You have 24 hours to win. If you break my rules, she dies. If you call the police, she dies. If you tell your parents or anyone else, she dies.
Are you ready?
When Crystal Donavan gets a message on a mysterious app with a picture of her little sister gagged and bound, she agrees to play the kidnapper’s game. At first, they make her complete bizarre tasks: steal a test and stuff it in a locker, bake brownies, make a prank call.
But then Crystal realizes each task is meant to hurt—and kill—her friends, one by one. But if she refuses to play, the kidnapper will kill her sister. Is someone trying to take her team out of the running for a gaming tournament? Or have they uncovered a secret from their past, and wants them to pay for what they did…
As Crystal makes the impossible choices between her friends and her sister, she must uncover the truth and find a way to outplay the kidnapper… before it’s too late.
Author of All Your Twisted Secrets, Diana Urban’s explosive sophomore novel, These Deadly Games, will keep you riveted until the final twist is revealed.
Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman by Kristen R. Lee (Crown)
Savannah Howard sacrificed her high school social life to make sure she got into a top college. Her sites were set on an HBCU, but when she is accepted to the ivy-covered walls of Wooddale University on a full ride, how can she say no?
Wooddale is far from the perfectly manicured community it sells on its brochures, though. Savannah has barely unpacked before she comes face-to-face with microagressions stemming from racism and elitism. Then, Clive Wilmington's statue is vandalized with blackface. The prime suspect? Lucas Cunningham, Wooddale's most popular student and son to a local prominent family. Soon, Savannah is unearthing the hidden secrets of Wooddale's racist history. But what's the price for standing up for what is right? And will telling the truth about Wooddale's past cost Savannah her own future?
A stunning, challenging, and timely debut about racism and privilege on college campuses.
Fire Becomes Her by Rosiee Thor (Scholastic) - moved from January 2022.
Flare is power.
With only a drop, one can light the night sky with fireworks . . . or burn a building to the ground. The few flare families on top -- the so-called "elite" -- hoard the magical resource for themselves, and seventeen-year-old Ingrid Ellis wants her fair share.
Ingrid doesn't have a family fortune, monetary or magical, but at least she has a plan: Rise to the top on the arm of Linden Holt, heir to a hefty political legacy and the largest fortune of flare in all of Candesce. Her only obstacle is Linden's father, Senator Walden Holt, who refuses to acknowledge their relationship.
When Senator Holt announces his run for president, however, Ingrid uses the situation to her advantage. She strikes a deal to spy on Gwendolyn Meyers, the Holts's opposition, in exchange for the senator's approval. But the more Ingrid learns about the world around her, the more she questions where her true allegiances lie.
Suddenly, Ingrid finds herself at an impasse: Will she stand with the Holts, who have the power and influence to give Ingrid everything she so desperately desires? Or will she forge her own path with Gwendolyn in hopes of building a better future for everyone?
Why Would I Lie? by Adi Rule (Scholastic)
Viveca North has always done her best to be perfect. She runs three miles every morning before arriving early to school where she volunteers as a peer tutor. After school, she prioritizes studying. On weekend mornings, she reads classic literature and the newspaper—a habit she developed to help prep for the SATs and then never dropped. Her classmates consider her a bit of a know it all. So it’s no surprise doesn’t have many friends, but she feels she’s earned her spot as valedictorian. Too bad Jamison Clifton is trying to take it from her. . .
Jamison doesn’t need to try to be perfect. Everything seems to come so easily to him. He’s charming, funny, and has the ability to make anyone feel special. And he’s been through so much—cancer in his family, a car accident on the way to a final exam sophomore year—the list goes on and on. He has his pick of glowing college recommendations. And it doesn’t hurt that his grades are perfect.
When Viveca sneaks a peek at Jamison’s recent English essay, she realizes it’s shockingly similar to one of her own. But when she brings it up, everyone just thinks she’s jealous that Jamison has finally pulled ahead of her in the race for valedictorian. And when she starts digging into things, she finds a web of lies and deceit that she struggles even to fathom. What kind of person would lie about a parent with cancer?! And what kind of sociopath would fake a car accident just to get an extension on a final?!
Will Viveca be able to take down her school’s golden boy and reveal him as a fraud? Or will she go down as just another “bitter, paranoid, angry girl”?
Castles In Their Bones by Laura Sebastian (Delacorte) - moved from 2021.
Trained for from birth in espionage and seduction, the triplet princesses of Bessemia must travel to three distant lands to marry three princess and enact their Queen mother's plan to rule from sea to sea. But when they arrive, each sister discovers her task is not so simple, and their mother's motives may not be what they seem.
Mirror Girls by Kelly McWilliams (Little, Brown)
Magnolia knows nothing of her racial heritage, but secrets are hard to keep in a town haunted by the ghosts of its slave-holding past. When Magnolia finally learns the truth, her reflection mysteriously disappears from mirrors—the sign of a terrible curse. Meanwhile, in Harlem, Charlie's beloved grandmother falls ill. Her final wish is to be buried back home in Georgia—and, unbeknownst to Charlie, to see her long-lost granddaughter, Magnolia Heathwood, one last time. So Charlie travels into the Deep South, confronting the land of her worst nightmares—and Jim Crow segregation.
The sisters reunite as teenagers in the deeply haunted town of Eureka, Georgia, where ghosts linger centuries after their time and dangers lurk behind every mirror. They couldn’t be more different, but they will need each other to put the hauntings of the past to rest, to break the mirrors’ deadly curse—and to discover the meaning of sisterhood in a racially divided land.
Squire by Nadia Shammas and Sarah Alfageeh (HarperCollins) - YA graphic novel.
Born a second-class citizen, Aiza has always dreamt of becoming a Knight. It’s the highest military honor in the once-great Bayt-Sajji Empire, and as a member of the Ornu people, her only path to full citizenship.
Now, ravaged by famine, Bayt-Sajji finds itself on the brink of war once again. This means Aiza can finally enlist to the competitive Squire training program.
The camp is nothing like she envisioned. Hiding her Ornu status in
order to blend in, Aiza must navigate friendships, rivalries, and
rigorous training under the merciless General Hende. As the pressure
mounts, Aiza realizes that the “greater good” Bayt-Sajji’s military
promises might not include her, and that the recruits might be in more
danger than she ever imagined.
Feather and Flame by Livia Blackburne (Disney Hyperion) - originally due to be written by Emma Theriault, but will now be written by Livia Blackburne, moved from November 2021.
The war is over. Now a renowned hero, Mulan spends her days in her home village, training a militia of female warriors. The peace is a welcome one, and she knows it must be protected.
When Shang arrives with an invitation to the Imperial City, Mulan’s relatively peaceful life is upended once more. The aging emperor decrees that Mulan will be his heir to the throne. Such unimagined power and responsibility terrifies her, but who can say no to the Emperor?
As Mulan ascends into the halls of power, it becomes clear that not everyone is on her side. Her ministers undermine her, and the Huns sense a weakness in the throne. When hints of treachery appear even amongst those she considers friends, Mulan has no idea whom she can trust.
But the Queen’s Council helps Mulan uncover her true destiny. With renewed strength and the wisdom of those that came before her, Mulan will own her power, save her country, and prove once again that, crown or helmet, she was always meant to lead. This fierce reimagining of the girl who became a warrior blends fairy-tale lore and real history with a Disney twist. Ready When You Are by Gary Lonesborough (Scholastic)
It's a hot summer, and life's going all right for Jackson and his family on the Mish. It's almost Christmas, school's out, and he's hanging with his mates, teasing the visiting tourists, avoiding the racist boys in town. Just like every year, Jackson's Aunty and annoying little cousins visit from the city -- but this time a mysterious boy with a troubled past comes with them. As their friendship evolves, Jackson must confront the changing shapes of his relationships with his friends, family and community. And he must face his darkest secret -- a secret he thought he'd locked away for good.
