Skip to content

Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2020) Nominees Round Up, March 20 Edition

Published March 20, 2019

The Love and Lies of Ruhksana Ali by Sabina Khan
Scholastic Audio
Published Date: January 29, 2019
ISBN: 978-1987156225

This audio version of this debut novel immerses the listener in a domestic crisis as Ruhksana’s immigrant parents spirit her away to Bangladeshi to grapple with her sexual orientation and their own expectations. Meanwhile, Ruhksana tries to keep her relationship with her girlfriend Ariana going long-distance and works to explore her family’s own shadowy history. Narrator Richa Shukla does a deft job in switching between characters among three generations of Bangladeshi and Bangladeshi Americans, punctuating with particular enthusiasm the especially mouth-watering descriptions of South Asian foods.

Continue reading Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2020) Nominees Round Up, March 20 Edition

Leave a Comment

Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2020) Nominees Round Up, March 19 Edition

Published March 19, 2019

My Almost Flawless Tokyo Dream Life by Rachel Cohn
Hyperion / Disney
Publication Date: December 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-1368008396

On her 16th birthday, American foster teen Elle Zoellner is informed that her never-before-discussed father is a successful Japanese businessman who has sent for her to come live with him in Tokyo. Elle must face her past by meeting the father she never knew she had, while also contending with her mother who abandoned her to opioid addiction and is now in prison. What’s more, she has to adjust to the differences between Japanese and American life while living in a luxurious hotel and navigating an elite international high school.

Continue reading Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2020) Nominees Round Up, March 19 Edition

Leave a Comment

Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2020) Nominees Round Up, March 15 Edition

Published March 15, 2019

Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen McManus
Delacorte Press / Penguin Random House
Publication Date: January 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1524714727

After their mother is sent to rehab, Ellery, a true-crime enthusiast, and her twin brother Ezra move in with their grandmother, who lives in Echo Ridge. This small town in Vermont with a history of unsolved cases involving missing and murdered teenage girls, includes the disappearance of their mother’s identical twin sister over two decades ago. When new threats emerge targeting the homecoming queen and yet another girl goes missing, Ellery enlists the help of Malcolm, the younger brother of prime murder suspect Declan Kelly, determined to solve the mystery.

Continue reading Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2020) Nominees Round Up, March 15 Edition

Leave a Comment

2019 Teens’ Top Ten Giveaway Now Open!

Published March 14, 2019

Teens' Top TenIn celebration of the upcoming announcement of the 2019 Teens’ Top Ten nominees on April 11, the Thursday of National Library Week, we announced today the opening of applications for our Teens’ Top Ten Giveaway! 50 sets of the 2019 Teens’ Top Ten nominees will be given away to libraries in need with funding generously provided by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation! Eligible applicants can apply for the giveaway via the online form now. Please note, applicants must be personal YALSA members and be within 20 miles of a Dollar General store. Other eligibility requirements also apply. Learn more and apply by April 15. Continue reading 2019 Teens’ Top Ten Giveaway Now Open!

Leave a Comment

Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2020) Nominees Round Up, March 14 Edition

Published March 14, 2019

Marvel Rising written by Devin Grayson, Ryan North, and G. Willow Wilson, illustrated by Marco Failla, Georges Duarte, Roberto Di Salvo, Irene Strychalski, and Ramon Bachs
Marvel Worldwide/Marvel
Publication Date: November 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-1302912611

This book is a prequel to the film Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors. Squirrel Girl and Ms. Marvel team up for the first time, forging the backstory of their onscreen best friendship. College student Doreen Green (Squirrel Girl) volunteers to teach coding to high schoolers and Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) is one of those students. Another student in the class is manipulated into becoming a villain and Squirrel Girl and Ms. Marvel (with the help of America Chavez and Inferno) must stop her while trying to preserve their secret identities!

Continue reading Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2020) Nominees Round Up, March 14 Edition

Leave a Comment

Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2020) Nominees Round Up, March 13 Edition

Published March 13, 2019

Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus; Narrated by Sophie Amoss and Kirby Heyborne
Random House, Inc., Listening Library
Publication Date: January 8, 2019
ISBN: 9781984882370

True crime fan, Ellery, and her twin brother Ezra move to live with their grandmother in a town where two girls have gone missing or been killed near homecoming, including Ellery and Ezra’s aunt. Five years ago, a girl was found dead after homecoming, and the murderer was never caught. Malcolm has not had any easy go at high school, his brother was dating the girl who was killed five years ago and was the prime suspect. Since then, Malcolm and his family have been outcasts within the small town. When new threats start to appear near homecoming, Malcolm is suspected and Ellery could be in danger.

Continue reading Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2020) Nominees Round Up, March 13 Edition

Leave a Comment

#BFYA2020 Teen Feedback Session at Annual Conference in Washington D.C.

Published March 13, 2019

This year the American Library Association will be holding its Annual Conference in Washington D.C. and YALSA will be holding a Teen Feedback Session for the Best Fiction for Young Adults committee.

This is an opportunity for local teens to voice what they like or don’t like about the nominated books for this national selection list which will be published in 2020. This list of nominated books, which is updated monthly, is located on the #BFYA2020 current nominations landing page on The Hub. Teens must read at least three of these titles to participate in the Teen Feedback Session on Sunday, June 23rd from 1-2:30 pm.

Continue reading #BFYA2020 Teen Feedback Session at Annual Conference in Washington D.C.

Leave a Comment

Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2020) Nominees Round Up, March 12 Edition

Published March 12, 2019

The Unfortunates CoverThe Unfortunates by Kim Liggett
Tor Teen
Publication Date: July 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-0765381002

Grant Tavish, the 17-year-old son of a senator, is living with the guilt of being the only survivor of a fatal car crash. Unable to live with the guilt, he makes a plan to kill himself and make it look like an accident. However, things don’t go as planned and he gets caught in a cave-in and meets four other teens trying to escape the collapse. They have to work together and share their resources and knowledge to escape. Grant soon realizes that his new friends are not what they seem, but they help him on his emotional journey to overcome his guilt.

Continue reading Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2020) Nominees Round Up, March 12 Edition

Leave a Comment

Nerds in Love: Book Recommendations

Published March 11, 2019

It’s March, and I’m getting ready for C2E2, one of Chicago’s best pop-culture conventions. Whether you prefer the term nerd, geek, fanboy/girl, or pop culture enthusiast, 2019 is an excellent time to proclaim your love for things once stigmatized as being not cool, from playing Dungeons & Dragons to cosplaying as your favorite anime character to writing fanfiction of your favorite TV shows. YA authors and publishers are not immune to the geek chic trend; in Publisher’s Weekly May, 2017 article, “In the Age of Conventions, YA fans rule” they argue that the rise of novels with “plots that feature fandom, cons, and cosplay” is inevitable as authors interact more and more online and in person with their fans. In the novels that follow, fellow nerds find friendship and even love in comic book shops, at conventions, and while playing MMORPGS (for the uninitiated, that’s massively multiplayer online role-playing games).

Continue reading Nerds in Love: Book Recommendations

Leave a Comment