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Get Genrefied: Short Stories

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Every month last year we featured a genre or a format of YA fiction, talked about the defining characteristics, resources for learning more about them, and then a book list of current titles. If you go back and check out last month’s guide on humor, you can get through to all of the guides before. Because we enjoyed writing the series, we’re continuing it this year, and we have twelve new genres and/or formats to tackle. To kick it off, we’re going to start with the short story.

Like graphic novels, short stories are a format, rather than a genre, since they can be written in any genre. Short stories can be fiction or non-fiction; there are short stories that are more about personal experiences (think very short memoirs) and they’re non-fiction. They may also be written and illustrated in graphic format. 

Short stories are shorter in length than a novel or a novella, though the word counts on what defines each of those varies. The Science Fiction Writers of America define a short story as being under 7,500 words, a novelette as a story between 7,500 and 17,500 words, a novella as a story between 17,500 and 40,000 words and a novel as something over 40,000 words in length. These aren’t strict rules or laws, and there’s a lot of flexibility and leeway, but they give a general idea of how short stories differ from novels.

There’s not a huge market for short stories in the YA world. The bulk of YA short stories are published in anthologies, which contain stories written by more than one author and they either revolve around a theme, a mood, or a genre. There are a few notable authors who write entire books of short stories, as well — Margo Lanagan quickly comes to mind. Over the last few years, there’s been a trend toward more publishers having authors of well-known and popular series write short story companions set within the worlds of their books. The bulk of these have been produced as e-originals, releasing at various times during the first runs of the series; most of the time, they’re meant to be extras and aren’t essential to understanding or enjoying the series. Veronica Roth’s Divergent series, for example, has a handful of short stories and all of them are e-only. Lauren Oliver’s Delirium series included a handful of short stories, but rather than keep them exclusively electronic, they were bound up and republished in print form.

Sometimes short stories can be published entirely online, as a means of giving fans a bit more or as a way of getting those who haven’t read the author’s work to try it — for example, there’s an e-short story by Courtney Summers to her book Fall for Anything told from the perspective of the main character’s best friend available on the publisher’s webpage. Other times, short stories can be included as a bonus in a release of a new print edition of a book — the paperback editions of Malinda Lo’s Huntress and Marissa Meyer’s Cinder, as well as the paperback of Kiersten White’s Mind Games include extra material in them. The paperback of Tiffany Schmidt’s Send Me A Sign will include a bonus story told from the point of view of one of the main male characters. Sara Ryan’s Empress of the World included bonus short stories in comic form, as well as other extras, and those were included in the book’s reissue, rather than in its initial paperback release.

The YA novella arena has been growing, thanks in part to these digital companions to popular series books. Harper Teen Impulse is an entire line of YA novellas written by well-known YA authors that are either somehow related to the author’s novels, re-worked pieces from prior anthology inclusions, or are entirely brand new material. Bloomsbury published a series of e-novellas that coincided with Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass series. These were originally e-only, but they will be put to print later on this year. Penguin did a prequel novella to Marie Lu’s Legend series, too, which is an e-only title.

YA short stories can also be found in other places, as well. One Teen Story is a journal dedicated to exactly what it says: publishing one teen short story. The journal publishes one issue — and one story — nine times a year. It’s very much like a zine in shape, size, format, and appearance. Cicada, as well as Sucker Literary, also publish YA short stories. There are also places like the Young Adult Review Network (YARN) that publish short stories. YARN is particularly interesting because readers may be familiar with some of the names of authors who publish short stories or poetry there; many have also published novels that are familiar.

All of these sources vet their submissions and the stories go through some sort of editorial process, so not just anyone can share something they’ve written. I recommend spending some time reading YA Highway’s post about literary journals, as they offer even more outlets for finding YA short stories.

For readers who are eager to read short stories, there are many places and outlets in which to find them. It’s a format that’s adaptable to print, to digital, and to books, as well as magazines and online journals, publishers websites, and more. For books which are doing exceptionally well with readers, it’s more than worthwhile to develop a reading guide to places where fans can find more stories. Perhaps noting this in a circulating copy of the book would help guide readers to more work they’d enjoy. If you work in a library that circulates e-readers to teens, one way to offer those e-original short stories or novellas would be to purchase them for that device and catalog the titles as being available on the e-reader.

There aren’t any specific short story writers associations, though there are awards and honors for well-done short stories offered through many outlets. Likewise, there aren’t a lot of solid short story resources which include reviews or discussions of the format for YA. Bloggers who review short stories tend to review anthologies as they’re published, often discussion the individual stories on their own and within the bigger context. Books of short stories tend to be reviewed in traditional sources, as well. It’ll be interesting to see what happens as e-only novellas and short stories continue to emerge: it’s a trend that I see value in but question audience for (teens who have the technology and teens who have access to credit cards to use aren’t necessarily large nor overlapping groups).

Here’s a look at a number of YA short story collections from the last few years, as well as a preview of a few to come soon. All descriptions are from WorldCat, though much of the description of the anthologies are pretty straightforward from the titles. If you know of others published in the last five or so years, feel free to add them to the comments! 

Defy the Dark edited by Saundra Mitchell: Seventeen original stories that take place in the absence of light.

Extremities by David Lubar: A group of high school girls takes revenge on their sadistic gym teacher in the most fitting way possible. Two stowaways find themselves on a ship for the dead. An ancient predator stalks the wrong victim. Here are thirteen tales of death, murder, and revenge. 

Shards & Ashes edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong: Original stories of dystopian worlds from New York Times bestselling authors.

After edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling: An anthology of nineteen tales by well-known authors of young adult and adult literature which explore the lives of teens raised after a catastrophe, either in the first few years after the change or in the distant future.

Unnatural Creatures edited by Neil Gaiman: A collection of sixteen stories introduces a host of strange, wondrous beings that have never existed anywhere but in the imagination, with stories from Neil Gaiman, Diana Wynne Jones, and E. Nesbit.

Yellowcake by Margo Lanagan: A collection of ten short stories of unusual people, places, and events, including reimagined classic tales and original works, most of which were previously published.

Brave New Love edited by Paula Guran: Presents a collection of fifteen stories about finding romance and danger in repressive, futuristic societies by such authors as Steve Berman, Jesse Karp, Diana Peterfreund, and Amanda Downum.

