Notable YA books for 2020

The new edition of my book, What's New in Young Adult Novels? and Ideas for Classroom Use is now available on Lulu.com. at https://tinyurl.com/whatsnewya2020 . As we say goodbye to 2020, I would like to recommend several books I didn't review during the calendar year.  Dig by A.S. King, the new Michael Printz Award winner, is a surrealistic story about five unknowingly connected teens, who struggle with family dysfunction. Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam is a novel-in-verse about a black teenage poet in prison for beating a white youth and leaving him in a coma. We Are Not Free, a critically acclaimed novel by Traci Chee, is about 14 Japanese American Teens in internment camps during WWII. Finally, Rebel Spy, a historical novel by Veronica Rossi, is a reimagining of the story of Agent 355, a New York society girl who was a spy for George Washington. 

Dig introduces five estranged cousins, whose dysfunctional family includes wealthy grandparents Marla and Gottfried Hemmings, who have left their 5 children and teenage grandchildren to flounder in various state of illness and poverty.  David-The Shoveler, Katie-CanIHelpYou?, Loretta-Flea Circus Ring Mistress, First-Class Malcom, and the Freak are brought together by tragedy. Trauma and abuse cause the teens to find security in their self-defined roles. David, who frequently moves with his mother, carries a snow shovel to protect himself from bullies, Katie works at Arby's where she deals drugs from the drive-through window.  Loretta finds solace in a family of fleas she carries in a lunchbox, as she struggles with her violent father's abuse.  Malcom takes frequent first-class flights to Jamaica with his widower father, who is batting cancer.  The Freak appears supernaturally between locations, checking in on her cousins and trying to help.  The narrative deals with the issues of racism, white power and privilege and class as the teens' stories are revealed and come together.  Can this generation of Hemmings dig its way out of the toxic environment that their grandparents created?

In Punching the Air sixteen-year-old African American Amal is convicted of violence against a white teen, who is in a coma as a result.  Amal, an aspiring poet and artist is sent to prison, protesting his innocence. In speaking of testimony against him, he says, their words are "like a scalpel/shaping me into/the monster/they want me to be."  While in prison, he experiences the worst of prison life, complete with abuse from guards and fellow prisoners.  Working on his GED, he finds a way to express himself through a poetry class and painting murals on the prison walls. The first-person narration allows the reader to experience his anguish, as he waits for his alleged victim to regain consciousness and hopefully set him free. In an author's note Zoboi details her connection with Salaam, who was a member of the "Central Park Five," now known as the "Exonerated Five."

We Are Not Free chronicles the lives of fourteen young Japanese Americans during WWII in this semi-autobiographical story about the incarceration of families in internment camps.  Teens who have grown up together in San Francisco's Japantown are taken to Topaz Internment Camp in Utah, where they experience harsh conditions and injustices.  When they are forced to enlist and/or swear allegiance to the US, those that refuse, the "no-nos," are taken to Tule Lake Camp.  Between 1942 and 1945 the families that pass a background check are allowed to relocate.  The stories are told in varying styles, including first and second person, verse and letters.  Historical photographs and documents add to the text.

Rebel Spy is the reimagining of the story of a New York society girl, Agent 355, who was a spy for George Washing during the Revolutionary War.  Frannie Tasker, who lives with her abusive stepfather on Grand Bahama Island escapes when a shipwreck presents her with the opportunity to assume the identity of a young woman floating in the sea. She dons the woman's clothes and is rescued by a British merchant ship that heads for New York. She meets Asa Lane,  a dashing young patriot who lends her Thomas Paine's Common Sense and teaches her to act like a lady, before he is press-ganged into His Majesty's navy. When she gets to NYC she poses as Emmeline and is swept into a world of wealth and luxury.  For three years Frannie lives as Emmeline Coates and is courted by a British lieutenant.  Access to some of the crown's highest officers gives her the opportunity to provide valuable information to Washington's Culper spy network. She believes in the fight for American liberty and risks her life to aid the revolutionaries. Part swashbuckling adventure, part romance, this is a riveting read.  

