The Impact of Missing Fathers

 The impact of a dead or missing father on a child's sense of identity and well-being is explored frequently in young adult novels.  In Jandy Nelson's (I'll Give You the Sun) new novel, When the World Tips Over, the Fall kids' father mysteriously disappears, affecting each of the three children differently. Then a rainbow-haired girl comes into their lives, saving each of them in a variety of ways. For She is Wrath by Emily Varga is a Pakistani-inspired retelling of The Count of Monte Christo. Dania is imprisoned for a crime she did not commit. When she escapes and finds her father was killed for defending her, she seeks revenge with the help of a friend and some magical zoraat seeds. Nothing Like the Movies, the sequel to Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter, picks up when Wes and Liz head off to UCLA, only to have him drop out and break up with her when his father dies unexpectedly.  

The Fall kids' father mysteriously disappears in When the World Tips Over, leaving behind a shattered family.  Twelve-year old Dizzy reads romance novels, sees ghosts and longs to be reunited with her estranged best friend Lizard. Seventeen-year-old Miles is supposedly the smart, athletic, and handsome "perfect one," but he struggles with his sexuality and lack of connection with his siblings. Nineteen-year-old Wynton is a violin prodigy, who causes trouble wherever he goes.  Their mother runs a restaurant and longs for her absent husband, leaving a gourmet meal out for him each night.  Enter the rainbow-haired girl, Cassidy who saves each of them when she meets them - two from accidents and Miles from himself.  Cassidy has had her own issues with abandonment, which are explored in a parallel plotline. When the kids go in search of Cassidy, catastrophe strikes and the secrets of the Fall family curse begin to surface, giving all of them an opportunity to rewrite their futures.

For She is Wrath focuses on two female prisoners, who escape from prison and reclaim a cache of zoraat seeds and powerful djinn magic which allow them to establish themselves as wealthy women in the city of Basral.  Both Noor and Dania are seeking revenge against the power-hungry emperor Vahid, who came to power himself using djinn magic.  Dania's father, an esteemed sword maker, was killed when he tried to defend her.  She, an expert swordsman herself, disguises herself using the zoorat seed magic, and executes an elaborate scheme to hurt her betrayers, including Mazin, the lover who betrayed her. But seeking revenge becomes complicated as the magic threatens to overtake Danai, Noor disappears, and her feelings for Mazin reemerge despite his betrayal.  Dania ultimately learns the power to destroy her enemies comes with a price.  

In Nothing Like the Movies, tragedy strikes after Liz and Wes start their freshman year at UCLA.  Wes's dad dies of a heart attack, and he must go back to Nebraska to support his mom and sister, leaving Liz behind.  Deciding she is better off without him, Wes breaks up with her and begins to work on getting his life back together.  Fast forward two years and Wes is back playing baseball at UCLA, but Liz wants nothing to do with him.  Unfortunately, her internship with a production company has her focusing on the baseball team, throwing them together constantly. She enlists the help of her camera man Clark to pretend to be her boyfriend, but Wes will not give up on getting her back.  Each chapter begins with a quote from a popular romcom and an extensive playlist of romantic songs is woven throughout the narrative. 

New YA Mysteries

 Mysteries are arguably the most popular genre in fiction. In teaching the mystery genre, analyzing the author's use of classic mystery techniques can help students understand why mysteries are such "page turners." Foreshadowing, cliff hangers, and red herrings are just a few of the techniques authors use to keep their readers coming back for more. Several new YA mysteries lend themselves to this analysis. Of course, the prolific Karen McManus has a wonderful new mystery offering, Such Charming Liars, in which a mother-daughter grifter team sets out to do their final job, but they run into unexpected complications. The second book in the Liar's Beach series by Katie Cotugno, Hemlock House, once again has Holiday and Linden investigating a mystery that the police have supposedly solved. Added to the intrigue are feelings that are beginning to surface between the two sleuths. The Champions, the second book in Kara Thomas's Cheerleaders duology finds the football team targeted for murder this time around. Finally, The Debutantes by Olivia Worley is set at Le Masques Ball, the social event of the year for New Orleans elite. Last year's ball queen was murdered and the planners are hoping to avoid such drama at this year's soiree, but it's not to be. 

