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Get Genrefied*: Graphic Novels

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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, and historical fiction. August’s focus is graphic novels, a wide, wide world that actually includes all genres under the sun.

The simplest definition of a graphic novel, as librarians use it, is a book-length comic. The term is actually a little misleading, since many of the books we generally call graphic “novels” – like nonfiction – are not novels at all. (Why we don’t just call them graphic books I will never understand. Can you tell it bugs me a little to have to call a nonfiction book a novel? It does.) A comic is sequential art, usually incorporating panels with speech bubbles or captions as opposed to traditional paragraphs of text. It’s the “sequential” that sets it apart from, say, a picture book.

The graphic novel format is incredibly broad, because it can really tell any kind of story you can imagine (both fiction and nonfiction). Graphic novels can include (but are not limited to):

  • Graphic adaptations of classics, like Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 or Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. (The quality of these is incredibly spotty. Professional reviews are essential before selecting them for the library.)
  • Graphic adaptations of more current and popular titles, such as Twilight, Artemis Fowl, Beautiful Creatures, and the upcoming Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and Speak.
  • Collections of complete story arcs featuring superheroes and other traditional comic book protagonists, such as the recent Avengers vs. X-Men. These are multiple issues of a particular comic book collected in a single volume. The volume will have a unifying story with a beginning, middle, and end.
  • Other continuous series that don’t necessarily fit into the superhero mold, such as My Boyfriend is a Monster.
  • Manga (Japanese comics). My knowledge of manga is limited, so I rely a lot on professional reviews and the teens to tell me what they want to read. Perennial favorites include Bleach, Naruto, and Fruits Basket.
  • Graphic novel spinoffs or side stories of popular tv series, including Doctor Who and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
  • And the books that we’ll be primarily focusing on in this guide: the standalones (or occasional short series), the more typical “novel” sort of book originally written as a book and not as a series of strips, single-issue comics, or based on a previous story in another format or media type. Examples of this include Anya’s Ghost and American Born Chinese. This category also includes some really excellent and creative nonfiction, such as My Friend Dahmer.

With such a broad topic, it’s helpful to know where to find more information. I’ve found the following resources valuable or interesting in one way or another in the years I’ve been selecting graphic novels for teens:

  • No Flying, No Tights is an invaluable resource that’s continuously updated with reviews of graphic novels for teens (plus some for younger kids and adults). It’s run by a teen librarian, and it caters to a librarian audience.
  • Comics Worth Reading is another blog worth checking out. They review titles and discuss news. They also have a section dedicated to comics by women.
  • First Second and Graphic Universe (graphic novel imprints of Macmillan and Lerner, respectively) both run blogs with information about graphic novels beyond plugs for their own books. Graphic Universe’s hasn’t been updated since 2012.
  • School Library Journal runs the Good Comics for Kids blog which discusses all things graphic novels for kids, including news and reviews.
  • Comics Alliance and Comic Book Resources are news and opinion sites about comic book culture. Neither are tied to any particular publishing house.
  • Kelly pointed this out this past weekend: The Richland Library has collected a list of graphic novels adapted from traditional books (both classic and contemporary).

There are several awards and professional recommended reading lists available for YA graphic novels:

  • The Eisner Awards, named after graphic novelist Will Eisner, are the biggie. They have a specific category for teens ages 13-17, but a lot of the adult titles honored will have crossover appeal.
  • The Cybils honor the best graphic novel for teens each year (I participated as a round 2 judge last year).
  • The ALA produces a list of Great Graphic Novels for Teens each year. Many of the titles on this list are books published for the adult market with crossover appeal. They also include a good bit of manga and superhero comics.
  • The Texas Library Association has the Maverick Graphic Novel reading list (the first of its kind in the nation), which helpfully divides the books into grades 6-8, 6-12, 9-12, and adult with teen appeal.

And finally, while most major publishing houses that produce traditional books also regularly put out some graphic novels each year (such as Candlewick and Houghton Mifflin), it’s good to also be aware of the major publishers and imprints dedicated to graphic novels. Note that most of the publishers listed below publish for all ages, with some books appropriate for a teen collection and some not:

  • First Second (an imprint of Macmillan)
  • Graphix (an imprint of Scholastic, mainly middle grade with some crossover to YA)
  • Graphic Universe (an imprint of Lerner)
  • Papercutz (mainly children’s and middle grade with a lot of licensed content that appeals to all ages)
  • Fantagraphics
  • Drawn + Quarterly
  • The Center for Cartoon Studies (this is actually a school for aspiring professional graphic novelists that puts out some thoughtful, unique stuff)
  • Major monthly comic book publishers (whose issues are then collected into graphic novels), including DC, Marvel, IDW, Dark Horse, Image, Dynamite, Oni Press, and BOOM! Studios
  • Manga publishers in the United States, including Viz, Tokyopop, and Yen Press

Below are some graphic novels for teens published within the last year or so. All descriptions come from Worldcat or Goodreads.

A Game for Swallows: To Die, to Leave, to Return by Zeina Abirached: Living in the midst of civil war in Beirut, Lebanon, Zeina and her
brother face an evening of apprehension when their parents do not return
from a visit to the other side of the city.

William and the Lost Spirit by Gwen de Bonneval, illustrated by Matthieu Bonhomme: In this graphic novel that combines medieval legends and folklore, the
brutish feudal world, and devotion to family, William, the grandson of
an elderly feudal lord in the thirteenth century, sets out on a
labyrinthine journey to discover his father’s killer.

Broxo by Zach Giallongo: Broxo, the only surviving member of a tribe of barbarians, spends his
time on a mountain hunting and avoiding the man-eating walking dead
until everything changes when Zora, a foreign princess, arrives on the
mountain seeking Broxo’s lost tribe.

Will & Whit by Laura Lee Gulledge: Wilhelmina “Will” Huxstep is a creative soul struggling to come to terms
with a family tragedy. She crafts whimsical lamps, in part to deal with
her fear of the dark. As she wraps up another summer in her mountain
town, she longs for unplugged adventures with her fellow creative
friends, Autumn, Noel, and Reese. Little does she know that she will get
her wish in the form of an arts carnival and a blackout, courtesy of a hurricane named Whitney, which forces Will to face her fear of darkness.
 

Peanut by Ayun Halliday: Nervous about starting her sophomore year at a new high school, Sadie
decides to make herself more interesting by claiming to be allergic to
peanuts, but her lie quickly spirals out of control.

Marble Season by Gilbert Hernandez: Middle child Huey stages Captain America plays and treasures his older brother’s comic book collection almost as much as his approval. “Marble Season” subtly and deftly details how the innocent, joyfully creative play that children engage in (shooting marbles, backyard performances, and organizing treasure hunts) changes as they grow older and encounter name-calling naysayers, abusive bullies, and the value judgments of other kids.

 
Tina’s Mouth by Keshni Kashyap and Mari Araki: Tina Malhotra, a sophomore at the Yarborough Academy in Southern California, creates an existential diary for an honors English assignment in which she tries to determine who she is and where she fits in.

Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by
Lucy Knisley: Lucy Knisley loves food. The daughter of a chef and a
gourmet, this talented young cartoonist comes by her obsession honestly.
In her forthright, thoughtful, and funny memoir, Lucy traces key
episodes in her life thus far, framed by what she was eating at the time
and lessons learned about food, cooking, and life. Each chapter is
bookended with an illustrated recipe– many of them treasured family
dishes, and a few of them Lucy’s original inventions.

Who is AC? by Hope Larson, illustrated by Tintin Pantoja: Meet Lin, an average teenage girl who is zapped with magical powers
through her cell phone. But just as superpowers can travel through the
ether, so can evil. And as Lin starts to get a handle on her powers
(while still observing her curfew!) she realizes she has to go head to
head with a nefarious villain who spreads his influence through binary
code.

War Brothers: The Graphic Novel by Sharon E. McKay, illustrated by Daniel Lafrance: Jacob is a 14-year-old Ugandan who is sent away to a boys’ school. Once
there, he assures his friend Tony that they need not be afraid — they
will be safe. But not long after, in the shadow of the night, the boys
are abducted. Marched into the jungle, they are brought to an encampment
of the feared rebel soldiers. They are told they must kill or be
killed, and their world turns into a terrifying struggle to endure and survive.

Primates by Jim Ottaviani, illustrated by Maris Wicks: Jim Ottaviani returns
with an action-packed account of the three greatest primatologists of the
last century: Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas.

Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong by Prudence Shen and Faith Erin Hicks: Charlie is the laid-back captain of the basketball team. Nate is the neurotic, scheming president of the robotics club. Their unlikely friendship nearly bites the dust when Nate declares war on the cheerleaders and they retaliate by making Charlie their figurehead in the ugliest class election campaign the school has ever seen.

Bad Girls: Sirens, Jezebels, Murderesses, Thieves, and Other Female Villains by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple, illustrated by Rebecca Guay: Harlot or hero? Liar or lady? There are two sides to every story. Meet
twenty-six of history’s most notorious women, and debate alongside
authors Yolen and Stemple–who appear in the book as themselves in a
series of comic panels–as to each girl’s guilt or innocence.

And here are a few to look for in the coming months.

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff: Lovable ne’er-do-well Delilah Dirk is an Indiana Jones for the 19th
century. She has traveled to Japan, Indonesia, France, and even the New
World. Using the skills she’s picked up on the way, Delilah’s adventures
continue as she plots to rob a rich and corrupt Sultan in
Constantinople. With the aid of her flying boat and her newfound friend,
Selim, she evades the Sultan’s guards, leaves angry pirates in the
dust, and fights her way through the countryside. (August 2013)

Little Fish by Ramsey Beyer: Told through real-life
journals, collages, lists, and drawings, this coming-of-age story
illustrates the transformation of an 18-year-old girl from a small-town
teenager into an independent city-dwelling college student. (September 2013)

Romeo and Juliet adapted by Gareth Hinds: Gareth Hinds’
stylish graphic adaptation of the Bard’s romantic tragedy offers modern
touches — including a diverse cast that underscores the story’s
universality. (September 2013)

Boxers & Saints by Gene Luen Yang: Boxers & Saints is
an innovative new graphic novel in two volumes – the parallel stories of
two young people caught up on opposite sides of a violent rift. American Born Chinese author
Gene Luen Yang brings his clear-eyed storytelling and trademark magical
realism to the complexities of the Boxer Rebellion and lays bare the
foundations of extremism, rebellion, and faith. (September 2013)

A Bag of Marbles: The Graphic Novel by Joseph Joffo, illustrated by Vincent Bailly: In 1941, ten-year-old Joseph Joffo and his older brother, Maurice,
must hide their Jewish heritage and undertake a long and dangerous
journey from Nazi-occupied Paris to reach their other brothers in the
free zone. (October 2013)

We’d really love it if you’d help flesh out these lists some. Do you know of any forthcoming or recently-published graphic novels for teens? Let us know in the comments.

*I (Kimberly) strongly considered changing the title of this post to
something other than “genrefied,” since graphic novels are not, by
definition, a genre. They’re a format. Ultimately, consistency won out.

Get Genrefied: Historical Fiction

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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, and contemporary realistic fiction. July’s focus is historical fiction. 

The definition of historical fiction is something I feel strongly about. (Perhaps not as strongly as I feel about the definition of a dystopia, but the feelings are there nonetheless.) In the simplest terms, historical fiction is a story set in the past, but it’s important to go beyond just that simple definition. There are a couple of other essential things to know: 

A story set in a time period contemporaneous to its publication date is not historical fiction.

Jane Austen wrote about her own time; ergo, her works are not historical fiction. This also means that all the authors writing contemporary fiction in 2013 will not be considered to have written historical fiction by readers in 2050.  Of course, these types of stories may certainly appeal to fans of historical fiction.

Stories set in the recent past are still historical fiction.

Ask yourself: Is the time period of this book vital to its story, or could it be set in this year without any loss of sense or meaning? If the past time period is vital, it’s historical fiction. (So all those books set in the 80s that rely on lack of a cell phone are historical fiction.) This means that a 30-year old writing a story about a teenager’s experiences with 9/11 is writing historical fiction, even though the writer lived through it herself.

This is hard for a lot of people to reconcile. I remember having a discussion with my grandmother, who lived through World War II, about whether WWII stories were historical fiction, and I was surprised when she said she didn’t consider them so. It’s easy for us younger adults to think about WWII stories as historical fiction, but so many of us won’t push it further and realize that stories set in times when we were kids are historical as well. I know there will be people who disagree, but they are wrong. (There’s some honesty for you.)

It should be noted that historical fiction can often cross genres (a common theme in our genre guides!). Historical mysteries and romances are popular in the adult world, and they’re making a splash in the YA world as well. Historical fantasy is experiencing a surge in popularity thanks in large part, I think, to Grave Mercy (see Elizabeth May’s The Falconer and Amy Butler Greenfield’s Chantress).

If you’re looking to brush up on your knowledge of historical fiction, check out the following:

  • The Scott O’Dell award is given each year to a children’s or young adult book published in the previous year. The recipients of this award tend to skew young. The winning title must have been published by an American publisher, and the author must be a United States citizen.
  • Corsets, Cutlasses, and Candlesticks is a blog run by a group of debut YA and middle grade historical fiction authors whose books are being published in 2013 or 2014. They write regularly about their books and about writing historical fiction (including trends, authenticity, and fashion). 
  • The History Girls are a group of authors who write historical fiction for all ages, including Mary Hoffman, Mary Hooper, Celia Rees, and Adele Geras. They post almost daily on a number of topics.
  • The Historical Novel Society aims to “review all US and UK mainstream published titles,” which is quite an undertaking. They include young adult titles, and membership is open to anyone interested in historical novels.
  • There are a few authors who turn out a historical fiction novel rather reliably every year or so: Carolyn Meyer, Ann Rinaldi, Mary Hooper, Michaela MacColl, Esther Friesner, Susanne Dunlap. Their backlists are worth checking out. (Readers: are there any I’ve missed?)

