 |
| This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases. |
Welcome to Top
Ten Tuesday! Today, we’re talking about the July-December 2021 releases I’m
excited to read. In this post, I’m going to focus on young adult and
middlegrade books. There was a post a few weeks ago for adult books. If you’re
interested in the young adult books that came out in the first half of 2021, I
have a post for that too! So many posts!
Best Young Adult Book Releases 2021
Any Way The
Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell
Young Adult Fantasy
July 6, 2021
In Carry
On, Simon Snow and his friends realized that everything they thought they
understood about the world might be wrong. And in Wayward Son, they
wondered whether everything they understood about themselves might be wrong.
In Any Way the Wind Blows, Simon and
Baz and Penelope and Agatha have to decide how to move forward.
For Simon, that means deciding whether he still
wants to be part of the World of Mages -- and if he doesn't, what does that
mean for his relationship with Baz? Meanwhile Baz is bouncing between two
family crises and not finding any time to talk to anyone about his newfound
vampire knowledge. Penelope would love to help, but she's smuggled an American
Normal into London, and now she isn't sure what to do with him. And Agatha?
Well, Agatha Wellbelove has had enough.
Why I’m excited to read it: I read the first book in this series when it came out
and loved it, but I never carried on with the series. (Haha, see what I did there?
The first book is called Carry On.
Get it? I never carried on with. . . never mind.) I loved the first book because it’s
like an ultra-contemporary spin on Harry Potter. The wizard kids drive cars and
text each other on cell phones. It’s creative and funny. I’m interested to see how the trilogy ends.
The Taking Of
Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass
Young Adult Horror
July 13, 2021
Jake
Livingston is one of the only Black kids at St. Clair Prep, one of the others
being his infinitely more popular older brother. It’s hard enough fitting in
but to make matters worse and definitely more complicated, Jake can see the
dead. In fact he sees the dead around him all the time. Most are harmless.
Stuck in their death loops as they relive their deaths over and over again,
they don’t interact often with people. But then Jake meets Sawyer. A troubled
teen who shot and killed six kids at a local high school last year before
taking his own life. Now a powerful, vengeful ghost, he has plans for his
afterlife–plans that include Jake. Suddenly, everything Jake knows about ghosts
and the rules to life itself go out the window as Sawyer begins haunting him
and bodies turn up in his neighborhood. High school soon becomes a survival
game–one Jake is not sure he’s going to win.
Why I’m excited to read it: Well, not the
cover. Sorry, but it’s hideous. I actually thought this was a comedy horror
book when I saw it on Goodreads. If you ignore the cover, the synopsis
sounds completely captivating! I want to know everything about Sawyer the Unfriendly Ghost. This novel has the
potential to be creepy and action-packed and thought-provoking. I’m crossing my
fingers that it’s a horror book with depth.
A Lesson In
Vengeance by Victoria Lee
Young Adult Fantasy Thriller
August 3, 2021
Felicity
Morrow is back at Dalloway School.
Perched in the Catskill Mountains, the
centuries-old, ivy-covered campus was home until the tragic death of her
girlfriend. Now, after a year away, she’s returned to graduate. She even has
her old room in Godwin House, the exclusive dormitory rumored to be haunted by
the spirits of five Dalloway students—girls some say were witches. The Dalloway
Five all died mysteriously, one after another, right on Godwin grounds.
Witchcraft is woven into Dalloway’s history. The
school doesn’t talk about it, but the students do. In secret rooms and shadowy
corners, girls convene. And before her girlfriend died, Felicity was drawn to
the dark. She’s determined to leave that behind her now; all Felicity wants is
to focus on her senior thesis and graduate. But it’s hard when Dalloway’s
occult history is everywhere. And when the new girl won’t let her forget.
It’s Ellis Haley’s first year at Dalloway, and
she’s already amassed a loyal following. A prodigy novelist at seventeen, Ellis
is a so-called “method writer.” She’s eccentric and brilliant, and Felicity
can’t shake the pull she feels to her. So when Ellis asks Felicity for help
researching the Dalloway Five for her second book, Felicity can’t say no. Given
her history with the arcane, Felicity is the perfect resource.
And when history begins to repeat itself,
Felicity will have to face the darkness in Dalloway–and in herself.
Why I’m excited to read it: I want to read a book about historical witches, but I haven’t
found a good one yet. I’m looking for something complex, unique, and atmospheric.
I’ll give this one a shot and see if it satisfies my witchy craving.
The Dead And
The Dark by Courtney Gould
Young Adult Fantasy / Horror
August 3, 2021
Something is
wrong in Snakebite, Oregon. Teenagers are disappearing, some turning up dead,
the weather isn’t normal, and all fingers seem to point to TV’s most popular
ghost hunters who have just returned to town. Logan Ortiz-Woodley, daughter of
TV's ParaSpectors, has never been to Snakebite before, but the moment
she and her dads arrive, she starts to get the feeling that there's more
secrets buried here than they originally let on.
