tehlor kay mejia

Genre Spotlight: Horror for Teens

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Fall is an excellent time to get into some spooky, haunty, ghoulish titles, and there are a variety of new books to tantalize teens. Horror isn’t so much a genre with a specific set of rules, but a mood that comes into a variety of other genres whether it is fantasy, paranormal, mystery, historical, or realistic and can contain elements of slasher, body horror, gothic, dark fantasy, or folk horror just to name a few. There are a variety of short story collections and novels for teens, and some adult crossovers to suggest that will be sure to give teens thrills and chills in whatever their genre inclinations are.

Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2021) Nominees Round Up, December 11 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.

Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly Book Cover — Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly

Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly
Scholastic Press
Publication Date: October 20, 2020
ISBN: 978-1338268492

Her whole life, Sophia was told by everyone that her soft heart made her weak. After losing her heart to the queen’s huntsman (who also narrates the story), she gets a clockwork replacement from the seven men of the woods, and begins a journey of self-discovery. Along the way, she gains some unlikely alliances, who all help her see that kindness and empathy have a power of their own.

In this feminist retelling of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, characters are often not what they first appear: a frighteningly large spider proves to be a gentle chef, a charming prince may be a heartless opportunist, and a wicked queen is a female ruler trying to hold her own in a world dominated by powerful men. Sophia grows from a browbeaten princess in need of rescuing to one who recognizes her own worth and figures out how to save not only herself but her entire kingdom.

Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2021) Nominees Round Up, April 10 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 New David Espinoza by Fred Aceves
HarperTeen / HarperCollins
Publication Date: February 11, 2020
ISBN: 978-0062489883

Self-proclaimed stickman David is repeatedly bullied. After he is “b*tch slapped” by a classmate in a humiliating moment that goes viral, he decides to change his physique over the summer break. He severely modifies his diet and joins a gym, but the lure of quick results tempts him to begin using anabolic steroids to bulk up.

Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2020) Nominees Round Up, August 14 Edition

Click here to see all of the current Amazing Audiobooks nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia; narrated by Kyla Garcia
HarperCollins and Blackstone Audio
Publication Date: February 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-1982610630

We Set the Dark on Fire, by Tehlor Kay Mejia, focuses on two women who have been bitter rivals, but now have entered the same man’s house to serve him. As the political tensions between classes rise and the personal tensions between the two females grow, listeners don’t know if the women will choose the resistance, the status quo, or each other.

Continue reading Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2020) Nominees Round Up, August 14 Edition

Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2020) Nominees Round Up, May 24 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.

Tin Heart by Shivaun Plozza
Flatiron Books / Macmillan Publishers
Publication Date: March 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-1250312761

After receiving a heart transplant, Marlowe struggles to adjust to her second chance at life. While dealing with the tribulations of being a teenager, including school, her unconventional vegan family, and a budding romance with the son of a butcher, she begins searching for her heart donor’s family, hoping it will help her move past her identity as the girl with the heart transplant, and secretly befriending her donor’s sister, Carmen.

Continue reading Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2020) Nominees Round Up, May 24 Edition