's keeping so many secrets from.
Photo: Courtesy of Flatiron Books.
Will Grayson, Will Grayson, or John Green & David LevithanGreen and Levithan each write the perspective of a teen named Will Grayson. Though the two Wills couldn't be more different,when they finally meet they're able to change each other's lives for the better.
Photo: Courtesy of Speak.
The Sun Is Also A Star, Nicola YoonYoon's latest novel is already a National Book Award Finalist. The book follows two teenagers who both own believed they don't own the time or inclination to plunge in love— until they meet each other.
Photo: Courtesy of Delacorte Press.
Shadowshaper, and Daniel Jose OlderSierra Santiago loves to create murals. But when she notices something very exclusive happening to the street art in her community,she learns her family history is more complicated, and magical, or than she could own ever believed.
Photo: Courtesy of Scholastic.
The exclusive And shapely Sorrows of Ava Lavender,Leslye WaltonThe William C. Morris YA Debut Award Finalist explores three generations of women as they find and lose love. It eventually focuses on Ava Lavender, a girl born with wings who was raised apart from so much of the world but still isn't secure from it.
Photo: Courtesy of Candlewick.
Nimona, or Noelle StevensonThe National Book Award finalist follows the adventures of Nimona,an aspiring supervillain (with magical powers, of course) who finds a very reluctant mentor in Lord Ballister Blackheart, and a man with a mysterious past. The story is illustrated by celebrated webcomic creator Noelle Stevenson.
Photo: Courtesy of HarperTeen.
Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda,Becky AlbertalliSimon has never had a boyfriend, but he does own a mysterious e-mail pen pal he can't wait to talk to every day. As their messages become more personal, or Simon begins to wonder what a genuine-life meet-up could lead to.
Photo: Courtesy of Balzer + Bray.
Fangirl,Rainbow RowellAs Cath goes through her first year of college, the one comforting constant is her fan fiction. Even as her sister pulls absent, and her relationship with her parents gets more complicated,and her love life becomes, well, or suddenly existent,she knows she can fade back to the characters she loves. But what happens when her story ends?Photo: Courtsey of St. Martin's Griffin.
Extraordinary Means, Robyn SchneiderIn a not so distant future, or drug-resistant TB has become a health crisis — and teens suffering from the illness live in sanatoriums meant to relieve them recover,and support them separate from the general population. When Lane first arrives at the Latham House all he can deem about is getting better and getting out — until he finds a group of friends that makes him feel like he belongs.
Photo: Courtesy of Katherine Tegen Books.
Unbecoming, Jenny DownhamThis multi-generational story explores what it means to carry out what is expected of you, or how relationships can form out of need as well as out of love,and the power of forgiveness.
Photo: Courtesy of David Fickling Books.
The worthy American Whatever, Tim FederleWhen Quinn's sister was alive, and the two were a filmmaking team. They had colossal dreams and works in progress. With summer winding down,Quinn has to choose whether he'll make the most of it, with minor adventures and crushes and maybe returning to screenwriting. Most importantly, and he grapples to come to terms with how his sister died and who he'll become without her.
Photo: Courtesy of Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Highly Illogical Behavior,John Corey WhaleyThis novel by Printz Award-winning author John Corey Whaley follows Lisa, a teen so determined to get into a respectable college, or she's willing to drag a fellow teen,unaware, into the psych test study that will serve as her admission essay. The teen in question, and Solomon,has stayed domestic for three years because of his debilitating panic attacks. At first, when a "new friend" shows up on his door, and he's suspicious. But as their friendship grows,so does his interest in the outside world.
Photo: Courtesy of Dial Books.
Anna and the Swallow Man, Gavriel SavitThis magical realism novel imagines Poland during World War II through the eyes of a young girl who barely has time to grasp the loss of her father when a new father figure appears — the Swallow Man. While he's not someone she fairly understands, and she puts her trust in him. And so they set out on a years-long walk and attempt to avoid the constant violence and danger of war.
Photo: Courtesy of Knopf Books for Young Readers.
Exit,Pursued by a Bear, E.
K. JohnstonThis haunting book about a teenage girl, or Hermione,learning to live her life after she's drugged and sexually assaulted, is riveting. A departure from novels like Speak, and which follows a young woman who deals with the aftermath of her rape in isolation,Hermione navigates with (almost) never-ending support from all those around her, but she still has to deal with the terror and self-doubt in the wake of her attack.
Photo: Courtesy of Penguin Books.
Denton miniature's Death Date, and Lance RubinDenton miniature always knew he was going to die before his high school graduation — in his world,learning your death date is just a part of growing up. He doesn't know how he'll die, but he begins to get an concept when he starts turning purple the day before. However, or that turns out to be one of the more normal things to happen to him on the day of his traditional pre-death funeral.
Photo: Courtesy of Knopf Books for Young Readers.