High School Seniors plan for the future: Admission, Charming a a Verb, and Today, Tonight, Tomorrow

Senior year is fraught with drama and much of it stems from making a decision about one's future.  As December early decision announcements approach, students who applied are anxiously awaiting answers from their college of choice. Others are second guessing their decisions or still struggling with applications that will soon be due. Parents' expectations and dreams also play into the anxieties students experience. Three new young adult novels explore some of the issues students face in this dog-eat-dog world of competing for available college space.  Julie Buxbaum's Admission focuses on what parents will do to advance their children's opportunities.  Ben Phillipe's Charming as a Verb examines a young man's temptations in trying to get an advantage in being accepted by his "reach" school.  In Rachel Lynn Solomon's Today, Tonight, Tomorrow, two students who have been rivals throughout high school compete for one last accolade. 

The college admission scandal that rocked the country is the subject of Buxbaum's latest novel Admission. Chloe Wynn Berringer, daughter of a Hollywood celebrity, has been accepted at the college of her dreams, even though she's pretty sure she doesn't qualify.  Then the FBI comes to arrest her mother for tampering with the admissions process and the nightmare begins.  Will Chloe be arrested as well?  What did she know and when did she know it? Is she complicit in her mother's crime? As Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman head off to prison as the result of an investigation known as Operation Varsity Blues, it is interesting to read a similar fictional story told from the student's point of view. Not wanting to disappoint her mother, Chloe willing participates in some questionable activities in the quest to get into the college of her mother's dreams. Is she guilty as well?

In Charming as a Verb a student once again struggles to please a parent.  Henri Haltiwanger, a charismatic first-generation Haitian American teen, has a dog-walking business that is self-run, even though he pretends to be working for "Uptown Updogs."  When Corinne, an awkward high-achieving African American classmate and client, discovers his secret, he agrees to help her socially in exchange for her discretion.  As they spend time together, an attraction grows. Henri, who aspires to go to Columbia to please his father, secretly hopes Corinne's  mother, a dean at Columbia, will help him get in.  Henri will do anything to achieve his father's dream, even though he's beginning to think it's not right for him. He steps over the line, taking a risk that may cost him everything, including the girl he's fallen for. 

Today, Tonight, Tomorrow introduces Rowan Roth and Neil McNair, who have been overachieving rivals throughout high school.  Rowan frequently loses out to Neil and she thinks she can't wait to go to college and get away from him.  When he is named valedictorian, she figures she has only one more opportunity to best him.  She is determined to win "Howl," a scavenger hunt for the senior class that takes the students all over Seattle.  When Rowan and Neil find out a group of seniors is out to defeat them, they team up so that they will be the last two players in the competition.  But as they cooperate to solve the clues, Rowan finds out she and Neil have a lot in common and he might just have a place in her future.  Will it change her decision about where she goes to college? As she begins second guessing her choices and weighing the pros and cons of the schools that have accepted her, Neil becomes a factor she never expected to consider. 

New YA Mysteries - The Inheritance Games, The Cousins, and Girl Unframed

 Mysteries and suspense novels are arguably the most popular genre in fiction. Not all suspense novels are mysteries but all mysteries include suspense. Analyzing the author's use of classic mystery elements, including suspense, can help students understand why mysteries are such page turners.  Three of my favorite authors have recently published new mysteries.  Jennifer Lynn Barnes' (The Naturals) new mystery series The Inheritance Games introduces a main character who inexplicably has been named the heir to a billionaire's fortune when he has two daughters and four grandsons who expected to inherit his wealth. Karen McManus (One of Us is Lying) explores the inheritance theme as well with The Cousins.  A wealthy resort owner disinherits her four children and then invites their children to work at the resort for the summer.  In addition to getting to know each other, the cousins must get to the bottom of why they were invited.  Finally, Deb Caletti's (The Fortunes of Indigo Sky) Girl Unframed finds a Seattle teen spending the summer with her film star mother when a murder occurs in her own backyard. 