And We Rise by Erica Martin (Philomel) - YA Non-fiction.
In stunning verse and vivid use of white space, Erica Martin's debut poetry collection walks readers through the Civil Rights Movement—from the well-documented events that shaped the nation’s treatment of Black people, beginning with the "Separate but Equal" ruling—and introduces lesser-known figures and moments that were just as crucial to the Movement and our nation's centuries-long fight for justice and equality.
A poignant, powerful, all-too-timely collection that is both a vital history lesson and much-needed conversation starter in our modern world. Complete with historical photographs, author's note, chronology of events, research, and sources.
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys (Penguin Teen) - title, cover, description and release date not yet updated on Goodreads.
Romania, 1989. Communist regimes are crumbling across Europe. Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu dreams of becoming a writer, but Romanians aren’t free to dream; they are bound by rules and force.
Amidst the tyrannical dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu in a country governed by isolation and fear, Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer. He’s left with only two choices: betray everyone and everything he loves—or use his position to creatively undermine the most notoriously evil dictator in Eastern Europe.
Cristian risks everything to unmask the truth behind the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country. He eagerly joins the revolution to fight for change when the time arrives. But what is the cost of freedom?
Master storyteller Ruta Sepetys is back with a historical thriller that examines the little-known history of a nation defined by silence, pain, and the unwavering conviction of the human spirit.
Forward March by Skye Quinlan (Page Street)
But Harper’s world gets upended when the drumline’s punk-rock section leader, Margot Blanchard, tries to reject her one day after practice. Someone pretending to be Harper on Tinder catfished Margot for a month and now she’s is determined to get know the real Harper.
But the real Harper has a homophobic mother who’s the dean and a father who is running for president on the Republican ticket. With the election at stake, neither of them are happy about Harper’s new friendship with out-and-proud Margot.
As the election draws closer, Harper is forced to figure out if she even likes girls, if she might be asexual, and if it’s worth coming out at all.
Across a Field of Starlight by Blue Delliquanti (Random House Graphic)
When
they were kids, Fassen’s fighter spaceship crash-landed on a planet
that Lu’s survey force was exploring. It was a forbidden meeting between
a kid from a war-focused resistance movement and a kid whose community
and planet are dedicated to peace and secrecy.
Lu and Fassen are
from different worlds and separate solar systems. But their friendship
keeps them in each other’s orbit as they grow up. They stay in contact
in secret as their communities are increasingly threatened by the
omnipresent, ever-expanding empire.
As the empire begins a new
attack against Fassen’s people–and discovers Lu’s in the process–the two
of them have the chance to reunite at last. They finally are able to be
together…but at what cost?
This beautifully illustrated
graphic novel is an epic science fiction romance between two non-binary
characters as they find one another through time, distance, and war.
Loveless by Alice Oseman (Scholastic) - originally published in the UK, moved from November 2021.
From the marvelous author of Heartstopper comes an exceptional YA novel about discovering that it's okay if you don't have sexual or romantic feelings for anyone . . . since there are plenty of other ways to find love and connection.
This is the funny, honest, messy, completely relatable story of Georgia, who doesn't understand why she can't crush and kiss and make out like her friends do. She's surrounded by the narrative that dating + sex = love. It's not until she gets to college that she discovers the A range of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum -- coming to understand herself as asexual/aromantic. Disrupting the narrative that she's been told since birth isn't easy -- there are many mistakes along the way to inviting people into a newly found articulation of an always-known part of your identity. But Georgia's determined to get her life right, with the help of (and despite the major drama of) her friends.
The Color of the Sky is the Shape of the Heart by Chesil (Soho Teen)
Oregon, 2003. Seventeen-year-old Ginny Park is about to get expelled from high school--again. Ginny lives with Stephanie, an award-winning picture book author, who took Ginny in after she was kicked out of Catholic school in Hawaii. As far as host mothers go, Stephanie is as saintly as they come; still, Ginny can't bring herself to open up to her or anyone about what prompted her to flee from her native Japan. Together they live in a house littered with scraps of paper and drawings for the stories Stephanie's been writing. A mysterious scrawl Ginny finds one day reads, The sky is about to fall. Where do you go?
In search of an answer and a home, Ginny sets off alone on the road. Writing in her journal along the way, Ginny reflects upon her childhood growing up zainichi--an ethnic Korean living in Japan--and the incident that forced her to leave five years ago. When the pieces of her life are revealed, a portrait emerges of a girl who has been fighting alone against barriers of race, nationality, and injustice all her life.
Salaam, with Love by Sara Sharaf Beg (Underlined)
Being crammed into a house in Queens with her cousins is not how Dua envisions her trip to New York City. But here she is, spending the holy month of Ramadan with extended family she hasn’t seen in years.
Dua struggles to find her place in the conservative household and to connect with her aloof, engaged-to-be-married cousin, Mahnoor. And as if fasting the whole day wasn’t tiring enough, she must battle her hormones whenever she sees Hassan, the cute drummer in a Muslim band who has a habit of showing up at her most awkward moments.
After just a month, Dua is surprised to find that she’s learning a lot more than she bargained for about her faith, relationships, her place in the world—and cute drummers. . . .
Underlined is a line of totally addictive romance, thriller, and horror paperback original titles coming to you fast and furious each month. Enjoy everything you want to read the way you want to read it.
In the Serpent's Wake by Rachel Hartman (Random House) - previously titled Tess of the Sea.
MIND OF THE WORLD,
OPEN YOUR EYES.
At the bottom of the world lies a Serpent, the last of its kind.
Finding the Serpent will change lives.
Tess is a girl on a mission to save a friend.
Spira is a dragon seeking a new identity.
Marga is a woman staking her claim on a man’s world.
Jacomo is a priest searching for his soul.
There are those who would give their lives to keep it hidden.
And those who would destroy it.
But the only people who will truly find the Serpent are those who have awakened to the world around them—with eyes open to the wondrous, the terrible, and the just.
A Thousand Steps Into Night by Traci Chee (HMH) - some editions dated March 2022, but author confirms this release date.
The Iron Sword by Julie Kagawa (Inkyard Press)
Banished from the Winter Court for daring to fall in love, Prince Ash achieved the impossible and journeyed to the End of the World to earn a soul and keep his vow to always stand beside Queen Meghan of the Iron Fey.
Now he faces even more incomprehensible odds. Their son, King Keirran of the Forgotten, is missing. Something more ancient than the courts of Faery and more evil than anything Ash has faced in a millennium is rising as Evenfall approaches. And if Ash and his allies cannot stop it, the chaos that has begun to divide the world will shatter it for eternity.
Respect the Mic by Various Authors (Penguin Workshop) - YA non-fiction.
Poets I know sometimes joke that the poetry club at Oak Park River Forest High School is the best MFA program in the Chicagoland area. Like all great jokes, this one is dead serious. -Eve L. Ewing, award-winning poet, playwright, scholar, and sociologist
For Chicago's Oak Park and River Forest High School's Spoken Word Club, there is one phrase that reigns supreme: Respect the Mic. It's been the club's call to arms since its inception in 1999. As its founder Peter Kahn says, It's a call of pride and history and tradition and hope.
This vivid new collection of poetry and prose -- curated by award-winning and bestselling poets Hanif Abdurraqib, Franny Choi, Peter Kahn, and Dan Sully Sullivan -- illuminates just that, uplifting the incredible legacy this community has cultivated. Among the dozens of current students and alumni, Respect the Mic features work by NBA star Iman Shumpert, National Youth Poet Laureates Kara Jackson and Natalie Richardson, comedian Langston Kerman, and more.
In its pages, you hear the sprawling echoes of students, siblings, lovers, new parents, athletes, entertainers, scientists, and more --all sharing a deep appreciation for the power of storytelling. A celebration of the past, a balm for the present, and a blueprint for the future, Respect the Mic offers a tender, intimate portrait of American life, and conveys how in a world increasingly defined by separation, poetry has the capacity to bind us together.