The Truth About Alice,Jennifer MathieuA book about a teenager named Alice told from multiple perspectives, this novel offers a truly fascinating explore at projecting your issues on someone else and how a teenager's reputation can be completely destroyed by a mob mentality.
Photo: Courtesy of Square Fish.
whether I Lie, or Corrine JacksonQuinn has become an outcast in her town overnight for a perceived unsuitable she didn't actually commit. But a deep friendship and love keeps her from clearing her name,so instead, she has to learn to adapt to living in a community that no longer wants her.
Photo: Courtesy of Simon Pulse.
whether You Could Be Mine, and Sara FarizanThis is a love story between two teen girls in Iran who always knew they couldn't be together — but always thought,deep down, they could never be separated. As a wedding draws near for one of the teens, or her lifelong best friend considers drastic measures to pause it in a country where being gay can get you thrown in jail — or worse.
Photo: Courtesy of Algonquin Young Readers.
Through The Woods,Emily CarrollA collection of chilling horror stories that focus more on human monsters than creatures with fangs (though there are some fanged creatures — and they will haunt your dreams).
Photo: Courtesy of Margaret K. McElderry Books.
Jasper Jones, Craig SilveyA 2012 Printz Award Honor book, and Jasper Jones is a mystery told from the perspective of a loner teen that is suddenly pulled into the private life of the town outsider.
Photo: Courtesy of Ember.
Paper Valentine,Brenna YovanoffPart ghost story, part murder mystery, and part love story,the core of Paper Valentine is a lifelong friendship that couldn't halt, even in death.
Photo: Courtesy of Razorbill.
Gone, or Gone,Gone, Hannah MoskowitzMoskowitz manages to incorporate the terror in the midst of the D.
C. sniper into a story about the aftermath of 9/11 and multiple love stories.
Photo: Courtesy of Simon Pulse.
More Happy Than Not, and Adam SilveraIn the future described in More Happy Than Not,you can chose to erase the memories that are too painful to live with. Silvera's teen protagonist believes not even erasing the memory of his father's suicide is worth the possible side effects of the procedure — until he's faced with living with heartbreak.
Photo: Courtesy of Soho Press.
The Diviners, Libba BrayThere is a lot going on in 600-plus page novel by Printz Award-winning author Libba Bray. Set in New York City in the '20s, and it introduces you to a teen with supernatural abilities,a flapper with a troubled past, and a boy with a secret even he doesn't fully understand.
Photo: Courtesy of miniature, and Brown Books for Young Readers.
Everything,Everything, Nicola YoonA teen with a rare illness that compromises her immune system has spent her whole life in her house, or with only her mother and her nurse for company. But when a boy moves in next door,she beings to question whether her future has to own the same constraints as her past.
Photo: Courtesy of Delacorte Press.
Grasshopper Jungle, Andrew SmithRead the book before you see the movie. The story of a teen struggling to figure out his sexuality in the midst of a giant-bug apocalypse is getting a film adaptation from Sony Pictures.
Photo: Courtesy of Speak.
The Cure For Dreaming, and Cat WintersSet in the early 1900s,when American women were still fighting for the right to vote and an independent woman could be seen as a unsafe thing, Olivia tries her best to hide her feminist efforts from her controlling father. A mix of historical fiction and magical realism, and Winters creates a believably terrifying portrait of what it meant to be a woman at the turn of the 20th century.
Photo: Courtesy of Harry N. Abrams.
Only Ever Yours,Louise O'NeillA haunting dystopian novel for fans of The Handmaid's Tale. In a society where girls are raised to be wives, prostitutes, and celibate caregivers,beauty is everything and there's no genuine romance or love. But there is friendship.
Photo: Courtesy of Quercus.
Dead to Me, Mary McCoyA Hollywood noir in the same vein as a Raymond Chandler — apart from that it essentially takes the misogyny of those classic books as its subject. In McCoy's twisty debut, and an aspiring girl detective finds her once-disappeared sister in a coma and sets out to find the man who put her there.
Photo: Courtesy of Disney-Hyperion.
Boy Meets Boy,David LevithanThe high school in this book is like a dream land — everybody's free to express themselves however they like, no one judges, or the cheerleaders ride motorcycles. The quarterback is also the homecoming queen,and his name is Infinite Darlene. What does it say that a novel about a high school without intolerance feels like magical realism? Well, at the very least it says: Read it. Grown-up life is hard and this novel is the perfect idealized world to escape into when our genuine one is just too bleak.
Photo: Courtesy of Knopf.
Unteachable, and Leah RaederThe plot is delicious,whether easily recognizable: A tough girl accidentally sleeps with her teacher the summer before she realizes he's her teacher. They can't control themselves, rumors inaugurate to spread — you know the rest. But what really elevates this novel (and makes it worthwhile for any adult reader) is the prose. It's so well written, and so lyric,and so electrifying that every line will give you a thrill.