The Inheritance Games series opener introduces Avery Grambs, who is living in her car, after her half-sister and legal guardian Libby allows her abusive boyfriend to move into their apartment.  When she is summoned to the will reading of billionaire Tobias Hawthorne, she and Libby travel to Texas where they are shocked to find out Avery has inherited the bulk of his fortune, but to receive it, she must live at Hawthorne House for a year. His family, including two daughters and four grandsons, is furious.  Puzzle obsessed, Tobias leaves letters outlining a riddle that Avery and the grandsons must solve to find out why she is the recipient of the inheritance.  The Hawthorne House mansion is filled with hidden chambers that house the clues she and the grandsons must find to unravel the puzzle.  Fast paced chapters filled with red herrings, family secrets, attempted murder and a little bit of romance will keep readers enthralled. The satisfying ending sets up another mystery to be solved in the sequel.

The luxurious Gull Cove Island resort off the coast of Massachusetts, which is the setting for The Cousins, contains many Story family secrets.  In the 1990s the widow Mildred Story disinherited her four children without explanation, except for a letter send by her lawyer that read "You know what you did."  Twenty years later her grandchildren, Milly Aubrey and Jonah, receive letters from her, inviting them to work at the resort.  Their parents, hoping to get back into their mother's will, force them to go.  However, upon their arrival at Gull Cove Island, they find their grandmother displeased to see them. She obviously had not invited them.  They settle into their jobs and getting to know each other, and try to uncover who invited them and why.  There are many twists and turns, as family secrets are revealed, making this a fun read for McManus fans.

In Girl Unframed Seattle teen Sydney Reilly is spending the summer in San Francisco with her film star mother, Lila Shore, and Lila's boyfriend Jake in a Pacific Heights mansion.  Jake is an art dealer with shady connections and his volatile relationship with Lila is unsettling.  Syd not only feels uncomfortable around Jake, a construction worker next door is also giving her unwanted attention.  The only bright spot in her summer is her new relationship with Nicco Ricci, a local boy she met on the beach.  When a murder occurs on the beach in her own backyard, her summer is derailed.  Each chapter begins with a list of exhibits from the murder trial creating suspense as to who was murdered by whom. 

YA Dystopian Novels - Skyhunter, The Other Side of the Sky, and Tinderbox: Soldier of Indira

 It's been quite awhile since I've read much dystopian young adult literature, but I have recently renewed my interest in it.  Dystopian refers to an imagined society in the future where there is great suffering or injustice.  Dystopian novels generally include themes involving morality, violence, lack of free will, lack of freedom, and/or government control.  Many adolescents can relate to these themes and in reading dystopian novels find hope that they too can make the world a better place like the characters do in the novels. Marie Lu's Skyhunter is set in a post apocalyptic world where Mara, the only free nation in the world, is fighting against the Karensa Federation to maintain its freedom. In The Other Side of the Sky by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner society is composed of two worlds: the primitive surface Below which has lost all advanced technology and is plagued by dangerous mists and the Cloudlands, a technologically engineered world in the sky founded by scientists who escaped from Below. Finally, Tinderbox: Soldier of Indira by Lou Diamond Phillips introduces a planet split in two after the Great Schism. When the remnants are finally deemed habitable, war breaks out between the two resettled colonies. 

Skyhunter, the first book in a new dystopian series, introduces Talin Kanami, a refugee turned soldier in war torn Mara, which is defending itself against the Karensa Federation. Her elite squadron of "strikers" battle the Federation's Ghosts, zombie-like monsters whose bites inflict transformation. When Talin protests the execution of a Federation defector, Redlen Arabes, her commander insists that she take Red as her fighting partner or shield.  As Talin gets to know Red, she finds out he is a Skyhunter, a half-man half-machine weapon created by the Federation.  Before the Federation can engineer his loyalty, like they have the Ghosts, he escapes, and becomes Mara's best hope for finding a way to defeat them.  After a plan to destabilize the Federation backfires, Talin, Red, and their fellow strikers are at the mercy of the enemy.  The first-person narration by Talin, who is mute, is facilitated by her signing and bonding with Red, who then communicates with her telepathically.  This action-packed thriller explores the ideas of immigration and imperialism and its ending will leave readers clamoring for the sequel.