No Filter and Other Lies by Crystal Maldonado (Holiday House)
They're usually little lies. Tiny lies. Baby lies. Not so much lies as lie adjacent.
But they're still lies.
Twenty one-year-old Max Monroe has it all: beauty, friends, and a glittering life filled with adventure. With tons of followers on Instagram, her picture-perfect existence seems eminently enviable.
Except it's all fake.
Max is actually 16-year-old Kat Sanchez, a quiet and sarcastic teenager living in drab Bakersfield, California. Nothing glamorous in her existence--just sprawl, bad house parties, a crap school year, and the awkwardness of dealing with her best friend Hari's unrequited love. But while Kat's life is far from perfect, she thrives as Max: doling out advice, sharing beautiful photos, networking with famous influencers, even making a real friend in a follower named Elena. The closer Elena and "Max" get--texting, Snapping, and even calling--the more Kat feels she has to keep up the facade.
But when one of Max's posts goes ultra-viral and gets back to the very person she's been stealing photos from, her entire world - real and fake -- comes crashing down around her. She has to figure out a way to get herself out of the huge web of lies she's created without hurting the people she loves.
But it might already be too late.
The New Girl by Jesse Q Sutano (Sourcebooks Fire)
But on her first day there she witnesses a girl being forcefully carried away by campus security. Her new schoolmates and teachers seem unphased, but it leaves her unsure of what she's gotten herself into.
And as she uncovers the secrets of Draycott, complete with a corrupt teacher, a golden boy who isn't what he seems, and a blackmailer determined to get her thrown out, she's not sure if she can trust anyone...especially when the threats against her take a deadly turn.
Court by Tracey Wolff (Entangled: Teen)
Now war is coming, and we’re not ready. We’re going to need an army to have any hope of winning. But first, there are questions about my ancestors that need answers. Answers that might just reveal who the real monster is among us.
And that’s saying something in a world filled with bloodthirsty vampires, immortal gargoyles, and an ancient battle between two gods.
There’s no guarantee that anyone will be left standing when the dust settles, but if we want to save this world, I have no choice. I’ll have to embrace every part of me...even the parts I fear the most.
This Woven Kingdom by Taherah Mafi (HarperCollins)
To all the world, Alizeh is a disposable servant, not the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom forced to hide in plain sight.
The crown prince, Kamran, has heard the prophecies foretelling the death of his king. But he could never have imagined that the servant girl with the strange eyes, the girl he can't put out of his mind, would one day soon uproot his kingdom--and the world.
Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Tomi Adeyemi, and Sabaa Tahir, this is the explosive first book in a new fantasy trilogy from the New York Times bestselling and National Book Award-nominated author Tahereh Mafi.
February 8th
Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie (Feiwel and Friends)
A teen girl
navigates friendship drama, the end of high school, and discovering her
queerness in this hilarious and heartfelt contemporary YA debut by
author Racquel Marie.
Ophelia Rojas knows what she likes: her best friends, Cuban food, rose-gardening, and boys – way too many boys. Her friends and parents make fun of her endless stream of crushes, but Ophelia is a romantic at heart. She couldn’t change, even if she wanted to.
So when she finds herself thinking more about cute, quiet Talia Sanchez than the loss of a perfect prom with her ex-boyfriend, seeds of doubt take root in Ophelia’s firm image of herself. Add to that the impending end of high school and the fracturing of her once-solid friend group, and things are spiraling a little out of control. But the course of love—and sexuality—never did run smooth. As her secrets begin to unravel, Ophelia must make a choice between clinging to the fantasy version of herself she’s always imagined or upending everyone’s expectations to rediscover who she really is, after all.
Finding Her Edge by Jennifer Iacopelli (Razorbill)
For fans of Emma Lord
and Abbi Glines, Jennifer Iacopelli’s swoony, romantic new novel follows
elite ice dancer Adriana Russo as she finds herself drawn to both her
old dance partner and her new one.
Adriana Russo is figure skating royalty.
With gold-medalist parents, and her older sister headed to the Olympics, all she wants is to live up to the family name and stand atop the ice dance podium at the Junior World Championships. But fame doesn’t always mean fortune, and their legendary skating rink is struggling under the weight of her dad’s lavish lifestyle. The only thing keeping it afloat is a deal to host the rest of the Junior Worlds team before they leave for France.
That means training on the same ice as her first crush, Freddie, the partner she left when her growth spurt outpaced his. For the past two years, he’s barely acknowledged her existence, and she can’t even blame him for it.
When the family’s finances take another unexpected hit, losing the rink seems inevitable until her partner, Brayden, suggests they let the world believe what many have suspected: that their intense chemistry isn’t contained to the ice. Fans and sponsors alike take the bait, but keeping up the charade is harder than she ever imagined. And training alongside Freddie makes it worse, especially when pretending with Brayden starts to feel very real.
As the biggest competition of her life draws closer and her family’s legacy hangs in the balance, Adriana is caught between her past and present, between the golden future she’s worked so hard for, and the one she gave up long ago.
Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions by Navdeep Singh Dhillon (Dial) - moved from May 2021 and August 2021.
For fans of Sandhya Menon and Adam Silvera, a prom-night romantic-comedy romp about a Sikh teen's search for love and identity
Sunny G's brother left him one thing when he died: his notebook, which he's determined to fill up with a series of rash decisions. Decision number one was a big one: He took off his turban, cut off his hair, and shaved his beard. He doesn't look like a Sikh anymore; he doesn't look like himself anymore. He put on a suit and debuted his new look at prom, but apparently changing his look doesn't change everything. Sunny still doesn't fit there, and all he wants to do is go to the Harry Potter after-party, where his best friend, Ngozi, and their band were supposed to be playing a show tonight.
Enter Mindii Vang, a girl he's never met before but who's about to change his life. Sunny and Mindii head off on an all-night adventure through their city--a night full of rash, wonderful, romantic, stupid, huge decisions.
You Truly Assumed by Laila Sabreen (Inkyard Press)
Everyone has their
idea of what it is to be Muslim in America. But after a terrorist attack
rocks the US and anti-Islamic sentiment stirs, three Black Muslim girls
create a space where they can shatter assumptions and share truths the
country doesn’t see.
THEIR VOICES MATTER
Sabriya
…has trained hard for summer auditions. When everything is canceled after a terrorist attack, she takes solace in writing. When she realizes her private online journal You Truly Assumed isn’t so private, she learns there are many out there like her, hoping to be heard. Including…
Zakat
…can’t wait to leave her hometown to pursue her dreams. But her family fears for her safety. With her best friend growing distant, finding a kindred voice online seems like fate. But when her own haven is vandalized, Zakat wonders if anywhere will ever feel safe again.
Farah
…wants nothing to do with visiting the father who abandoned her. But sometimes a change of place brings a change of heart—for Farah, for the boy she might love, and for the new friends she meets through You Truly Assumed.
When threatening comments and emails try to silence them, the three must decide—shut things down and stay safe…or risk it all and let their voices be heard.
Lulu & Milagro's Search for Clarity by Angela Velez (HarperTeen) - moved from January 2021.
Overachiever
Luz “Lulu” Zavala has straight A’s, perfect attendance, and a solid
ten-year plan. First up: nail her interview for a dream internship at
Stanford, the last stop on her school’s cross-country college road trip.
The only flaw in her plan is Clara, her oldest sister, who went off to
college and sparked a massive fight with their overprotective Peruvian
mom, who is now convinced that out-of state-college will destroy their
family. If Lulu can’t fix whatever went wrong between them, the whole
trip—and her future—will be a waste.
A boy, a murder, a girl, a secret. From award-winning author Mariko Tamaki comes Cold, a haunting YA novel about a shocking crime in a quiet town and four students who knew too much and said too little.
This is the story of a boy who died—and a girl who wants to know why.