Cornered: 14 Stories of Bullying and Defiance edited by Rhoda Belleza: An anthology of fourteen stories illuminates the experiences of being bullied in today’s world, in a volume that includes contributions from such established writers as Kirsten Miller, Jennifer Brown, and James Lecesne.


The Curiosities by Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff: An anthology of darkly paranormal stories, with comments by the authors on their writing process. 

Faery Tales & Nightmares by Melissa Marr: A collection of short stories featuring tales of characters from the Wicked Lovely novels that mix with accounts of new characters.

Guys Read: Funny Business edited by Jon Scieszka: A collection of humorous stories featuring a teenaged mummy, a homicidal turkey, and the world’s largest pool of chocolate milk. (“Guys Read” is an entire series of short story anthologies). 

Starry, Starry Night by Lurlene McDaniel: A collection of three stories in which teenagers face life-altering situations. (This is an older anthology but it recently got a facelift). 

Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci: A collection of twenty-nine short stories about geeks.

Owning It: Stories About Teens with Disabilities edited by Donald Gallo: Presents ten stories of teenagers facing all of the usual challenges of school, parents, boyfriends and girlfriends, plus the additional complications that come with having a physical or psychological disability.

There is No Long Distance Now by Naomi Shihab Nye: Forty short stories by an award-winning author and poet.

Diverse Energies edited by Tobias S. Buckell and Joe Monti: In this collection of original and rediscovered stories of tragedy and hope, the diverse stars are students, street kids, “good girls,” kidnappers, and child laborers pitted against their environments, their governments, and sometimes one another as they seek answers in their dystopian worlds. 

Steampunk edited by Kelley Link and Gavin J. Grant: A collection of fourteen fantasy stories by well-known authors, set in the age of steam engines and featuring automatons, clockworks, calculating machines, and other marvels that never existed.

Tortall and Other Lands by Tamora Pierce: A collection of fantasy stories by Tamora Pierce that are set in her created land of Tortall and feature a range of familiar and unknown characters. 

Free? Stories About Human Rights edited by Amnesty International: An anthology of fourteen stories by young adult authors from around the world, on such themes as asylum, law, education, and faith, compiled in honor of the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Kiss Me Deadly edited by Trisha Telep and Michelle Zink: A collection of short stories combining dark seduction and modern romance presents a variety of tales featuring the romantic lives of humans and werewolves, ghosts, fallen angels, zombies, and shape-shifters.

Zombies vs. Unicorns edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier: Twelve short stories by a variety of authors seek to answer the question of whether zombies are better than unicorns. 

Lips Touch Three Times by Laini Taylor and illustrated by Jim di Bartolo: Three short stories about kissing, featuring elements of the supernatural.

The Poison Eaters by Holly Black: A girl wagers her soul in a sour-gummy-frog-eating contest with the devil. Love and a homemade coat rescue a boy from his fairyland jailers. A newly bitten teenage vampire uses the Internet to show the world just how uncool the “cold” life is. In this collection of stories, the supernatural intersects with everyday life in surprising and dangerous ways.

You Don’t Even Know Me by Sharon G. Flake: Tow-Kaye just learned that the love of his life is pregnant–and though he knows what the right thing to do is, he’s scared to death to do it. Jeffrey hates having a mom who dresses like a teenager, but when another sexy mom moves in next door–well, that’s a different kind of problem. In these and twenty-two other short stories and poems, readers plumb the inner lives of African American teenage boys. 

Open Mic: Riffs on Life Between Cultures edited by Mitali Perkins: Shares stories about growing up in diverse homes or communities, from an Asian youth who gains temporary popularity by making up a false background, to a biracial girl whose father clears subway seats by calmly sitting between two prejudiced women.

Dear Teen Me edited by E. Kristin Anderson and Miranda Kenneally: How many times have you looked back on your teenage years and cringed, wishing you could offer your younger self some guidance? This book of nearly 70 letters by top young adult authors — including bestselling writers Lauren Oliver, Ellen Hopkins, and Nancy Holder — does just that, and today’s teens will benefit.

Girl Meets Boy edited by Kelly Milner Halls: Twelve authors of young adult fiction collaborate on this collection of paired stories told alternately from the point of view of the boy and the girl.

Fear: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror edited by RL Stine: A collection of thirteen horror stories.

Enthralled edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong: A collection of sixteen original short stories by writers of paranormal tales, featuring journeys made by teens and magical beings.

Rags & Bones: New Twists on Timeless Tales edited by Melissa Marr and Tim Pratt: In this collection, award-winning and bestselling authors reimagine their favorite classic stories, the ones that have inspired, awed, and enraged them, the ones that have become ingrained in modern culture, and the ones that have been too long overlooked.  

Foretold: 14 Stories of Prophecy and Prediction edited by Carrie Ryan: Collects fourteen stories that delve into the obsession with life’s unknowns and the prospect of altering the future, by such authors as Meg Cabot, Diana Peterfreund, and Michael Grant.

Break These Rules: 35 YA Authors on Speaking Up, Standing Out, and Being Yourself edited by Luke Reynolds: Middle grade and young adult authors speak candidly on the unspoken “rules” of adolescence in this collection of moving, inspiring, and often funny essays. This unique volume encourages readers to break with conformity and defy age-old, and typically inaccurate, orthodoxy–including such conventions as Boys can’t be gentle, kind, or caring; One must wear Abercrombie & Fitch in order to fit in; Girls should act like girls; and One must go to college after finishing high school. With contributions from acclaimed, bestselling, and award-winning young adult authors–including Gary D. Schmidt, author of The Wednesday Wars; Matthew Quick, author of The Silver Linings Playbook; Sara Zarr, author of Story of a Girl; and Wendy Mass, author of A Mango-Shaped Space–this collection encourages individuality by breaking traditionally held norms, making it an ideal resource for tweens and teens. 

Losing It edited by Keith Gray: An anthology of ten stories about teens losing their virginity.

Starry-Eyed: 16 Stories that Steal the Spotlight edited by Ted Michael and Josh Pultz: Sixteen star-studded YA voices explore the glamour, struggles, and backstage chaos of the performing arts, while some of the biggest stars of stage and screen share their real-life stories of how they achieved their dreams–including American Idol finalist, Broadway star, and recording artists Clay Aiken.

Grim edited by Christine Johnson (February 2014): Inspired by classic fairy tales, but with a dark and sinister twist, Grim contains short stories from some of the best voices in young adult literature today. (Description via Goodreads).

