All Things Debut YA: Morris Awards & November/December Releases

December 14, 2015 |

Did you catch the latest round of Morris Nominees? These are the top debut YA novels as selected by librarians, and when the ALA awards happen in mid-January, one of the five books from this list will be named the winner. Out of the five books on the short list, I’ve read three of the titles: The Weight of Feathers, Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda, and The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly — the last one perhaps being one of my favorite reads of 2015 and the one I’d love to see walk away with the ultimate win.

What I love about the Morris every year is how it’s such a nice mix of titles. These are books that have teen appeal, and these are also books that are imperfect. Unlike the Printz, which rewards the greatest of literary achievement in a book in a given year, the Morris is about potential. What authors are we eager to see more from in the future, based on the potential they show in their first book?

This year’s slate of five short list authors is all female. What’s fascinating is that they’re not all girls’ stories though. In fact, of the five books, only one is told entirely through a female point of view; that would be Minnow Bly. Every other story is entirely from a male point of view or, as is the case with The Weight of Feathers, split points of view.

It’s not a criticism of the committee nor their work — this list is really thoughtful, diverse, and features so many interesting stories — but it’s another example of what I mean by how some stories are privileged over others, even if it’s not in any way intentional. The bias is so deep that we are unable to see it until we step back and see it happening again and again and again.

I’m excited to see what title walks away with the gold sticker next month.

Because November and December tend to be lighter when it comes to new book releases, they also tend to be slower months for debut YA novels. I’m including both last month and this month’s titles in this round up.

Like always, this round-up includes debut novels, where “debut” is in its purest definition. These are first-time books by first-time authors. I’m not including books by authors who are using or have used a pseudonym in the past or those who have written in other categories (adult, middle grade, etc.) in the past.

All descriptions are from WorldCat, unless otherwise noted. If I’m missing any debuts out in these last two months of 2015 from traditional publishers — and indie presses are okay — let me know in the comments. As always, not all noted titles included here are necessarily endorsements for those titles.

All the Major Constellations by Pratima Cranse: After Andrew’s best friend is hit by a drunk driver and ends up in a coma, his enigmatic crush invites him to find comfort with her fundamentalist Christian group.

For the Record by Charlotte Huang: Gaining instant celebrity after being discovered on a TV talent show, rock singer Chelsea endures the disdain of her bandmates and ambivalently pursues a relationship with a teen heartthrob during a summer tour that could make or break her career.

Forget Tomorrow by Pintip Dunn: On Callie’s seventeenth birthday, she receives her vision of the future–a memory sent back in time to sculpt each citizen into the person they’re meant to be. But Callie’s vision shows her murdering her younger sister, and she is arrested and sent to a prison for those destined to break the law. Callie escapes and, on the run from the government and from her future, hoping to change her fate and protect her sister.

How to Be Brave by E. Katherine Kottaras: Georgia has always lived life on the sidelines: uncomfortable with her weight, awkward, never been kissed, terrified of failing. Then her mom dies and her world is turned upside down. But instead of getting lost in her pain, she decides to enjoy life while she still can by truly living for the first time. She makes a list of ways to be brave–all the things she’s always wanted to do but has been too afraid to try: learn to draw, try out for cheerleading, cut class, ask him out, kiss him, see what happens from there.

Rules for 50/50 Chances by Kate McGovern: Seventeen-year-old Rose Levenson must decide whether or not she wants to take the test to find out if she has Huntington’s disease, the degenerative disease that is slowly killing her mother.

The Sister Pact by Stacie Ramey: Allie is devastated when her sister Leah commits suicide–and not just because she misses her. The two teens made a suicide pact so that they’d always be together, and Allie can’t understand why she was left behind.

All We Left Behind by Ingrid Sundberg: Marion is hiding a secret from her past and Kurt is trying to figure out how to recover from his mother’s death as they both find solace in each other.

Did I Mention I Love You? by Estelle Maskame: Eden Munro spends the summer with her father and his new family in Santa Monica and quickly finds herself thrust into a world full of new experiences and the more time she spends breaking the rules with them, the more she finds herself falling for the one person she should not–her stepbrother, Tyler.

Gateway to Fourline by Pam Brondos: Strapped for cash, college student Natalie Barns agrees to take a job at a costume shop. Sure, Estos—her classmate who works in the shop—is a little odd, but Nat needs the money for her tuition.

Then she stumbles through the mysterious door behind the shop—and her entire universe transforms.

