The Hub Bloggers Give Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our American readers! There are so many things we’re thankful for; here are a few things in the world of teen lit we’re especially happy about.

Gretchen Kolderup: I’m thankful that Rick Yancey’s fourth Monstrumologist book (the first was a Printz honor book) is going to see the light of day after all. I’m also thankful for really excellent audiobooks that make my commute so much more enjoyable.

Sarah Debraski: I am thankful that I finally gave in and read Daughter of Smoke and Bone (a current Best Fiction for Young Adults nominee) after hearing about it all year (even reading blog posts about it here). I often resist books with a lot of hype, but boy was this one worth it–I absolutely loved it and can’t wait for the sequel!

Erin Daly: I’m thankful for standalone fantasy books, like Finnikin of the Rock (featured on last year’s Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults) and for authors who make themselves accessible to their fans online. There are so many of these; some that I am particularly fond of are John Green, Maureen Johnson, Cassandra Clare, and Scott Westerfeld.

Amy Pelman: I’m thankful for author book tours. I love getting to hear authors speak and having them sign my books. Some of my memorable encounters include Neil Gaiman, Maggie Stiefvater, Chris Crutcher, Art Spiegelman, and Dave Eggers!

Mia Cabana: I’m thankful for dynamic and realistic adult characters! It makes me so happy when the parents/ adults in a YA book aren’t clueless or villains. Long Live Ken Dietz!

Sarah Wethern: I’m thankful for authors who don’t let me pigeon-hole them into particular genres in YA. Maggie Stiefvater truly wowed me with The Scorpio Races (another Best Fiction for Young Adults 2012 nominee). Beautiful language and an amazing story. I’ll never think of her as just one more YA paranormal writer ever again. I am also thankful for stories that represent so many different view points. It allows me to engage and grow as a reader and to better understand the world around me.

Sharon Rawlins: I’m thankful for the fact that Ultraviolet by R. (Rebecca) J. Anderson (yet another nominee for Best Fiction for Young Adults this year) was published and it’s not a paranormal book. It’s a great combination of a book about a girl with synesthesia who’s been accused of a crime and confined to a psychiatric facility and is struggling to make sense of it all, and, surprisingly, it’s also a science fiction book–something that’s not obvious when you start reading it. I also loved Rae Carson’s book The Girl of Fire and Thorns (nominated for Best Fiction for Young Adults 2012). It’s a girl power book about an inexperienced girl who’s forced to marry a weak king for political reasons and grows into a confident and capable young woman, destined to be a leader in her own right. I do like paranormal books but I’m glad to see there are a few books being published that take a slightly different slant on the current craze for zombies, demons and angels. Amy Plum’s Die for Me is about a guy who’s a revenant. He’s an undead being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself over and over again to save the lives of others. I’m looking forward to more books like this.

Laura Perenic: I’m excited that the story The Borrowers by Mary Norton has been made into a movie by Hiyao Miyazaki and will be released in the US in February 2012. I am equally eager to read the film comics. The movie will be called “The Secret World of Arrietty.” I am also waiting happily to hear more about the movie “Unwind,” based on Shusteman’s novel Unwind. I cannot fathom how they will make this but I am so glad they are going to try. It’s so scary, and I think it will be a lot of fun.

What teen books, movies, graphic novels, or other things are you thankful for this year?