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!