Discovering there’s far more to Estos than she ever imagined, Nat gets swept up in an adventure to save his homeland, an incredible world filled with decaying magic, deadly creatures, and a noble resistance of exiled warriors battling dark forces. As she struggles with her role in an epic conflict and wrestles with her growing affection for a young rebel, Soris, Nat quickly learns that nothing may go as planned…and her biggest challenge may be surviving long enough to make it home. (Description via Goodreads).

Inherit the Stars by Tessa Elwood: Three royal houses ruling three interplanetary systems are on the brink of collapse, and they must either ally together or tear each other apart in order for their people to survive.

Asa is the youngest daughter of the house of Fane, which has been fighting a devastating food and energy crisis for far too long. She thinks she can save her family’s livelihood by posing as her oldest sister in an arranged marriage with Eagle, the heir to the throne of the house of Westlet. The appearance of her mother, a traitor who defected to the house of Galton, adds fuel to the fire, while Asa also tries to save her sister Wren’s life . . . possibly from the hands of their own father.

But as Asa and Eagle forge a genuine bond, will secrets from the past and the urgent needs of their people in the present keep them divided? (Descriptions via Goodreads).

Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom: Blind sixteen-year-old Parker Grant navigates friendships and romantic relationships, including a run-in with a boy who previously broke her heart, while coping with her father’s recent death.

This Raging Light by Estelle Laure: Seventeen-year-old Lucille is struggling to get through each day, paying bills and looking after her little sister, Wren, while her father is institutionalized after a breakdown and her mother is “on vacation,” but nothing else seems to matter when she is with Digby Jones, her best friend’s twin brother.

October Debut YA Novels

October 22, 2015 |

It’s time for another round-up of debut YA novels of the month.

All descriptions are from WorldCat, unless otherwise noted. If I’m missing any debuts out in September from traditional publishers — and I should clarify that indie presses are okay — let me know in the comments. As always, not all noted titles included here are necessarily endorsements for those titles.

The Distance From Me to You by Marina Gessner: McKenna and her best friend planned for over a year to defer their freshman year of college to hike the Appalachian Trail all the way from Maine to Georgia, so when her friend backs out McKenna embarks alone on a physical and emotional journey that will change her life forever.

First & Then by Emma Mills: Devon is a high school senior, wondering if she really wants to go to college, what to do with her cousin Foster (a freshman) who has moved in with her family in Florida, and whether she likes Ezra, the stuck-up football star at her school, or cannot stand him.

An Infinite Number of Parallel Universes by Randy Ribay: As their senior year approaches, four diverse friends joined by their weekly Dungeons & Dragons game struggle to figure out real life. Archie’s trying to cope with the lingering effects of his parents’ divorce, Mari’s considering an opportunity to contact her biological mother, Dante’s working up the courage to come out to his friends, and Sam’s clinging to a failing relationship. The four eventually embark on a cross-country road trip in an attempt to solve–or to avoid–their problems

It’s A Wonderful Death by Sarah J. Schmitt: Seventeen-year-old RJ always gets what she wants. So when her soul is accidentally collected by a distracted Grim Reaper, somebody in the afterlife better figure out a way to send her back from the dead or heads will roll

Romancing the Dark in the City of Light by Ann Jacobus: A troubled American teen, living in Paris, is torn between two boys, one of whom encourages her to embrace life, while the other–dark, dangerous, and attractive–urges her to embrace her fatal flaws.

Underneath Everything by Marcy Beller Paul: Mattie discovers surprising things about herself and her long-term best friends when she decides she has had enough of her self-imposed isolation from most of the school and two of her three friends, reconnects with her ex-boyfriend, and enjoys all the parties senior year has to offer.

We’ll Never Be Apart by Emiko Jean: Haunted by memories of the fire that killed her boyfriend, seventeen-year-old Alice Monroe is in a mental ward when, with support from fellow patient Chase, she begins to confront hidden truths in a journal, including that the only person she trusts may be telling her only half of the story.

Willful Machines by Tim Floreen: In a near-future America, a sentient computer program named Charlotte has turned terrorist, but Lee Fisher, the closeted son of an ultraconservative President, is more concerned with keeping his Secret Service detail from finding out about his developing romance with Nico, the new guy at school, but when the spider-like robots that roam the school halls begin acting even stranger than usual, Lee realizes he is Charlotte’s next target.

September Debut YA Novels

September 14, 2015 |

It’s time for another round-up of debut YA novels of the month.

A 52-Hertz Whale by Bill Sommer and Natalie Tilghman: Reveals, through emails from various people, the growing connection between sixteen-year-old James, who is obsessed with the fate of a juvenile humpback whale he adopted, and Darren, a would-be filmmaker who once did community service in James’s Special Education classroom.