Historical fiction has the potential to be incredibly varied and diverse, but there are times and places that are more popular – the 1920s, World War II, and Victorian and Tudor England are perennial favorites. (Personally, I’d love to see more ancient and prehistoric fiction.) Like much of the world of English-language fiction, there seems to be a significant lack of non-Western stories and stories featuring people of color. In the list of historical fiction titles published since 2012 below, I tried to seek out those books not set in Europe or North America, and I quite simply didn’t find very many. Please chime in with suggestions in the comments, particularly if you know of some set in Asia or Africa. All descriptions are from Worldcat or Goodreads.

 
Born of Illusion by Teri Brown: Set in 1920s New York City, this is the story of budding magician Anna
Van Housen, who has spent her whole life playing sidekick to her
faux-medium mother–and trying to hide the fact the she actually
possesses the very abilities her mother fakes.

A Moment Comes by Jennifer Bradbury: As the partition of India nears in 1947 bringing violence even to
Jalandhar, Tariq, a Muslim, finds himself caught between his forbidden
interest in Anupreet, a Sikh girl, and Margaret, a British girl whose
affection for him might help with his dream of studying at Oxford.

The Wicked and the Just by J. Anderson Coats: In medieval Wales, follows Cecily whose family is lured by cheap land
and the duty of all Englishman to help keep down the “vicious”
Welshmen, and Gwenhwyfar, a Welsh girl who must wait hand and foot on
her new English mistress. Kimberly’s review

Spirit’s Chosen by Esther M. Friesner (sequel to Spirit’s Princess): As Himiko traverses ancient Japan in order to free enslaved members of
her clan, she encounters members of many other tribes and emerges as the
leader who will unify them.

Chantress by Amy Butler Greenfield: “Sing, and the darkness will find you.” This warning has haunted
fifteen-year-old Lucy ever since she was eight and shipwrecked on a
lonely island. Lucy’s guardian, Norrie, has lots of rules, but the most
important is that Lucy must never sing. Not ever. Now it is 1667, Lucy
is fifteen, and on All Hallows’ Eve, Lucy hears a tantalizing melody on
the wind. She can’t help but sing—and she is swept into darkness.

The Disgrace of Kitty Grey by Mary Hooper: A hugely romantic new novel set in the time of Jane Austen, from the popular author of Fallen Grace.

Velvet by Mary Hooper: In Victorian London, orphaned Velvet leaves her backbreaking job in a
steam laundry for the mysterious and exciting world of famed
spiritualist Madame Savoya, who harbors dangerous secrets.

Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers (companion book to Grave Mercy): Sybella’s duty as Death’s assassin in 15th-century France forces her
return home to the personal hell that she had finally escaped. Love and
romance, history and magic, vengeance and salvation converge in this
sequel to Grave Mercy. Kimberly’s review

The Traitor in the Tunnel by Y. S. Lee (third in a series): Queen Victoria has a problem: there’s a petty thief at work in
Buckingham Palace. Charged with discretion, the Agency assigns
quick-witted Mary Quinn to the case. Posing as a domestic in the royal
household and fending off the attentions of a feckless Prince of Wales
are challenge enough, but when the prince witnesses a murder in an opium
den — and scandal threatens the royal family — Mary learns that the
accused killer may be someone very close to her. Kimberly’s review

Gilt by Katherine Longshore: In 1539, Kitty Tylney and her best friend Cat Howard–the audacious,
self-proclaimed “Queen of Misrule”–both servants to the Duchess of
Norfolk, move to the court of King Henry VIII, who fancies Cat, and when
Cat becomes queen, Kitty must learn to navigate the complexities and
dangers of the royal court.

Tarnish by Katherine Longshore: King Henry VIII’s interest in Anne Boleyn could give her an opportunity
to make a real impact in a world with few choices for women, but when
poet Thomas Wyatt reveals he’s fallen for her, Anne must choose between
true love and the chance to make history.

Nobody’s Secret by Michaela MacColl: When fifteen-year-old Emily Dickinson meets a charming, enigmatic young
man who playfully refuses to tell her his name, she is intrigued–so
when he is found dead in her family’s pond in Amherst she is determined
to discover his secret, no matter how dangerous it may prove to be. Kimberly’s review

  
Maid of Secrets by Jennifer McGowan: In 1559 England, Meg, an orphaned thief, is pressed into service and
trained as a member of the Maids of Honor, Queen Elizabeth I’s secret
all-female guard, but her loyalty is tested when she falls in love with a
Spanish courtier who may be a threat.

Victoria Rebels by Carolyn Meyer: Through diary entries, reveals the life of Britain’s strong-willed
and short-tempered Queen Victoria from the age of eight through her
twenty-fourth birthday, up to her third wedding anniversary with her
beloved Albert in 1843.

Cinders & Sapphires by Leila Rasheed: The intertwined lives of the prominent Averley family and the servants
of Somerton Court are forever changed when an old secret comes to light. Kimberly’s review

Belle Epoque by Elizabeth Ross: When Maude Pichon runs
away from provincial Brittany to Paris, her romantic dreams vanish as
quickly as her savings. Desperate for work, she answers an unusual ad.
The Durandeau Agency provides its clients with a unique service—the
beauty foil. Hire a plain friend and become instantly more attractive. 

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys: Josie, the seventeen-year-old daughter of a French Quarter prostitute,
is striving to escape 1950 New Orleans and enroll at prestigious Smith
College when she becomes entangled in a murder investigation.

Passion Blue by Victoria Strauss: In fifteenth-century Italy, seventeen-year-old Giulia, a Count’s
illegitimate daughter, buys a talisman hoping it will bring her true
love to save her from life in a convent, but once there she begins to
learn the painter’s craft, including how to make the coveted paint,
Passion blue, and to question her true heart’s desire. Kimberly’s review

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein: In 1943, a British fighter plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France and
the survivor tells a tale of friendship, war, espionage and great
courage as she relates what she must do to survive while keeping secret
all that she can. Kimberly’s review

In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters: In San Diego in 1918, as deadly influenza and World War I take their
toll, sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black watches desperate mourners
flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort and, despite her
scientific leanings, must consider if ghosts are real when her first
love, killed in battle, returns. Kimberly’s review

Below are a few books to keep an eye out for later this year or early 2014.

Love Disguised by Lisa Klein: After a mixed-up courtship with the Hathaway sisters ends badly,
eighteen-year-old Will Shakespeare jumps at the chance to go to London,
where he can pursue his dream of becoming an actor and where he is about
to meet the girl who will change his life forever. (July 2013)

VIII by H. M. Castor: VIII is the story of
Hal: a young, handsome, gifted warrior, who believes he has been chosen
to lead his people. But he is plagued by the ghosts of his family’s
violent past and once he rises to power, he turns to murder and
rapacious cruelty. He is Henry VIII. (August 2013)

Dancer, Daughter, Traitor, Spy by Elizabeth Kiem: After a harrowing defection to the United States in 1982, Russian
teenager Marya and her father settle in Brooklyn, where Marya is drawn
into a web of intrigue involving her gift of foresight, her mother’s
disappearance, and a boy she cannot bring herself to trust.
 

