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.  

New Suspense-filled YA Novels

 Suspense is a state of anxiety or excitement caused by uncertainty, doubt or undecidedness in a narrative work.  Suspense is the audience's anticipation about the plot or conflict, particularly as it affects a character for whom the audience feels sympathy. Three new YA titles this month elicit that excitement for the female protagonists. In Dead Girls Don't Say Sorry by Alex Ritany Nora Radford explores the truth about her toxic relationship with her best friend Julia, after she dies in a car accident. Cancelled by Farrah Penn introduces Brynn Whitaker, who is a "flirting coach" for her classmates.  When she is wrongly accused of hooking up with another girl's boyfriend, she must proves her innocence or face ostracism for the rest of her senior year. Make Me a Liar by Melissa Landers adds a sci-fi twist to a similar plot.  Tia Dante is an "immersionist."  She can swap bodies with a consenting person and handle difficult situations for them. But when someone uses her vacated body to commit a murder, she must find the culprit or go to jail. 

In alternating chapters Dead Girls Don't Say Sorry chronicles the years before and after Nora Radford's best friend Julia dies in a car accident. The two have been inseparable since fifth grade and plan to go to McGill University together.  But then Nora gets the opportunity to apply early admission for a journalism program a TMU, and things between the girls begin to deteriorate. Complicating matters, Nora's childhood friend Dillan moves back to town, and they rekindle their friendship, making Julia jealous.  The truth about the girls' toxic relationship is slowly revealed, as Nora discovers Julia's betrayals that have sabotaged her future. Nora struggles with her feelings of guilt and grief over Julia's death, as she processes what really happened.  The author's pacing, dialogue and characters propel the reader through Julia's gut-wrenching discoveries, as she tries to make peace with what happened and move on with her life. 

Cancelled finds serial dater Brynn Whitaker giving advice to fellow high schools on how best to communicate with their crushes and score dates. Her much-needed income as a flirting coach is threatened when she goes to a Halloween party dressed in a banana costume, and an anonymous video surfaces of a person in the same costume hooking up with her ex-best friend's boyfriend.  Being ostracized at school, she is determined to find the identity of the actual person in the video. As she gets closer to the truth, she realizes she doesn't want to slut shame another girl, but rather turn the tables on the misogynistic attitude that exonerates the male cheater.  She and her friends form a "femolution" club, denouncing sexism in the school.  Her social group includes a trans girl, a pansexual hijabi wearing girl, a pregnant classmate and her swoon worthy twin brother.  With her income, her scholarship and college recommendations on the line, Brynn must prove her innocence once and for all.  

Make Me a Liar has a similar plotline with a sci-fi twist.  Tia Dante is an immersionist, a person who can swap bodies with a person with their consent.  Tia uses her ability to help classmates do things they are afraid to do for themselves, such as standing up to bullies, breaking up or coming out - all for a price.  When someone borrows her body while she is swapping and murders the district attorney, Tia is suspected of murder.  With the aid of her ex-boyfriend Nash, who she finds out is an immersionist himself, Tia attempts to prove her innocence.  Tia's first-person narration reveals her to be a witty irreverent teen (Pies before guys) with a penchant for trouble.  Nash, who broke up with her, realizes his error and works to win her back. A secret supernatural organization and international mobs, as well as criminal justice issues, make this a real page-turner.  

New YA Romances: With a Little Luck, GILM! and Heartless Hunter

 It's February and love is in the air, laced with a little magic.  Three new YA romances employ magic to move the plot along.   With a Little Luck by Marissa Meyer (Cinder) introduces Jude, a Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) playing introvert, who finds a magic twenty-sided die that changes his luck in love and life. GILM! by Brian Corley has the protagonist employing a magical spell to help him write a popular song to win the girl. Heartless Hunter: The Crimson Moth by Kristen Ciccarelli pits witches against witch hunters in a battle for control, so that they may freely practice their magic. 

In With a Little Luck, Jude, an introverted artist whose parents own Vinyl Ventures music store, spends his time drawing comics, working at his parents' store, hosting D&D nights with his friends, and pining after Maya, a girl he has had a crush on since elementary school. One night Jude finds a red 20-sided die, and he begins experiencing an uncanny bout of good luck.  His comic book art is chosen for publication, his best friend Ari's song becomes a finalist in a song competition, and he wins tickets to a concert, which he asks Maya to, and she accepts.  The concert date goes incredibly well, and Maya joins his D&D group, but then he misplaces the red die and his good luck turns bad. He discovers that his crush on Maya was more about the unattainable, and he's really in love with Ari, but wonders if it's too late to let her know how he feels. Jude's comics, which are based on the games he creates as dungeon master for his D&D group, penned by Chuck Gonzalez, are included in the text. As Ari makes it to the last round of finals in the song writing competition, Jude wonders if the song about unrequited love is actually about them. Jude's narration, which includes breaking the fourth wall, is engaging and the chemistry between Ari and Jude is palpable. Readers will enjoy his journey of realization. 