Becoming Darkness by Lindsay Francis Brambles: Toward the end of World War Two Hitler unleashed the Gomorrah virus, which wiped out most of humanity and turned the rest into vampires, except for those like seventeen-year-old Sophie Harkness, who carry a genetic mutation that makes them immune–but when her best friend is murdered and attempts are made on her life, Sophie sets out to discover the dark secrets that lie at the heart of Haven, the last refuge of the immunes.

Blood and Salt by Kim Liggett: Seventeen-year-old Ash Larkin finds out her family is involved in a centuries-old saga of love and murder, alchemy and immortality when she follows her mother to an isolated settlement in the cornfields of Kansas. Included in our big round-up of YA horror.

The Body Institute by Carol Riggs: To help out with her family’s financial situation, seventeen-year-old Morgan Dey begins working for the Body Institute, an organization that uses new technology to allow one person to take over another person’s body temporarily to return that body to the proper weight and physical condition. (Worth noting: the description of this one doesn’t pass much muster with Size Acceptance in YA)

Burn Girl by Mandy Mikulencak: When her mother dies of a drug overdose, sixteen-year-old Arlie must adjust to living with an uncle she has never met and going to school on a regular basis.

The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich: Told through journal entries, a psychotherapist’s notes, court records, and more, relates the tale of Carly, a teen who was institutionalized after her parents’ death but released to Elmbrige High School, where she is believed to have a second personality or soul named Kaitlyn, and/or be possessed by a demon. Included in our big round-up of YA horror.

Dream Things True by Marie Marquardt: Evan, the nephew of a conservative southern senator, and Alma, who lives with her large, warm Mexican family, fall in love, but when Immigration and Customs Enforcement begins raids on their town, Alma knows she needs to tell Evan her secrets, but how can she tell her country-club boyfriend that she is an undocumented immigrant?

Drowning is Inevitable by Shalanda Stanley: After seventeen-year-old Olivia and her friend Jamie accidentally kill Jamie’s abusive father, two other friends, Max and Maggie, join them in running away from St. Francisville, Louisiana, to hide out in New Orleans while they try to figure out what to do next.

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon: The story of a teenage girl who’s literally allergic to the outside world. When a new family moves in next door, she begins a complicated romance that challenges everything she’s ever known. The narrative unfolds via vignettes, diary entries, texts, charts, lists, illustrations, and more.

Fans of the Impossible Life by Kate Scelsa: At Saint Francis Prep school in Mountain View, New Jersey, Mira, Jeremy, and Sebby come together as they struggle with romance, bullying, foster home and family problems, and mental health issues.

The Fix by Natasha Sinel: After becoming friends with Sebastian Ruiz, a recovering addict, seventeen-year-old Macy Lyons is forced to come to terms with her own secret.

Jillian Cade, Fake Paranormal Investigator by Jen Klein: A seventeen-year-old girl runs a fake paranormal detection agency, but when she takes a case involving a non-paranormal missing person, things start to get strange and her feelings for partner Sky Ramsey start to grow.

The One Thing by Marci Lyn Curtis: After losing her sight–and the future she dreamed of–seventeen-year-old Maggie meets the one person with the ability to help her see all the possibilities life still holds.

Lock & Mori by Heather W. Petty: In modern-day London, sixteen-year-old Miss James “Mori” Moriarty is looking for an escape from her recent past and spiraling home life when she takes classmate Sherlock Holmes up on his challenge to solve a murder mystery. Included in “3 On A YA Theme: Takes on Sherlock.”

Sanctuary by Jennifer McKissack: After the sudden death of her aunt, Cecilia Cross is forced to return to the old mansion on a remote island off the coast of Maine, ironically named Sanctuary, the place where her father and sister died, and from which her mother was committed to an insane asylum soon after–and it is also a place of dark secrets, haunted by the ghosts of its original owners, and inhabited by her vicious uncle. Included in our big round-up of YA horror.

This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee: When a talented mechanic in 1818 Geneva brings his brother back from the dead using clockwork parts, the citizens of Geneva think they may have inspired the recently published novel Frankenstein.

Truest by Jackie Lea Sommers: Westlin Beck’s summer is turned upside down when the Hart twins move to town: aggravating, intriguing, and quirky Silas and his mysteriously ill sister, Laurel.

The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore: Although Lace Paloma knows all about the feud between the Palomas and the Corbeaus, she finds herself falling for Cluck Corbeau when he saves her life while both families are performing in the same town.