 In Such Charming Liars Kat and her mother, Jamie, have been living under assumed identities after fleeing her abusive father.  After a two-day unsuccessful marriage to Luke Rooney in Las Vegas, Jamie has been working for a jewelry forging ring helmed by Kat’s pseudo-grandmother Gem.  When Gem takes Kat along on a job, Jamie is furious and wants out. Gem agrees after one last job, heisting a ruby necklace from the wealthy Sutherland family at the patriarch’s 80^th birthday party. Kat tags along on the job and finds out Luke and his son Liam are also attending. Complications quickly arise when Parker Sutherland is found dead with the ruby necklace in his pocket. Kat and Liam join forces, along with Parker’s nephew Augustus to find the murderer.  Twists and turns keep the reader engaged, as one double cross after another confounds their investigation.

Hemlock House, the sequel to Liar’s Beach, finds Linden and Holiday at Harvard investigating the death of Bri, Linden’s girlfriend Greer's roommate.  Bri, Greer’s best friend, is found in Greer’s bed, wearing her clothes, dead of an apparent overdose.  But the drugs found at the scene are not what shows up in the autopsy. Once again Holiday is the calm analytical one in the detective duo. While Linden is suspended after being framed for stealing Greer’s watch, Holiday pieces together the clues and confronts the murderer.  A subplot involving a love triangle between Linden, Holiday and Greer adds spice to the mix. Linden is once again the narrator, whose rash, clueless behavior is reined in by Holiday, his childhood friend and now maybe more.

The Champions, the second book in the Cheerleaders duology, takes place eleven years after the killer of the dead cheerleaders in Sunnybrook is brought to justice.  Hadley has just moved to Sunnybrook and is hoping to become editor of the school newspaper. She is disappointed when she is assigned a story about the school’s championship Tiger football team, which is a positive focus for the town. However, soon after she turns in her story, one of the team members, whom she interviewed, is poisoned, and Hadley begins getting strange emails telling her to stay away from the football team. It is clear that the players have secrets, and when a second player is mysteriously killed, Hadley wonders if someone wants revenge for their sins. 

In The Debutantes Les Masques Ball is the social event of the season for New Orleans elite, even though last year’s queen, Margot Landry, was murdered.  Margot was a wild child, and many people thought her self-destructive tendencies won out. Then this year’s queen, the perfectly poised Lily LeBlanc, disappears after the ball is hijacked by someone in a Jester costume. She sends a text to the Maids on her court, her best friend Vivian, her boyfriend’s sister Piper and April, her frenemy, asking them to meet her the next morning. However, she never shows up.  The three of them must band together to find out why she disappeared and rescue her before she becomes another dead queen. 

New Action-Packed YA Adventure Novels

 As summer winds down, it's a great time to squeeze in a few more action-packed adventure books, before school and assigned readings begin. I can recommend four new gripping YA novels that fit the bill. The Medici Heist by screenwriter Caitlin Schneiderhan (Stranger Things) introduces a teen gang of con artists attempting to rob Pope Leo X and the Medici family of the indulgence money the Pope has been extorting from his subjects. Kisses, Codes and Conspiracies by Abigail Hing Wen find four teens on the run to escape with coins that contain digital codes to a cryptocurrency account. Heir Apparently, the sequel to The Prince and the Apocalypse by Kara McDowell, once again pairs Chicago teen Wren Wheeler with the heir to the British throne for a page turning adventure. Thieves Gambit, the first in a duology by Kayvion Lewis, pits master thieves against each other in a fast-paced heist competition.

The Medici Heist is set in 1517 Florence when Pope Leo X and the Medici family return to take up the reins of power.  Con artist Rosa Cellini, in an effort to gain revenge, plans a heist to steal the indulgence money the Pope has been extorting from people.  She enlists the help of master of disguise Giacomo, prize fighter Khalid, Sara the Tinkerer, and Agata an alchemist.  Each member of the team has complications of their own that motive them, but also threaten to derail the plan. Rosa also enlists the help of Michelangelo and his assistant to gain access to the palace.  Information about the politics surrounding the preunification of the Italian city-states is neatly woven into the narrative.  As Rosa and the crew infiltrate the family guard, disarm Leonardo da Vinci's traps and deftly evade capture, they execute the meticulously planned financial ruin of the papacy.