Slasher Girls & Monster Boys edited by April Genevieve Tucholke (forthcoming 2015):  Tales of gritty girls fighting back, seeking revenge, and claiming their victims. (Description via Goodreads). 

Get Genrefied: Humor

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Every month at STACKED, we’re highlighting a genre or subgenre within YA literature, talking about the key elements and some of the recent offerings fitting within it. This started as part of Angela’s reader’s advisory challenge, and so far we’ve covered steampunk, horror, science fiction, high fantasy, mysteries and thrillers, verse novels, contemporary realistic, historical fiction, graphic novels, romance, and dystopia. This month, we’re tackling the last and final genre, humor. 

Because we have loved writing this series so much, we want to keep it going through next year, as well. We’ve got some ideas for genres we’d like to tackle, but included at the end of this guide, there is a very short survey asking you if there’s a genre you’d like to know about so we can add it to our list of possibilities. 

Humor, like horror, isn’t so much a genre as it is a mood or tone of a book. Every genre can feature humor within it — there are humorous science fiction novels, fantasy novels, horror novels, and so on. Also like horror, humor can be really dark or it can be really light. There are dark satires and there are lighter comedic romances. There’s also plenty of room for humor in YA non-fiction, particularly when it comes to teen memoirs. 

Humor a characteristic, and it’s the sort of characteristic that is entirely subjective to the reader. What one person finds as humorous another person might not understand as funny. There are many books that have funny elements, even when they tackle a difficult subject matter. Some readers may appreciate and see it as humorous while others may see the difficult topic tackled as setting the tone of the book instead. An entire book doesn’t need to be knee-slapping funny to be considered humorous: it just needs to have moments of funny within it to fit as humorous. 

Jennifer Brannon notes in her guide to humor at Novelist, humor is both subjective and situational. It depends on the reader’s mood as much as the reader’s sense of humor, as well as the situation and subjective views of the characters in the story being read. But on the most basic level, humor just makes someone laugh. 

There are surprisingly few resources available on the topic of humor in YA fiction, and part of the reason is because it’s such a subjective aspect of a novel. That doesn’t mean that appreciation for humor doesn’t exist at all; readers and reviews often point out when a book is funny, and there are authors who can be pretty easily pointed to as those who frequently pen humorous stories. A few resources worth knowing about or keeping an eye on though:

  • Humor Writers of America: though their website is bare bones, this new organization is meant to be a gathering spot for those who do write humor. One of the founders, Adam Selzer, may be familiar. He’s written a few YA books, including the humorous I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked It. The site has a small directory of current members, which might be helpful in scoping out some new names in humor writing.
  • Molly Wetta developed this awesome flow chart to YA-friendly humor, which is well worth having on hand for readers who “want to read something funny,” but might not be able to explain exactly what they’re looking for in a funny book. 
Here’s a look at the wide-range of humor in YA fiction. As you likely remember, last month we did a big roundup of contemporary YA fiction featuring humor, which was kicked off with a guest post from author Maurene Goo on why it is she writes and appreciates funny in her stories. I’ve left those authors and titles off this round up and instead focused at humor across a variety of genres. All descriptions come from WorldCat, and I’ve tried to stick to books published in the last few years. Feel free to jump in with other titles and authors whose books would fit with humor. 
Some authors to have on your radar for those seeking a funny YA book include Meg Cabot, Carl Hiaasen, Lemony Snicket, David Lubar, Louise Rennison, Ally Carter, Gordon Korman, and Josh Berk. You’d also do well handing over Douglas Adams, who has great crossover appeal and humor that translates. 

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray: When a plane crash strands thirteen teen beauty contestants on a mysterious island, they struggle to survive, to get along with one another, to combat the island’s other diabolical occupants, and to learn their dance numbers in case they are rescued in time for the competition.

Mothership by Martin Leicht and Isla Neal (first in series): In 2074, while attending the Hanover School for Expecting Teen Mothers aboard an earth-orbiting spaceship, sixteen-year-old Elvie finds herself in the middle of an alien race war and makes a startling discovery about her pregnancy.

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride: Sam LaCroix, a Seattle fast-food worker and college dropout, discovers that he is a necromancer, part of a world of harbingers, werewolves, satyrs, and one particular necromancer who sees Sam as a threat to his lucrative business of raising the dead.

Nation by Terry Pratchett: After a devastating tsunami destroys all that they have ever known, Mau, an island boy, and Daphne, an aristocratic English girl, together with a small band of refugees, set about rebuilding their community and all the things that are important in their lives.

Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs: When her mother suddenly decides to marry a near-stranger, Phoebe, whose passion is running, soon finds herself living on a remote Greek island, completing her senior year at an ancient high school where the students and teachers are all descended from gods or goddesses.

Sean Griswold’s Head by Lindsey Leavitt: After discovering that her father has multiple sclerosis, fifteen-year-old Payton begins counseling sessions at school, which lead her to become interested in a boy in her biology class, have a falling out with her best friend, develop an interest in bike riding, and eventually allow her to come to terms with life’s uncertainties.

Notes From the Blender by Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin: Two teenagers–a heavy-metal-music-loving boy who is still mourning the death of his mother years earlier, and a beautiful, popular girl whose parents divorced because her father is gay–try to negotiate the complications of family and peer relationships as they get to know each other after learning that their father and mother are marrying each other.

So Punk Rock (And Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother) by Micol Ostow: Four suburban New Jersey students from the Leo R. Gittleman Jewish Day School form a rock band that becomes inexplicably popular, creating exhiliration, friction, confrontation, and soul-searching among its members.

You Killed Wesley Payne by Sean Beaudoin: When hard-boiled, seventeen-year-old private investigator Dalton Rev transfers to Salt River High to solve the case of a dead student, he has his hands full trying to outwit the police, negotiate the school’s social hierarchy, and get paid.

Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah: Year Eleven at an exclusive prep school in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, would be tough enough, but it is further complicated for Amal when she decides to wear the hijab, the Muslim head scarf, full-time as a badge of her faith–without losing her identity or sense of style.

fml by Shaun David Hutchinson: At a party near the end of senior year, seventeen-year-old Simon Cross imagines his life with and without Cassie, the girl he has yearned for since they were freshman, and begins to discover the unpredictable wonders of life his best friends, Ben and Coop, have urged him to explore.

Sucks to Be Me by Kimberly Pauley (also the sequel): When sixteen-year-old Mina is forced to take a class to help her decide whether or not to become a vampire like her parents, she also faces a choice between her life-long best friend and the boy she has a crush on versus new friends and possible boyfriends in her mandatory “vampire lessons.”