Todd Mayer is dead. Now he's some sort of ghost, hovering over his body, which has just been found in the town park, naked and frozen in the snow. As detectives investigate Todd's homicide, talking to the very people who are responsible for how he died, Todd replays the events that lead him to his end in the park.
Georgia didn't know Todd. But she can’t stop thinking about him. Maybe because they’re both outcasts at their school, or because they’re both queer. It might also be becauseGeorgia has a feeling she’s seen Todd somewhere before, somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be.
In the vein of The Lovely Bones, this dual narrative is told through the voices of Todd in his afterlife and Georgia as she uncovers the truth behind his death, resulting in an immersive, emotional, and provocative read.
A Spark Within the Forge by Sabaa Tahir (Achaia) - title not yet updated on Goodreads.
An all-new official
standalone graphic novel prequel to the New York Times best-selling YA
series An Ember in the Ashes novels from creator Sabaa Tahir!
REBELLION IS FORGED IN THE HEART OF THE EMPIRE. Before they were torn asunder, Laia lived happily and quietly with her Nan, Pop, and brother Darin within the Scholar district of Martial-ruled Serra. Although Laia is afraid to venture outside her home due to the heavy Martial presence, Darin loves to explore all parts of their home city… even those that are forbidden. A chance encounter with famed swordsmith Spiro Teluman, who sees in Darin a talent for forging weapons, leads him down a path that pulls him away from his family but towards hope for his people. While Laia is forced to take her brother’s place accompanying Pop to combat a dangerous illness spreading quickly through Serra. When Laia discovers a surprising cure, will she brave exposure and the heavily-patrolled streets so she can save the city and someone she loves? New York Times bestselling author Sabaa Tahir joins writer Nicole Andelfinger and artist Sonia Liao for an all-new original graphic novel revealing the life of Laia and Darin in Serra before the tragedy that pulled them into the An Ember in the Ashes mythology.
Golden Boys by Phil Stamper (Bloomsbury) - previously titled The Valedictorians, release date announced not yet updated on goodreads.
National bestselling
author Phil Stamper crafts the perfect summer friendship story,
starring four queer boys with big hearts and even bigger dreams.
Gabriel, Reese, Sal, and Heath are best friends, bonded in their small rural town by their queerness, their good grades, and their big dreams. They are about to embark on the summer before senior year of high school, where each is going on a new, big adventure. Reese is attending a design school in Paris. Gabriel is going to Boston to volunteer with a environmental nonprofit. Sal is interning on Capitol Hill for a U.S. Senator. And Heath is stuck going to Daytona Beach to help out at his aunt’s beachfront arcade.
What will this summer of new experiences and world-expanding travel mean for each of them—and for their friendship?
February 15th
Howl by Shaun David Hutchinson (Simon & Schuster)
From critically
acclaimed Shaun David Hutchinson comes a gritty and raw portrayal of the
oftentimes traumatic experience of growing up.
Virgil Knox was attacked by a monster.
Of course, no one in Merritt believes him. Not even after he stumbled into the busy town center, bleeding, battered, and bruised, for everyone to see. He’d been drinking, they said. He was hanging out where he wasn’t supposed to, they said. It must’ve been a bear, or a badger, or a gator—definitely no monster.
Virgil doesn’t think it was any of those things. He’s positive it was a monster. But being the new kid in a town where everybody knows everybody is hard enough as it is without being the kid who’s afraid of monsters, so he tries to keep a low profile.
Except he knows the monster is still out there. And if he isn’t careful, Virgil’s afraid it’ll come back to finish him off, or worse—that he’ll become one himself.
Seventeen fantasy and science fiction short stories from leading voices in the Latin American diaspora!
Reclaim the Stars is a collection of bestselling and acclaimed YA authors that take the Latin American diaspora to places fantastical and out of this world. From princesses warring in space, to the all too-near devastation of climate change, to haunting ghost stories in Argentina, and mermaids off the coast of the Caribbean. This is science fiction and fantasy that breaks borders and realms, and proves that stories are truly universal.
Authors include Daniel José Older, Yamile Saied Méndez, Anna-Marie McLemore, Mark Oshiro, Romina Garber, David Bowles, Lilliam Rivera, Claribel Ortega, Isabel Ibañez, Sara Faring, Maya Motayne, Nina Moreno, Vita Ayala, J.C. Cervantes, Circe Moskowitz, Linda Nieves Pérez, and Zoraida Córdova.
All the Right Reasons by Bethany Mangle (Margaret K. McElderry Books)
The Bachelor meets Gilmore Girls
in this laugh-out-loud young adult romance about a girl who joins her
mother on a reality dating show for single parents—only to fall for a
contestant’s son.
Cara Hawn’s life fell apart after her father cheated on her mother and got remarried to a woman Cara can’t stand. When Cara accidentally posts a rant about her father online, it goes viral—and catches the attention of the TV producers behind a new reality dating show for single parent families.
The next thing Cara and her mother know, they’ve been cast as leads on the show and are whisked away to sunny Key West where they’re asked to narrow a field of suitors and their kids down to one winning pair. All of this is outside of Cara’s comfort zone, from the meddling producers to the camera-hungry contestants, especially as Cara and her mother begin to clash on which suitors are worth keeping around. And then comes Connor.
As the son of a contestant, Connor is decidedly off-limits. Except that he doesn’t fit in with the cutthroat atmosphere in all the same ways as Cara, and she can’t get him out of her head. Now Cara must juggle her growing feelings while dodging the cameras and helping her mom pick a bachelor they both love, or else risk fracturing their family even more for the sake of ratings. Maybe there’s a reason most people don’t date on TV.
Cramm This Book by Olivia Seltzer (Philomel) - YA Non-fiction, moved from January 2022.
The stories and history behind the news today, from one of Gen Z's
leading voices--because you can't change the world if you don't know
what's going on!
Gen Z is one of the most engaged generations in American history, ready to take to the streets and the internet to change the world to one that is more peaceful, more sustainable, and more just. But the news of the day mostly comes through media that is geared toward older generations, and in both content and style doesn't convey the information that today's high school and college students are looking for. Enter: The Cramm, a news outlet by and for a new generation, one that's ready to take on the powers that be, and that just needs the context from which to do so.
Now, for the first time, The Cramm's founder goes deeper, giving her audience and her peers a look into the history behind the daily news that she reports. Cramm This Book dives into the history that's shaped the world as it is today, looking at the wars, the movements, the disasters, and more that have served as inflection points in setting the stage for what we see and read in the news on a daily basis. Told in The Cramm's fun and energetic style, and complete with engaging illustrations and design elements throughout, this is a Gen Z handbook to understanding--and changing--the world today.
Messy Roots by Laura Gao (Balzer + Bray) - YA graphic memoir.
An insightful and hilarious graphic memoir of a queer Chinese-American immigrant, from debut author-illustrator Laura Gao.
From the Stonewall Honor–winning author of Like a Love Story
comes a revelatory novel about the enclosed world of privilege and
silence at an elite boarding school and the unlikely group of friends
who dare challenge the status quo through their writing.
From National Book Award finalist Akwaeke Emezi comes a companion
novel to the critically acclaimed PET that explores both the importance
and cost of social revolution--and how youth lead the way.
After a childhood in foster care, Bitter is thrilled to have been chosen to attend Eucalyptus, a special school where she can focus on her painting surrounded by other creative teens. But outside this haven, the streets are filled with protests against the deep injustices that grip the city of Lucille.
Bitter's instinct is to stay safe within the walls of Eucalyptus . . . but her friends aren't willing to settle for a world that's so far away from what they deserve. Pulled between old friendships, her artistic passion, and a new romance, Bitter isn't sure where she belongs--in the studio or in the streets. And if she does find a way to help the revolution while being true to who she is, she must also ask: at what cost?