Kisses, Codes and Conspiracies begins with prom dates Tan Lee and Winter Woo agreeing to remain platonic friends,  even though their attraction is real.  Although Winter and her mom rent rooms from the Lees, she and Tan manage to avoid each other until his parents and her mom decide to go to Hawaii for a conference, leaving them alone with his five-year-old sister Sana. Things go smoothly until Tan's ex-girlfriend Rebecca Tseng arrives at the house, looking to hide from her father's wealthy goons.  She has three gold coins with her that she wants to pawn, promising she will disappear as soon as she gets the money. Unbeknownst to Rebecca the coins are actually housing digital codes to her father's cryptocurrency accounts.  Cryptography enthusiast Tan recognizes this, but before he can break the codes, her father's goons arrive, causing the four kids to go on the run to protect the coins.

Heir Apparently finds Wren Wheeler back in Chicago wondering if she really is married to Prince Theo, heir to the British throne.  Hearing that he is in Canada, she travels with her sister and best friend to see him and reclaim the dog she left behind when they parted in Greece. Theo convinces her to return to London with him to deal with their marriage mystery, but their plane crashes near a deserted island with an active volcano. They must find food and water, tend to injured passengers and find a means of escape before the volcano erupts.  Once again the book is peppered with witty dialogue and romance.  Although readers don't need to read the first book in the duology, familiarity with the characters will make readers more engaged with the couple in this fast-paced action adventure. 

Thieves Gambit introduces Black Bahamian 17-yr-old Ross Quest who comes from a family of master thieves.  She has been invited to the ultimate heist competition, but all she really wants is to escape her family, lead a normal life and find friends.  However, on their last heist Ross's mother is kidnapped with a billion-dollar ransom.  Ross's only option is to compete in and win the quest, which promises the winner any wish they want.  Her childhood nemesis, Noelia, and Devroe, a charming Black British thief, are among the competitors.  As the Gambit moves from one heist to another, Ross is confused as to who to trust, including her mother.  The sequel Heist Royale, in which she and Devroe must team up to work for the Gambit, comes out November 12, 2024. 

Summer Travel Reads

 Summer is the time for family travel, and even if you can't go to exotic places you can read about them.  One of my favorite trips, a bike ride from Venice to Florence, was inspired by one of my son's school projects. He had to write about Italy from many perspectives including famous sites to visit.  Four new young adult novels focus on travel in Rome, Alaska, Paris, and the Appalachian Trail in the US. In All Roads Lead to Rome by Sabrina Edel, Astoria Herriot poses as a tour guide for a Scottish influencer, who is trying to hide his affair with a pop star. Many sites in Rome are described in great detail as they attempt to avoid the paparazzi. Hearts Overboard by Becky Dean finds Savannah Moore on an Alaskan cruise with her high school nemesis and his family. Having taken an Alaskan cruise myself, I was impressed by the accuracy of her experiences. Love Requires Chocolate by Ravynn Stringfield, introduces Black American Whitney Curry, who is studying in Paris at an international arts school, hoping to finish her one woman play about the legendary Black songstress Josephine Baker. Wild About You by Kaitlin Hill focuses on a reality TV show which challenges selected teens to complete various tasks while hiking the Appalachian Trail. Having just returned from the Smokey Mountains, this book appealed to me on many different levels.  

All Roads Lead to Rome is an homage to the movie Roman Holiday. Loner Astoria "Story" Herriot, attends an American School in Rome.  She runs into Luca Kinnaird as he is attempting to escape from the paparazzi who are chasing him and Jasmine, an international pop star. Story has on the same color dress as Jasmine, so Luca grabs her and has her pretend that she is his tour guide.  In exchange for posing as his girlfriend/tour guide, he promises to fund a memorial scholarship for recovering addicts in the name of her late father, who died of an overdose. As Story and Luca attend many society events and tourist attractions, their opposites-attract chemistry kicks in. Story takes Luca to many of her favorite places in Rome and the surrounding countryside, and ultimately ends up accompanying him to Scotland, where she finds out there is more to Luca than meets the eye.  