Bubble World by Carol Snow: After sixteen-year-old Fresia learns–and tells her friends–that their perfect life on a luxurious tropical island is not real, she is banished from her virtual world to the “mainland,” where people are ugly, school is hard, and families are dysfunctional.

Two Lies and a Spy by Kat Carlton: Sixteen-year-old Kari juggles saving her spy parents while impressing the guy she has been in love with forever.

There is No Dog by Meg Rosoff: When the beautiful Lucy prays to fall in love, God, an irresponsible youth named Bob, chooses to answer her prayer personally, to the dismay of this assistant, Mr. B who must try to clean up the resulting catastrophes.

Gorgeous by Paul Rudnick: When eighteen-year-old Becky Randle’s mother dies, she is whisked away
from a trailer park to New York City, where fashion designer Tom Kelly
offers to transform her into a glamorous Rebecca, a girl fit for a
prince–but soon she begins to fear that she will lose touch with her
real self.

Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger: In an alternate England of 1851, spirited fourteen-year-old Sophronia is
enrolled in a finishing school where, she is suprised to learn, lessons
include not only the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but also
diversion, deceit, and espionage.

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy: When twelve-year-old Stephanie inherits her weird uncle’s estate, she
must join forces with Skulduggery Pleasant, a skeleton mage, to save the
world from the Faceless Ones. (This one skews middle grade.)

Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford: Awkward freshman Will Carter endures many painful moments during his
first year of high school before realizing that nothing good comes
easily, focus is everything, and the payoff is usually incredible.

Croak by Gina Damico: A delinquent sixteen-year-old girl is sent to live with her uncle for
the summer, only to learn that he is a Grim Reaper who wants to teach
her the family business.

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We’d love to know if there are genres (or moods, like humor) our readers are interested in having us write guides to in 2014. Should we stick to big genres or is there an interest in subgenres? Some of the ones we’ve got in mind to cover include urban fiction, urban fantasy, inspirational fiction, non-fiction, fairy tale retellings, satires, and westerns. Let us below know if any of these are of interest and/or what else you’d love to know more about that we haven’t already covered. 

Get (sub)Genrefied: Steampunk

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Every month, we’re highlighting one genre within YA fiction as part of Angela’s reader’s advisory challenge. So far, we’ve discussed horror, science fiction, high fantasy, mysteries and thrillers, verse novels, contemporary realistic fiction, historical fiction, graphic novels, romances, and dystopias. November’s focus is another subgenre: steampunk.

Steampunk is not a subgenre either of us are very familiar with, but I know I’ve enjoyed getting to know it a bit more for this guide. So what exactly is steampunk? It’s a subgenre of science fiction, and its primary characteristic is that it features steam-powered machines, often anachronistically. What this means is that steampunk stories may include complex steam-powered contraptions in a time (such as the 19th century) when the technology for such things never existed (making it alternate history). They also often feature this type of technology in a future world, making the stories a fun combination of futuristic and retro. The “classic” steampunk story is also culturally Western, frequently Victorian-era British.

(I will say that the machines I’ve found in books described as steampunk aren’t always steam-powered. For a different sort of definition, take this one from the Steampunk Bible: a grafting of Victorian aesthetic and punk rock attitude onto various forms of science-fiction culture. As with other genres and subgenres, people define it in different ways.)

Like other genre fiction, there’s lots of genre-blending that goes on. You’ll find steampunk crossed with historical fiction, romance, mystery, fantasy, horror, and others. It’s part of what makes reading genre fiction such an adventure – the possibilities are endless.

Perhaps more so than other genres and subgenres, steampunk has lent itself to an entire culture beyond the books. People dress up in steampunk costumes and wear steampunk jewelry. Often, they’ll make their own. Fans make and sell steampunk art. Shops have sprung up online to sell these items to buyers all over. I’ve noticed that most of those passionate about steampunk tend to be adults – but I don’t doubt that there are many avid teen fans as well.

Below are a few resources if you’d like to learn more about the subgenre (from people more knowledgeable about it than me, no doubt!):

  • The aforementioned Steampunk Bible by Jeff VanderMeer is the book to get if you’re interested in diving headlong into the genre/culture. 
  • The Ranting Dragon gives us 20 Must-Read Steampunk Books in an article from 2011 (including YA titles) as well as a good, concise definition.
  • AbeBooks discusses the history of the subgenre and offers more reading recommendations in their Steampunk 101 article.
  • In a 2010 article, Library Journal offers up 20 core steampunk titles, including classics as well as more recent works. 
  • The New York Public Library recently wrote this fantastic piece about steampunk for teens, including a reading list. 
  • Steamed is the collaborative blog of a group of steampunk writers, and it’s full of information. Posts include Steampunk for Beginners, Women in Steampunk, and Beyond Steampunk. They also run Steampunkapalooza, a yearly celebration of all things steampunk.
  • As part of Steampunkapalooza this year, Teen Librarian Toolbox collected some excellent craft ideas plus rounded up links to other good content.

Because this is a smaller subgenre without as many recent books to its name, I’ve broadened the list below to include notable titles older than five years. These titles, while older, should still be of interest to teens curious about the genre, especially since they’ve often influenced the more recent ones. Descriptions are from Worldcat. As always, please chime in if we’ve missed any.

Legacy of the Clockwork Key by Kristin Bailey: A orphaned sixteen-year-old servant in Victorian England finds love
while unraveling the secrets of a mysterious society of inventors and
their most dangerous creation.

Etiquette and Espionage and sequel by Gail Carriger: In an alternate England of 1851, spirited fourteen-year-old Sophronia
is enrolled in a finishing school where, she is suprised to learn,
lessons include not only the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette,
but also diversion, deceit, and espionage.

Clockwork Angel and sequels by Cassandra Clare: When sixteen-year-old orphan Tessa Gray’s older brother suddenly
vanishes, her search for him leads her into Victorian-era London’s
dangerous supernatural underworld, and when she discovers that she
herself is a Downworlder, she must learn to trust the demon-killing
Shadowhunters if she ever wants to learn to control her powers and find
her brother.

