12/01/2014
Debut novelist Warga addresses adolescent depression and suicide with honesty and grace in this story of a scientific-minded Turkish-American 16-year-old who is preparing to end her life. Those in Langston, Ky., who don’t know Aysel Seran have likely heard of her father, who “slashed the Olympic dreams of the whole town” by murdering its most talented young athlete. Since her father’s incarceration, Aysel has been terrified that she inherited the gene that will make her a violent “monster” like him. Death seems like her only escape, but she doesn’t want to die alone. Thus she makes a suicide pact with Roman, a teen she finds on a website for those considering suicide. When they meet, Roman’s good looks and compassion are unexpected distractions; the more Aysel comes to understand Roman’s talents, desires, and regrets, the less certain she is that they are making the right decision. Through an eloquent first-person narrative, Warga crystallizes the significant turning points in Aysel’s attitudes and emotions, and celebrates the sparks of hope combatting the dark thoughts that threaten to destroy her. Ages 14–up. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Feb.)
Heartstopper fans rejoice! The novel that first introduced Nick and Charlie to the world is finally publishing in the United States for the very first time. And for new readers, Alice Oseman’s unflinching debut following Charlie’s older sister, Tori Spring, is a fantastic introduction to the vast (and growing) Heartstopper universe. Oseman’s US editor, David Levithan, knows the ins and outs of these characters and provided a bit of insight into Tori Spring’s struggles and other books that he thinks would resonate with Tori.
Happy Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month! Racial diversity is still a growing need in YA lit, but this year is seeing a nice amount of growth, finally, in YAs featuring main characters of Asian descent, from all over the continent and in a wide variety of genres. We had some great ones last year (highlights include Tell […]
In the YA community, readers talk a lot about One True Pairings. OTPs. And while all of us certainly swoon and sigh over those perfectly written couples, there’s another true pairing I always keep in mind when snuggling up to read a good read: What snack will pair perfectly with this book? That’s right, I’m […]
16 YA authors whose books we love dish on some of their favorite reads of 2015. We apologize for any damage done to the load-bearing structure of your to-be-read lists.
Welcome back to another edition of YAs That Get it Right, in which pros weigh in on YA books they think nailed an aspect of the human experience. Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, I asked some of my favorite authors of mental health YA, as well as (and including) authors who are also […]