Embedded research

 Embedded research is information that is embedded so seamlessly into the story that it enriches the detail and realism in the story without seeming didactic.  Students might ask, “What is the difference between historical fiction and fiction with embedded research?”  In answer to that question, I would say that historical fiction has main characters, who actually existed in situations that actually happened.  Stories with embedded research are about fictional characters in situations that might actually have existed or involve accurate details about what takes place. This month I'm recommending three new young adult novels that effortlessly weave actual historic events and technological information into engaging stories for delightfully informative reads. Contender from Delos by Leo Carrington takes place during the reign of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius and tells the tale of a young Greek wrestler who aims for glory.  Lady Knight by Amalie Howard takes place during the Regency Era 1811-1820 when young women were expected to conform to rigid behavioral constraints. The protagonist is part of a secret society of rebellious young women who are trying to break out of these mores. The Uncertainty Principle by Joshua Davis and his son Kal Kini-Davis focuses on a young woman whose parents decide the family will benefit from permanently setting sail on a boat her father restored. She spends her time onboard doing scientific experiments with solar technology and coping with difficult family dynamics. 

Contender from Delos is historical fiction which takes place in Greece and Rome in the second century AD. Born in Greece but raised in a poor Roman neighborhood during the reign of emperor Marcus Aurelius, Alexander dreams of being a champion wrestler. Winning many perilous informal bouts, Alexander is in danger of falling in with the local gang leader. His father gains Alexander the opportunity to train at an elite palestra, athletic training facility, run by Gaius by agreeing to go back into the Navy. However, his father dies at sea and Alexander is expelled from the school.  His mother Elena moves them back to live with her wealthy brother on Delos, the island which was the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. He begins to train again with Gaius’s rival Demetrius and helps to rebuild the palestra on Delos.  There he is befriended by Leon and falls in love with his sister Zoe, all while training against Zoe’s former boyfriend Dario. Because of his talent and integrity Alexander quickly rises in the ranks of elite wrestlers, but Elena harbors a dangerous secret which forced her to leave Delos when Alexander was born. Those who know the secret try to manipulate Alexander’s promising wrestling career. The historic authenticity of the novel adds to the sympathetic characters and engaging plot.

Lady Knight is a Regency Romance, the second in the Diamonds series. The "Lady Knights" is a clandestine social club for rebellious girls. They rob the rich to save orphans and the School for Ladies that they attend. Lady Zenobia Osborn, is determined to break out of the high society young lady’s mold. She dreams of being a composer and pianist. As a Lady Knight, she feels free to read controversial literature, sneak out at night to rob her brother’s friends, and compose “prepared piano” pieces.  Then Rafi Nasser, her brother’s best friend, discovers her secrets. He, too, wants to defy expectations and become a painter.  He agrees to keep her secret and she his to avoid scandal.  The  detailed Author’s Note explains the mores of the time, as well as the real-life characters that Rafi and Zia are based on. 

The Uncertainty Principle, referring to a cornerstone of quantum mechanics, focuses on a mentally unstable young girl named Mia. After an unfortunate incident with her best friend in Minnesota, Mia and her family set sail permanently on a sailboat her father restored. Mia spends her time working on science experiments involving solar power. Although it’s lonely, Mia has an imaginary friend, real-life Harvard scientist Lene Hau, a Danish physicist and mathematician, to keep her company.  Then the family meets an Australian family that has been living on the waves for five years. Mia is immediately attracted to their son Alby, and they quickly form a romantic relationship. However, her family is leaving and their attempt to keep in contact via satellite radio goes awry. Meanwhile her mentally ill germaphobe mother is making Mia miserable.  Her dad makes arrangements for her to go to Tennessee and live with his brother. But before she leaves, Mia meets and rescues wealthy socialite Nisha who is being bullied by her dad to jump off a cliff. They quickly bond and Nisha’s dad is impressed by Mia’s scientific knowledge and wants to set her up with a lab so he can profit from her findings. Then she is kissing Nisha, when Alby shows up with his family and Mia is totally confused as to how she can be attracted to both a boy and a girl.  Mia, a neurodivergent protagonist, is on a journey to discover herself and follow her destiny. The authors provide a sailing glossary and load the story with accurate information about solar technology and scientific philosophy for a very informative read.

