New YA books by Popular Authors: Kiersten White, Meg Wolitzer and Mary Pearson

Several popular YA authors have penned new books that I would like to recommend this month. The two hundredth anniversary of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein has inspired, not only a movie about her starring Elle Fanning, but also a retelling of the book by Kiersten White (And I Darken series), called The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, told from the point of view of the wife of the monster's creator.  Meg Wolitzer (Belzhar, The Interestings) has written The Female Persuasion, a coming-of-age novel which focuses on a young college student who gets involved with a feminist icon. Mary Pearson's (The Remnant and The Jenna Fox Chronicles) Dance of Thieves is the first book in a new fantasy adventure series, set in the kingdoms of the Remnant universe. 

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein introduces  an orphaned 17-year-old, Elizabeth Lavenza, who has been taken in by the Frankensteins as their son Victor's companion. Although a genius, he is prone to rages and her sole purpose is to socialize him. When he heads off to college and doesn't write, she fears she will lose her position and follows him to renew their relationship.  When she finds him and discovers his experiments on immortality have resulted in a monstrous creation, she does everything she can to shield him from discovery. However, the more involved she gets, the more she realizes that Victor may really be the monster.  Elizabeth, who was a minor character in the classic, is a strong protagonist and the message as to what truly makes a monster is thought-provoking.  Those familiar with the original story will enjoy this creative re-imagining, but it can be easily be read as a standalone.  It comes out September 25th.

In The Female Persuasion Greer Kadetsky, the over-achieving child of former hippies, is devastated when her parents fail to follow through on applying for financial aid for Yale and she is relegated to attending her fallback school, while her boyfriend Cory heads to Yale without her.  Her first week at college she is sexually harassed by an abusive frat guy and finds the courage to fight back after hearing an inspirational speech given at her college by feminist, Faith Frank. After graduation Cory pursues a career in finance, and Greer finds a job at Faith's foundation which supports women around the world. Greer's relationship with Faith plays out over a decade, as she moves from idolizing her to becoming a colleague and critique. An unexpected family tragedy derails Cory's future, and he and Greer part ways as their world's diverge. As they struggle to find their way back to each other, they must come to terms with what they want out of life.  The romance, however, takes a backseat to Greer's relationship with Faith. The thoughtful exploration of women's issues is very timely and is sure to appeal to more mature readers.

Dance of Thieves is set in the Remnant universe with some familiar characters and politics, but it is not necessary to have read that series to enjoy this book.  Kazi is an orphan, who has risen in the ranks of the new Queen's elite guard, due to her  abilities as a thief.  When she is sent to Tor's Watch in search of a war criminal, she meets Jase Ballenger who has just inherited his father's position as leader of an outlaw nation that doesn't recognize the Queen. Jase and Kazi are snatched by slavers and chained together, so when they escape, they must work together to make it back to civilization.  Although at odds politically, Jase and Kazi are drawn to each other, despite constantly lying to each other about their true motivations. The complex tale of warring territories, competing kingdoms and changing loyalties is sweetened by the star-crossed romance between the two.  Told in alternating chapters from Kazi and Jase's points of view, this action-packed fantasy is a page-turner, which is sure to have readers anxious for the next book in the series.

New YA Novels Dealing with Mental Illness: Belzhar, I Was Here, and All the Bright Places

Young adult novels can help teens dealing with mental health issues in several ways. First, they can help readers understand that they are not alone. The novels can present realistic portrayals of mental illness and offer helpful ways of dealing with it. A common theme in YA literature is searching for a sense of identity, which mental illness tends to derail. Reading about characters wrestling with this issue can help not only teens with mental illness, but also their friends and family who search for ways to be supportive.  This month I would like to recommend three novels that explore these issues in thoughtful and compelling reads. Meg Wolitzer's Belzhar chronicles the story of mentally unstable teens who attend a therapeutic boarding school. Gayle Forman's new novel, I Was Here explores the feelings of guilt and grief experienced by a girl whose best friend commits suicide. Finally, Jennifer Niven's All the Bright Places follows two teens who are wondering "Should I stay or should I go?"

In Belzhar Jam Gallahue is sent to a therapeutic boarding school, after a trauma with a high school relationship, because she is unable to deal with her grief. She finds herself in a mysterious class called Special Topics in English, where she and four other traumatized students are reading works by Sylvia Plath.  The students are given special red leather journals in which to record their reactions to the assigned readings.  When she and her classmates, all of whom have endured debilitating losses, begin writing in their pages, they are transported to their former lives where they can each inhabit the past and work through their problems.  The teens bond over their experiences in what they call Belzhar and are able to share their stories and look out for and protect one another.  As the semester progresses and the notebooks begin to fill up, they must each confront some inner struggles and make some tough choices about their future paths. Adult author Meg Wolitzer's (The Interestings) debut YA novel is terrific and could be paired with readings from Sylvia Plath for a poignant thought-provoking reading experience.

I Was Here introduces Cody and Meg, who have been best friends since childhood, but are separated when Meg gets a full scholarship to a small college in Tacoma and Cody is left behind to clean houses and attend community college.  When Cody gets news of Meg's suicide, she is understandably confused and upset.  Why hadn't she seen the warning signs?  She travels to Tacoma to collect Meg's belongings and finds there are many things she didn't know about her friend with whom she thought she shared everything.  Determined to get to the bottom of her suicide, Cody searches Meg's laptop and finds she was involved with a suicide website and in particular a Pied Piper type character who encourages suicide as a way out.  With the help of Ben McAllister, one of Meg's friends with an agenda of his own, Cody searches for a way to come to terms with her friend's death. Gayle Forman's latest novel is sure to be a hit, not only with fans of If I Stay, but also with any readers looking for a suspenseful eye-opening investigation into teen suicide.

Theodore Finch and Violet Markey meet when they are on the bell tower at school, each contemplating suicide.  After saving each other's lives, they pair up for a social studies project where they have to discover the Natural Wonders of Indiana. Although from different social strata, she is a popular cheerleader and he is a manic outsider, they challenge each other in ways that soon blossom into love. As they spend more and more time together, they find that it's only with each other that they can be themselves.  But will that be enough to save them from their demons?  All the Bright Places, soon to be a major motion picture starring Elle Fanning, will appeal to fans of John Green and Rainbow Rowell or anyone looking for a quirky compelling story.