Riese: Kingdom Falling by Greg Cox: Riese has never been happy as a princess; she’d much rather be hunting
or fighting than sitting through another lesson on court etiquette. When
she meets Micah, a wandering artist with a mysterious past, she
pretends to be a peasant–it’s a chance to be just a normal girl with a
normal boy for a while. But with war decimating her once-proud nation
and the sinister clockwork Sect infiltrating her mother’s court,
Riese’s moments with Micah are the only islands of sanity left in a
world gone mad. As her kingdom falls and the Sect grows ever stronger,
will Riese remain true to her duty as a princess…or risk everything on
a boy she barely knows?

Girl in the Steel Corset and sequels by Kady Cross: Finley, who has a beastly alter ego inside of her, joins Duke Griffin’s
army of misfits to help stop the Machinist, the criminal behind a series
of automaton crimes, from carrying out a plan to kill Queen Victoria
during the Jubilee.

Incarceron and sequel by Catherine Fisher: To free herself from an upcoming arranged marriage, Claudia, the
daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, a futuristic prison with a mind of
its own, decides to help a young prisoner escape.

 
Worldshaker by Richard Harland: Sixteen-year-old Col Porpentine is being groomed as the next Commander
of Worldshaker, a juggernaut where elite families live on the upper
decks while the Filthies toil below, but when he meets Riff, a Filthy
girl on the run, he discovers how ignorant he is of his home and its
residents.

The Iron Thorn and sequels by Caitlin Kittredge: In an alternate 1950s, mechanically gifted fifteen-year-old Aoife
Grayson, whose family has a history of going mad at sixteen, must leave
the totalitarian city of Lovecraft and venture into the world of magic
to solve the mystery of her brother’s disappearance and the mysteries
surrounding her father and the Land of Thorn.

The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress: Cora, Nellie, and Michiko, teenaged assistants to three powerful men in
Edwardian London, meet by chance at a ball that ends with the discovery
of a murdered man, leading the three to work together to solve this and
related crimes without drawing undue attention to themselves.

Innocent Darkness and sequels by Suzanne Lazear: In 1901, on an alternate Earth, sixteen-year-old Noli rejoices when a
mysterious man transports her from reform school to the Realm of Faerie,
until Noli learns his sinister reason.

Steampunk! edited by Kelly Link: A collection of fourteen fantasy stories by well-known authors, set in
the age of steam engines and featuring automatons, clockworks,
calculating machines, and other marvels that never existed.

Railsea by China Mieville: On board the moletrain Medes, Sham Yes ap Soorap watches in awe as he
witnesses his first moldywarpe hunt: the giant mole bursting from the
earth, the harpoonists targeting their prey, the battle resulting in
one’s death & the other’s glory. But no matter how spectacular it
is, Sham can’t shake the sense that there is more to life than traveling
the endless rails of the railsea–even if his captain can think only of the hunt for the ivory-colored mole she’s been chasing since it took her arm all those years ago.

Airborn and sequels by Kenneth Oppel: Matt, a young cabin boy aboard an airship, and Kate, a wealthy young
girl traveling with her chaperone, team up to search for the existence
of mysterious winged creatures reportedly living hundreds of feet above
the Earth’s surface.

Steampunk Poe: Presents a collection of Poe’s short stories and poems, including “The
Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Fall of the House of Usher,” and “The Raven,”
accompanied by steampunk-inspired illustrations.

Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve: Foundling Fever Crumb has been raised as an engineer although females in
the future London, England, are not believed capable of rational
thought, but at age fourteen she leaves her sheltered world and begins
to learn startling truths about her past while facing danger in the
present.

Mortal Engines and sequels by Philip Reeve: In the distant future, when cities move about and consume smaller towns,
a fifteen-year-old apprentice is pushed out of London by the man he
most admires and must seek answers in the perilous Out-Country, aided by
one girl and the memory of another.

The Hunchback Assignments and sequels by Arthur Slade: In Victorian London, fourteen-year-old Modo, a shape-changing hunchback,
becomes a secret agent for the Permanent Association, which strives to
protect the world from the evil machinations of the Clockwork Guild.

Corsets and Clockwork edited by Trisha Telep: Collects thirteen original stories set during the Victorian era,
including tales of steam-powered machines, family secrets, and love.

Leviathan and sequels by Scott Westerfeld: In an alternate 1914 Europe, fifteen-year-old Austrian Prince Alek, on
the run from the Clanker Powers who are attempting to take over the
globe using mechanical machinery, forms an uneasy alliance with Deryn
who, disguised as a boy to join the British Air Service, is learning to
fly genetically engineered beasts.

Get (sub)Genrefied: Dystopia

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Every month, we’re highlighting one genre within YA fiction as part of Angela’s reader’s advisory challenge. So far, we’ve discussed horror, science fiction, high fantasy, mysteries and thrillers, verse novels, contemporary realistic fiction, historical fiction, graphic novels, and romances. October’s focus is actually a subgenre: dystopias.

Oh readers. I (Kimberly) have been waiting all year for this genre guide. I know so many people are tired of dystopias, but I am not (and neither are a lot of teens). I love them, and I love that there are so many to choose from! Like any other genre, you have to dig through some bad or mediocre stuff to get to the gems – but it is so worth it.

So, what exactly is a dystopia, other than a subgenre of science fiction? I’ve written about this a little bit before, but clearly, there are many who take a much broader view of the subgenre. At its most basic, a dystopia posits a future world whose people exist in a repressed, controlling society, usually watched over by a “Big Brother” type character, organization, or political unit. Often, this political unit will proclaim that their people live in a utopian society, or at least a better one than what came before. The Hunger Games is an example that falls very neatly into this definition.

What this means is that it’s not enough for a future world to simply suck. It has to suck in a particular way.

I understand why a lot of people would broaden the definition to simply mean “an unpleasant future world.” If you do a simple Google search for “dystopia definition,” you’ll find many definitions that state this precise thing. But here’s the thing: such a basic definition doesn’t say much about appeal factors, doesn’t say much about the severity or kind of conflict in the book, and, most importantly, it lumps almost all science fiction (most of which is set in the future) into one subgenre, when SF is endlessly varied and imaginative. Think about it: all novels have conflict, and the conflict will make things unpleasant for the characters involved. Future + conflict doesn’t automatically equal dystopia. It just equals SF.

That said, some dystopian appeal factors overlap with other genres or subgenres. I find this most apparent with post-apocalyptic books (these subgenres actually share a shelf in my Goodreads account). Often, an apocalyptic event will cause a dystopian society to form (such as in Ilsa Bick’s Ashes), and you’ll find both subgenres in one book. Both subgenres are also usually high-concept, full of greater-than-average danger, and involve people who have used cataclysmic events as an opportunity to seize power.