The Love Triangle

According to AI Overview, the love triangle trope in romance novels can be described as a romantic relationship involving three people, usually two vying for the affections of the third. It creates tension and explores themes of jealousy, rivalry and choice. The third person in the triangle may be indecisive, unrequitedly in love with one of the suitors or be drawn to both. Three new YA novels attempt to add a fresh spin on the love triangle trope in unique ways. Something Like Fate by Amy Lea has a psychic predicting a girl named Lo meeting her soul mate on a backpacking trip, but the prediction is complicated by her feelings for her best friend. Love Unmasked by Becky Dean introduces Evie Whitmore who goes to Venice with her art class. By day she is attracted to Gabe her project partner, but by night she disguises herself to meet up with Angelo on a quest to find the Elven Realms from her favorite book series. All Paths Lead to Paris by Sabrina Fedel has Aurie McGinley, a fashion influencer, managing two fake dating relationships. One is between Aurie and her best friend pop star Remy St. Julien and the other is between her and her math tutor. She struggles to decide which romance she wants to be real. 

In Something Like Fate, the psychic women in Lo Zhao-Jensen's family have for generations foreseen meeting their soul mate.  When Lo finally has her vision, she finds she'll meet him on her backpacking trip to Italy. After her trip companion breaks her foot, Lo's best friend Teller Owens takes her place.  He has just broken up with his long-term girlfriend, and Lo thinks he needs a distraction. When they get to Italy, Caleb, a fellow backpacker saves Lo from getting hit by a runaway trolley, and she knows he's fated to be her great love.  However, her complicated feelings for Teller make Lo question fate.

Love Unmasked finds Evie Whitmore in Venice with her art and architecture class. Venice is not only an inspiration for her art, it is also the setting for her hidden passion, a series of novels entitled Elven Realms. It has a fan club which meets at night, wearing costumes and reenacting scenes from the books.  Sneaking out at night, she meets Angelo, another fan in disguise, who accompanies her on a quest to find the Eleven Realms. Meanwhile, during the day, Evie is partnered with Gabriel Martinez for her class project.  Gabriel is a loner, and people-pleaser Evie can't help but try to win his friendship.  As she and Gabe explore the city, working on their project, she begins to wonder where her heart lies: with Angelo in the fantasy realms or with Gabe in real life. 

The love triangle trope in All Paths Lead to Paris involves fake-dating.  Seventeen-year-old Aurie McGinley is a fashion influencer in Paris.  Her best friend is a pop star, Remy St. Julien whose publicity agent thinks a fake relationship between Aurie and Remy will boost their popularity.  But when they stage a kiss for her online video diaries, she finds herself developing real feelings for Remy, which he seems to rebuff.  To ward off the demise of their friendship, Aurie begins fake-dating her math tutor Kylian and her double life becomes even more complicated.  As she and Kylian draw closer and Remy becomes jealous, Aurie struggles to decide which love she wants to be real. 

Whether it's psychic predictions, lovers in disguise or fake-dating, the love triangle spins in these three new YA romances are sure to be entertaining summer reads. 

