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. 

New Young Adult Novels 2025

 The latest revision of my book  What's New in Young Adult Novels? and Ideas for Classroom Use 2024 is now available.  Just click on the green book icon in the upper right corner of my blog and it will take you to Lulu.com where you can purchase this book.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank NetGalley for providing ARCs of many of the new young adult novels that I review. This month I am recommending three new historical novels that are coming out  for young adult readers in January. In Everything is Poison by Joy McCullough, the author has reworked her play "La Tofana Poison Emporium," into a YA novel, telling the story of a Seventeenth Century Apothecary catering to the needs of women.   The Queen's Spade by Sarah Raughley is inspired by the true story of Omoba Ina, a Yoruba princess who was abducted and brought back to Britain as a present for Queen Victoria. Where the Heart Should Be by Sarah Crossan is set in 1846 Ireland at the beginning of the potato famine. All of the books point out the inequities and classism that impact society. 

Everything is Poison takes place in seventeenth-century Rome, where the Tofana Apothecary deals in remedies for female ailments. Carmela Tofana is anxious to become her mother’s apprentice in mixing powders, tinctures and creams. However, when she begins to learn the trade, she realizes the apothecary “helps” battered women deal with unwanted pregnancies and abusive husbands as well.  The Acqua Tofana, which brings about a natural looking death, is one of their most carefully guarded secrets.  When Carmela unwittingly sells it to a woman who administers it improperly, her mother, who had been away, is accused of murder. She disappears and with the support of the apothecary employees Carmela takes over the business. Interspersed with the narrative are powerful poems about female townsfolk, who experience abuse at the hands of the men in their lives.  The author has reimagined her play, "La Tofana Poison Emporium" which is based on a real life character, into a compelling YA novel.

The Queen's Spade is also inspired by a true story.  This historical thriller recounts the story of Sarah Forbes Bonetta (Sally), Queen Victoria’s African goddaughter, who was once Yoruba princess Omoba Ina, enslaved by the Dahomey Kingdom, until she was abducted by the British as a present for Queen Victoria in 1850. Fast forward to 1862 and eighteen-year-old Sally is plotting her revenge on all those involved in her debasement, enlisting the help of an East End crime boss. Among those she targets are Prince Albert, Captain Forbes and his men, who kidnapped her, and Queen Victoria, herself.  When the Queen begins to suspect Sally of her friends’ humiliation and ruin, she betroths her to Captain Davies, who will marry her and take her back to Africa. Her abduction, which was meant to show the benevolence of post abolition Britain by transforming Omoba Ina into the lady “Sally”, actually points out an unjust society. Sally is constantly reminded of her friend’s warning, “Their love for you is conditional.” Needless-to-say, her desire for vengeance is not looked upon kindly.  This is the first book in a duology.

Where the Heart Should Be, set in 1846 Ireland, is a novel-in-verse that chronicles the beginning of the potato famine.  When her family’s potato crop fails, Nell Quinn takes a job working in the kitchen at the “Big House” to help supplement their loss of income. As she witnesses the class injustices, she feels helpless to do anything about it.  While the community members are dying of starvation, the wealthy landlord Wicken's dogs are eating fresh meat.  When she meets John Browning, Wicken's nephew who has just arrived from England and will ultimately inherit the land, the two share a mutual attraction and love of poetry.  Although he sympathizes with those suffering from the famine, he realizes he cannot jeopardize his relationship with his uncle without hurting his five sisters back home. Juxtaposed to those who live in the "Big House" are Nell’s family and best friend Rose, whose trauma from trying to survive unconscionable suffering is heartbreaking. The hopeful, yet ambiguous, ending makes this challenging story worth the reader’s time.