Ashley Barton’s boyfriend was the first teen to
go missing, and she’s felt his presence ever since. But now that the Ortiz-Woodleys
are in town, his ghost is following her and the only person Ashley can trust is
the mysterious Logan. When Ashley and Logan team up to figure out who—or
what—is haunting Snakebite, their investigation reveals truths about the town,
their families, and themselves that neither of them are ready for. As the
danger intensifies, they realize that their growing feelings for each other could
be a light in the darkness.
Why I’m excited to read it: It’s giving me vibes of Victoria Schwab’s City Of Ghosts, but this book is
for older teens, so it’ll probably be darker and weirder. I hope so! I love
books about family secrets and mysterious little towns. Bring on the ghostly
strangeness.
How We Fall
Apart by Katie Zhao
Young Adult Thriller
August 3, 2021
Nancy Luo is
shocked when her former best friend, Jamie Ruan, top ranked junior at Sinclair
Prep, goes missing, and then is found dead. Nancy is even more shocked when
word starts to spread that she and her friends—Krystal, Akil, and Alexander—are
the prime suspects, thanks to "The Proctor," someone anonymously
incriminating them via the school's social media app.
They all used to be Jamie's closest friends, and
she knew each of their deepest, darkest secrets. Now, somehow The Proctor knows
them, too. The four must uncover the true killer before The Proctor exposes
more than they can bear and costs them more than they can afford, like Nancy's
full scholarship. Soon, Nancy suspects that her friends may be keeping secrets
from her, too.
Why I’m excited to read it: So many secrets! This book could get dark and twisted.
Normally, I don’t read thrillers, but I’m intrigued by “The Proctor” and the
role of social media in this story. Social media can be pretty horrifying.
Mercury Boys by Chandra Prasad
Young Adult Science Fiction
August 3, 2021
After her life
is upended by divorce and a cross-country move, 16-year-old Saskia Brown feels
like an outsider at her new school—not only is she a transplant, she’s biracial
in a population of mostly white students. One day while visiting her only
friend at her part-time library job, Saskia encounters a vial of liquid
mercury, then touches an old daguerreotype—the precursor of the modern-day
photograph—and makes a startling discovery. She is somehow able to visit the
man in the portrait: Robert Cornelius, a brilliant young inventor from the
nineteenth century. The hitch: she can see him only in her dreams.
Saskia shares her revelation with some
classmates, hoping to find connection and friendship among strangers. Under her
guidance, the other girls steal portraits of young men from a local college's
daguerreotype collection and try the dangerous experiment for themselves. Soon,
they each form a bond with their own "Mercury Boy," from an injured
Union soldier to a charming pickpocket in New York City.
At night, the girls visit the boys in their
dreams. During the day, they hold clandestine meetings of their new secret
society. At first, the Mercury Boys Club is a thrilling diversion from their
troubled everyday lives, but it's not long before jealousy, violence, and
secrets threaten everything the girls hold dear.
Why I’m excited to read it: I love books about time travel, fantasy portals, and
parallel universes, so of course I have to read this one! It sounds unique. I’m
interested in the dark twist at the end of the synopsis. I want to know about
the “jealousy, violence, and secrets.” How does dreaming about long-dead boys tear a
friend group apart?
In The Wild
Light by Jeff Zentner
Young Adult Contemporary Fiction
August 10, 2021
Life in a
small Appalachian town is not easy. Cash lost his mother to an opioid addiction
and his Papaw is dying slowly from emphysema. Dodging drug dealers and watching
out for his best friend, Delaney, is second nature. He’s been spending his
summer mowing lawns while she works at Dairy Queen.
But when Delaney manages to secure both of them
full rides to an elite prep school in Connecticut, Cash will have to grapple
with his need to protect and love Delaney, and his love for the grandparents
who saved him and the town he would have to leave behind.
Why I’m excited to read it: Jeff Zentner wrote The Serpent King, which is one of my favorite YA contemporary books ever. He’s
brilliant at capturing the isolation that a person can feel when they’re stuck
in a small town. His characters are relatable and easy to love. I’m hoping for
another amazing Jeff Zentner book.
Vampires, Hearts & Other Dead Things by Margie Fuston
Young Adult Fantasy
August 24, 2021
Victoria and
her dad have shared a love of the undead since the first vampire revealed his
existence on live TV. Public fear soon drove the vampires back into hiding, yet
Victoria and her father still dream about finding a vampire together. But when
her dad is diagnosed with terminal cancer, it’s clear that’s not going to
happen. Instead, Victoria vows to find a vampire herself—so that she can become
one and then save her father.