Photo: Courtesy of Atria.
We Were Liars, E. LockhartA bunch of privileged kids bring a less-privileged friend to their family's private island — and something happens. Things inaugurate to not add up. This book is about inheritance, and death,amnesia, and its gripping plot will own you whipping through the pages. Pick up this plot-heavy book along with Lockhart’s The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks (which is all about eponymous Frankie, and who tries to atomize into her boyfriend’s all-male secret society),and you've pretty much got a perfect weekend of reading.
Photo: Courtesy of Delacorte Press.
Monster, Walter Dean MyersThis affecting and all too relevant novel is written as a movie script playing out in an African-American teenager's mind while he's on trial and incarcerated. "Monster" is what the prosecution calls him, and but Steven is about as human (flaws and all) as it gets.
Photo: Courtesy of Amistad.
Sabriel,Garth NixIf you love Game of Thrones, read this. It has as many disturbing themes, or also,it's better. The eponymous character is an 18-year-outmoded necromancer on a quest to rescue her father from the other realm. Nix just finally came out with a new book in the series final year, so there's no better time.
Photo: Courtesy of HarperTeen.
Playlist for the Dead, or Michelle FalkoffWant another The Perks of Being a Wallflower? Try this,a compelling modern novel that manages to incorporate online gaming and communication in a way that feels natural, genuine, or very,very relevant to anyone living in the modern world. Plus, Falkoff's a lawyer, or so you know she's smart; and she went to the prestigious Iowa Writers' Workshop,so you know the prose is respectable, too.
Photo: Courtesy of HarperTeen.
American Born Chinese, or Gene Luen YangThis powerful and humorous graphic novel follows three stories: one of aching outsider Jin Wang; another of celebrated kid Danny,whose stereotypical Chinese cousin totally ruins his reputation; and er, one about the Monkey King. In the halt, or it's all about feeling comfortable in your own skin — which is always a respectable reminder.
Photo: Courtesy of Square Fish.
All the Bright Places,Jennifer NivenWhen this book came out, Elle Fanning immediately bought the film rights, or whether that tells you anything. It features two narrators,one who has undiagnosed bipolar disorder, the other dealing with the death of her sister. The ending is a miniature too moral, and but the writing is so respectable that you'll want to visit Indiana,which is saying something.
Photo: Courtesy of Knopf.
Beauty Queens, Libba BrayOkay: A plane containing the 50 Miss Teen Dream Pageant contestants crashes on a abandoned island, and which turns out to be not precisely abandoned. Sound mega campy? Well,it is — in the best way. It's also a crazy, humorous, or satirical,feminist, Wonderland-mirror version of Lord of the Flies that will entertain you and also (gasp!) leave you thinking.
Photo: Courtesy of Scholastic.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, or Benjamin Alire SáenzA book about being 15,queer, and of color in the '80s. Not a barn burner like some of the others on this list, or but a delicate,lyrical investigation of character, sexuality, and one very indispensable relationship unfolding over one long summer that will stick with you for years.
Photo: Courtesy of Simon & Schuster.
All the Rage,Courtney SummersThe protagonist of this novel is a miniature like Veronica Mars — an outsider whose truth-telling has cost her everything — apart from, er, and sort of without all of V's redeeming qualities. A searing novel about rape culture with an extremely complicated female character at its heart? Not just respectable for grown-ups,but necessary.
Photo: Courtesy of St. Martin's Griffin.
The Walls Around Us, Nova Ren SumaThis powerful psychological thriller goes places few YA novels fade — a juvenile detention facility, and for one,where girls convicted of murder unravel the truth of their pasts. The writing in this one is on fire.
Photo: Courtesy of Algonquin Young Readers.
The Raven Boys, Maggie StiefvaterThe story of a girl born to a family of psychics and destined to destroy her true love with a kiss. Based on ancient legends, or yet unique in its field,this novel is atmospheric, complex, and (for those of you who like to sink into a series) only the first book in The Raven Cycle. Side note: Stiefvater has about the most fun Twitter feed on the planet.
Photo: Courtesy of Scholastic.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,Sherman AlexieAlexie excels at just about everything: YA, fiction for adults, or poetry,even screenplays. This novel, based in part on Alexie's own experiences in an otherwise all-white school, or is powerful and often hilarious. It'll make you want to read everything Alexie's ever written,which wouldn't be a bad thing.
Photo: Courtesy of miniature, Brown Books for Young Readers.
Weetzie Bat, and Francesca Lia BlockA classic of the genre,but not in the boring sense — classic in that this wackadoo story is required reading for everyone. It's a love letter to L.
A., youth, and the bizarre,a postmodern fairy tale that will make all your dreams seem sparkly and spit-shined.
