What happened in YA this month? Here is a quick round up of featured posts on The Hub and other links to keep you up to date when collecting for your teens. Selected list nominations are here!
Month: October 2019
Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2020) Nominees Round Up, October 31 Edition
Click here to see all of the current Great Graphic Novels nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.
Sabrina the Teenage Witch by Kelly Thompson and Veronica Fish
Archie Comics
Publication Date: December 10, 2019
ISBN: 978-1682558058
In this reboot of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Sabrina Spellman has just moved to Greendale with her aunts Hilda and Zelda and their sassy talking cat (and former wizard), Salem. Sabrina blondes up her naturally white hair in an attempt to fit in better, but this falls to the bottom of her priority list when she is attacked by monsters outside of the high school. As Sabrina works to solve the mystery of the monsters and the surging magic in Greendale, she also catches the attention of love interests Harvey and Ren, makes friends with Jessa, and incurs the wrath of mean girl Radka. Continue reading Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2020) Nominees Round Up, October 31 Edition
Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2020) Nominees Round Up, October 31 Edition
Click here to see all of the current Amazing Audiobooks nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.
Screen Queens by Lori Goldstein; Narrated by Jorjeana Marie
Razorbill/Penguin Random House
Publication Date: June 11, 2019
ISBN: 9780593103531
The incredibly competitive tech incubator competition this summer has the first all-female team, comprised of organizer Lucy Katz, designer Maddie Li, and coder Delia Meyer. From diverse backgrounds, each has different goals for themselves and their team. Throughout the five-week project, they must overcome stereotypes of each other and their competitors to see if they can hack it.
Continue reading Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2020) Nominees Round Up, October 31 Edition
Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2020) Nominees Round Up, October 29 Edition
Click here to see all of the current Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.
Simon & Louise by Max de Radiguès
Conundrum Press
Publication Date: August 6, 2019
(Originally published 2017 in France, Éditions Sarbacane)
ISBN: 978-1772620351
Young love is tested in this (translated) French graphic novel told from a “his” and “hers” perspective. Louise is heading to Montpelier for the summer with family, and the day after she leaves Simon receives a break-up text from her. In Simon’s story, he sneaks away from home and hitches a ride to Montpelier to find Louise and win her back. Her story reveals that her decision to break up with Simon was less black and white and more about testing out her feelings and what she wants in relationships.
The clean art style makes it easy for young adult readers to visually follow the plot, and the accompanying text is easy to read and often humorous. The dual narrative makes this story interesting and accessible to teens, who will want to learn more about Louise’s perspective after reading Simon’s story. This is a quick, compelling read that deals with common themes in adolescence. Teens will appreciate the honesty in this book: that figuring out who they are in relation to others isn’t usually easy. Continue reading Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2020) Nominees Round Up, October 29 Edition
Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2020) Nominees Round Up, October 25 Edition
Click here to see all of the current Best Fiction for Young Adults nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.
The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg
Henry Holt and Company / Macmillan
Publication Date: May 28, 2019
ISBN: 978-1250293855
Ana is a Fantasist, one of seven hybrid princesses who inhabit The Kingdom. Since the main purpose behind her creation is to “please” humanity, her murder of the young man with whom she is obsessed raises questions about her humanity as well as the violent, bizarre behavior of some of the other park inhabitants.
Continue reading Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2020) Nominees Round Up, October 25 Edition
Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2020) Nominees Round Up, October 24 Edition
Click here to see all of the current Great Graphic Novels nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.
Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, translated by Janet Hong
Drawn and Quarterly
Publication Date: August 27, 2019
ISBN: 978-1770463622
Grass is the story of Lee Ok-sun, a Korean woman born into abject poverty and hard labor, denied any formal education, adopted out by her desperate parents, kidnapped off the street, and forced into sexual slavery as a “comfort woman” by the Japanese military during World War II. Upon liberation, Lee was outcast and homeless, eventually settling into an abusive marriage that kept her in China for the next fifty years before finally returning to Korea to reclaim her identity—and be rejected by her remaining family. Despite having “never known happiness from the moment I came out of my mother’s womb,” Lee is a survivor who refuses to be silent in the ongoing fight for comfort women to be recognized by the Japanese government. Lee’s story is not for the faint of heart, but author and artist Keum Suk Gendry-Kim tells it with compassion and respect, asking the reader to bear witness to these events, to face brutality head-on and endure.
