Best Young Adult Books: Top Picks from YA Bloggers in the Know, #2
By Nicki Richesin, The Children’s Book Review
Published: May 9, 2012
We asked the sassy ladies at Forever Young Adult (you know Sarah, Jenny, Erin, Meghan and Megan) to choose the five books they’re most anticipating reading this spring and summer. A website devoted to all things YA, Forever Young Adult consists of five women who say they haven’t yet grown up. They write a mix of book reviews, movie analysis, TV posts and fashion, all with a hefty dose of sarcasm and hyperbole, that can be found at foreveryoungadult.com. We’ve enjoyed reading their hilarious accounts from everything to an obsessive love of Dolly Parton to their guilty confession about secretly reading novels by Nora Roberts.
At Forever Young Adult, the only thing we love more than new books is an early summer vacation in which to read those books. Here are five books that are piled at the very top of our suitcases.
By Meg Cabot
In this second book of Meg Cabot’s Abandon series, seventeen-year-old Pierce Olivia is being held captive in what we’re pretty sure is hell. Not metaphorical Hell. Actual Hell. Her captor’s the mysterious (and scorching hot) John Hayden, who claims that he’s keeping her safe from the malicious Furies haunting Pierce’s life. But can John Hayden be trusted? And can Pierce manage to escape Hell for a second time? This book is from reigning YA Queen, Meg Cabot, so expect a lot of humor, some super-swoony love scenes and an ending that has you begging for more.
Ages 14 and up | Publisher: Scholastic, Inc | May 8, 2012
In this refreshing twist on Shakespeare’s classic play, author Rebecca Serle explores the perspective of Rosaline, the girl Romeo kicked to the curb after he met Juliet. Heartbroken after being dumped by her long-time crush, Rosaline must pick up the pieces and redefine herself, even as tragedy unfolds around her. Set in present day, this novel is a deeply compelling look at adolescent identity and transformation, and Serle manages to breathe new life into the cliché of star-crossed lovers. Every character’s voice hums with authenticity, and the romance is intense enough to make even Shakespeare jealous.
Ages 14-17 | Publisher: Simon Pulse | May 1, 2012
By Kristen Cashore (Graceling #3)
It’s been nearly a decade since Katsa and Po rescued Po’s cousin Bitterblue from her vicious, evil father King Leck. A decade in which Bitterblue has struggled to grow up and figure out how to be a good queen to a deeply wounded country. Sneaking out at night, a simple act of curiosity and rebellion, she meets two thieves who are destined to change her life, and maybe the entire kingdom. When she starts to question her advisers’ policies of forward thinking, she discovers the path to healing is more complex—and dangerous—than she can ever imagine. The third book in Cashore’s series manages to be more captivating and heart-pounding than the first two books combined.
Ages 14-17 | Publisher: Penguin Group | May 1, 2012
A year after all the adults disappeared overnight, the kids in the FAYZ have had more than their share of problems. But now that the Darkness has taken over the FAYZ, the kids will meet their biggest challenge yet. As their worst fears become manifest and traumatized children are pushed to the edge of madness, the residents of the FAYZ find themselves having to trust each other more than ever to survive. The fifth in Michael Grant’s Gone series, expect yet another heart-pounding, edge-of-the-seat descent into madness.
Ages 12-14 | Publisher: HarperCollins | April 3, 2012
After narrowly escaping the chaos that was unleashed by one faction on the entire city, Tris Prior joins her friends—and some she thought were her enemies—in seeking an alliance with the remaining factions to prepare for war. But as lines are drawn and sides chosen, Tris, crippled by her own grief, discovers that the war about to be waged could destroy an important truth—a truth her parents died trying to protect. If she follows her instincts, she just might be able to save that information, but she’ll have to betray the one person she loves to do it. In this much anticipated sequel, Roth takes us on a thrill ride deeper into the world of the Divergent, and those who would use mind control to keep an entire city enslaved.
Ages 14-17 | Publisher: HarperCollins | May 1, 2012
A big thank-you to the talented and funny ladies of Forever Young Adult!!!
Nicki Richesin is the editor of four anthologies The May Queen, Because I Love Her, What I Would Tell Her, and Crush. She is a regular contributor to Huffington Post, Daily Candy, 7×7, Red Tricycle, and San Francisco Book Review. Nicki has been reading to her daughter every day since she was born. For more information, visit: https://nickirichesin.com/.