Articles tagged "#yalit"
Stars for MIRAGE
We’re thrilled that Somaiya Daud’s YA sci-fi/fantasy debut, MIRAGE, has received two starred reviews!
“Readers are thrown right into this incredibly built world with fully developed cultures and characters. Daud expertly uses a sci-fi setting to explore issues within our own society, particularly the effects of colonization on both individuals and cultures as a whole. This poetically written novel will appeal to many, particularly fans of CINDER by Marissa Meyer and AN EMBER IN THE ASHES by Sabaa Tahir.” —School Library Journal, starred review
“Daud’s gorgeously written novel features lush and poetic language that brings the setting into vivid color. In addition to the blend of [science fiction] and fantasy, Daud supplies a dash of forbidden romance destined to leave the reader gasping for breath . . . With an ending that is gut wrenching yet still hopeful, this immersive, captivating series starter is sure to have fans eager for the sequel.” —Booklist, starred review
MIRAGE will be available August 28 from Flatiron Books and Macmillan Young Listeners. readmoreremove
Day’s YA – MIRAGE
Hello, YA librarians!
Whew! We’re back from ALA Annual and, with that, our 2018 conference season comes to a close! The past few months have been such a fun and wild ride, and we certainly ended on a high note.
Speaking of ALA, some of you may have picked up this magical YA debut. If you were one of the lucky ones who got a copy, you’re going to want to put it at the top of your pile.
MIRAGE by Somaiya Daud
9781250126429
Available August 28, 2018 from Flatiron Books and Macmillan Young Listeners
Ages 13 to 18
Amani lives “on a small moon orbiting a large planet, in a small farmhouse in a small village” with her family. Their moon, Cadiz, is part of Mizaal Galaxy and is ruled by the Vathek Empire’s cruel king, Mathis, and his daughter, Princess Maram.
On Amani’s Majority Night—the night she is to become an adult in the eyes of her village and celebrate her coming-of-age—she is kidnapped by Vathek guards and forced to become Princess Maram’s body double. The one bright spot in Amani’s bleak situation is Idris, Maram’s fiancé (who’d mistaken Amani for Maram the first time they met). As Amani perfects her role as Maram and draws closer to Idris, she discovers the rebellion and an opportunity to use her position in an unexpected way. readmoreremove
Day’s YA – LEGENDARY
Happy Friday, YA librarians!
We’re ending this week with a *legendary* book recommendation! [insert How I Met Your Mother pun here]
LEGENDARY by Stephanie Garber
9781250095312
Available now from Flatiron Books
Also available in audio
Ages 13 to 18
You all know how much I loved CARAVAL, with its magical circus and evil mastermind, and now Stephanie Garber is back at it again with LEGENDARY (an instant #1 New York Times bestseller!!). This time the story is told from Scarlett’s sister Tella’s point of view (whom I adore), and oh boy, does she have a story to tell. readmoreremove
Teen Talk (6/14/2018 Edition)
Happy Thursday, YA librarians!
Check out our latest & greatest teen titles out this month, then join us on Twitter today at 2:30pm EST for Early Word YA Galley Chat (hashtag: #ewgcya) and tell us what you’ve been reading & loving!
KISSING GAMES by Tara Eglington
9781250075260
Ages 12 to 18
After a perfect first kiss, Aurora’s second kiss lands her boyfriend in the hospital, and her matchmaking strategies start to backfire in this sequel to HOW TO KEEP A BOY FROM KISSING YOU. When Aurora’s best friend decides to run for class president and offers up Aurora’s matchmaking service as one of her campaign initiatives, the kissing games begin. Aurora has to convince everyone that her program works—but that might be hard to do when it seems like her own love life might be falling apart.
“This light, dreamy, and easy read is filled with strong character development as the teens find their way in their everyday lives.” —School Library Journal
BRING ME THEIR HEARTS by Sara Wolf
9781640631465
Ages 14 and up
Zera is a Heartless—the immortal, unageing soldier of a witch. Bound to the witch Nightsinger ever since she saved her from the bandits who murdered her family, Zera longs for freedom from the woods they hide in. With her heart in a jar under Nightsinger’s control, she serves the witch unquestioningly . . . until Nightsinger asks Zera for a Prince’s heart in exchange for her own. So begins a game of cat and mouse between a girl with nothing to lose and a boy who has it all. Winner takes the loser’s heart. Literally.
“Zera is an exemplar of confident, capable, relentlessly witty young womanhood. She is assertive, proactive, and, above all, a fun character to follow . . . ” —Kirkus Reviews
Also available this month in trade paperback from Flatiron Books:
IF I WAS YOUR GIRL by Meredith Russo
9781250078414
Ages 13 to 18
Amanda Hardy is the new girl in school in Lambertville, Tennessee. Like anyone else, she wants to make friends and fit in. But Amanda has a secret. She’s determined not to get too close to anyone. Because the secret that Amanda’s been keeping? At her old school, she used to be Andrew. IF I WAS YOUR GIRL is an award-winning, bighearted novel about being seen for who you really are, and a love story you can’t help rooting for.
“Above all, this is a necessary, universal story about feeling different and enduring prejudices, and it’s full of love, hope, engaging writing, and truth.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
AFTERCARE INSTRUCTIONS by Bonnie Pipkin
9781250114853
Ages 12 to 18
“Troubled.” That’s seventeen-year-old Genesis according to her small New Jersey town. She finds refuge and stability in her relationship with her boyfriend, Peter—until he abandons her at a Planned Parenthood clinic during their appointment to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. The betrayal causes Gen to question everything. This powerfully immersive and format-crushing debut follows Gen from dorm rooms to diners to house parties to auditions—and ultimately, right into readers’ hearts.