GILM!, (an admittedly odd title), is about a boy who is challenged to write a song about a word that rhymes with film. Geoff Smith, a recent transplant from Texas to Portland, has a single father who is a collector of magical oddities.  When Geoff finally talks to his crush Corrinne, he offends her by saying he dislikes musicals, and brags that he is a songwriter himself and is in a band (although it's in Texas.) She challenges him to write a song that has a word in it that rhymes with film. If he succeeds, she will go out with him.  After drawing a blank, he goes home and finds one of his dad's book on magical spells.  Executing one, he wishes to write a popular song that includes a word rhyming with film and his wish is granted.  However, be careful what you wish for!  He arrives at school the next day and his song Gilm! is on everyone lips. To make matters worse, his father can't stop saying it. Now Geoff has to find a way to undo the spell but keep the girl. The author is a songwriter/musician in the rock band The Mars McClanes, who have recorded a new song of the same name, which in turn inspired the novel. 

Heartless Hunter: The Crimson Moth is the first book in a duology set in the Republic of Red Peace, where witches once ruled, but are now hunted by witch hunters known as the Red Guard.  Teenage Rune Winters, a wealthy socialite, is known for turning in her own witch grandmother to be purged.  However, Rune was persuaded to do so by her grandmother, to save herself.  To vindicate her death, Rune operates in secret as the Crimson Moth, who helps witches escape the Purge.  Her grandmother charged her with finding the witch Seraphine for help, and to do so she courts Gideon Sharpe, the head of the red Guard, hoping to get a clue about her location. In turn Gideon suspects Rune of being the Crimson Moth and returns her advances, trying to catch her in the act.  What they didn't expect was to fall in love.  The complexity of the conflict paints neither side as wholly good nor evil. A dramatic ending sets up the sequel in which the two factions will continue their battle. 

New YA books for 2024

 The revision of my book What's New in Young Adult Novels? and Ideas for Classroom Use for 2024 is now available.  Just click on the book icon in the upper right corner of my blog and it will take you to Lulu.com where you can purchase this book. Over 50 new books are recommended along with ideas for using them in the classroom. I would again like to take this opportunity to thank NetGalley for providing ARCs of many of the new young adult novels that I review.  Three new YA books being released in January 2024 caught my fancy.  Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft is a Regency-inspired fantasy about a seamstress who weaves enchantments into the clothing she creates. The Getaway List by Emma Lord (Begin Again) finds a high school graduate defying her mother and heading to NYC to rekindle a relationship with her childhood best friend, who is the co-creator of the "getaway list," a list of adventures they want to experience in the city. Dungeons and Dramas by Kristy Boyce introduces Riley, who is obsessed with musicals. When she gets caught hijacking her mother's car to go to the city to see Waitress, her punishment is working in her father's gaming store, where she gets new insights into the gaming world, as well as her relationship with her father. 

Fragile Enchantment introduces Niamh, a seamstress who has magic in her blood, which allows her to stitch emotions and memories into the clothes she designs.  When she receives an invitation to serve as the tailor for the royal wedding in Avaland, she sees it as an opportunity to guarantee a better life for her working class Machlish family. She arrives in Avaland to find Machlish workers striking, the groom Prince Christopher (Kit) alienating everyone around him, and Lovelace, a gossip columnist, wreaking havoc at court.  Niamh pierces Kit's thorny defenses with patience and persistence, as she creates a calming wardrobe for the upcoming nuptials.  Neither he nor his fiancé, the Castillian Infanta Rosa, want to marry, but are being coerced by forces beyond their control.  Complicating matters are the political upheaval created by the rebellious workers, the tenuous marriage agreement between the kings of Avaland and Castille, Lovelace's column exposing the growing intimacy between Niamh and Kit, and Niamh's deteriorating health which is being depleted by her use of magic.  The narrative satisfyingly works its way toward a resolution of all the complications in this sweeping Regency romance. 

In The Getaway List, Riley Larson, who has received rejections from all ten colleges she applied to, decides to defy her controlling mother and take back the spontaneity in her life.  She heads to NYC where she reunites with her childhood friend Tom with whom she created a Getaway List.  Over their three-year separation, Tom had grown distant, and Riley discovers her mother had plotted to keep them apart.  Fueled by her anger, Riley decides to stay for the whole summer to work through the list with Tom and his quirky friends, camping, going to concerts, and exploring the city. Tom's screenwriter mother is on an extended stay in LA, so Riley and Tom are free to not only discover themselves, but also their romantic feelings for each other.  The supporting characters are well-developed, and the author's affectionate portrayal of NYC adds to the charm of the novel. 

We are introduced to another rebellious Riley in Dungeons and Dramas. When this Riley takes her mother's car, without permission nor a driver's license, to the city to see the musical Waitress, her divorced parents decide her punishment will be working at her estranged father's gaming store.  Not only is she distraught about working there, she is also upset that the school has cancelled this year's spring musical, which she was hoping to direct.  When her ex shows up at the store with his new girlfriend, Riley claims her co-worker Nathan is her boyfriend to save face.  Nathan is appalled, but agrees to the ruse so that he can make his crush jealous.  To make the relationship seem more official, she starts playing Dungeon and Dragons with him and his friends at the store.  Of course, she is the bard and finds opportunities to sing at every meeting. The more time she and Nathan spend pretending to be involved, the more lines blur.  Meanwhile, she is campaigning to revive the musical by putting on a show for the administrators to demonstrate that there is sufficient interest for them to reconsider their decision.  When things go terribly wrong, Nathan and her new friends come to her rescue.