YA Titles I have enjoyed this year…
I am presenting these at the local WLMA event this morning. Some of them have appeared on previous posts, as well.
The Host By Stephanie Meyer
I found this sci-fi tale of two girls in one body a much more accomplished story Twilight. Sci-Fi for people that don’t really like Sci-Fi.
Percy Jackson: The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
This is a satisfying ending to Riordan’s series, with a nice opening for a series about a new set of heroes and half-bloods.
Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan
A hit with guys. So much so that I had to order some of them from Australia. Good action, adventure, mystery with great relationships and other issues woven in.
Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
This sequel to last year’s Knife of Never Letting Go is as compelling as the first. You can hear the thoughts of boys and men, but not girls and women. One group of men use that as an excuse to rule. Thought provoking, surprising, disturbing.
Catching Fire By Suzanne Collins
I loved The Hunger Games and have waited anxiously for the sequel. They’re back in the games because the capital is facing an uprising inspired by their performance the first time around. Cliffhanger ending, but worth the wait.
Thirteen Reasons Why By Jay Asher
OK, not new, but I loved this book and thought it worth mentioning for those who haven’t found it yet. A girl commits suicide, but leaves behind a sort of chain letter that lets people know the impact their behavior had on her decision. Powerful.
Going Bovine By Libba Bray
Weird, but also sad and funny and irreverent. A boy with mad cow disease goes on a journey to save the planet accompanied by a punk rock angel, a little person named Gonzo, and the Norse God Balder disguised as a lawn gnome.
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
This is a book about cause and effect, time travel, and the power of choice. Really good. Really thought-provoking. Mystery, but also something more.
How To Steal a Car by Pete Hautman
A suburban girl deals with a complicated life and teenage angst by stealing cars instead of developing an eating disorder or using drugs. Nice device as Hautman takes you through each car’s theft.
Paper Towns By John Green
I love Green’s stuff. This one is part mystery, part coming of age, and part road trip. A girl disappears, but she leaves a “clue” for the neighbor boy to find. He is convinced she wants him to find her.
Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
A great Zombie book that’s not really that much about Zombies. A girl living in an isolated village surrounded by a forest filled with “unconsecrated” wonders if there is more to the world than what she sees. When the unconsecrated take over the village, she goes to find out.
Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd by Various Authors
A great collection of geek fiction from the likes of Libba Bray, M.T. Anderson, Scott Westerfield and many others. These bright stories resonate. These are the authors who get YA right.
Angry Management by Chris Crutcher
Three stories of anger gone awry, artfully told, which bring the return of several of Crutcher’s favorite characters. Crutcher fans will love them (Welcome back, Angus!) and those new to Crutcher will seek out his older books.
Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Twilight with Angels? Sort of, but this one brings it’s own spin on things. Angels are the new Vampires.
Hate List by Jennifer Brown
Two high school students bond over hating the same people, but when he takes their Hate List to the extreme, she has to survive the aftermath. Some heady issues, and a nice examination of what happens after a tragedy occurs.
How to Say Goodbye in Robot By Natalie Standiford
A unique, plutonic love story about two outsiders who connect on the fringes of teenage life. There is depth here, and the kinds of quirky details that help elevate a story above standard YA fare.
Last Night I Sang to the Monster by Benjamin Alire Saenz
Readers meet Zach in an addiction treatment facility, but he is struggling to remember not only how he got there, but what has happened to him to get him to this point. Those memories are the monster of the title, and the focus of the journal Zach writes as he heals. Saenz does not shy away from the truth in this unique and effective novel.
A Song for Summer By Eva Ibbotson
Not new, but reissued and marketed for young adults, Ibbotson’s historical novels are quality reading for girls looking for romance, strength, and self-discovery. Most set during WWII.
Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can’t Have by Allan Zadoff
Andy is a 306 pound social outcast in the midst of an unpromising high school career. Suddenly, a popular football player plucks Andy out of his obscurity and makes him a star. This is a funny, engaging, John Hughes-style teen makeover story.
The Maze Runner By James Dashner
Thomas wakes up in “the Glade” in the middle of a maze with no memory of how he got there. His new life is a game of survival where he and the other teenagers must work together to keep each other alive in the Maze. Fans of The Hunger Games will enjoy this one, in spite of its cliffhanger ending.
Books I plan to read…
Love is the Higher Law by David Levithin
Three teens in post-911 New York deal with the aftermath in different and intersecting ways.
Daniel X (series) by James Patterson
Daniel X has powers that can save the world. From the man who brought us Maximum Ride (among others).
Leviathan by Scott Westerfield
Alternate history WWI with a steampunk edge. I loved the Uglies series, so I’ll definitely check this out.
Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
A 54 year-old concierge and a suicidal 12 year-old come together in a Paris apartment building. Hugely popular in France.
Tombstone Tea by Joanne Dahme
A girl and a boy in a cemetery learning lessons from the ghosts of the inhabitants.
Taken by Edward Bloor
Our world in 2035 when it is commonplace for kids to be kidnapped and ransomed. But when Claire is kidnapped, things go horribly wrong and she’s on her own.
Juggling Fire by Joanne Bell
A girl’s idyllic life in the woods is disrupted by her father’s depression and disappearance. She takes off to find her own answers, reinventing fairy tales to keep herself entertained on the way.
Witch and Wizard by James Patterson
Totalitarian Society. Kids who discover powers that could save the world. Sounds familiar, but Patterson usually makes it a fun ride.
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia
A small town boy has dreams about a girl he’s never met. When a new girl moves to town, he can’t seem to stay away from her. “A curse…a girl…a grave.”