Continue reading Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2020) Nominees Round Up, October 24 Edition
Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2020) Nominees Round Up, October 23 Edition
Click here to see all of the current Amazing Audiobooks nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.
Frankly in Love, by David Yoon; Narrated by Raymond J. Lee
Listening Library / Penguin Audio
Publication Date: September 10, 2019
ISBN: 978-0593105603
Frank Li can’t shake his hyphen — despite being born in SoCal and barely speaking Korean, he and his “Limbo” friends straddle two worlds as the children of immigrants, forever Korean-American and not just American. Filial duty dictates Frank fall in love with a nice Korean girl, but the heart wants what it wants and Frank falls hard for Brit, a brilliant, quirky and, well — white — classmate. Staging an elaborate fake-dating ruse with fellow dating-outside-their-culture Limbo, Joy buys both Frank and Joy some freedom from their parents’ scrutiny. As the lies — and his life — grow increasingly complicated, Frank confronts the complexities of his family, identity, and relationships, as each, in turn, crumbles. An immersive coming-of-age story with tender romance, loyal friendships, and a willingness to tackle tough questions about race and identity.
Continue reading Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2020) Nominees Round Up, October 23 Edition
Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2020) Nominees Round Up, October 22 Edition
Click here to see all of the current Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.
Have a Little Faith in Me by Sonia Hartl
Page Street Kids
Publication Date: September 3rd 2019
ISBN: 978-1624147975
Cece has a plan: follow her ex-boyfriend to a Christian summer camp to get him back. He broke up with her to return to his (abstinent) faith, so what better way to show him she is worthy than participating in his Jesus camp? Her plan goes sideways when she realizes she doesn’t want him back, and perhaps the one she does want has been by her side all along.
Snarky and irreverent, Have a Little Faith keeps a light tone while dealing with serious subjects. Starting with Cece throwing water filled condoms out her window at her best friend next door and going though her adventures at camp, it includes lots of real consent and teen sex talk. This sweet friends to lovers romance moves along at a rolling pace to keep readers engaged. Continue reading Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2020) Nominees Round Up, October 22 Edition
Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2020) Nominees Round Up, October 18 Edition
Click here to see all of the current Best Fiction for Young Adults nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.
All Eyes on Us by Kit Frick
Margaret K. McElderry Books / Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: June 4, 2019
ISBN: 978-1534404403
Carter Shaw is an heir to a real estate empire in West Virginia with his girlfriend, Amanda, whose family has benefited from the relationship playing the role as a power couple. Yet on the side, Carter is dating Rosalie. While Carter is falling in love with Rosalie, Rosalie is using Carter as a cover since Rosalie’s sexuality must be kept secret. Mysterious texts first surface to Amanda and then to Rosalie who must eventually work together to resolve the love triangle.
Continue reading Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2020) Nominees Round Up, October 18 Edition
Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2020) Nominees Round Up, October 17 Edition
Click here to see all of the current Great Graphic Novels nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.
Ascender, vol. 1: The Haunted Galaxy by Jeff Lemire, illustrated by Dustin Nguyen
Image Comics
Publication Date: October 29, 2019
ISBN: 978-1534313484
Picking up 10 years after the events of the Descender series, Andy and his daughter, Mila are living as outsiders on the planet Sampson. Instead of machines ruling the universe, now it’s magic from the vampire queen, known only as Mother. Mother has outlawed all technology and will destroy any tech and it’s owners she and her militia find. The UGC rebels still exist and Mother is determined to find them, especially after finding out that they too have magic now through a nameless mage. One afternoon in the forest, Bandit, Andy’s old robot dog, crash lands on Sampson, much to the surprise and delight of Andy (and Mila…who has never seen a robot before). Bandit’s arrival sets the militia after Andy and Mila and they must get off-planet as fast as possible, but where will they go and how will they get there?
Continue reading Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2020) Nominees Round Up, October 17 Edition