The Unquiet by Mikaela Everett: For most of her life, Lirael has been training to kill–and replace–a duplicate version of herself on a parallel Earth. She is the perfect sleeper-soldier. But she’s beginning to suspect she is not a good person

August Debut YA Novels

August 13, 2015 |

It’s time for another round-up of debut YA novels of the month.

Like always, this round-up includes debut novels, where “debut” is in its purest definition. These are first-time books by first-time authors. I’m not including books by authors who are using or have used a pseudonym in the past or those who have written in other categories (adult, middle grade, etc.) in the past.

All descriptions are from WorldCat, unless otherwise noted. If I’m missing any debuts out in August from traditional publishers, let me know in the comments. As always, not all noted titles included here are necessarily endorsements for those titles.

From Where I Watch You by Shannon Grogan: Sixteen-year-old Kara McKinley’s life imploded after the death of her mean-spirited older sister, but she finds solace in baking and the hope of winning a culinary school scholarship until a stalker targets her, leading her to piece together events from her past even as she fears for her future.

The Temple of Doubt by Anne Boles Levy: Fifteen-year-old Hadara loves to go beyond the city limits gathering herbs and throwing off the yoke of her religious schooling, but when a falling star crashes into the marshes beyond Port Sapphire, two powerful high priests arrive from the god Nihil’s home city to investigate, insisting it harbors an evil force, and choosing Hadara as a guide into the wilds, setting off a chain of events that will upend everything she has been taught about the sacred and the profane.

Diary of a Haunting by M. Verano: After her parents’ high-profile divorce, sixteen-year-old Paige is forced to leave Los Angeles for a rambling Victorian mansion in small-town Idaho where she soon notices strange occurrences that seem to be building toward some unspeakable horror.

The Creeping by Alexandra Sirowy: Seventeen-year-old Stella has no recollection of the day her best friend disappeared while the two, then six, were picking strawberries, until the corpse of a similar girl turns up and Stella not only begins to remember, she learns that something dark has been at work in their little town for generations.

How To Say I Love You Out Loud by Karole Cozzo: When Jordyn’s autistic brother joins her at her elite school her junior year, she is determined not to let anyone know they are related, even if that means closing herself off to her closest friends Erin, Tanu, and Alex, the football captain she secretly loves.

Madly by Amy Alward: Samantha’s ability to mix potions is needed when her family is summoned to take part in an ancient quest to save Princess Evelyn from a potion gone awry, but will curing the princess doom Samantha’s chance at love?

Not After Everything by Michelle Levy: After his mom kills herself, Tyler shuts out the world–until falling in love with Jordyn helps him find his way toward a hopeful future.

July Debut YA Novels

July 20, 2015 |

It’s time for another round-up of debut YA novels of the month.

Like always, this round-up includes debut novels, where “debut” is in its purest definition. These are first-time books by first-time authors. I’m not including books by authors who are using or have used a pseudonym in the past or those who have written in other categories (adult, middle grade, etc.) in the past.

All descriptions are from WorldCat, unless otherwise noted. If I’m missing any debuts out in July from traditional publishers, let me know in the comments. As always, not all noted titles included here are necessarily endorsements for those titles.

Pretending to be Erica by Michelle Painchaud: Violet has been preparing her entire life to step into the shoes of the missing heiress Erica Silverman, in order to pull off the biggest inside job in Las Vegas history. She doesn’t count on having a conscience.

You and Me and Him by Kris Dinnison: Maggie Bowers thinks she knows what to expect her junior year of high school, but when she and her out-of-the-closet best friend Nash have feelings for the same boy she wonders if winning someone’s heart means losing her soulmate.

Jillian Cade: Fake Paranormal Investigator by Jen Klein: A seventeen-year-old girl runs a fake paranormal detection agency, but when she takes a case involving a non-paranormal missing person, things start to get strange and her feelings for partner Sky Ramsey start to grow.

Damage Done by Amanda Panitch: Julia Vann has a new identity after being forced to leave town because of her twin brother’s terrible crime. Julia is the only survivor but she can’t remember what happened–at least, that’s what she tells the police.

Ruthless by Carolyn Lee Adams: When Ruth is kidnapped, she’s determined not to become this serial-killer’s next trophy. After she’s able to escape, her captor begins stalking her through the wilderness.

Stone Rider by David Hofmeyr: A young man who seeks revenge and redemption from his past joins a brutal race to win a chance to escape his dying world.

Forever For A Year by B. T. Gottfred: Two young teens fall in love for the first time, and discover it might not last forever.