New Young Adult Mysteries

 When I asked google why mysteries are arguably the most popular literary genre, this was the answer.  "They engage the intellect, offer a thrilling escape from the mundane and prove a sense of satisfaction when the mystery is solved.  They challenge the reader to think critically, use their imaginations and experience vicarious excitement and fear. Additionally, the suspense, twists and turns keep readers engaged making them want to uncover the truth." If you are looking for a summer escape, I have three new YA mysteries to recommend. In Murder Between Friends by Liz Lawson a convicted murderer is out of jail due to a mistrial. Now his best friends must prove that he is innocent before his retrial sends him back to jail. All We Lost Was Everything by Sloan Harlow introduces River Santos, whose father died when her family's house burned down. When her mother disappears and River finds threatening notes in her father's safety deposit box, she begins to realize that her father's death in the fire may have been a revenge plot against him. Love on Paper by Danielle Parker is set at an elite writing retreat for teens.  A recently deceased author leaves behind a mystery for the attendees to solve as to where her final manuscript is hidden.

Murder Between Friends begins with the release of Jake Hanson from jail after he was convicted of killing a high school English teacher two years ago.  Now due to a mistrial, Jake is free and his brother Henry, friend Ally and Grace, the girl who testified against him, are trying to prove his innocence. Grace is rethinking what she testified she saw the night of the murder.  Although Ally and Henry are still angry with Grace, they realize that her help can be invaluable in proving Jake's innocence.  Jake's new trial date is coming up and unless the trio can find new evidence about the real killer, he will be reconvicted.  Written from Ally, Henry and Grace's perspectives, the twists and turns keep the suspense high in the new thriller from the author of The Agathas. 

In All We Lost was Everything River Santos lost her guitar, her songbook, and her clothes when her family's house burned down. But most importantly, her father died in the fire and her mother has disappeared. When River's friends create a "Go Fund Me" account to help with expenses, someone donates two million dollars, and she is mystified.  Working at a diner, she finds herself wondering if everyone who enters might be her benefactor.  Her coworker Logan Evans, who previously wouldn't give her the time of day, surprises her when he helps her save face in front of her ex, Noah Pierce, who inexplicably dumped her when she was expecting a proposal. Slowly, Logan and River's  relationship warms up, and he helps her investigate secrets about her family, as well as his own.  The fire may not have been an accident and her absentee mother is the prime suspect. The reasons for Noah's inexplicable defection also come to light. This story is not only a heart-pounding mystery, but also a complicated romance involving revelations about familial, as well as romantic love.

Love on Paper finds Macy Descano, Black Korean daughter of two famous authors, spending four weeks at Penovations, a teen writing retreat.  There she is paired with Haitian American Caleb Bernard, a writing "nepo baby" himself, and son of her parents' sworn enemies. The theme of the retreat is romance writing in honor of author Betty Quinn, who recently died.  She left behind a mystery for the teens uncover as to where her final manuscript is hidden.  In addition the attendees must submit a short story, and the five winners will be published in an anthology.  As Macy and Caleb follow the clues all around the Bay Area, they learn more about Betty's legacy, as well as each other and their families, Their growing chemistry and support of each other in their writing endeavors is charming and informative for budding writers. The story concludes with a reading list which includes recommendations from Shakespeare and Jane Austen to contemporary YA authors like Elise Bryant and Maureen Goo.

New Multicultural YA Novels

 Young adult novels about kids from different cultures lend themselves to teaching the writing of comparison contrast essays.  As students are reading their novel, they should be noting similarities and differences between their own culture and the culture represented in the book.  Brainstorming issues that vary from culture to culture, such as governments, food, religion, climate, holidays and living conditions, will help students organize their search. This month I will introduce three new YA books that would lend themselves to this exercise. First Love Language by Stefanie Valentine focuses on adoptee Catie Carlson who would like to investigate her Taiwanese heritage. In Maya in Multicolor by Swati Teerdhala Indian American Maya Satry joins the Hindu Student Association and volunteers to plan the campus Holi celebration.  Wish Upon a K-Star by Kat Cho finds K-drama actress Shin Hyeri and K-pop singer Moon Minseok starring in a Korean celebrity fake-marriage show.