The Falconer by Elizabeth May: Lady Aileana Kameron,
the only daughter of the Marquess of Douglas, was destined for a life
carefully planned around Edinburgh’s social events – right up until a
faery killed her mother. Now it’s the 1844 winter season and
Aileana slaughters faeries in secret, in between the endless round of
parties, tea and balls. (September 2013)

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein: When young American pilot Rose Justice is captured by Nazis and sent to
Ravensbrück, the notorious women’s concentration camp, she finds hope
in the impossible through the loyalty, bravery, and friendship of her
fellow prisoners. (September 2013)

Beauty’s Daughter: The Story of Hermione and Helen of Troy by Carolyn Meyer: When renowned beauty Helen runs off to Troy with Prince Paris, her
enraged husband, King Menelaus, starts the Trojan War, leaving their
plain daughter, Hermione, alone to witness the deaths of heroes on both
sides and longing to find her own love and place in the world. (October 2013)

A Most Dangerous Deception by Sarah Zettel: In 1716 London, an orphaned sixteen-year-old girl from a good family
impersonates a lady-in-waiting only to discover that the real girl was
murdered, the court harbors a nest of spies, and the handsome young
artist who is helping her solve the mystery might be a spy himself. (November 2013)

A Mad, Wicked Folly by Sharon Biggs Waller: A teen in Edwardian
London, after getting expelled from her French boarding school, pursues
her passion for art—and for an attractive police constable—despite the
restrictions of her upper-class family. (January 2014)

Get Genrefied: Contemporary Realistic Fiction

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Every month, we’re highlighting one genre within YA fiction as part of Angela’s reader’s advisory challenge. We’ve talked about horror, science fiction, high fantasy, mysteries and thrillers, and verse novels.  This month, it’s my favorite genre: contemporary realistic fiction. 

Since this is a topic I talk pretty extensively about already, I’m going to be a little self-indulgent and link to some of the stuff I’ve written on this topic. 

First, what is contemporary realistic fiction? I wrote about defining contemporary, realistic, and historical fiction last year. I still stand by what I said, even if I’m a little wild in delineating a time frame that distinguished “contemporary” from “realistic.” In short: contemporary fiction takes place in the recognizable world during the present time. Realistic is a little broader, in that it takes place in the recognizable world but may show elements of aging — think things like pay phones, MySpace appearances, a lack of cell phones, and references to older bands or television shows. I like to think of contemporary as a subdivision of realistic fiction, much as there are contemporary fantasies, contemporary romances, and other “contemporary” genres. 

Novelist doesn’t divide contemporary from realistic in its definition. Their official definition of realistic fiction is “real life set to fiction. It’s about anything that can happen in real life — good, bad, and in-between. It’s real emotions and behaviors in real settings and encompasses the experiences of characters from all different backgrounds. It can also include extremes, both positive and negative, from high living with a focus on wealth, designer clothes, and private schools to the darker extremes of drug use, family breakdowns, and sexual assault. The only limit is reality, which, depending on one’s point of view, is either a jump-off point into the fantastical or just where it starts to get interesting all on its own.” 

Realistic fiction can encompass other genres — plenty of mysteries and romances are perfectly realistic and/or contemporary in their own right. The topics explored with realistic/contemporary YA span from the dark to the light and humorous. It’s a genre that has a book for all kinds of readers, and it takes reading a wide range of books to understand how diverse and rich it is. These aren’t all sad stories. They’re not all stories rife with pain and angst. They’re not all “fluffy romances.” There is a range of voices, stories, storytelling styles, and more within contemporary/realistic. 
Over the last couple of years, I’ve made it my goal to highlight the exciting and interesting aspects of contemporary fiction. I put together a contemporary YA week in 2011, and I revisited this with another series on contemporary YA in 2012. Both series included extensive reading lists and suggestions, arranged thematically. I’ve blogged about contemporary series books, with extensive additional suggestions in the comments. I am in the midst of writing a book for VOYA press on contemporary/realistic YA fiction, too — I could talk over 200 pages worth of thoughts on the genre, which is why I wanted to have it put on paper. I also have an annotated book list in the June 2013 issue of VOYA magazine covering some recent contemporary/realistic titles that are more than worth reading. 
I’m going to try to highlight some of the titles out in the last year, as well as a handful of forthcoming titles and hit on those which I haven’t talked a whole lot about either here or in other venues. I’m also not including the obvious titles here — though I have included the new Sarah Dessen. These are very current books. I want to showcase the range of stories within the genre, so these cover a little bit of everything — family relationships, friendship, survival, grief, mental illness, and more. A number of these are books I’ve read already, and I’ve included relevant links. All descriptions are from WorldCat or Goodreads. 
These are separated out, so these first books are out now (or coming out this month) and the second batch are titles coming out later this year. I’ve also included a handful of 2014 titles I am looking forward to, and I’ve noted where authors included in list have titles coming out in the next year. 

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. 

Bruised by Sarah Skilton: When she freezes during a hold-up at the local diner, sixteen-year-old Imogen, a black belt in Tae Kwan Do, has to rebuild her life, including her relationship with her family and with the boy who was with her during the shoot-out.

Burning Blue by Paul Griffin: When beautiful, smart Nicole, disfigured by acid thrown in her face, and computer hacker Jay meet in the school psychologist’s office, they become friends and Jay resolves to find her attacker.

Charm & Strange by Stephanie Kuehn (available this month): A lonely teenager exiled to a remote Vermont boarding school in the wake of a family tragedy must either surrender his sanity to the wild wolves inside his mind or learn that surviving means more than not dying.

Criminal by Terra Elan McVoy: Eighteen-year-old Nikki’s unconditional love for Dee helps her escape from her problems, but when he involves her in a murder Nikki winds up in prison, confronted with hard facts that challenge whether Dee ever loved her, and she can only save herself by telling the truth about Dee.

Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos: A sixteen-year-old boy wrestling with depression and anxiety tries to cope by writing poems, reciting Walt Whitman, hugging trees, and figuring out why his sister has been kicked out of the house. Reviewed here. 

Golden by Jessi Kirby: Seventeen-year-old Parker Frost has never taken the road less traveled. Valedictorian and quintessential good girl, she’s about to graduate high school without ever having kissed her crush or broken the rules. So when fate drops a clue in her lap–one that might be the key to unraveling a town mystery–she decides to take a chance. 

Falling for You by Lisa Schroeder: Very good friends, her poetry notebooks, and a mysterious “ninja of nice” give seventeen-year-old Rae the strength to face her mother’s neglect, her stepfather’s increasing abuse, and a new boyfriend’s obsessiveness.

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley: Told in alternating voices, an all-night adventure featuring Lucy, who is determined to find an elusive graffiti artist named Shadow, and Ed, the last person Lucy wants to spend time with, except for the fact that he may know how to find Shadow.

If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin: A love story spanning the history of two teenagers’ lives and all the moments when if one little thing had been different, their futures would have been together instead of apart.