The Other Side of the Sky, the first book in a new duology, is set in a post apocalyptic society composed of two worlds.  The Aciel archipelago known as the Cloudlands, was launched from the Surface Below into the sky, where enigmatic engines keep it aloft.  North, the heir to the throne, pilots a glider which crashes to the Surface after being sabotaged.  He is shocked to find there are people still living Below.  Nimh is their Divine Goddess.  She seeks guidance from ancient prophecies that predict the Last Star will fall, delivering the Lightbringer to save their world, which is ravaged by mist storms that leave people insane. When a prophetic dream, leads her to the site where North lands, she is sure he is her destiny.  Whereas his world is filled with science and technology, hers depends on superstition and magic.  It is forbidden for anyone to touch the Divine Goddess.  Nimh was chosen after the former goddess Jezara was banished when she fell in love and became pregnant.  As Nimh waits for her powers to manifest, she is threatened by Jezara's daughter, who claims she is the true Goddess.  The story is told from alternating perspectives, following North and Nimh's growing affection and the conflict they feel about the future. The cliffhanger ending sets up the sequel with readers hoping the two can bring together their two worlds.

I chose to read Tinderbox: Soldier of Indira primarily because the author is Lou Diamond Phillips ( La Bamba, Longmire and Prodigal Son) and ended up loving this retelling of Hans Christian Anderson's story set in space.  After the Great Schism splits a planet into two, war breaks out in the resettled colonies known as Mano and Indira. There is a prophecy that Princess Allegra, the daughter of Mano's king Xander the Firm, will marry a common soldier and end the king's reign.  He does everything he can to thwart the prophecy, including imprisoning Allegra.  Meanwhile, Everson, the prince from Indira, poses as a common soldier and gets stranded on Mano in a failed military operation.  He gets duped into retrieving ancient technology known as the Tinderbox.  Many young men have died trying to retrieve it, but Everson was clearly meant to be the one who succeeds. He is being used by traitors who are trying to overthrow Mano's king.  The Tinderbox allows him to communicate with Allegra, and although their people are at odds, they are immediately attracted to each other.  Their forbidden love could be the key to end the war and reunite their worlds.

New YA romances: More Than Maybe, Smash It! and Breathless

Family issues abound in three new YA romances, where exploring the problems with the help of a new love interest, leads to a path of self-discovery, as well as young love. More Than Maybe by Erin Hahn (You'd Be Mine) introduces a dancer and a composer, who collaborate on a dance piece and find each other in the process. In Smash It! by Francina Simone (The Keeper's Vow) Olivia Johnson decides to lead a more fulfilling life by auditioning for her school's musical, a rap version of Othello. Breathless by Jennifer Niven (All the Bright Places) finds Claudine spending her senior summer with her mom on a remote island in Georgia, after her dad abandons the family. All of these novels are best suited for more mature readers, as the romantic content is fairly graphic.

In More Than Maybe Vada, a dancer and music critic, and Luke, a musician, who creates a vlog with his twin called "The Grass is Greenly," have been crushing on each other from afar. However, they don't get together until his music composition class and her dance class are assigned joint projects.  He will create the music for a piece she choreographs and dances. When his twin hears the song Luke wrote for Vada, he plays it on their vlog without Luke's permission.  Their dad, a former rock star who wants Luke to pursue a stage career, hears it and ups the pressure for Luke to perform, which he wants no part of. Problems with her alcoholic father also complicate Luke and Vada's relationship. Working together at The Loud Lizard, her mom's boyfriend's club, their flirtation turns into a friendship filled with mutual interests and ultimately love.  Their texts and conversations include references to songs whose lyrics reflect their emotions.  Reading it a second time, I used the internet to listen to the songs in the texts as they occurred, I loved exploring the music that gives a deeper insight into this slow burning romance.