In First Love Language Taiwanese American Catie Carlson lives with her white dad and stepmother after her parents’ divorce when she is five. When her dad dies of cancer, Catie finds herself longing to reconnect with her mother Ya-Jung in Taipei.  She meets Korean Blackanese Toby who agrees to help her relearn Mandarin in exchange for dating advice.  Catie agrees, although she has no knowledge of dating aside from her dad’s copy of The Five Love Languages.  Toby and Catie go on “practice dates” and as she learns more about her Taiwanese heritage, she finds herself falling for Toby. Topics of transracial adoption, the challenges Catie experiences in learning about her heritage, and how deeply her cultural identity is embedded in her heart are explored. The book is loosely based on the author's own life. 

The culture explored in Maya in Multicolor is Indian American. Maya Satry’s college career begins with a meet-cute with Thomas, who is a self-centered gamer.  After breaking up with him, she joins the Hindu Student Association as an event planner and is partnered with campus playboy Nishant Rai, aka DJ Nish, to plan the campus Holi celebration. Holi is a major Hindu festival celebrated as the Festival of Colours, Love, Equality and Spring. It is a cultural celebration that gives Hindus and non-Hindus an opportunity to have fun and play with other people by throwing colored water and powder at each other. Nish and Maya have very different plans for the festival. Nish imagines a contemporary EDM festival combined with an old-fashioned Holi dance party. Maya wants it to be a traditional celebration of life, love and renewal. When Thomas blocks her from a dating app, Nish offers to set Maya up on dates if she will compromise with him on party plans.  Their opposing perspectives make for engaging tension, as the two begin to fall for each other. Themes of cultural identity, personal growth and romance make for an enjoyable read.

In Wish Upon a K-Star K-drama actress Shin Hyeri and K-pop heartthrob Moon Minseok are childhood “frenemies.”  After an altercation at a festival, they are forced to star in a celebrity fake-marriage show to repair their images. As they spend time together, their attraction is impossible to ignore.  Solving the mystery of who is sabotaging Hyeri’s career, working through Hyeri’s indecision about accepting a role in an American drama, and resolving the conflict between Minseok and one of his bandmates, are a few of the subplots that keep the story rolling.  Inclusion of mixed media news articles and blogs about Hyeri’s problems with the press create veracity, as the story explores the world of South Korean idol culture. I got a tutorial from the internet on all the Korean terms of endearment and respect that were used, as well as the exotic food offerings.

 

Death and Dying in New YA Novels

 Death and dying are frequent topics in young adult novels, but usually the main character is dealing with the death of a loved one, rather than anticipating it. In three new poignant YA novels, suspense is created by risky behavior or ill health that may result in death. In Every Borrowed Beat by Erin Stewart a young heart transplant recipient struggles not only with the fear of her body rejecting the heart, but also with the anguish of waiting for her best friend to receive a donor heart as she nears death. When We Ride, a novel-in-verse by Rex Ogle, chronicles the relationship between two friends: Lawson, a drug dealer and his friend Diego, a straight arrow who can't deny his friend transportation to his risky drug deals.  A Wish for Us by Tillie Cole focuses on Cromwell Dean, a DJ who is a former child prodigy in classical music composition, and his love interest, Bonnie Farraday, a musician who desperately needs a heart transplant. The suspense created as the reader anxiously waits to find out the fate of these at-risk characters is very captivating. 

In Every Borrowed Beat seventeen-year-old Sydney Wells, who is on the verge of heart failure, gets a heart transplant that saves her life.  But she realizes that in order for her to live, someone else had to die, and she is determined to find her donor's identity. She thinks it's Mia Stoddard, who lived in a small town next to hers. Defying doctor's orders, she attends Mia's birthday memorial service and meets Clayton Cooper, who is being blamed for Mia's death in a flash flood in a slot canyon in Utah. Clayton wants to memorialize Mia's death in his own way by completing all the activities on her vision board, and Sydney agrees to help him. She neglects to tell him that she is Mia's heart recipient. As they check off each item on the list, they post them on Instagram inspiring others to take risks. Meanwhile, Chloe, Sydney's best friend on their "Waiting List" blog, is still waiting for a heart donor. She resents Sydney's neglect, as she and Clayton are getting closer as they complete the activities on their quest.  Will Chloe get a heart? Will Sydney's risky behavior compromise her health? The author, a self-described "heart failure survivor," realistically portrays the brutal realities of organ donation and transplant for patients and their family, particularly grief and survivor's guilt.