The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr: Sixteen-year-old San Franciscan Lucy Beck-Moreau once had a promising future as a concert pianist. Her chance at a career has passed, and she decides to help her ten-year-old piano prodigy brother, Gus, map out his own future, even as she explores why she enjoyed piano in the first place. Reviewed here. 

The Milk of Birds by Sylvia Whitman: When a nonprofit organization called Save the Girls pairs a fourteen-year-old Sudanese refugee with an American teenager from Richmond, Virginia, the pen pals teach each other compassion and share a bond that bridges two continents.

Over You by Amy Reed: A novel about two girls on the run from their problems, their pasts, and themselves. Max and Sadie are escaping to Nebraska, but they’ll soon learn they can’t escape the truth. 

Permanent Record by Leslie Stella: Being yourself can be such a bad idea. For sixteen-year-old Badi Hessamizadeh, life is a series of humiliations. After withdrawing from public school under mysterious circumstances, Badi enters Magnificat Academy. To make things “easier,” his dad has even given him a new name: Bud Hess. Grappling with his Iranian-American identity, clinical depression, bullying, and a barely bottled rage, Bud is an outcast who copes by resorting to small revenges and covert acts of defiance, but the pressures of his home life, plummeting grades, and the unrequited affection of his new friend, Nikki, prime him for a more dangerous revolution. Strange letters to the editor begin to appear in Magnificat’s newspaper, hinting that some tragedy will befall the school. Suspicion falls on Bud, and he and Nikki struggle to uncover the real culprit and clear Bud’s name. Permanent Record explodes with dark humor, emotional depth, and a powerful look at the ways the bullied fight back. 

The Reece Malcolm List by Amy Spalding: When her father dies suddenly, Devan is shipped off to Los Angeles to live with her estranged mother, Reece Malcolm, a bestselling novelist with little time for a daughter, and Devan navigates her way through her new performing arts school. Reviewed here.  
Spalding’s second contemporary book, titled Ink is Thicker Than Water will be available in December. 

The Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg: Sick of living in the shadow of her seven-year-old pageant queen sister who is praised for her looks, Lexi resolves to get a makeover when she determines her personality just isn’t enough to garner the attentions of boys.

Rotten by Michael Northrop: When troubled sixteen-year-old Jimmer “JD” Dobbs returns from a mysterious summer “upstate” he finds that his mother has adopted an abused Rottweiler that JD names Johnny Rotten, but soon his tenuous relationship with the dog is threatened. Reviewed here. 

Send Me A Sign by Tiffany Schmidt: Superstitious before being diagnosed with leukemia, high school senior Mia becomes irrationally dependent on horoscopes, good luck charms, and the like when her life shifts from cheerleading and parties to chemotherapy and platelets, while her parents obsess and lifelong friend Gyver worries. Reviewed here. 
Schmidt’s second contemporary book, Bright Before Sunrise, will be out in February 2014. 

The Space Between Us by Jessica Martinez: Seventeen-year-old Amelia feels like her life might be getting back on track after a bad break-up when her younger sister’s pregnancy gets them both banished to Canada, where new relationships are forged, giving Amelia a new perspective.

Starting From Here by Lisa Jenn Bigelow: Sixteen-year-old Colby is barely hanging on with her mother dead, her long-haul trucker father often away, her almost-girlfriend dumping her for a boy, and her failing grades, when a stray dog appears and helps her find hope.

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.

The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis: Wealthy, seventeen-year-old Anna begins to fall in love with her classmate, Abel, a drug dealer from the wrong side of town, when she hears him tell a story to his six-year-old sister, but when his enemies begin turning up dead, Anna fears she has fallen for a murderer. Reviewed here. 

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith: Perfect strangers Graham Larkin and Ellie O’Neill meet online when Graham accidentally sends Ellie an e-mail about his pet pig, Wilbur. The two 17-year-olds strike up an e-mail relationship from opposite sides of the country and don’t even know each other’s first names. What’s more, Ellie doesn’t know Graham is a famous actor, and Graham doesn’t know about the big secret in Ellie’s family tree. When the relationship goes from online to in-person, they find out whether their relationship can be the real thing.

Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown: Talked into sending a nude picture of herself to her boyfriend while she was drunk, Ashleigh became the center of a sexting scandal and is now in court-ordered community service, where she finds an unlikely ally, Mack.


Unbreak My Heart by Melissa Walker: Taking the family sailboat on a summer-long trip excites everyone except sixteen-year-old Clementine, who feels stranded with her parents and younger sister and guilty over a falling-out with her best friend.

Wanted by Heidi Ayarbe: Seventeen-year-old Michal Garcia, a bookie at Carson City High School, raises the stakes in her illegal activities after she meets wealthy, risk-taking Josh Ellison.

Way to Go by Tom Ryan: Danny is pretty sure he’s gay, but he spends his summer trying to prove otherwise.  

What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton: The stress of hiding a horrific incident that she can neither remember nor completely forget leads sixteen-year-old Cassidy “Sid” Murphy to become alienated from her friends, obsess about weight loss, and draw close to Corey “The Living Stoner” Livingston.

When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney: When his mother dies three weeks before his high school graduation, Danny goes to Tokyo, where his mother had been going for cancer treatments, to learn about the city his mother loved and, with the help of his friends, come to terms with her death.

Wild Awake by Hilary T. Smith: The discovery of a startling family secret leads seventeen-year-old Kiri Byrd from a protected and naive life into a summer of mental illness, first love, and profound self-discovery. 

Winger by Andrew Smith: Two years younger than his classmates at a prestigious boarding school, fourteen-year-old Ryan Dean West grapples with living in the dorm for troublemakers, falling for his female best friend who thinks of him as just a kid, and playing wing on the Varsity rugby team with some of his frightening new dorm-mates.

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina: One morning before school, some girl tells Piddy Sanchez that Yaqui Delgado hates her and wants to kick her ass. Piddy doesn’t even know who Yaqui is, never mind what she’s done to piss her off. Word is that Yaqui thinks Piddy is stuck-up, shakes her stuff when she walks, and isn’t Latin enough with her white skin, good grades, and no accent. And Yaqui isn’t kidding around, so Piddy better watch her back. At first Piddy is more concerned with trying to find out more about the father she’s never met and how to balance honors courses with her weekend job at the neighborhood hair salon. But as the harassment escalates, avoiding Yaqui and her gang starts to take over Piddy’s life. Is there any way for Piddy to survive without closing herself off or running away?” — from publisher’s web site.

Freaks Like Us by Susan Vaught: A mentally ill teenager who rides the “short bus” to school investigates the sudden disappearance of his best friend.

Forthcoming Contemporary Realistic Titles

All of these are coming out between July and December of this year. 

Dead Ends by Erin Jade Lange: When Dane, a bully, refuses to hit Billy D because he has Down Syndrome, Billy takes that as a sign of friendship and enlists Dane’s help in solving riddles left in an atlas by his missing father, sending the pair on a risky adventure.

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West: Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop. So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she’s beginning to enjoy his company. She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.