Smash It! introduces Black high school junior Olivia Johnson, who is inspired by Shonda Rhimes's Year of Yes to embrace her fears and lead a more fulfilling life. Liv auditions for her school's rap version Othello and begins to date so she can move on from her role as number one fan to a music duo consisting of Dre, her best friend and Eli, her neighbor and secret crush. Also on her To Do list are accepting her "curves," resolving issues with her overly critical single mom and finding female friends. The boys find out she's auditioning, and she and Eli start staging rehearsals where he helps her with singing and she helps him with dancing. As they grow closer, she waits for him to make a move, but when he doesn't, decides she needs to move on.  Liv lands the part of Bianca, Eli is cast as Othello and her new love interest Kai is Iago. As she begins checking off items on her, "F*#k It" list,  she finds herself unprepared for the fallout from her riskier behavior.  But with the help of new friends, she realizes her most important lesson is learning to love herself.  Filled with a diverse cast of supporting characters, the story is interspersed with the musical lyrics from the rap version of Othello that the school is performing. Readers will enjoy the well-paced roller coaster of events as Liv  journeys toward self acceptance. (Release date September 22)

As Breathless opens, Claudine, aka Claude, is anticipating high school graduation and making plans for a road trip with her best friend before heading off to college.  Then her world falls apart.  Her parents announce their separation and Mom, who is an author, tells Claude they are going to spend the summer on a remote island off the  coast of Georgia, where her ancestors lived, hoping for inspiration for a new book.  Claude is furious with her parents, but when she meets the group of misfit teens who work on the island, she lets them draw her into a journey of self-discovery, including first love. While Mom researches the family history, Claude connects with Miah, a troubled teen who works for Outward Bound and is wise beyond his years.  As they explore the wonders of the island, Miah helps Claude accept her family situation, and he confides in her about his family pressures. Their frank discussions about the loss of her virginity to him, sexual pleasure and loyalty are specific, but tastefully done. What begins as a summer fling turns into much more.  (Release date September 29)

YA Novels Explore the Multiverse

 Life in the multiverse, a hypothetical group of multiple universes, is a hot new topic in YA novels. The multiverse stories can use a variety of plot devices. e. lockhart's new novel Again and Again, follows the "ground hog day" approach, where the main character Adelaide experiences her relationship with a new love interest over and over with variations each time.  Patrick Ness's Burn employs a "wormhole" between universes in a story set in the Cold War era where a dragons versus human conflict is about to break out. Now and When by Sarah Bennett Wealer is a take off on the "butterfly effect" when the main character sees the future on her social media site and begins manipulating the present to change the future.

In Again and Again Adelaide Buchwald spends the summer following her junior year at Alabaster Prep experiencing a recent breakup, her brother Toby's opioid addiction and a new attraction to Jack in various timelines.  She meets Jack while walking five dogs for teachers at the prep school.  She has never forgotten his writing her a poem at a party two years ago.  The narrative explores various possibilities as to how their relationship will progress.  At the same time, she is working on a set design for Sam Shephard's Fool for Love,  mourning her lost love and reconnecting with her brother.  The question of reality versus imagination is not always easy for the reader to determine but is worth the work. 

Burn is a mashup of historical and science fiction which begins in 1957 in Frome, Washington.  Amid tensions of the Cold War, bi-racial Sarah Dewhust and her father hire a new worker for their failing farm.  The catch: the hired hand, Kazimir, is a centuries-old Russian blue dragon, who has knowledge of a prophecy involving Sarah and an upcoming war between humans and dragons.  Meanwhile in Canada, an assassin raised by the Believers, a religious cult that worships dragons, is headed south to kill her with two FBI agents in pursuit, seeking to stop what the cult has planned. Sarah and her friend Jason Inagawa, who just returned from an internment camp, seek Kazimir's protection from the perceived threat, when they are thrown into an alternate universe where things are similar, yet completely different. In this action-packed thriller, elements of prejudice and the fears of the Cold War era are explored amidst a genre-defying title of political intrigue and dragons!

Now and When introduces Skyler Finch who finds her nemesis Truman Alexander an incredibly annoying Know-it-all; so when her phone starts sending her notifications from the future, she is shocked to see herself married to Truman.  She decides she cannot let that happen and begins trying to change the future by manipulating the present. Although Skyler seems to have it all, academic success, happily married parents, and a perfect boyfriend, she is concerned by a threat to demolish a beloved community space and her best friend Harper's suicidal tendencies.  As she tries to change the future, she disturbs the present and ends up enlisting Truman's help to undo the harm she has done.  As she stumbles toward a solution, she finds that letting things play out on their own may not be so bad after all.