When We Ride is a novel-in-verse that chronicles the relationship between Mexican American Diego Miguel Benevides (Benny), a hardworking high school senior bound for college and his neighbor and best friend Lawson Pierce, a blond haired, blue eyed drug dealer. Although they are polar opposites, they call themselves "brothers from different single mothers." The poem opens with Lawson and Benny's lives being threatened in a drug deal gone wrong, then flashes back to the beginning of their relationship.  Diego has a 1980 Cadillac De Ville and Lawson depends on him for rides to his drug dealer and parties where he distributes drugs. In return Lawson protects Diego against bullies and helps him navigate socializing in high school.  As Lawson gets involved in selling and using heavier drugs and drops out of school,  Benny realizes the risk of getting arrested or attacked during a drug deal is endangering his future. He begins to distance himself from Lawson, hoping to reconcile one day.  This cautionary tale can inspire discussions about getting involved in risky behavior, even if you are not the one committing the crime. 

Synesthesia is a rare neurological condition in which stimulation of one sense involuntarily triggers experiences in another sense.  In A Wish for Us teen composer, Cromwell Dean, sees colors when he hears music. A child prodigy, Cromwell, makes a name for himself in classical music, but shuts down when his father dies after an argument about the pressure he puts on Cromwell. He moves to electronic dance music where he becomes a rising star as a DJ.  When he moves to South Carolina from London to work with a world-renowned composer, he meets shy Bonnie Farraday, whose outgoing twin brother is his roommate. Unbeknownst to Cromwell, Bonnie is aware of his childhood success and actually met him in England.  Although at first Cromwell wants nothing to do with her, they are paired for a class composition project and slowly begin to reveal their personal secrets which bring them closer together.  When Bonnie falls ill and needs a new heart, Cromwell supports her with his musical compositions, willing her to hold onto life. The suspense created as she anxiously awaits a heart donor is palpable.  Although troubled, the main characters are very sympathetic, making this a compelling read. 

Classic Connections

 Classic connections are found throughout young adult novels, as inventive contemporary retellings of familiar tales are popular with YA authors. I am recommending three new novels with classic connections this month.  Hangry Hearts by Jennifer Chen is a Romeo and Juliet inspired romance which focuses on feuding Taiwanese and Korean families who had hoped to open a restaurant together. Inspired by Ferris Bueller's Day Off, While We're Young by K.L Walther has three high school friends skipping school in the hope of repairing their once close friendship. Not for the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher is a queer reimagining of the Robin Hood legend. 

In Hangry Hearts Julie Wu and Randall Hur were best friends until their families had a falling out.  Now they see each other at Pasadena Farmers Market where they have food stands. When Julie and Randall are paired with the wealthy London Kim for a community service school project, they are forced to work together and acknowledge their attraction to each other. Randall is transgendered, but that doesn’t seem to be a problem for them or their families.  The falling out happened years ago when the two families attempted to open a restaurant together, but it burned down before they could open.  As Julie and Randall sneak around stealing kisses, they hope to find away to get their feuding grandmothers to forgive each other.

While We're Young introduces Grace, her brother James and her best friends Isa and Everett.  They used to be inseparable until Isa and Everett had a short-lived romance with a messy breakup.  In the last month of their senior year Grace orchestrates a “day off” to Philadelphia to repair relationships but leaves James behind. She and Everett are secretly in love and Isa is with James, but each  couple is afraid to go public. Reenacting their favorite Philly experiences, with James hot on their trail, they deal with grief, family secrets and mental health issues.  Told in four points of view, this joyride through Philadelphia playfully reenacts the shenanigans from the classic movie. .