This timely and riveting novel--a companion to the National Book Award finalist Pet--explores the power of youth, protest, and art.
House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas (Bloomsbury) - an adult title, but I know this author has a large YA audience, so I am including here for completeness. Moved from November 2021, then from January 2022.
Sequel to the #1 New York Times bestseller!
Sarah J. Maas's sexy, groundbreaking CRESCENT CITY series continues with the second installment.
Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar are trying to get back to normal―they may have saved Crescent City, but with so much upheaval in their lives lately, they mostly want a chance to relax. Slow down. Figure out what the future holds.
The Asteri have kept their word so far, leaving Bryce and Hunt alone. But with the rebels chipping away at the Asteri’s power, the threat the rulers pose is growing. As Bryce, Hunt, and their friends get pulled into the rebels’ plans, the choice becomes clear: stay silent while others are oppressed, or fight for what’s right. And they’ve never been very good at staying silent.
In this sexy, action-packed sequel to the #1 bestseller House of Earth and Blood, Sarah J. Maas weaves a captivating story of a world about to explode―and the people who will do anything to save it.
We Were Kings by Court Stevens (Thomas Nelson) - previously titled The Ashes of Cruiser Island.
Twenty years ago,
eighteen-year-old Francis Quick was convicted of murdering her best
friend Cora King and sentenced to death. Now the highly debated
Accelerated Death Penalty Act passes and gives Frankie thirty final days
to live. From the Kings’ own family rises up the one who will challenge
the woefully inadequate evidence and potential innocence of Francis
Quick.
The at-first reluctant and soon-fiery Nyla and her sidekick (and handsome country island boy), Sam Stack, bring Frankie’s case to the international stage through her YouTube channel Death Daze. They step into fame and a hometown battle that someone’s still willing to kill over. The senator? The philanthropist? The pawn shop owner? Nyla’s own mother?
Best advice: Don’t go to family dinner with the Kings. More people will leave the dining room in body bags than on their own two feet. And as for Francis Quick, she’s a gem . . . even if she’s guilty.
February 22nd
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh (Feiwel and Friends)
Axie Oh's The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is an enthralling feminist retelling of the classic Korean folktale “The Tale of Shim Cheong,” perfect for fans of Wintersong, Uprooted, and Miyazaki’s Spirited Away.
Deadly storms have ravaged Mina’s homeland for generations. Floods sweep away entire villages, while bloody wars are waged over the few remaining resources. Her people believe the Sea God, once their protector, now curses them with death and despair. In an attempt to appease him, each year a beautiful maiden is thrown into the sea to serve as the Sea God’s bride, in the hopes that one day the “true bride” will be chosen and end the suffering.
Many believe that Shim Cheong, the most beautiful girl in the village—and the beloved of Mina’s older brother Joon—may be the legendary true bride. But on the night Cheong is to be sacrificed, Joon follows Cheong out to sea, even knowing that to interfere is a death sentence. To save her brother, Mina throws herself into the water in Cheong’s stead.
Swept away to the Spirit Realm, a magical city of lesser gods and mythical beasts, Mina seeks out the Sea God, only to find him caught in an enchanted sleep. With the help of Shin—a mysterious young man with no soul—as well as a motley crew of demons, gods and spirits, Mina sets out to wake the Sea God and bring an end to the killer storms once and for all.
But she doesn’t have much time: A human cannot live long in the land of the spirits. And there are those who would do anything to keep the Sea God from waking…
From Dust, A Flame by Rebecca Podos (Balzer + Bray) - previously titled The Dust Alphabet, moved from January 2021, then moved from February 8th, release date not yet updated on Goodreads.
Hannah’s whole life has
been spent in motion. Her mother has kept her and her brother, Gabe, on
the road for as long as she can remember, leaving a trail of rental
homes and faded relationships behind them. No roots, no family but one
another, and no explanations.
All of that changes on Hannah’s seventeenth birthday when she wakes up transformed, a pair of golden eyes with knife-slit pupils blinking back at her from the mirror—the first of many such impossible mutations. Promising that she knows someone who can help, her mother leaves Hannah and Gabe behind to find a cure. But as the days turn to weeks and their mother doesn’t return, they realize it’s up to them to find the truth.
What they discover is a family they never knew, and a history more tragic and fantastical than Hannah could have dreamed—one that stretches back to her grandmother’s childhood in Prague under the Nazi occupation, and beyond, into the realm of Jewish mysticism and legend. As the past comes crashing into the present, Hannah must hurry to unearth their family’s secrets—and confront her own hidden legacy in order to break the curse and save the people she loves most, as well as herself.
Extasia by Claire Legrand (Katherine Tegan Books)
A standalone horror novel for fans of The Grace Year, The Handmaid’s Tale, Courtney Summers, and Shirley Jackson.
My name is unimportant.
All you must know is that today I become one of the four saints of Haven. The elders will mark me and place the red hood on my head. They will give me my true name, and with my sisters I will stand against the evil power that lives beneath the black mountain—an evil which has already killed nine of our village’s men.
I will tell no one of the white-eyed beasts that follow me. Or the faceless gray women tall as houses. Or the girls I saw kissing in the elm grove.
Today I become a saint of Haven. I will rid my family of my mother’s shame at last and save my people from destruction. I am not afraid.
Are you?
From New York Times bestselling author Claire Legrand comes an emotionally searing and lyrically written novel that beckons readers to follow its powerful heroine into a world filled with secrets and blood—where the truth is buried in lies, and a devastating power waits, seething, for someone brave enough to use it.
The Turning Pointe by Vanessa L. Torres (Knopf)
A bold and emotionally
gripping novel about a teenage Latinx girl finding freedom through
dance and breaking expectations in 1980s Minnesota.
When sixteen-year-old Rosa Dominguez pirouettes, she is poetry in pointe shoes. And as the daughter of a tyrant ballet Master, Rosa seems destined to become the star principal dancer of her studio. But Rosa would do anything for one hour in the dance studio upstairs where Prince, the Purple One himself, is in the house.
After her father announces their upcoming auditions for a concert with Prince, Rosa is more determined than ever to succeed. Then Nikki--the cross-dressing, funky boy who works in the dance shop--leaps into her life. Weighed down by family expectations, Rosa is at a crossroads, desperate to escape so she can show everyone what she can do when freed of her pointe shoes. Now is her chance to break away from a life in tulle, grooving to that unmistakable Minneapolis sound reverberating through every bone in her body.
Full Flight by Ashley Schumacher (Wednesday Books)
A heartbreaking novel about finding your first love and what happens when it's over too soon.
Everyone else in the tiny town of Enfield, Texas calls fall football season, but for the forty-three members of the Fighting Enfield Marching Band, it’s contest season. And for new saxophonist Anna James, it’s her first chance to prove herself as the great musician she’s trying hard to be.
When she’s assigned a duet with mellophone player Weston Ryan, the boy her small-minded town thinks of as nothing but trouble, she’s equal parts thrilled and intimidated. But as he helps her with the duet, and she sees the smile he seems to save just for her, she can’t help but feel like she’s helping him with something too.
After her strict parents find out she’s been secretly seeing him and keep them apart, together they learn what it truly means to fight for something they love. With the marching contest nearing, and the two falling hard for one another, the unthinkable happens, and Anna is left grappling for a way forward without Weston.
Ashley Schumacher’s Full Flight is about how first love shapes us—even after it’s gone.
Ophelia Rojas knows what she likes: her best friends, Cuban food, rose-gardening, and boys – way too many boys. Her friends and parents make fun of her endless stream of crushes, but Ophelia is a romantic at heart. She couldn’t change, even if she wanted to.
So when she finds herself thinking more about cute, quiet Talia Sanchez than the loss of a perfect prom with her ex-boyfriend, seeds of doubt take root in Ophelia’s firm image of herself. Add to that the impending end of high school and the fracturing of her once-solid friend group, and things are spiraling a little out of control. But the course of love—and sexuality—never did run smooth. As her secrets begin to unravel, Ophelia must make a choice between clinging to the fantasy version of herself she’s always imagined or upending everyone’s expectations to rediscover who she really is, after all.