I promise Kelly and I are actually going to discuss more than just defnitions. So let’s move on.

Because dystopia is a subgenre of science fiction, the resources we discussed in our science fiction genre guide are applicable here as well. You’ll find dystopias honored with the SF awards, discussed on the SF blogs, and written by authors at the SF imprints we listed there.

We also encourage you to check out Presenting Lenore’s archive of dystopian fiction. For the past few years, Lenore has dedicated one (or two!) months per year to reading and writing about dystopias, featuring her own reviews, guest posts, and author interviews.

A few other resources:

  • Stacey at Pretty Books has a pretty extensive list of recent YA dystopias, including some forthcoming titles, and she reviews them on her blog.
  • Since dystopias are so popular, a lot of book blogs will tag them all for handy reference. These include the Book Smugglers, Forever Young Adult, and of course, us here at Stacked.
  • Goodreads lists are selectively useful. Here’s a collection of them, but you’ll need to dig deep and skip past the first several pages to get to ones you may not already know.
  • A lot of people like to write about what makes dystopias so popular with teens. I endorse none of these viewpoints, but present them here for your perusal: University of Alberta, The Guardian, Wired, YALSA’s The Hub.
  • The representation of people of color in science fiction is a continuing problem the SF community struggles with, and the dystopian subgenre is not immune. Victoria Law at Bitch Magazine discusses this issue in a blog series called Girls of Color in Dystopia. It’s definitely worth a read, and terrific for brushing up on some standout YA SF featuring people of color.

Below are some recent YA dystopias published within the last year or so. Descriptions come from Worldcat or Goodreads.

Crewel by Gennifer Albin: Gifted with the unusual ability to embroider the very fabric of life,
sixteen-year-old Adelice is summoned by Manipulation Services to become a
Spinster, a move that will separate her from her beloved family and
home forever. Kimberly’s review

Override by Heather Anastasiu: Having escaped the enslavement of the Community and the Chancellor, Zoe
is finally free but far from safe as she and Adrien hide at the
Foundation, an academy that trains teen glitchers to fight in the
Resistance movement. Sequel to Glitch.

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken: Sixteen-year-old Ruby breaks out of a government-run ‘rehabilitation
camp’ for teens who acquired dangerous powers after surviving a virus
that wiped out most American children.

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau: Sixteen-year-old Malencia (Cia) Vale is chosen to participate in The
Testing to attend the University; however, Cia is fearful when she
figures out her friends who do not pass The Testing are disappearing. Kimberly’s review

Beta by Rachel Cohn: On a futuristic island paradise where humans are served by enslaved
clones, a sixteen-year-old clone named Elysia seeks her own freedom.

Reached by Ally Condie: In search of a better life, Cassia joins a widespread rebellion against
Society, where she is tasked with finding a cure to the threat of
survival and must choose between Xander and Ky. Conclusion to Matched trilogy.

The Culling by Steven dos Santos: In a futuristic world ruled by a totalitarian government called the
Establishment, Lucian “Lucky” Spark and four other teenagers are
recruited for the Trials. They must compete not only for survival but to
save the lives of their Incentives, family members whose lives depend
on how well they play the game.

Proxy by Alex London: Privileged Knox and and his proxy, Syd, are thrown together to overthrow the system.

Thumped by Megan McCafferty: Melody and Harmony are without a doubt two of the most powerful pregnant
teens on the planet, and there’s only one thing they could do that
would make them more famous than they already are: tell the truth. Sequel to Bumped.

Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis: Sixteen-year-old Lynn will do anything to protect her valuable water
source, but the arrival of new neighbors forces her to reconsider her
attitudes.

Promised by Caragh O’Brien: Gaia succeeds in leading her people to Wharfton and the Enclave, but
rebellion there threatens them all just when everything they have
dreamed of seems to be at hand. Conclusion to Promised trilogy.

Requiem by Lauren Oliver: While Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous Wilds, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland. Conclusion to Delirium trilogy.

 Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi: Aria and Perry, two teens from radically different societies–one highly
advanced, the other primitive–hate being dependent on one another
until they overcome their prejudices and fall in love, knowing they
can’t stay together. Kimberly’s review 

Breaking Point by Kristen Simmons: After escaping prison, Ember Miller and Chase Jennings are taken in by
the Resistance but when Ember tops the government’s most-wanted list,
Chase urges her to run and Ember must decide whether to hide again or
fight back. Sequel to Article 5.

Once We Were by Kat Zhang: After the destruction of the Graveyard, Connor and Lev are on the run,
seeking a woman who may be the key to bringing down unwinding forever
while Cam, the rewound boy, tries to prove his love for Risa by bringing
Proactive Citizenry to its knees. Sequel to What’s Left of Me. 

Below are a few upcoming YA dystopias to look forward to.

Altered by Gennifer Albin (October 2013): Sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys is called upon to harness her power in a
battle for control of Earth, but as she uncovers the truth about her own
history she learns that everyone holds secrets, some of which may drive
her from her love, Jost, into his brother Erik’s arms. Sequel to Crewel.

UnSouled by Neal Shusterman (October 2013): After the destruction of the Graveyard, Connor and Lev are on the run,
seeking a woman who may be the key to bringing down unwinding forever
while Cam, the rewound boy, tries to prove his love for Risa by bringing
Proactive Citizenry to its knees. Sequel to Unwind.

Relic by Heather Terrell (October 2013): Searching icy wastelands for Relics, artifacts of the corrupt
civilization that existed before The Healing drowned the world, Eva
unleashes a great danger when she unearths a Relic that gives voice to
the unspeakable.

Champion by Marie Lu (November 2013): June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic–and
each other–and now their country is on the brink of a new existence.
Just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in
the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. Conclusion to Legend trilogy.

Control by Lydia Kang (December 2013): In 2150, when genetic manipulation has been outlawed, seventeen-year-old
Zelia must rescue her kidnapped sister with the help of a band of
outcasts with mutated genes.

Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau (January 2014): Now a freshman at the University in Tosu City with her hometown
sweetheart, Tomas, Cia Vale attempts to expose the ugly truth behind the
government’s grueling and deadly Testing put her and her loved ones in
great danger. Sequel to The Testing.

The Offering by Kimberly Derting (January 2014): True love—and world war—is at stake in the conclusion to The Pledge trilogy, a dark and romantic blend of dystopia and fantasy.

Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi (January 2014): Their love and their
leadership have been tested. Now it’s time for Perry and Aria to unite
the Dwellers and the Outsiders in one last desperate attempt to bring
balance to their world. Conclusion to Under the Never Sky trilogy.

Landry Park by Bethany Hagen (February 2014): In a futuristic, fractured United States where the oppressed Rootless
handle the raw nuclear material that powers the Gentry’s lavish
lifestyle, seventeen-year-old Madeline Landry must choose between taking
over her father’s vast estate or rebelling against everything she has
ever known, in the name of justice. 

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi (February 2014): Juliette now knows she
may be the only one who can stop the Reestablishment. But to take them
down, she’ll need the help of the one person she never thought she could
trust: Warner. And as they work together, Juliette will discover that
everything she thought she knew-about Warner, her abilities, and even
Adam-was wrong. Conclusion to the Shatter Me series. 

ACID by Emma Pass (March 2014): 2113. In Jenna Strong’s world, ACID – the most brutal, controlling
police force in history – rule supreme. No throwaway comment or muttered
dissent goes unnoticed – or unpunished. And it was ACID agents who locked Jenna away for life, for a bloody crime she struggles to remember.

The Haven by Carol Lynch Williams (March 2014): For the teens at The
Haven, the outside world, just beyond the towering stone wall that
surrounds the premises, is a dangerous unknown. It has always been this
way, ever since the hospital was established in the year 2020. But The
Haven is more than just a hospital; it is their home. 

Get Genrefied: Romance

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Romances are huge. They make up the largest share of the US consumer market year after year and are the top-performing category on best-seller lists (source: RWA). If you work with readers of fiction at all, you need to know romance.

The Romance Writers of America (RWA) define a romance novel as a book with “a central love story and an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending.” Kimberly would perhaps define it a little more broadly, without the requirement for that particular ending, but it’s certainly true that most romance novels do fit that description. Romances see a lot of crossover with other genres, and readers can be very particular about what subgenre they read. (Kimberly, personally, tends to read mainly historical or speculative fiction romances, and tends to eschew contemporary and inspirational romances.)

What separates a romance novel from a novel with a romantic element or subplot (which are legion) is that the romance novel has the romance as its main focus. Its protagonist may be involved in solving a mystery or battling aliens, but it’s clear that the romance is what the author wants the reader to care most about. Everything else is subplot. With this definition, it becomes clear that not “every” young adult book is a romance, as is so often proclaimed. (Note: This is a restriction placed by Kimberly and she realizes not everyone will agree with it. Many of the RITA winners – see below – are not books she’d consider romances.)

The RWA is a gold mine of information on the genre, including a list of subgenres, information on authors, and of course, the RITA award, an annual award given to a number of books in different categories each year. Since 1983, with a few gaps, this has included a young adult award. Uniquely, they also give out an award for the best unpublished romance manuscript, also including a young adult title, called the Golden Heart. (You may have seen many books with “2003 Golden Heart winner!” or something similar emblazoned on the covers.)

For more information on the romance genre, take a look at the resources below:

  • Smart Bitches, Trashy Books is probably the best-known place on the web for reviews and discussions of the romance genre. They discuss both adult and young adult titles and post guest interviews with YA authors.
  • Dear Author is a “romance review blog for readers by readers” that also regularly reviews young adult titles. Most of their reviews are styled as letters to the authors of the books.
  • Dear Author and Smart Bitches, Trashy Books run the DABWAHA tournament each year, where readers vote NCAA bracket-style on their favorite romances of the year. This includes a few young adult titles.
  • Young Adult Romance Writers features YA romance reviews front and center (scroll down to the “Recent Book Reviews” section near the bottom for a quick sample).
  • Harlequin is well-known for publishing romances, and they have a couple of teen imprints: Harlequin Teen and Kimani TRU (specifically geared to African-American readers). Some books are more romance-heavy than others.

So what’s come out recently that would fall under “romance?” Plenty. What’s nice about romance is it spans so many genres, that you can have realistic romance as much as you can have paranormal romance, science fiction romance, fantasy romance, historical romance, and more. Here’s a look at some recently published titles that would be considered romance, as well as a look ahead at some titles coming out that would fall under romance. All descriptions are from WorldCat or Goodreads, and anything you’d like to add to the list, please drop in the comments. We’ve kept our list to books published in the last year to year and a half, and all are YA titles. Like with any genre, heavy romance readers would be well-suited to a lot of adult romance, but it’s important to be aware of how hot and heavy an adult title is before recommending it to teens. (This is not to say teens shouldn’t read hot and heavy books, but it’s much less likely to be appropriate for them as it would be for an adult reader. You know what we mean.) 

We are particularly interested in hearing about books that feature diversity in their characters, as well as more LGBTQ romances — stories which are less about the experience of being queer and more about having a relationship. 

Recent titles:

The Boy on the Bridge by Natalie Standiford: It is 1982 and nineteen-year-old Laura Reid is spending a semester in Leningrad studying Russian, but when she meets Alyosha she discovers the dissident Russia–a world of wild parties, underground books and music, love, and constant danger.

Taste Test by Kelly Fiore: While attending a New Hampshire culinary academy, North Carolina high schooler Nora suspects someone of sabotaging the academy’s televised cooking competition.

The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle: As high school graduation nears, Wren Gray is surprised to connect with gentle Charlie Parker, a boy with a troubled past who has loved her for years, while she considers displeasing her parents for the first time and changing the plans for her future.

Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill: During an educational trip to London away from her friends and the boy she thinks she is fated to love, Massachussets high school junior Julia Lichtenstein is paired with her nemesis, Jason, and begins seeing many things differently.

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West: Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers knows better thant to trust a rich boy. But then she meets the richest guy of all, who proves money might not matter after all.

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan: A chorus of men who died of AIDS observes and yearns to help a cross-section of today’s gay teens who navigate new love, long-term relationships, coming out, self-acceptance, and more in a society that has changed in many ways.

Starry Nights by Daisy Whitney: Seventeen-year-old Julien falls in love with the muse, Clio, as he tries to save her and the Musée D’Orsay’s collection of Impressionist art after learning the paintings are reacting to a curse set by Renoir that trapped Clio in his painting.

Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone: In 1995 Evanston, Illinois, sixteen-year-old Anna’s perfectly normal life is turned upside-down when she meets Bennett, whose ability to travel through space and time creates complications for them both.