Social Awareness in YA Novels

Just when we thought the coronavirus was our biggest problem, police brutality against minorities is back in the news, as people all over the country are taking to the streets to protest several recent incidents. Acknowledging Americans' rights to protest injustices, it is vital that teaching social awareness of a variety of issues be incorporated into our curriculums. According to Harvard Medical School's Robert Selman whose research focused on children developing social awareness, “Good children's literature not only raises moral dilemmas, but also generates the feelings that are associated with situations where moral conflict and confusion exists.” He suggests that through reading about social conflict students can vicariously experience the resolution of problem situations. Three new YA novels provide the opportunity to discuss several societal problems.  The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert focuses on an African American teen activist who is passionate about people voting to enact social change. Don't Read the Comments by Eric Smith explores sexism and racism in the global gaming community. We Didn't Ask for This by Adi Alsaid introduces Marissa Cuevas who chains herself to the doors of her school during a student lock-in, to force environmental changes at the school. 

In The Voting Booth Marva Sheridan, an African American teen activist, meets Duke Crenshaw on Election Day, when he is turned away from voting.  Marva is ardent about politics and has worked hard to make sure everyone gets the opportunity to vote.  She spends the day helping him work out his registration issues, so that he can get to a drumming gig that night.  As they get to know each other, they share their struggles with racial tensions. Her white boyfriend refuses to vote and Duke is still trying to cope with his radical brother's death in a drive by shooting.  Meanwhile, Marva's cat Selma, an internet star known as Eartha Kitty, has gone missing. Her many followers get involved in the search, outing Marva's role in creating the site.   As the day progresses, Marva and Duke's problems bring them closer together.  The story is told in alternating first-person narration, allowing readers to easily sympathize with the two teens.  With the 2020 election ahead, there is great concern about adequate polling places, especially for minorities. After the Supreme Court dismantled the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and with concerns about voters' health causing the shutdown of many voting places, people might find themselves struggling to cast their vote if mail-in voting is not allowed. This timely novel sheds light on the issue, as well as how important it is to make one's voice heard through voting.

Inspired by Gamergate,  the real life controversy about sexism in the video game culture, Don't Read the Comments introduces Divya Sharma, a female gamer with valuable sponsors and a strong following on Glitch, a streaming service that allows others to watch her play Reclaim the Sun. She is attacked online by trolls known as Vox Populi, which then turns into real life harassment.  Aaron Jericho meets Divya online, when he defends her against the trolls while playing Reclaim the Sun. Although Aaron enjoys gaming, he prefers to create narratives to go with his friend's gaming art, which they hope to market through a rising Indie game producer. He is thrilled to get publicity on Divya's site and wants to meet IRL, but she is understandably careful about revealing her identity. Her home address is revealed and both her mother and Divya's gaming partner are attacked. With Game Con coming up, Divya realizes she may need to get the authorities involved before the doxing (broadcasting private information) becomes life threatening.  This complex examination of sexism and racism in gaming, celebrates family and friendship, as well as the strength and determination it takes to stand up to bullies.

We Didn't Ask for This looks at activism and protest from different points of view.  The much anticipated "Lock-In Night" at the elite Central International School in an unnamed country, takes on a political tone when Marisa Cuevas and her cronies, chain themselves to the doors of the school, holding attendees hostage until 30 environmental changes are enacted. At first students are furious that their night has been ruined.  Gay charismatic Peejay Singh, who was in charge of throwing the party, wants to live up to the example set by his brother who previously organized an epic Lock-In, but is now at the hospital in a coma. Kenji Pierce, whose father is the developer in charge of one of the projects Marisa is protesting, is devastated when his improv team's showcase is put on hold. However, he befriends Celeste Rollins, a black American newcomer to the school and introduces her to the joys of improv.  Malaysian decathlete Amira Wahid hopes to be the first female to win the Lock-In decathlon, but finds herself falling in love with Marisa. As people attempt to thwart Marissa's mission and the Lock-In stretches on, the three join a group of Protectors that try to help Marisa meet her objectives. Although the story explores many ecological issues, it also addresses identity and finding a sense of belonging and pursuing dreams.