Fault Line by Christa Desir: After his gilfriend, Ani, is assaulted at a party, Ben must figure out how he can help her to heal, if he can help her at all. 

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick: A day in the life of a suicidal teen boy saying good-bye to the four people who matter most to him.

Freakboy by Kristin Elizabeth Clark: Told from three viewpoints, seventeen-year-old Brendan, a wrestler, struggles to come to terms with his place on the transgender spectrum while Vanessa, the girl he loves, and Angel, a transgender acquaintance, try to help.

If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan: In Iran, where homosexuality is punishable by death, seventeen-year-olds Sahar and Nasrin love each other in secret until Nasrin’s parents announce their daughter’s arranged marriage and Sahar proposes a drastic solution.

Sex & Violence by Carrie Mesrobian: Sex has always come without consequences for Evan. Until the night when all the consequences land at once, leaving him scarred inside and out. 
Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller: 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.





This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales: Nearly a year after a failed suicide attempt, sixteen-year-old Elise discovers that she has the passion, and the talent, to be a disc jockey.

Takedown by Allison van Diepen: After years in “juvie,” Darren cooperates with the police to infiltrate a drug ring to settle a vendetta, but sweet, innocent Jessica is now in his life so when a deadly turf war erupts, Darren must protect not only his own life, but Jessica’s as well. 

A Few More Forthcoming Contemporary/Realistic  

These titles will hit shelves in 2014 — I don’t have exact release dates, nor do I have covers for these yet, but they’re on my radar and should be on yours, too.
Pointe by Brandy Colbert: A ballet prodigy’s life begins to unravel when she is forced to admit to the role she played in her childhood friend’s abduction.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters. 
Goldfish by Kody Keplinger: About a teen dealing with the fallout from her failed suicide attempt and her romance with a boy with secrets of his own.
All the Rage by Courtney Summers: A 17-year-old girl’s attempt to blackmail her rich classmates results in her waking up on a dirt road with no money, no memory of how she got there and a semi-erased message she left for herself the only clue as to why. When she tries to piece together the evening before and all the events leading up to it, a dark and sinister game is revealed.

Get Genrefied: Verse Novels

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Angela’s genre this month for her reader’s advisory challenge is one of my favorites, even though it’s not technically a genre. It’s the verse novel. Like graphic novels — which we will talk about later this year — verse novels are a format. They’re also a style of telling a story. Rather than making use of traditional prose, verse novels are narrative poetry. There’s not one specific means or style of writing the verse either; it can range from free verse (with no guidelines for construction of words) to verse written in a strict style with specific stanza limitations. Sometimes, the verse rhymes but most of the time it does not. 

Verse novels can take on a very visual aspect to them, depending upon the author and how he or she chooses to build and construct the verse. Anyone who has opened one of Ellen Hopkins’s novels, for example, can see she purposefully builds her verse to have a visual layer on top of the language itself (Identical is a strong example of how she does this). 

Since novels written in verse are constructed with a format and style in mind, rather than a genre, they can range from contemporary stories to historical, and they can include mysteries, fantasy, science fiction, and more. Non-fiction can be written in verse, as well, and Margarita Engle is one author who has published a number of YA non-fiction books in verse. 

Despite being written in poetry, verse novels can be quite appealing to more reluctant readers because they’re less intimidating to look at visually and because — for the most part — they read fairly quickly. There are exceptions to this, of course, but the format is one which has wide appeal across a spectrum of readers.

Below are recent — and not-so-recent — YA novels in verse. These showcase the range of voices and genres where readers may experience the verse format. All descriptions are from WorldCat, and this list is not exhaustive, so we welcome your comments with additional titles, particularly books which might be coming out later this year. I’ve included just a single title per author, but I have noted where the author has additional verse titles.

Karma by Cathy Ostlere: In 1984, following her mother’s suicide, 15-year-old Maya and her Sikh father travel to New Delhi from Canada to place her mother’s ashes in their final resting place. On the night of their arrival, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is assassinated, Maya and her father are separated when the city erupts in chaos, and Maya must rely on Sandeep, a boy she has just met, for survival.

Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs by Ron Koertge: Fourteen-year-old Kevin Boland, poet and first baseman, is torn between his cute girlfriend Mira and Amy, who is funny, plays Chopin on the piano, and is also a poet. Shakespeare Bats Cleanup is the first book in this two-book series, and it’s also written in verse (and you don’t have to read them both to get the story).

The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder: Sixteen-year-old Amber, hoping to spend one perfect day alone at the beach before her world is turned upside down, meets and feels a strong connection to Cade, who is looking for his own escape, for a very different reason. As of this writing, Schroeder has written all of the rest of her titles in verse, as well, except for Falling For You. 





Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff: In order to earn money for college, fourteen-year-old LaVaughn babysits for a teenage mother. This is the first book in a trilogy.

Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell: In fifth-century Britain, nine years after the destruction of their home on the island of Shalott brings her to live with her father and brothers in the military encampments of Arthur’s army, seventeen-year-old Elaine describes her changing perceptions of war and the people around her as she becomes increasingly involved in the bitter struggle against the invading Saxons.

The Watch That Ends the Night by Allan Wolf: Recreates the 1912 sinking of the Titanic as observed by millionaire John Jacob Astor, a beautiful young Lebanese refugee finding first love, “Unsinkable” Molly Brown, Captain Smith, and others including the iceberg itself.

The Geography of Girlhood by Kirsten Smith: Novel in poetry about a girl navigating the unknown, the difficult limbo between youth and adulthood. A novel written in verse follows Penny Morrow in her transition from middle school to high school as her father remarries, she acquires a new stepbrother, and she experiences her first dance, first kiss, and other hazards of growing up. Smith’s recent novel, Tricks, features the voice of a character written in verse, as well.

Tricks by Ellen Hopkins: Five troubled teenagers fall into prostitution as they search for freedom, safety, community, family, and love. As of this writing, all of Hopkins’s books are written in verse. 

What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones: Fourteen-year-old Robin Murphy is so unpopular at high school that his name is slang for “loser,” and so when he begins dating the beautiful and popular Sophie her reputation plummets, but he finds acceptance as a student in a drawing class at Harvard. This is the first book in a series of two, the second titled What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know. Sones also wrote One of Those Hideous Books Where The Mother Dies, which is also written in verse. Later in 2013, Sonya Sones will release a new novel-in-verse titled To Be Perfectly Honest.

All the Broken Pieces by Ann Burg: Two years after being airlifted out of Vietnam in 1975, Matt Pin is haunted by the terrible secret he left behind and, now, in a loving adoptive home in the United States, a series of profound events forces him to confront his past.

Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas: The youngest of three siblings, fourteen-year-old Anke feels both relieved and neglected that her father abuses her brother and sister but ignores her, but when she catches him with one of her friends, she finally becomes angry enough to take action. Displacement, Chaltas’s other novel, is also written in verse.

Sold by Patricia McCormick: Thirteen-year-old Lakshmi leaves her poor mountain home in Nepal thinking that she is to work in the city as a maid only to find that she has been sold into the sex slave trade in India and that there is no hope of escape.

Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregay: When her father starts dating a man, fifteen-year-old Marcie’s depressed mother takes her to New Hampshire but just as Marcie starts falling for a great guy her father brings her back to Iowa, where all of her relationships have become strained.

Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill: A fictionalized account, told in verse, of the Salem witch trials, told from the perspective of three of the real young women living in Salem in 1692–Mercy Lewis, Margaret Walcott, and Ann Putnam, Jr. Hemphill’s prior titles, Your Own, Sylvia and Things Left Unsaid are also written in verse, as is her more recent title, Sisters of Glass.

Psyche in a Dress by Francesca Lia Block: A young woman, Psyche, searches for her lost love and questions her true self in a modern retelling of Greek myths.

Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams: Living with their mother who earns money as a prostitute, two sisters take care of each other and when the older one attempts suicide, the younger one tries to uncover the reason. Williams’s Waiting is also written in verse.

Hidden by Helen Frost: When fourteen-year-olds Wren and Darra meet at a Michigan summer camp, both are overwhelmed by memories from six years earlier when Darra’s father stole a car, unaware that Wren was hiding in the back. Frost’s other books, including Crossing Stones, The Braid, and Diamond Willow are written in verse. 

Three Rivers Rising by Jame Richards: Sixteen-year-old Celestia spends every summer with her family at a resort at Lake Conemaugh, an Allegheny Mountain reservoir held in place by a 70-foot dam. Tired of the society crowd, Celestia much prefers to swim and fish with Peter, the hotel’s hired boy. It’s a friendship she must keep secret from her parents, and when companionship turns to romance, it’s a love that could get Celestia disowned. These affairs of the heart become all the more wrenching on a single, tragic day in May of 1889.

Audition by Stasia Ward Kehoe: When sixteen-year-old Sara, from a small Vermont town, wins a scholarship to study ballet in New Jersey, her ambivalence about her future increases even as her dancing improves.

Exposed by Kimberly Marcus: High school senior Liz, a gifted photographer, can no longer see things clearly after her best friend accuses Liz’s older brother of a terrible crime.

Family by Micol Ostow: In the 1960s, seventeen-year-old Melinda leaves an abusive home for San Francisco, meets the charismatic Henry, and follows him to his desert commune where sex and drugs are free, but soon his “family” becomes violent against rich and powerful people and she is compelled to join in. Told in episodic verse, this is a fictionalized exploration of cult dynamics, loosely based on the Manson Family murders of 1969.



After the Kiss by Tera Elan McVoy: In alternating chapters, two high school senior girls in Atlanta reveal their thoughts and frustrations as they go through their final semester of high school. 

Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham: After a shark attack causes the amputation of her right arm, fifteen-year-old Jane, an aspiring artist, struggles to come to terms with her loss and the changes it imposes on her day-to-day life and her plans for the future. Bingham wrote a companion novel to this one, titled Formerly Shark Girl.

You Are Not Here by Samantha Schutz: Annaleah’s grief over the tragic death of seventeen-year-old Brian is compounded by the fact that her friends did not like him, while his friends and both of their families knew nothing of their intimate relationship.



Becoming Billie Holiday by Carole Boston Weatherford: Jazz vocalist Billie Holiday looks back on her early years in this fictional memoir written in verse.

My Book of Life by Angel by Martine Leavitt: 16-year-old Angel struggles to free herself from the trap of prostitution in which she is caught.

Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall: Throughout her high school years, as her mother battles cancer, Lupita takes on more responsibility for her house and seven younger siblings, while finding refuge in acting and writing poetry. Includes glossary of Spanish terms. 

Want some more reading about verse novels? Then check out the following:

  • Also, keep the blog and web resource Verse Novels on your radar. We’re taking part today in their year-long Thursday feature that aims to have verse novels highlighted throughout the blogging world.

Get Genrefied: Mysteries (+ Thrillers)

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Angela’s reader’s advisory challenge this month focuses on mysteries, and we’ve thrown in thrillers as well, since the two are often found together. But they’re not quite the same. Wes Miller at Mulholland Books breaks down the two here, and it’s a good summary of what mysteries and thrillers have in common and how they differ. Kimberly’s basic rule is this: if there’s a solution at the end, it’s a mystery. If not, it’s a thriller. Many books are both, but not all, and there’s certainly a lot of crossover appeal between the two.

Because of their nature, mysteries can have a lot of genre crossover: historical mysteries (YS Lee’s The Agency series, Kathryn Miller Haines’ The Girl is Murder series); paranormal (Kim Harrington’s Clarity series, plus lots of ghost stories); science fiction (especially with technology, such as Michelle Gagnon’s Don’t Turn Around); humor (Heist Society, Marlene Perez).

Mysteries are also heavy on series, and they lend themselves well to the form. They provide an easy way to build long character arcs over many books while also telling a complete story in one volume. There’s plenty of crossover between teen and adult mysteries as well, particularly with the cozies, which tend to be cleaner and less gruesome. (As any librarian who serves adults knows, mysteries are HUGE in the adult market.) The Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley is a great example of an adult series with teen crossover appeal.

Below is a list of recently-published YA novels that can all be classified as mysteries or thrillers. It really shows just how broad this category can be – historical, contemporary, paranormal, horror, literary. All descriptions come from either WorldCat or Goodreads. If you know of any more notable titles, please leave us a comment!

Heist Society by Ally Carter (sequels: Uncommon Criminals, Perfect Scoundrels): A group of teenagers uses their combined talents to re-steal several
priceless paintings and save fifteen-year-old Kat Bishop’s father,
himself an international art thief, from a vengeful collector. Kimberly’s reviews

Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone by Kat Rosenfield: Unveils the details of a horrific murder, its effects on permanent and
summer residents of the small Appalachian town where the body is
discovered, and especially how the related violence shakes
eighteen-year-old Becca’s determination to leave home as soon as
possible. Kelly’s review

All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab: After the death of his ex-girlfriend Carly, Northern California high
school student Neily joins forces with Carly’s cousin Audrey to try to
solve her murder.
 

 
Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday (sequel: Social Suicide): When sixteen-year-old Hartley Featherstone finds out that her boyfriend
is cheating on her, she goes to his house to confront him and suddenly
finds herself embroiled in a murder mystery. Kelly’s review

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga (sequel: Game): Seventeen-year-old Jazz learned all about being a serial killer from his
notorious “Dear Old Dad,” but believes he has a conscience that will
help fight his own urges and right some of his father’s wrongs, so he
secretly helps the police apprehend the town’s newest murderer, “The
Impressionist.” Kimberly’s review

Clarity by Kim Harrington (sequel: Perception): Sixteen-year-old Clare Fern, a member of a family of psychics, helps the
mayor and a skeptical detective solve a murder in a Cape Cod town
during the height of tourist season–with her brother a prime suspect. Kimberly’s review

The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington: New student Jade uncovers a murder mystery when she moves into a house
haunted by the ghost of a beautiful, mean girl who ruled Jade’s high
school.