The One That I Want by Jennifer Echols: Gemma can’t believe her luck when the star football player starts flirting with her. Max is totally swoon-worthy, and even gets her quirky sense of humor. So when he asks out her so-called best friend Addison, Gemma’s heartbroken. Then Addison pressures Gemma to join the date with one of Max’s friends. But the more time they all spend together, the harder Gemma falls for Max. She can’t help thinking that Max likes her back–it’s just too bad he’s already dating Addison. How can Gemma get the guy she wants without going after her best friend’s boyfriend? **Echols is a great author to have on hand for your contemporary romance fans — the bulk of her books contain romance in them.

Everafter by Elizabeth Chandler (part of the “Kissed by an Angel” series, which I believe can be read as stand alones): Star-crossed lovers Ivy and Tristan struggle to clear Tristan’s name when he is returned to Earth in the body of an accused murderer, a situation complicated by Tristan’s endangering his own soul.

Die for Me by Amy Plum (series): After their parents are killed in a car accident, sixteen-year-old Kate Mercier and her older sister Georgia, each grieving in her own way, move to Paris to live with their grandparents and Kate finds herself powerfully drawn to the handsome but elusive Vincent who seems to harbor a mysterious and dangerous secret.

The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler: Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: The Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. But as Jude begins to fall for Emilio Vargas, she begins to wonder if her sisters were wrong.

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry: Rendered a subject of gossip after a traumatic night that left her with terrible scars on her arms, Echo is dumped by her boyfriend and bonds with bad-boy Noah, whose tough attitude hides an understanding nature and difficult secrets.

Stay with Me by Paul Griffin: Fifteen-year-olds Mack, a high school drop-out but a genius with dogs, and Céce, who hopes to use her intelligence to avoid a life like her mother’s, meet and fall in love at the restaurant where they both work, but when Mack lands in prison he pushes Céce away and only a one-eared pit-bull can keep them together.

Between You & Me by Marisa Calin: Phyre, sixteen, narrates her life as if it were a film, capturing her crush on Mia, a student teacher of theater and film studies, as well as her fast friendship with a classmate referred to only as “you.”

37 Things I Love (In No Particular Order) by Kekla Magoon: Fifteen-year-old Ellis recalls her favorite things as her mother’s desire to turn off the machines that have kept Ellis’s father alive for two years fill the last four days of her sophomore year with major changes in herself and her relationships.

Gone, Gone, Gone by Hannah Moskowitz: Struggling with the aftermath of the September 11 attacks and sniper shootings throughout the Washington, D.C. area, Craig and Lio consider a romantic relationship that is complicated by Craig’s ex-boyfriend, Lio’s broken family, and the death of Lio’s brother.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz: Fifteen-year-old Ari Mendoza is an angry loner with a brother in prison, but when he meets Dante and they become friends, Ari starts to ask questions about himself, his parents, and his family that he has never asked before.

Requiem by Lauren Oliver: While Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous Wilds, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland. **This is a series that is just as easily a romance as it is a dystopia.

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen: During her last summer at home before leaving for college, Emaline
begins a whirlwind romance with Theo, an assistant documentary filmmaker
who is in town to make a movie.

Fifteenth Summer by Michelle Dalton: Fifteen-year-old Chelsea and her family are spending the summer at a
cottage on the shore of Lake Michigan where Chelsea meets and falls for
Josh–the cute and shy employee at the new bookstore in town.

Ready to look ahead at romances — or books with romance as a big theme of the story — coming in the next few months? Here’s a few due out soon:

Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles (October): Told from two viewpoints, Derek Fitzpatrick, kicked out of boarding school, must move with his stepmother to her childhood home in Illinois, where he meets Ashtyn Parker, who may be able to achieve her dream of a football scholarship with bad boy Derek’s help.

Tumble & Fall by Alexandra Coutts (September): With an asteroid set to strike Earth in just one week, three teens on an island off the Atlantic Coast wrestle with love, friendship, family, and regret as they decide how to live their final days.

Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller (September): Abducted at age five, Callie, now seventeen, has spent her life on the run but when her mother is finally arrested and she is returned to her father in small-town Florida, Callie must find a way to leave her past behind, become part of a family again, and learn that love is more than just a possibility.

How to Love by Kate Cotugno (October): Before: Reena Montero has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember: as natural as breathing, as endless as time. But he’s never seemed to notice that Reena even exists…until one day, impossibly, he does. Reena and Sawyer fall in messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town without a word, leaving a devastated—and pregnant—Reena behind. After: Almost three years have passed, and there’s a new love in Reena’s life: her daughter, Hannah. Reena’s gotten used to being without Sawyer, and she’s finally getting the hang of this strange, unexpected life. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again. Reena doesn’t want anything to do with him, though she’d be lying if she said Sawyer’s being back wasn’t stirring something in her. After everything that’s happened, can Reena really let herself love Sawyer LeGrande again?

Just One Year by Gayle Forman (October): After spending an amazing day and night with a nameless girl in Paris, Willem embarks on his own transformative journey to find her once again. **Of course, Just One Day is a romance as well. I didn’t include it above since I wanted to include the companion down here.

He Said, She Said by Kwame Alexander (November): When a popular football ‘playa’ and ladies man and the smartest girl in school lead a school protest, sparks fly as their social media-aided revolution grows.

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner (November): Two star-crossed lovers must fight for survival when they crash land on a seemingly uninhabited planet.

One or Two Things I Learned About Love by Dyan Sheldon (November): Hildy D’Angelo is seventeen and this is the summer she falls in love for the first time. She isn’t what you’d call experienced when it comes to boys, but Connor is good looking, smart, charming and sweet. When Connor uses the L word, Hildy, already half in love with the idea of falling in love, releases her hold on the Earth.

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins (May): From the glittering
streets of Manhattan to the moonlit rooftops of Paris, falling in love
is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. But as
they begin their senior year in France, Isla and Josh are quickly forced
to confront the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren’t
always forever.

 Rock and a Hard Place by Angie Stanton (September, originally self-published): Left in small-town Wisconsin with a controlling aunt after her mother’s
death, Libby is very unhappy until she meets Peter and sparks fly, but
when she learns that he is a rock star with his own family problems, her
life changes forever.

Snapshot by Angie Stanton (September, originally self-published): Marti, the reluctant rock princess, and Adam, the undercover guitar
wizard, fall for each other, but are in danger of falling apart when
tragedy strikes.