Armed with research, speculations, and
desperation—and helped by her estranged best friend, Henry—Victoria travels to
New Orleans in search of a miracle. There she meets Nicholas, a mysterious
young man who might give her what she desires. But first, he needs Victoria to
prove she loves life enough to live forever.
She agrees to complete a series of challenges,
from scarfing sugar-drenched beignets to singing with a jazz band, all to show
she has what it takes to be immortal. But truly living while her father is
dying feels like a betrayal. Victoria must figure out how to experience joy and
grief at once, trusting all the while that Nicholas will hold up his end of the
bargain . . . because the alternative is too impossible to imagine.
Why I’m excited to read it: It’s about a teen’s quest to become a vampire, but not in a
gross Twilight kind of way. She wants
to be a vampire so she can save her father. That’s understandable. I’m
interested in the fantasy elements of the world. Vampires outed themselves on
live TV and then went back into hiding? Are there any other paranormal
creatures in this world? I’m excited to find out.
White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson
Young Adult Thriller / Horror
September 14, 2021
Marigold is
running from ghosts. The phantoms of her old life keep haunting her, but a move
with her newly blended family from their small California beach town to the
embattled Midwestern city of Cedarville might be the fresh start she needs. Her
mom has accepted a new job with the Sterling Foundation that comes with a free
house, one that Mari now has to share with her bratty ten-year-old stepsister,
Piper.
The renovated picture-perfect home on Maple
Street, sitting between dilapidated houses, surrounded by wary neighbors has
its . . . secrets. That’s only half the problem: household items vanish, doors
open on their own, lights turn off, shadows walk past rooms, voices can be
heard in the walls, and there’s a foul smell seeping through the vents only
Mari seems to notice. Worse: Piper keeps talking about a friend who wants Mari
gone.
But “running from ghosts” is just a metaphor,
right?
As the house closes in, Mari learns that the
danger isn’t limited to Maple Street. Cedarville has its secrets, too. And
secrets always find their way through the cracks.
Why I’m excited to read it: Goodreads describes it as “The Haunting of Hill House meets Get Out in this chilling YA psychological
thriller and modern take on the classic haunted house story.” I’m sold. I love
it when authors put modern spins on old tales. Also, I’ve read Tiffany D.
Jackson’s books before, and they’re amazing. She’s the queen of plot twists. I
expect this one will be a wild ride.
The Sister Who Ate Her Brothers: And Other Gruesome Tales by Jen Campbell
Middlegrade
Dark Fairytale Collection
October 12,
2021
Featuring fourteen short stories from China, India, Ireland,
and across the globe, The Sister Who Ate Her Brothers is
an international collection of the creepiest folk tales. Illustrated with Adam
de Souza’s brooding art, this book’s style is a totally original blend of
nineteenth-century Gothic engravings meets moody film noir graphic novels.
Why I’m excited to read it: If I would have seen this book in
the library as a child, it would have immediately come home with me. I was
obsessed with creepy tales. This book reminds me of Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark. I loved that collection so much
that I memorized it and traumatized everyone at Girl Scout Camp . . . .
Any Sign Of Life by Rae
Carson
Young Adult
Dystopia
October 12,
2021
Paige Miller
is determined to take her basketball team to the state championship, maybe even
beyond. But as March Madness heats up, Paige falls deathly ill. Days later, she
wakes up attached to an IV and learns that the whole world has perished.
Everyone she loves, and all of her dreams for the future—they’re gone.
But Paige is a warrior, so she pushes through
her fear and her grief. And as she gets through each day—scrounging for food,
for shelter, for safety—Paige encounters a few more young survivors. Together,
they might stand a chance. But as they struggle to endure their new reality,
they learn that the apocalypse did not happen by accident. And that there are
worse things than being alone.
Why I’m excited to read it: This book is being compared to Neal Shusterman’s Dry, which is one of my
all-time-favorite dystopias. It’s fast-paced, and the teen characters learn
that they’re not as badass as they first thought. Survival is a real struggle
for them. I’d love to find another book like Dry.
Welcome Back,
Maple Mehta-Cohen by Kate McGovern
Middlegrade Contemporary Fiction
October 12, 2021
Maple
Mehta-Cohen has been keeping a secret: she can’t read all that well. She has an
impressive vocabulary and loves dictating stories into her recorder—especially
the adventures of a daring sleuth who’s half Indian and half Jewish like Maple
herself—but words on the page just don’t seem to make sense to her. Despite all
Maple’s clever tricks to hide her troubles with reading, her teacher is on to
her, and now Maple has to repeat fifth grade. Maple is devastated—what will her
friends think? Will they forget about her? She uses her storytelling skills to
convince her classmates that she's staying back as a special teacher’s
assistant (because of budget cuts, you know). But as Maple navigates the loss
of old friendships, the possibility of new ones, and facing her reading
challenges head-on, her deception becomes harder to keep up. Can Maple begin to
recognize her own strengths, and to love herself—and her brain—just the way she
is?