The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison: Having experienced compulsive behavior all her life, Lo’s symptoms are
getting her into trouble when she witnesses a murder while wandering
dangerous quarters of Cleveland, Ohio, collecting things that do not
belong to her, obsessing about her brother’s death.

Notes From Ghost Town by Kate Ellison: Young artist Olivia Tithe struggles to keep her sanity as she unravels
the mystery of her first love’s death through his ghostly visits.

 
The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting (sequels: Desires of the Dead, The Last Echo, Dead Silence): High school junior Violet uses her uncanny ability to sense murderers
and their victims to try to stop a serial killer who is terrorizing her
town, and although her best friend and would-be boyfriend Jay promises
to keep her safe, she becomes a target.

The Space Between Trees by Katie Williams: When the body of a classmate is discovered in the woods,
sixteen-year-old Evie’s lies wind up involving her with the girl’s best
friend, trying to track down the killer.

The Night She Disappeared by April Henry: Told from various viewpoints, Gabie and Drew set out to prove that their
missing co-worker Kayla is not dead, and to find her before she is,
while the police search for her body and the man who abducted her. Kimberly’s review

Shelter by Harlan Coben (sequel: Seconds Away): After tragic events tear Mickey Bolitar away from his parents, he is
forced to live with his estranged Uncle Myron and switch high schools,
where he finds both friends and enemies, but when his new new
girlfriend, Ashley, vanishes, he follows her trail into a seedy
underworld that reveals she is not what she seems to be. Kimberly’s review

Crusher by Niall Leonard: After he discovers his father murdered, Finn, now the prime suspect,
scours the London underworld, exposing secrets and facing danger, to
determine the true killer. Kimberly’s review

A Spy in the House by Y. S. Lee (sequels: The Body at the Tower, The Traitor in the Tunnel): Rescued from the gallows in 1850s London, young orphan and thief Mary
Quinn is offered a place at Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls where she
is trained to be part of an all-female investigative unit called The
Agency and, at age seventeen, she infiltrates a rich merchant’s home in
hopes of tracing his missing cargo ships. Kimberly’s review

Don’t Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon: After waking up on an operating table with no memory of how she got
there, Noa must team up with computer hacker Peter to stop a corrupt
corporation with a deadly secret. Kimberly’s review

The Girl is Murder by Kathryn Miller Haines (sequel: The Girl is Trouble): In 1942 New York City, fifteen-year-old Iris grieves for her mother
who committed suicide and for the loss of her life of privilege, and
secretly helps her father with his detective business since he, having
lost a leg at Pearl Harbor, struggles to make ends meet. Kimberly’s review

Kill You Last by Todd Strasser: When three teenage clients of her fashion photographer dad go
missing, Shelby’s near perfect life crumbles when her dad is named a
prime suspect in the girls’ disappearance. Kimberly’s review

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore: Seventeen-year-old Amy Goodnight has long been the one who makes her
family of witches seem somewhat normal to others, but while spending a
summer with her sister caring for their aunt’s farm, Amy becomes the
center of weirdness when she becomes tied to a powerful ghost. Kimberly’s review

Escape Theory by Margaux Froley: Bound by her oath of confidentiality and tortured by unrequited love,
sixteen-year-old Devon, a peer counselor at a prestigious California
boarding school, finds herself on a solitary mission to get to the
bottom of a popular student’s apparent suicide.

Be sure to also check out Kelly’s guide to YA mysteries and thrillers on Scribd, in handy printable brochure form.

Here are a few forthcoming titles to look out for later this year.

Spies and Prejudice by Talia Vance: Berry Fields’s life working for her dad’s investigation firm and
searching for clues to her mother’s death unravels when gorgeous Tanner
arrives in town and changes everything.

The Waking Dark by Robin Wasserman: After a series of suicide-killings and a deadly storm, the residents of
the town of Oleander, Kansas, start acting even more strangely than
would be expected. Only the 5 witnesses of the murders retain their
sound minds, and must band together to save the town from whatever has
come over it

Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas: It’s Spring Break of
senior year. Anna, her boyfriend Tate, her best friend Elise, and a few
other close friends are off to a debaucherous trip to Aruba that
promises to be the time of their lives. But when Elise is found
brutally murdered, Anna finds herself trapped in a country not her own,
fighting against vile and contemptuous accusations. As Anna sets out to
find her friend’s killer, she discovers harsh revelations about her
friendships, the slippery nature of truth, and the ache of young love.

Absent by Katie Williams: Seventeen-year-old Paige Wheeler died in a fall off the high school
roof and now her spirit seems bound to the school grounds, along with
Brooke and Evan, two other teen ghosts who died there–but maybe if she
can solve the mystery of her apparent suicide they will all be able to
move on.

Truth or Dare by Jacqueline Green: In the affluent seaside town of Echo Bay, Massachusetts, mysterious
dares sent to three very different girls–loner Sydney Morgan, Caitlin
“Angel” Thomas, and beautiful Tenley Reed–threaten both their
reputations and their lives.

Strangelets by Michelle Gagnon: Forcibly sucked into an abyss at the moment of their deaths, six
smarter-than-most teenagers wake up in a deadly, desolate future world,
where only one of them holds the key to getting everyone back home.

The Sweet Dead Life by Joy Preble: After dying in a car accident, fourteen-year-old Jenna’s older brother
returns as an angel to help Jenna solve a mystery that not only holds
the key to her survival, but also to their mother’s mysterious
depression and their father’s disappearance.

The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die by April Henry: When Cady wakes up, she
has no memory of who she is. All she knows is that there is a pillowcase
over her head and a person in the room has instructed another to “take
her out back and finish her off.” Cady must find a way to save herself.
But how can she do this when she doesn’t even know her name?

Like other genres we’ve focused on, there are many resources to turn to broaden your knowledge.

  • The Edgar Awards (given by the Mystery Writers of America) and the Agatha Awards are probably the two most well-known awards given to mystery novels, and they both feature young adult titles. The Edgar Awards guidelines are fairly broad, honoring books that are classified as mystery, crime, suspense, or intrigue. The Agatha Awards are noteworthy because they honor titles that are what they call “traditional mysteries” in the vein of Agatha Christie. To them, this means closed mysteries with no gratuitous sex, violence, or gore. This might make some of the adult titles honored suitable for younger readers as well.
  • The Crime Writers Association gives the Dagger Awards for crime writing. These aren’t necessarily mysteries, but many are, and most can at least be classified as thrillers. They do not give out an award for YA or children’s books, though some titles with crossover appeal have been honored (such as Alan Bradley in 2007).
  • I’m going to plug Fantastic Fiction again, since there are so many mystery series and this is the best resource I know of for keeping track of them accurately.
  • Generally speaking, all publishing houses publish mysteries and thrillers, though there are some imprints that specialize. Soho Teen, a newly launched imprint of independent publishing house Soho Press, is one of these, focusing on mysteries and thrillers for young adults. 
  • Sleuths, Spies, and Alibis is a new-to-us blog resource run by thirteen middle grade and YA authors who have books out in 2012 or 2013.