Finding Her Edge by Jennifer Iacopelli (Razorbill)
Adriana Russo is figure skating royalty.
With gold-medalist parents, and her older sister headed to the Olympics, all she wants is to live up to the family name and stand atop the ice dance podium at the Junior World Championships. But fame doesn’t always mean fortune, and their legendary skating rink is struggling under the weight of her dad’s lavish lifestyle. The only thing keeping it afloat is a deal to host the rest of the Junior Worlds team before they leave for France.
That means training on the same ice as her first crush, Freddie, the partner she left when her growth spurt outpaced his. For the past two years, he’s barely acknowledged her existence, and she can’t even blame him for it.
When the family’s finances take another unexpected hit, losing the rink seems inevitable until her partner, Brayden, suggests they let the world believe what many have suspected: that their intense chemistry isn’t contained to the ice. Fans and sponsors alike take the bait, but keeping up the charade is harder than she ever imagined. And training alongside Freddie makes it worse, especially when pretending with Brayden starts to feel very real.
As the biggest competition of her life draws closer and her family’s legacy hangs in the balance, Adriana is caught between her past and present, between the golden future she’s worked so hard for, and the one she gave up long ago.
Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions by Navdeep Singh Dhillon (Dial) - moved from May 2021 and August 2021.
Sunny G's brother left him one thing when he died: his notebook, which he's determined to fill up with a series of rash decisions. Decision number one was a big one: He took off his turban, cut off his hair, and shaved his beard. He doesn't look like a Sikh anymore; he doesn't look like himself anymore. He put on a suit and debuted his new look at prom, but apparently changing his look doesn't change everything. Sunny still doesn't fit there, and all he wants to do is go to the Harry Potter after-party, where his best friend, Ngozi, and their band were supposed to be playing a show tonight.
Enter Mindii Vang, a girl he's never met before but who's about to change his life. Sunny and Mindii head off on an all-night adventure through their city--a night full of rash, wonderful, romantic, stupid, huge decisions.
You Truly Assumed by Laila Sabreen (Inkyard Press)
THEIR VOICES MATTER
Sabriya
…has trained hard for summer auditions. When everything is canceled after a terrorist attack, she takes solace in writing. When she realizes her private online journal You Truly Assumed isn’t so private, she learns there are many out there like her, hoping to be heard. Including…
Zakat
…can’t wait to leave her hometown to pursue her dreams. But her family fears for her safety. With her best friend growing distant, finding a kindred voice online seems like fate. But when her own haven is vandalized, Zakat wonders if anywhere will ever feel safe again.
Farah
…wants nothing to do with visiting the father who abandoned her. But sometimes a change of place brings a change of heart—for Farah, for the boy she might love, and for the new friends she meets through You Truly Assumed.
When threatening comments and emails try to silence them, the three must decide—shut things down and stay safe…or risk it all and let their voices be heard.
Lulu & Milagro's Search for Clarity by Angela Velez (HarperTeen) - moved from January 2021.
Middle sister Milagro wants nothing to do with college or a nerdy class field trip. Then a spot opens up on the trip just as her own spring break plans (Operation: Lose Your Virginity) are thwarted, and she hops on the bus, more concerned about getting back at her ex than she is about schools or any family drama. But the trip opens her eyes about possibilities she’d never imagined for herself. Maybe she is more than the boy-crazy girl everyone seems to think she is.
On a journey from Baltimore all the way to San Francisco, Lulu and Milagro will become begrudging partners as they unpack weighty family expectations, uncover Clara’s secrets, and maybe even discover the true meaning of sisterhood.
Cold by Mariko Tamaki (Roaring Brook Press)
This is the story of a boy who died—and a girl who wants to know why.
Todd Mayer is dead. Now he's some sort of ghost, hovering over his body, which has just been found in the town park, naked and frozen in the snow. As detectives investigate Todd's homicide, talking to the very people who are responsible for how he died, Todd replays the events that lead him to his end in the park.
Georgia didn't know Todd. But she can’t stop thinking about him. Maybe because they’re both outcasts at their school, or because they’re both queer. It might also be becauseGeorgia has a feeling she’s seen Todd somewhere before, somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be.
In the vein of The Lovely Bones, this dual narrative is told through the voices of Todd in his afterlife and Georgia as she uncovers the truth behind his death, resulting in an immersive, emotional, and provocative read.
A Spark Within the Forge by Sabaa Tahir (Achaia) - title not yet updated on Goodreads.
REBELLION IS FORGED IN THE HEART OF THE EMPIRE. Before they were torn asunder, Laia lived happily and quietly with her Nan, Pop, and brother Darin within the Scholar district of Martial-ruled Serra. Although Laia is afraid to venture outside her home due to the heavy Martial presence, Darin loves to explore all parts of their home city… even those that are forbidden. A chance encounter with famed swordsmith Spiro Teluman, who sees in Darin a talent for forging weapons, leads him down a path that pulls him away from his family but towards hope for his people. While Laia is forced to take her brother’s place accompanying Pop to combat a dangerous illness spreading quickly through Serra. When Laia discovers a surprising cure, will she brave exposure and the heavily-patrolled streets so she can save the city and someone she loves? New York Times bestselling author Sabaa Tahir joins writer Nicole Andelfinger and artist Sonia Liao for an all-new original graphic novel revealing the life of Laia and Darin in Serra before the tragedy that pulled them into the An Ember in the Ashes mythology.
Gabriel, Reese, Sal, and Heath are best friends, bonded in their small rural town by their queerness, their good grades, and their big dreams. They are about to embark on the summer before senior year of high school, where each is going on a new, big adventure. Reese is attending a design school in Paris. Gabriel is going to Boston to volunteer with a environmental nonprofit. Sal is interning on Capitol Hill for a U.S. Senator. And Heath is stuck going to Daytona Beach to help out at his aunt’s beachfront arcade.
What will this summer of new experiences and world-expanding travel mean for each of them—and for their friendship?
February 15th
Howl by Shaun David Hutchinson (Simon & Schuster)
Virgil Knox was attacked by a monster.
Of course, no one in Merritt believes him. Not even after he stumbled into the busy town center, bleeding, battered, and bruised, for everyone to see. He’d been drinking, they said. He was hanging out where he wasn’t supposed to, they said. It must’ve been a bear, or a badger, or a gator—definitely no monster.
Virgil doesn’t think it was any of those things. He’s positive it was a monster. But being the new kid in a town where everybody knows everybody is hard enough as it is without being the kid who’s afraid of monsters, so he tries to keep a low profile.
Except he knows the monster is still out there. And if he isn’t careful, Virgil’s afraid it’ll come back to finish him off, or worse—that he’ll become one himself.
Ebonwilde by Crystal Smith (HMH) - moved from August 2021.
Get ready to be swept away, seduced, and swindled in the wickedly vicious third and final installment in the Bloodleaf series that Laura Sebastian called “enchanting, visceral, and twisty.”
Welcome to Ebonwilde. Come and find me.
Aurelia’s
last words haunted Zan. Left with the task of finding and reviving
Princess Aurelia, Zan sets off on his own adventure to find her and
return the gift she sacrificed for him—her life. But not all is what it
seems, and Ebonwilde is more dangerous than anyone can predict.
Reclaim the Stars: Seventeen Tales Across Realm Space by Various YA Authors (Wednesday Books)
Reclaim the Stars is a collection of bestselling and acclaimed YA authors that take the Latin American diaspora to places fantastical and out of this world. From princesses warring in space, to the all too-near devastation of climate change, to haunting ghost stories in Argentina, and mermaids off the coast of the Caribbean. This is science fiction and fantasy that breaks borders and realms, and proves that stories are truly universal.
