Hi and Happy New Year!

Here is a list of my favorite YA books from this past year.  I hope you find something to enjoy on these long winter nights (maybe even a snowy night if it ever snows…)

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby.

“Eighteen-year-old Finn, an outsider in his quiet Midwestern town, is the only witness to the abduction of town favorite Roza, but his inability to distinguish between faces makes it difficult for him to help with the investigation, and subjects him to even more ridicule and bullying.”

Loved the magical realism elements and the romance, which was well done.

Challenger deep by Neal Shusterman ; illustrations by Brendan Shusterman.

“A teenage boy struggles with schizophrenia. A brilliant but troubled high school student pretends to engage in sports activities and uses his artistic talents to document his voyage to the world’s most southern point while his friends observe his increasingly unbalanced behavior.:

A beautiful, haunting and accurate depiction of living with mental illness.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens agenda by Becky Albertalli.

“Sixteen-year-old, not-so-openly-gay Simon Spier is blackmailed into playing wingman for his classmate or else his sexual identity and that of his pen pal will be revealed”

Simon was a well-written character and this novel stood out as a realistic fiction gem among a sea of stranger titles.

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson.

“Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren’t the heroes everyone thinks they are. But as small acts of mischief escalate into a vicious battle, Lord Blackheart realizes that Nimona’s powers are as murky and mysterious as her past. And her unpredictable wild side might be more dangerous than he is willing to admit.”

Let’s hear it for a complicated, deep, and well-drawn female villain character!

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt.

“Jack, 12, tells the gripping story of Joseph, 14, who joins his family as a foster child. Damaged in prison, Joseph wants nothing more than to find his baby daughter, Jupiter, whom he has never seen. When Joseph has begun to believe he’ll have a future, he is confronted by demons from his past that force a tragic sacrifice.”

Do you want your heart broken by a novel?  Good; read this.

Okay, more books to follow!

Have a Happy New Year!

Sharon Long

Head of Teen Services