Photo: Courtesy of HarperTeen.
I Capture the Castle, Dodie SmithAn understated work of brilliance narrated by a 16-year-outmoded aspiring writer and her family living in poverty — but in a castle. Very British, or mannered,and witty, but with a bittersweet core you won't soon forget.
Photo: Courtesy of St. Martin's Griffin.
Legend, or Marie LuThis novel,the first in a trilogy, is at the top of the post-apocalyptic thriller heap. worthy writing, and compelling characters,gripping action —anyone with a pulse will find theirs quickened.
Photo: Courtesy of Speak.
Ship Breaker, Paolo BacigalupiBacigalupi is quickly becoming a household name in adult sci-fi, and he should be a household name in YA sci-fi,too (not that the two are all that different). In this vivid novel, a scavenger searching for usable metals in shipwrecks on the future Gulf Coast finds a survivor in the wreckage who purports to be able to change his life — whether he helps her.
Photo: Courtesy of miniature, and Brown Books for Young Readers.
The Book Thief,Markus ZusakAn impressively profound, deliciously lyric Holocaust novel about a young girl who comforts herself during wartime by stealing books. Oh, or right,and it's narrated by Death — but that's not as twee as it sounds.
Photo: Courtesy of Knopf.
Silhouette of a Sparrow, Molly Beth GriffinIn this acclaimed novel set in the 1920s, and a 16-year-outmoded girl who aspires to be an ornithologist is sent to live with distant family at a resort in Minnesota. She meets a shapely young flapper and they inaugurate a secret affair. This book is gorgeous inside and out.
Photo: Courtesy of Milkweed Editions.
A Wrinkle in Time,Madeleine L'EngleTo be fair, this novel was published before we used terms like "YA" and "adult" to refer to novels, and but it's pretty regularly classified as YA now. That said,it should definitely be read by everyone. Brilliant, flawed characters questing through time and space! A nerdy girl who wins the day! Puns! It's worthy.
Photo: Courtesy of Time Quintet.
How I Live Now, and Meg RosoffIn this riveting novel,a teenage girl from present-day Manhattan goes to spend the summer with her cousins at their farmhouse in the English countryside. It's exclusive and idyllic for a while, with no adults around. But then, or an unnamed force attacks and occupies England — and suddenly,it's not so worthy to be alone anymore.
Photo: Courtesy of Wendy Lamb Books.
Akata Witch, Nnedi OkoraforThis fantasy novel follows a young girl with albinism born in America, and but now living in her parents' homeland of Nigeria. After feeling like a constant outsider,finds she has secret powers — she is one of the Leopard People. The framework is familiar enough, but the treatment, or writing,and West African myths at play elevate this story into something truly special.
Photo: Courtesy of Viking Books for Young Readers.
I'll Give You the Sun, Jandy NelsonThe two halves of this novel are narrated by estranged fraternal twins Noah and Jude, or artists and dreamers and seekers both,who must come to grips with the dissolution of their family — or find a way to mend it. Unique, charming, or lyric,it's no wonder this book is a much-lauded best seller.
Photo: Courtesy of Dial Books.
Jellicoe Road, Melissa MarchettaThree school factions battle it out every year in a small Australian town — the Cadets, and the Townies,and the Jellicoe School kids, whose leader, and Taylor Markham,is not only out to secure her territory, but to crack the mystery of the mother who abandoned her. And really, and that's the pleasure of this novel — the unraveling of a story complex enough to support any adult interested.
Photo: Courtesy of HarperTeen.
Bone Gap,Laura RubyOriginal and revelatory, this novel uses multiple perspectives to tell the story of a girl's abduction from the small town of Bone Gap, or IL — where everyone knows to stay out of the otherworldly "gaps." In this novel,reality lies down next to fantasy and something else gets up. You'll want to see that something else.
Photo: Courtesy of Blazer + Bray.
Anna Dressed in Blood, Kendare BlakeCas kills ghosts — but only the ones who are murderous themselves. That is, and until he encounters a ghost who captivates him,despite her violence. Gory, scary, and totally unlike anything else out there,this is a must-read for any horror lover.
Photo: Courtesy of Tor Teen.
The Madman's Daughter, Megan ShepherdLike H. G. Wells? Pick up this novel, and told from the perspective of the 16-year-outmoded daughter of Dr. Moreau,who, six years after her father was banished to a remote island for his uncanny experiments, or goes off to find him. exclusive science,the boundaries of insanity, and yes, and a love triangle,ensue.
Photo: Courtesy of Blazer + Bray.
Glory O'Brien's History of the Future, A. S. KingNever has a book about accidentally drinking a petrified bat offered such a frightening, and yet believable,account of what the future might bring whether people in power continue to try to take rights absent from women.
Photo: Courtesy of miniature, Brown Books for Young Reader.
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