Hearts Overboard opens with Savannah Moore being dumped  in front of most of the senior class by her boyfriend Caleb, who says she's boring and set in her ways.  Headed for an Alaskan cruise with her parents, their best friends, and their son Tanner, Savannah enlists Tanner's help, despite his being her nemesis at school.  He volunteers to take photos that they can share on social media of all their risk-taking adventures, including zip-lining, dogsledding, hiking the bear-infested Alaskan wilderness, singing late night karaoke, and taking a polar plunge, showing Caleb what he's missing.  Along the way she and Tanner clear the air about their antagonism toward each other, which stems from mistaken perceptions. After spending so much time with Tanner, Savannah wonders if Caleb is the one she really wants. 

Love Requires Chocolate is set in Paris where Black American drama student Whitney Curry is attending an international arts high school, where she hopes to complete her one-woman show about Josephine Baker.  She has a "Parisian Bucket List" for research she hopes will help her finish her play.  Her French tutor, is a caustic black athlete, Thierry Magnon, who is doing community service for a racially charged fight during his team's soccer match. When she gets lost in Montmartre and calls him to rescue her, she offers him a good review as a tutor, which will end his team suspension, in exchange for his being her Paris tour guide.  The first-person narration chronicles her introduction to the city of love, including making chocolate at Thierry's family chocolate shop, as well as insight into the global Black culture. 

In Wild About You anxiety ridden Natalie Hart loses her college merit scholarship and decides to enter the teen version of Wild Adventures, a reality TV show with a grand prize of a $100,000 scholarship. The challenge is to hike the Appalachian trail, while completing various tasks with a complete stranger.  She is paired with Finn Markum, who resents Natalie's brash perky personality and lack of outdoors experience. He is grieving his father's death, as he had hoped to do Wild Adventures as a father/son duo. Natalie with her complex beauty routines seems like a thorn in his side.  As they complete one task after another, he finds Natalie has skills he hadn't counted on needing and realizes they make a good team. This slow burning romance explores mental health issues and grieving, as well as how to trust oneself when the going gets tough.

Cultural Comparisons

 Young adult novels about  kids from different cultures lend themselves to teaching the writing of comparison contrast essays, comparing their culture to the one in the book.  Depending on the students' level of sophistication, the essay can range from a simple four paragraph essay to a fully developed paper, where each topic is explored in great detail.  Various issues that can be compared are governments, food, religion, climate, holidays, celebrations, and living conditions.  Have students note the similarities and differences as they are reading.  Three new YA books that lend themselves to this unit follow. Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment by Arushi Avachat focuses on Arya whose family is planning an elaborate Punjabi shaadi (wedding). Structured like a Bollywood movie, the book includes family shaadi drama, scrumptious food and references to many Bollywood films. What's Eating Jackie O? by Patricia Park introduces a Korean American girl who attends Bronx Science in NYC. Jackie would rather cook than study, and when she gets the opportunity to compete in a teen cooking competition, she must convince her parents to let her compete. The Quince Project by Jessica Parra finds Cuban American Castillo Torres attempting to move forward from her mother's death by starting a party planning business. When she get the opportunity to plan a nontraditional quinceanera for a popular online influencer, she thinks her dreams are coming true. 

In Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment, Arya's family is overwhelmed by planning her sister's Punjabi wedding. Her mother and sister are constantly at odds, and her mother retreats to her room, forcing Arya to act as mediator.  In addition her best friends Andy and Lisa have broken up, making her friendship with them awkward, and Dean Merriweather, the white soccer player whom Arya thinks stole the student council presidency from her, is foisting all the event planning on her. Written like a Bollywood movie, complete with intermission, it also has many Desi references, including food, dance and famous movies. The story evolves as Arya's realizes that problems don't always get solved like they do in her beloved Bollywood movies. 

What's Eating Jackie O? focuses on a Korean American sophomore at Bronx Science in NYC, who works at her grandparents' restaurant "Melty's" and dreams of becoming a professional chef.  When Jackie is scouted there for a competitive teen cooking show, "Burn Off," she is thrilled.   Dodging her parents' ivy league dreams for her and making it through the initial cookoffs, she finds more obstacles ahead.  The judges expect her to create Korean dishes, whereas she prefers to combine cuisines. She must also navigate subtle layers of microaggressions against minorities,  shame and sorrow over her older brother's imprisonment, and a romantic attraction to a fellow competitor, as she competes for the opportunity to realize her unconventional dreams.  Recipes are included!