Why I’m excited to read it: This sounds like my life story. I was in special ed classes
as a kid and struggled with everything
school-related, but I was excellent at making up crap and lying to people. I
think Maple will be a relatable character for a lot of young readers.
A Lesson in Vengeance sounds promising. I hope it delivers what you're hoping for.
ReplyDeleteLots of books on the spoopy side of life here - gotta love it ;)
ReplyDeleteI can’t wait to read White Smoke!
ReplyDeleteMy post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-book-titles-that-are-questions/
Though the book is not quite my speed, I think the cover art for Jake Livingston is fantastic. I feel the fear. I featured both Zentner's book and Vampires in past CWW posts. I am very excited about both. Zentner always pleases me.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to read IN THE WILD LIGHT.
ReplyDeleteHere's my TTT list.
I think I would have known you enjoy creepy books just from reading this list! I hope alll of these live up to your hopes for them. As for me... most of them sound maybe a little too creepy?
ReplyDeleteI'm intrigued by The Taking of Jake Livingston. I haven't heard of The Sister Who Ate Her Brothers, but I need to check it out. I'm sure my 13-year-old would enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteHere's my post: https://readbakecreate.com/?p=483
I've read ANY SIGN OF LIFE. It's good, but I think I like THE DRY better because it's more realistic and because it was so atmospheric that I literally felt thirsty the whole time I was reading it! I also really want to read WHITE SMOKE. It sounds amazing.
ReplyDeleteHappy TTT!
I haven't read Rainbow Rowell since Fangirl. Vengeance looks good too, I'd like to find a nice sophisticated story like that too and they're surprisingly hard to fine, it seems!
ReplyDeleteI am not usually into horror or creepy stories, but there is something alluring about The Sister Who Ate Her Brothers. Perhaps it's the international aspect of it.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been reading a ton of young adult/middlegrade recently, so these are all new to me, but it's nice to see the variety out there!
ReplyDeleteA Lesson In Vengeance sounds so good, sadly it doesn't come to the UK till February of next year.
ReplyDeleteMy TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2021/07/13/top-ten-tuesday-324/
I really want to read White Smoke, Jake Livingston, and How We Fall Apart too. I loved Carry On but need to read the 2nd book still!
ReplyDeleteLauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
I'm really looking forward to these - they all look so tempting!
ReplyDeleteOhhh, vanpire, hearts & other dead things sounds so good!! One, I absolutely relate girl… I, too, wouldve done everything to save my mother (she got an anonymous kidney transplant- she’s as good as ever!) and two, yeeess for bucket lists!!
ReplyDeleteKristina @ books-and-dachshunds.com
I'm really excited for the Jeff Zentner and Tiffany Jackson books. They both sound fantastic!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this list. Lots of books to look forward to!
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
Same, I read Carry On, enjoyed it but never continued the series, don't know why. I should change that!
ReplyDeleteI love the sound of Vampires, Hearts and Other Dead Things! That will be getting added to the wishlist. :)
ReplyDeleteI have no clue what is going on in the Young Adult genre at the moment. The only YA I read is ARC's.
ReplyDeleteSo your list is something to explore a bit. Thanks for sharing!
Elza Reads
I just snagged The Taking from the library and am excited about it. Agree about Vampires, Hearts...it sounds interesting. Great picks!
ReplyDeleteI want to read THE SISTER WHO ATE HER BROTHERS just based on the title. WELCOME BACK, MAPLE MEHTA-COHEN sounds really good too. I hope you enjoy each of these if you get a chance to read them.
ReplyDeleteWhere do I even start, SO many of these look incredible! I will say this, I have read two of them. The Dead and the Dark really delivered for me, The Mercury Boys less so. There were good parts but... well, I'll be reviewing it soon heh. VERY excited for Vampires, In the Wild Light, White Smoke, and Any Sign of Life- like I NEED those frankly! Hope we both enjoy them!
ReplyDeleteOk. I rarely read YA ... hard to admit ... but the Zentner novel sounds good .... and why not the apocalypse in Any Sign of Life. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteI just posted about Jake Livingstone earlier this week and said EXACTLY the same thing about that cover (and the blurb)! Welcome Back, Maple Mehta Cohen sounds brilliant — thanks for putting that on my radar!
ReplyDeleteSo many here that I want to read!
ReplyDeleteI need to snag a copy of The Dead and the Dark! How amazing is that cover?!?
ReplyDelete