Not for the Faint of Heart introduces Robin Hood's granddaughter Mariel Hartley-Hood, who is captain of a diverse crew of Merry men and women.  Her father has taken over the Merry Men after Robin’s retirement. The story begins with Mariel and her band abducting Clemence Causey, a healer, to heal various wounds they have suffered. Clem, whose light-hearted humor contrasts to Mariel’s serious ambition, finds herself enamored of not only the band's adventurous lifestyle, but also Mariel herself.  When her father is abducted by the Sheriff of Nottingham, Mariel is determined to rescue him and prove herself worthy of being a leader.  Told from Clem’s and Mariel’s alternating third-person perspectives, this action packed rom-com is filled with explosive fight sequences and tender moments highlighting the loyalty the members feel for each other. 

Magical realism - Libba Bray, Gayle Forman and Neal Shusterman

 Magical realism is a literary genre in which a realistic narrative is combined with elements of dream or fantasy.  Three popular young adult authors have written new YA novels incorporating this element. Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray follows three different stories in the 1940s, the 1980s, and 2020 that involve a magical oak tree in Germany that helps people find true love. After Life by Gayle Forman introduces Amber Crane who inexplicably returns to life seven years after she was killed in a hit-and-run accident. All Better Now by Neal Shusterman is a dystopian novel about a future pandemic where the people who survive the disease become happy pacifists.

In Under the Same Stars three different groups of teens in three different decades are connected by the mystery of the magical Bridegroom's Oak in Germany, which helps people find true love. The first setting is 1940s Germany where Sophie and Hannah are resistance fighters during WW II. They not only find true love through the oak, but use it to pass valuable forged documents to those trying to escape the Nazis.  In 1980s West Berlin Texan transplant Jenny meets German queer punk Lena, falls in love with her and transforms herself into Dallas, a violin player in a punk rock band. In 2020 Brooklyn, Miles and Chloe are trying to adjust to the pandemic’s restrictions, as they explore the mysteries in her grandmother’s scrapbook, featuring two German teens who disappeared in 1941. The interwoven stories begin to come together as Miles and Chloe discover her grandmother is Hannah, who survived WWII. The themes of connections and the transformative elements of storytelling, which are explored, will resonate with the readers of this powerful new novel. 

After Life involves high school senior Amber Crane, who was killed by a hit-and-run driver seven years ago and inexplicably returns one day to her bereaved family.  Mom and Dad are divorcing, her sister is gay, her college-bound boyfriend works in a dive bar, and her beloved aunt has moved to New Zealand. The overarching questions are “Who killed her? and Why is she back?” Told from many points of view, the novel weaves together the current lives of people impacted by Amber’s death.  Amber realizes she was not the best sister, daughter or friend, when she was alive, and she begins to try to make amends and make sense of her situation. Forman returns to the topic of teen girls in liminal states between life and death, ultimately ending the story with a satisfying conclusion.

All Better Now takes place in a dystopian future where another pandemic dubbed Crown Royal is plaguing mankind.  People who survive it become utterly happy and pacifistic. Three teens experience the pandemic differently. Mariel, a homeless girl whose mother died from the disease, finds she is immune to it. She meets and falls for Ron, the depressed son of a billionaire, who survives Crown Royale with a changed disposition and is determined to infect anyone who hasn't had the disease. Morgan has been chosen by a wealthy Hungarian survivor, Dame Havilland, to find a vaccine against Crown Royale. Interesting ethical questions are explored as Ron and Mariel travel across the country trying to infect as many people as possible. Meanwhile, Morgan tries to find them, as Mariel’s immunity is key to finding a way to eradicate the disease.  The ambiguous ending lends itself to a sequel.