In The Quince Project Cuban-American Castillo Torres, a budding event planner, feels like the best way to movie forward after her mother's death is to apply for party planner Mandy Whitmore's "fairy godmother" internship, help her sister Mariposa "Po" get into college and pry her grieving father away from his video games.  Needing more experience for her resume, she jumps at the chance to organize Disney YouTuber Paulina Reyes' nontraditional quinceanera. Hanging out with cute lifeguard Javier Bae-Luna, Paulina's childhood friend and chambelan, is a bonus.  Unfortunately Cas is caught stretching the truth about her relationship to Mandy Whitmore and her plans go awry.  Healing after the death of a loved one, sisterly love and conflict, and thwarted ambitions are explored in a sympathetic way. as Cas strives for her happily-ever-after. 

             

Musicians -The Notes, Every Time You Hear that Song and The Ballad of Darcy and Russell,

 Books about elite musicians can go in many different directions, but frequently the tolls of the mental pressure these high achievers experience, resulting in questionable behavior, are at the core of the story's conflict. The Notes by Catherine Con Morse, explores the mental health issues challenging elite pianists at a boarding school for performing arts. Every Time You Hear That Song by Jenna Voris focuses on the personal sacrifices made by a country singer in her quest for stardom. The Ballad of Darcy and Russell by Morgan Matson follows Russell Henrion, an aspiring musical theater writer, who sabotages his whirlwind love-at-first-sight romance with Darcy Milligan, by lying about his true identity. 

In The Notes Chinese American pianist Claire Wu attends a South Carolina boarding school for the performing arts.  When a Taiwanese piano teacher, Dr. Tina Li, arrives, Claire is smitten and is determined to please the demanding teacher.  However, her best friend Jenny and crush Rocky are skeptical. When Claire begins receiving anonymous notes warning her not to fall under Tina's spell, she becomes obsessed with who is writing them.  Preparing for her piano repertoire with hours of practice, falling for Rocky, and striving to be accepted in the Asian Students Society, Claire begins to struggle under the emotional and physical stress. Dr. Li misguidedly believes that pressuring students with negative reinforcement will improve their performance. Rocky, who is the top senior pianist at the school, flounders under her harsh treatment, and Claire in her attempt support Rocky battles to succeed as well.  The mystery of who is writing the notes is secondary to the realistic exploration of mental health issues challenging elite young artists in this semi-autobiographical novel. There is a content playlist included at the end of the book. 

In the beginning of Every Time You Hear that Song, superstar country singer Decklee Cassel dies, leaving behind a time capsule supposedly filled with memorabilia. However, when it is opened, there is nothing in it.  Shortly, after the shocking revelation, Decklee's prerecorded message introduces a scavenger hunt to find the contents.  Teen reporter Darren Purchase, who is from Decklee's hometown of Mayberry, Arkansas, goes on a road trip with her friend and coworker Kendall Wilkinson to solve the mystery. The story chronicles Decklee's rise to fame in the 60s and her partnership with lyricist Mickenlee Hooper and their secret lesbian romance. Mickenlee mysteriously disappears after a falling out with Decklee over being true to themselves.  Decklee, who has struggled to climb the ladder to stardom is not willing to reveal their relationship in a musical world that does not accept homosexual relationships.  Darren, who herself is a bisexual, uncovers the scavenger hunt clues with uncanny prescience, until the final shocking reveal.  Told in alternating perspectives, the novel uncovers the ugly truth about the sacrifices made in the climb to stardom.

The Ballad of Darcy and Russell takes place as the main characters are heading home from the Silverspun Music Festival.  Darcy Milligan has gone to see her dad's favorite band, Nighthawk, before she heads to Connecticut for her freshman year of college. When her bus home breaks down in Jesse, Nevada and her phone dies, she seeks the help of Russell Henrion, an aspiring musical theater writer, who will be a freshman at the University of Michigan.  It's love-at-first sight and they spend a romantic few hours together, wandering around Jesse until the bus is fixed.  As they bond over hopes and fears about the future, they find themselves falling head over heels.  Then they break into a hotel pool for a swim and get arrested by the police. Russell breaks down and calls his celebrity dad to get them out of jail, revealing that he has been lying to Darcy about who he really is.  Darcy ends up at his house waiting to catch a bus back to LA and meets all of his dad's ex-wives and children.  She discovers the complicated emotions of a musician who is trying to get out from under his father's shadow and prove that he can make it on his own. Navigating the transition to college, struggling with parental expectations and the trappings of privilege, are a few of the issues covered.  The snappy dialogue and sizzling chemistry between Darcy and Russell make this a journey the reader will enjoy taking with them. 