Authors include Daniel José Older, Yamile Saied Méndez, Anna-Marie McLemore, Mark Oshiro, Romina Garber, David Bowles, Lilliam Rivera, Claribel Ortega, Isabel Ibañez, Sara Faring, Maya Motayne, Nina Moreno, Vita Ayala, J.C. Cervantes, Circe Moskowitz, Linda Nieves Pérez, and Zoraida Córdova.
All the Right Reasons by Bethany Mangle (Margaret K. McElderry Books)
Cara Hawn’s life fell apart after her father cheated on her mother and got remarried to a woman Cara can’t stand. When Cara accidentally posts a rant about her father online, it goes viral—and catches the attention of the TV producers behind a new reality dating show for single parent families.
The next thing Cara and her mother know, they’ve been cast as leads on the show and are whisked away to sunny Key West where they’re asked to narrow a field of suitors and their kids down to one winning pair. All of this is outside of Cara’s comfort zone, from the meddling producers to the camera-hungry contestants, especially as Cara and her mother begin to clash on which suitors are worth keeping around. And then comes Connor.
As the son of a contestant, Connor is decidedly off-limits. Except that he doesn’t fit in with the cutthroat atmosphere in all the same ways as Cara, and she can’t get him out of her head. Now Cara must juggle her growing feelings while dodging the cameras and helping her mom pick a bachelor they both love, or else risk fracturing their family even more for the sake of ratings. Maybe there’s a reason most people don’t date on TV.
Cramm This Book by Olivia Seltzer (Philomel) - YA Non-fiction, moved from January 2022.
Gen Z is one of the most engaged generations in American history, ready to take to the streets and the internet to change the world to one that is more peaceful, more sustainable, and more just. But the news of the day mostly comes through media that is geared toward older generations, and in both content and style doesn't convey the information that today's high school and college students are looking for. Enter: The Cramm, a news outlet by and for a new generation, one that's ready to take on the powers that be, and that just needs the context from which to do so.
Now, for the first time, The Cramm's founder goes deeper, giving her audience and her peers a look into the history behind the daily news that she reports. Cramm This Book dives into the history that's shaped the world as it is today, looking at the wars, the movements, the disasters, and more that have served as inflection points in setting the stage for what we see and read in the news on a daily basis. Told in The Cramm's fun and energetic style, and complete with engaging illustrations and design elements throughout, this is a Gen Z handbook to understanding--and changing--the world today.
Messy Roots by Laura Gao (Balzer + Bray) - YA graphic memoir.
After spending her early years in Wuhan, China, riding water buffalos and devouring stinky tofu, Laura immigrates to Texas, where her hometown is as foreign as Mars—at least until 2020, when COVID-19 makes Wuhan a household name.
In Messy Roots, Laura illustrates her coming-of-age as the “friendly neighborhood alien” who simply wants to make the basketball team, escape Chinese school, and figure out why girls make her heart flutter so she can fit in with her white and straight American friends.
But as she revisits Wuhan, she wonders if she can ever be Chinese enough in the place she once belonged, or American enough in the place she now calls home.
Insightful, original, and hilarious, toggling seamlessly between past and present, China and America, Gao’s debut is a tour de force of graphic storytelling.
The Chandler Legacies by Abdi Nazemian (Balzer + Bray) - previously titled The Legacies, moved from October 2021, also previously dated February 22nd.
Beth Kramer is a “townie” who returns to her sophomore year after having endured a year of judgment from her roommate, Sarah.
But Sarah Brunson knows there’s more to that story.
Amanda Priya “Spence” Spencer is the privileged daughter of NYC elites, who is reeling from the realization that her family name shielded her from the same fate as Sarah.
Ramin Golafshar arrives at Chandler as a transfer student to escape the dangers of being gay in Iran, only to suffer brutal hazing under the guise of tradition in the boys’ dorms.
And Freddy Bello is the senior who’s no longer sure of his future but has fallen hard for Spence and knows he has to stand up to his friends after what happened to Ramin.
At Chandler, the elite boarding school, these five teens are brought
together in the Circle, a coveted writing group where life-changing
friendships are born—and secrets are revealed. Their professor tells
them to write their truths. But is the truth enough to change the
long-standing culture of abuse at Chandler? And can their friendship
survive the fallout?
Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi (Knopf)
After a childhood in foster care, Bitter is thrilled to have been chosen to attend Eucalyptus, a special school where she can focus on her painting surrounded by other creative teens. But outside this haven, the streets are filled with protests against the deep injustices that grip the city of Lucille.
Bitter's instinct is to stay safe within the walls of Eucalyptus . . . but her friends aren't willing to settle for a world that's so far away from what they deserve. Pulled between old friendships, her artistic passion, and a new romance, Bitter isn't sure where she belongs--in the studio or in the streets. And if she does find a way to help the revolution while being true to who she is, she must also ask: at what cost?
This timely and riveting novel--a companion to the National Book Award finalist Pet--explores the power of youth, protest, and art.
House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas (Bloomsbury) - an adult title, but I know this author has a large YA audience, so I am including here for completeness. Moved from November 2021, then from January 2022.
Sarah J. Maas's sexy, groundbreaking CRESCENT CITY series continues with the second installment.
Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar are trying to get back to normal―they may have saved Crescent City, but with so much upheaval in their lives lately, they mostly want a chance to relax. Slow down. Figure out what the future holds.
The Asteri have kept their word so far, leaving Bryce and Hunt alone. But with the rebels chipping away at the Asteri’s power, the threat the rulers pose is growing. As Bryce, Hunt, and their friends get pulled into the rebels’ plans, the choice becomes clear: stay silent while others are oppressed, or fight for what’s right. And they’ve never been very good at staying silent.
In this sexy, action-packed sequel to the #1 bestseller House of Earth and Blood, Sarah J. Maas weaves a captivating story of a world about to explode―and the people who will do anything to save it.
We Were Kings by Court Stevens (Thomas Nelson) - previously titled The Ashes of Cruiser Island.
The at-first reluctant and soon-fiery Nyla and her sidekick (and handsome country island boy), Sam Stack, bring Frankie’s case to the international stage through her YouTube channel Death Daze. They step into fame and a hometown battle that someone’s still willing to kill over. The senator? The philanthropist? The pawn shop owner? Nyla’s own mother?
Best advice: Don’t go to family dinner with the Kings. More people will leave the dining room in body bags than on their own two feet. And as for Francis Quick, she’s a gem . . . even if she’s guilty.
February 22nd
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh (Feiwel and Friends)
Deadly storms have ravaged Mina’s homeland for generations. Floods sweep away entire villages, while bloody wars are waged over the few remaining resources. Her people believe the Sea God, once their protector, now curses them with death and despair. In an attempt to appease him, each year a beautiful maiden is thrown into the sea to serve as the Sea God’s bride, in the hopes that one day the “true bride” will be chosen and end the suffering.
Many believe that Shim Cheong, the most beautiful girl in the village—and the beloved of Mina’s older brother Joon—may be the legendary true bride. But on the night Cheong is to be sacrificed, Joon follows Cheong out to sea, even knowing that to interfere is a death sentence. To save her brother, Mina throws herself into the water in Cheong’s stead.
Swept away to the Spirit Realm, a magical city of lesser gods and mythical beasts, Mina seeks out the Sea God, only to find him caught in an enchanted sleep. With the help of Shin—a mysterious young man with no soul—as well as a motley crew of demons, gods and spirits, Mina sets out to wake the Sea God and bring an end to the killer storms once and for all.
But she doesn’t have much time: A human cannot live long in the land of the spirits. And there are those who would do anything to keep the Sea God from waking…
From Dust, A Flame by Rebecca Podos (Balzer + Bray) - previously titled The Dust Alphabet, moved from January 2021, then moved from February 8th, release date not yet updated on Goodreads.