“Genesis’s conflicted relationships with her mother, grandparents, and friends are as engrossing as her breakup with Peter, and her story packs a big emotional punch.” —Publishers Weekly
Check out all of our 2018 Books for Teens!
BFYA 2019 Nominee – SKY IN THE DEEP
Congratulations to our nominee for YALSA’s 2019 Best Fiction for Young Adults list: SKY IN THE DEEP!!
SKY IN THE DEEP by Adrienne Young
Available now from Wednesday Books
Ages 12 to 18
OND ELDR. BREATHE FIRE.
Raised to be a warrior, seventeen-year-old Eelyn fights alongside her Aska clansmen in an ancient, rivalry against the Riki clan. Her life is brutal but simple: fight and survive. Until the day she sees the impossible on the battlefield—her brother, fighting with the enemy—the brother she watched die five years ago. Faced with her brother’s betrayal, she must survive the winter in the mountains with the Riki, in a village where every neighbor is an enemy. But when the Riki village is raided by a ruthless clan, Eelyn must confront her own definition of loyalty and family while daring to put her faith in the people she’s spent her life hating. readmoreremove
Day’s YA – THE RAGING ONES
Hey there, YA librarians!
My latest Day’s YA pick is a thrilling YA sci-fi novel, full of twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat!
THE RAGING ONES by Krista & Becca Ritchie
9781250128713
Available August 14, 2018 from Wednesday Books
Ages 12 to 18
Franny, Court, and Mykal live in a world where everyone knows the day that they are going to die. This fateful date is printed on their identification cards alongside their birthdates. Based on these dates, people in their world are divided into three categories: Influentials, those who will live past thirty and have the most time to make a difference; Fast-Trackers, those who will die between the ages of thirteen and twenty-nine and live wild, reckless lives; and Babes, those whose years are the fewest and will only live to be twelve, at the oldest. No one ever dies before their deathday or lives beyond it—until our three main characters somehow find themselves alive after their assigned deathdays. readmoreremove
Publishers Weekly Spotlight on Somaiya Daud
Somaiya Daud, author of MIRAGE (available August 28, 2018 from Flatiron Books and Macmillan Audio), was featured in Publishers Weekly earlier this month.
In the feature, Daud discusses the role that her Moroccan heritage plays in the novel, specifically the inspiration she found in Moroccan poet Laabi Abdellatif.
“‘I’d known that poetry could be and often was a form of dissent,’ Daud says, ‘but it took on new meaning as I wrote this novel because I was drawing so heavily on my Moroccan roots to shape the world.’ With the assistance of her mother and her aunt, Daud sought out and translated poems from Arabic-speaking women to include in the novel, bringing these works to an audience who likely would not have read them otherwise. For [the main character,] Amani, as her days as a prisoner in the imperial palace become increasingly bleak, the poems [in the novel] serve as ‘a light in the darkness.'”
Click here to read the full article.
Check out all of our 2018 Books for Teens here.
Day’s YA – DEAR READER
Happy Wednesday, YA pals!
Do you love classic literature with a modern twist? Well, dear reader, have I got just the book for you!
DEAR READER by Mary O’Connell
Available now in hardcover and audio from Flatiron Books YA and Macmillan Audio
Available in trade paperback on December 4, 2018 from Flatiron Books YA
Ages 13 and up
When seventeen-year-old Flannery Fields’ favorite teacher (Miss Sweeney) misses class, Flannery knows something is tragically wrong. Flannery temporarily forgoes her good-girl persona, ditches school, and steals Miss Sweeney’s beloved copy of Wuthering Heights to gain more insight into Ms. Sweeney’s disappearance. But when Flannery opens the book, she finds a strange account of her teacher’s day, leading Flannery on a spontaneous trip to New York City. As Flannery wanders the city, following the clues she finds in the magical pages of Wuthering Heights, she ends up at Columbia University and meets Heath Smith—a handsome and mysterious boy from England who bears an uncanny resemblance to Brontë’s Heathcliff. Heath joins Flannery on her search for Miss Sweeney (who is spiraling downwards with every turn of the page), and the two of them end up on a magical, literary adventure.
Mary O’Connell’s novel is incredibly lovely. She has truly crafted a love letter to classic literature, but with a unique contemporary twist. The contrasting voices of Flannery’s third-person narrative and Miss Sweeney’s first-person account are thoughtful and captivating—I was completely swept up in their adventures. The touch of magical realism is just enough to add a hint of the fantastical to an otherwise totally plausible story. Ideal for fans of Gilmore Girls and THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS by E. Lockhart (and, of course, Wuthering Heights), DEAR READER is a boarding school tale like no other. readmoreremove
BFYA 2019 Nominee: THE HAZEL WOOD
Congratulations to our nominee for YALSA’s 2019 Best Fiction for Young Adults list: THE HAZEL WOOD!!
THE HAZEL WOOD by Melissa Albert
Available now from Flatiron Books YA
Ages 12 to 18
Welcome to THE HAZEL WOOD, Melissa Albert’s fierce, captivating contemporary fantasy about a seventeen-year-old girl who must venture into the world behind a pitch-dark, cult-classic collection of fairy tales to save her mother.
You can view the full list of nominees here.