Classic Connections: Hamlet is Not OK, Twelfth Knight, and The Calculation of You and Me

 Many modern YA authors are following the time honored tradition of retelling a classic story in a modern setting or incorporating elements of a classic in a modern tale.  By having students read and compare the classic and the related modern novel, teachers can expose kids to plots that form the backbone of literature and help them appreciate the clever variations that the modern authors imagine. In Hamlet is Not OK by R.A. Spratt a reluctant student is assigned a paper on Shakespeare's Hamlet and finds herself able to transport herself into the story. Twelfth Knight  by Alexene Farol Follmuth is a feminist reimagining of Twelfth Night which incorporates Shakespeare's characters into a story about a girl who is a whiz at multiplayer role-playing games. The Calculation of You and Me by Serena Kaylor finds the main character employing the services of a rock star to write lyrics to win back her ex-boyfriend. 

Hamlet is Not OK introduces Selby Michaels, who is left on her own for six months and stops doing her homework.  Her parents, who own a bookstore, go to a parent-teacher conference and return home in a rage.  She is banned from TV, computers and music and must work with her brother's nerdy friend Dan to make up the work.  When she is working on an English paper on Hamlet, Dan has her read the play aloud, and they are magically transported to Elsinore Castle in Denmark and meet Hamlet's father's ghost. As the story unfolds, Dan explains what's happening, and Selby is determined to stop the violence.  Dan cautions her about changing the narrative, telling her it will impact literature for centuries to come. As Selby attempts to save Ophelia and stop Hamlet's downward spiral, they travel back and forth between the bookstore and the 17th century, witnessing familiar plots and famous lines, that even Shelby recognizes. Coming up with a compromise to stop the mayhem, but leaving the story intact, Dan and Shelby bond over their shared magical journey.  Although the author includes lines from the play, she prefaces the story with a caveat  suggesting the reader to skip them if they wish, as Dan's explanations of them suffice.

In Twelfth Knight Viola Reyes is a high school student, who loves multiplayer role-playing games, in particular "Twelfth Knight." When her tabletop game team rejects an original game she created, her best friend suggests she try being nicer, and the Student body President and star quarterback Jack "Duke" Orsino leaves all the school event planning to her, Viola retreats into online game play. Then Jack has a season ending injury and decides to begin playing Twelfth Knight. Viola has disguised herself as a male player, Cesario, to avoid the misogynist attitudes of guys who play the game. Cesario and Duke begin teaming up and are surprisingly successful together.  As Jack begins falling for her in real life, Viola worries about what will happen when he discovers the truth about her Cesario identity.  A quick way to introduce students to the classic is to read the picture book Twelfth Night: For Kids by Lois Burdett aloud, so that kids will recognize all the references to the classic in this clever retelling. 

The Calculation of You and Me uses the basic premise of Cyrano de Bergerac to tell the tale of Marlowe Meadows,  a whiz at math whose interpersonal skills are not as sharp. When popular Josh sets his eye on her, she suddenly has a golden ticket to a social life.  Two years later he unexpectedly breaks up with he, because she isn't romantic enough. Despite her friends' disdain for Josh, she is determined to win him back. Enter Ashton Hayes, a goth rock god with whom she is paired for an English project. When she reads his love lyrics for his band's songs, she makes a bargain with him.  If he helps her get Josh back by writing romantic love notes for her, she will revamp the band's social media to help them go viral. Although he hates Josh, Ash agrees, and he and Marlowe begin meeting at the romance bookshop/cafe where he works.  He gives her an assigned reading list of romance novels, and she works on a data analytics formula for the band to follow.  As she gets to know Ash better, she begins to wonder why she is chasing Josh.  She is used to math problems which are easily solved, but love has a funny way of complicating everything.  The story is retold for children in The Story of Cyrano de Bergerac (Save the Story) by Stefano Benni, illustrated by Miguel Tanco, which can facilitate easy access to the story for comparison purposes.