All of that changes on Hannah’s seventeenth birthday when she wakes up transformed, a pair of golden eyes with knife-slit pupils blinking back at her from the mirror—the first of many such impossible mutations. Promising that she knows someone who can help, her mother leaves Hannah and Gabe behind to find a cure. But as the days turn to weeks and their mother doesn’t return, they realize it’s up to them to find the truth.
What they discover is a family they never knew, and a history more tragic and fantastical than Hannah could have dreamed—one that stretches back to her grandmother’s childhood in Prague under the Nazi occupation, and beyond, into the realm of Jewish mysticism and legend. As the past comes crashing into the present, Hannah must hurry to unearth their family’s secrets—and confront her own hidden legacy in order to break the curse and save the people she loves most, as well as herself.
Extasia by Claire Legrand (Katherine Tegan Books)
My name is unimportant.
All you must know is that today I become one of the four saints of Haven. The elders will mark me and place the red hood on my head. They will give me my true name, and with my sisters I will stand against the evil power that lives beneath the black mountain—an evil which has already killed nine of our village’s men.
I will tell no one of the white-eyed beasts that follow me. Or the faceless gray women tall as houses. Or the girls I saw kissing in the elm grove.
Today I become a saint of Haven. I will rid my family of my mother’s shame at last and save my people from destruction. I am not afraid.
Are you?
From New York Times bestselling author Claire Legrand comes an emotionally searing and lyrically written novel that beckons readers to follow its powerful heroine into a world filled with secrets and blood—where the truth is buried in lies, and a devastating power waits, seething, for someone brave enough to use it.
The Turning Pointe by Vanessa L. Torres (Knopf)
When sixteen-year-old Rosa Dominguez pirouettes, she is poetry in pointe shoes. And as the daughter of a tyrant ballet Master, Rosa seems destined to become the star principal dancer of her studio. But Rosa would do anything for one hour in the dance studio upstairs where Prince, the Purple One himself, is in the house.
After her father announces their upcoming auditions for a concert with Prince, Rosa is more determined than ever to succeed. Then Nikki--the cross-dressing, funky boy who works in the dance shop--leaps into her life. Weighed down by family expectations, Rosa is at a crossroads, desperate to escape so she can show everyone what she can do when freed of her pointe shoes. Now is her chance to break away from a life in tulle, grooving to that unmistakable Minneapolis sound reverberating through every bone in her body.
Full Flight by Ashley Schumacher (Wednesday Books)
Everyone else in the tiny town of Enfield, Texas calls fall football season, but for the forty-three members of the Fighting Enfield Marching Band, it’s contest season. And for new saxophonist Anna James, it’s her first chance to prove herself as the great musician she’s trying hard to be.
When she’s assigned a duet with mellophone player Weston Ryan, the boy her small-minded town thinks of as nothing but trouble, she’s equal parts thrilled and intimidated. But as he helps her with the duet, and she sees the smile he seems to save just for her, she can’t help but feel like she’s helping him with something too.
After her strict parents find out she’s been secretly seeing him and keep them apart, together they learn what it truly means to fight for something they love. With the marching contest nearing, and the two falling hard for one another, the unthinkable happens, and Anna is left grappling for a way forward without Weston.
Ashley Schumacher’s Full Flight is about how first love shapes us—even after it’s gone.
Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz (Wednesday Books)
Edinburgh, 1817.
Hazel Sinnett is a lady who wants to be a surgeon more than she wants to marry.
Jack Currer is a resurrection man who’s just trying to survive in a city where it’s too easy to die.
When the two of them have a chance encounter outside the Edinburgh Anatomist’s Society, Hazel thinks nothing of it at first. But after she gets kicked out of renowned surgeon Dr. Beecham’s lectures for being the wrong gender, she realizes that her new acquaintance might be more helpful than she first thought. Because Hazel has made a deal with Dr. Beecham: if she can pass the medical examination on her own, the university will allow her to enroll. Without official lessons, though, Hazel will need more than just her books – she’ll need bodies to study, corpses to dissect.
Lucky that she’s made the acquaintance of someone who digs them up for a living, then.
But Jack has his own problems: strange men have been seen skulking around cemeteries, his friends are disappearing off the streets. Hazel and Jack work together to uncover the secrets buried not just in unmarked graves, but in the very heart of Edinburgh society.
Only a Monster by Vanessa Len (HarperCollins) - delayed from January 2022, then from February 1st.
Sixteen-year-old Joan is half-monster, and has always yearned to be a hero. But when Nick, the boy she loves, turns out to be a legendary monster slayer, Joan must embrace her own monstrousness to stop him.
When Nick attacks the monsters of London, Joan is forced on the run with the beautiful and ruthless Aaron Oliver, heir to a monster family that hates Joan’s own.
But Joan has more to fear than Nick … Her rare and dangerous monster power means that she’s being hunted down by the Monster Court, even as she fights to stop Nick.
Float by Kate Marchant (Wattpad)
Waverly Lyons has been caught in the middle of her parents’ divorce for as long as she can remember. This summer, the battle rages over who she’ll spend her vacation with, and when Waverly’s options are shot down, it’s bye-bye Fairbanks, Alaska and hello Holden, Florida to stay with her aunt.
Coming from the tundra of the north, the beach culture isn’t exactly Waverly’s forte. The sun may just be her mortal enemy, and her vibe is decidedly not chill. To top it off? Her ability to swim? Nonexistent.
Enter Blake, the (superhot) boy next door. Charming and sweet, he welcomes Waverly into his circle. For the first time in her life, Waverly has friends, a social life, and soon enough, feelings . . . for Blake. As the two grow closer, Waverly’s fortunes begin to look up. But every summer must come to an end, and letting go is hardest when you’ve finally found where you belong.
Wakers by Orson Scott Card (Margaret K. McElderry Books)
Laz is a side-stepper: a teen with the incredible power to jump his consciousness to alternate versions of himself in parallel worlds. All his life, there was no mistake that a little side-stepping couldn’t fix.
Until Laz wakes up one day in a cloning facility on a seemingly abandoned Earth.
Laz finds himself surrounded by hundreds of other clones, all dead, and quickly realizes that he too must be a clone of his original self. Laz has no idea what happened to the world he remembers as vibrant and bustling only yesterday, and he struggles to survive in the barren wasteland he’s now trapped in. But the question that haunts him isn’t why was he created, but instead, who woke him up…and why?
There’s only a single bright spot in Laz’s new life: one other clone appears to still be alive, although she remains asleep. Deep down, Laz believes that this girl holds the key to the mysteries plaguing him, but if he wakes her up, she’ll be trapped in this hellscape with him.
This is one problem that Laz can’t just side-step his way out of.
League of Liars by Astrid Scholte (Putnam) - pushed from 2021.
Ever since his mother was killed, seventeen-year-old Cayder Broduck has had one goal--to see illegal users of magic brought to justice. People who carelessly use extradimensional magic for their own self-interest, without a care to the damage it does to society or those around them, deserve the worst kind of punishment as far as Cayder is concerned. Because magic always has a price. So when Cayder lands a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to apprentice under a premier public defender, he takes it. If he can learn all the tricks of public defense, the better he'll be able to dismantle defense arguments when he's a prosecutor. Then he'll finally be able to punish the guilty without mercy.
But when he meets the three criminals he's supposed to defend, it no longer seems so black and white. They're teenagers, like him, and their stories are . . . complicated, like his. Vardean, the prison where Cayder's new clients are incarcerated, also happens to be at the very heart of the horrible tear in the veil between their world and another dimension--where all magic comes from.
League of Liars is a dark and twisty mystery set in a richly-drawn world where nothing is as it seems, rife with magic, villains and danger.
I LOVE your lists but I think you should consider taking down Rona Wang's book considering she plagiarized the whole thing.
ReplyDeletehttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1pPE6tqReSAXEmzuJM52h219f30oMDBWx80jlJ2KOCiY/edit