I wanted to try something a little different for the next couple of months, as we head into the prime of summer reading season prep and planning for librarians. The Cooperative Summer Library Programming theme this year is about world travel, and one of the things I’ve been working on is creating book lists and ideas of stories set in countries outside the U.S. So for our next few Display This posts, we’ll treat you to books that are set in other countries. A couple of notes: these will be limited to books easily found through book jobbers or in book stores, and they are stories which actually take place in the country. I’ve also purposely chosen to include only one title per author, the first book in a series, and I’ve left off authors who may reside in a given country but do not write with a specific setting in mind.

As we travel the world in young adult books, feel free to offer any suggestions you have for additional titles. Likewise, you may replicate this book list as you’d like; just give STACKED credit for creating it.

Let’s start with one of my favorite parts of the world to read about: Australia and New Zealand.

A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley: This Sarah Dessen read alike is a story of friendship and a story of romance. Charlie Duskin, our main character, might also have quite a career in music ahead of her. My full review of this title is here.

Pink by Lili Wilkinson: Ava’s got a chance to reinvent herself, but as she discovers, hiding who she really is puts her in strange situations. She can’t avoid who she is. A great book for readers looking for a LGBTQ book or for readers looking for a book about being true to who you are, no matter what.

Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden (series): A story of survival set after a camping trip among a tight-knit group of friends. This thrilling adventure story will appeal to readers who like fast-paced, action stories or those who want to see the “original” Hunger Games.

A Small Free Kiss in the Dark by Glenda Millard: Australia has dystopia down with this book about a rag tag group of people who are the only survivors left in the world. They must rely on one another, but then things take a turn for the dark.

Up Over Down Under by Micol Ostow and Noah Harlan (S.A.S.S. series): One student goes to Australia and one student goes to America in this installment of the Sisters Across the Seven Seas series. Looking for a clean read for your teens that’s fun and still has romance and adventure? This is a great choice.

Cold Skin by Steven Herrick: In this novel-in-verse, Eddie finds his boring town at the center of a mystery when a girl turns up dead in the local river. Could he be a suspect or is he the one who will unravel the dark secrets lurking in town?

Stolen by Lucy Christopher: A story about a guy who takes his love for a girl a little too far. Of course, you can read my actual review right here.

The Winds of Heaven by Judith Clarke: Clementine and Fan are cousins, but they promise at the end of their summer together to become best friends. Clementine thinks Fan has it all, but the truth is, Fan is lost and searching for something to make her happy.

Beatle Meets Destiny by Gabrielle Williams: Your name happens to be John Lennon and you happen to fall head over heels with a girl named Destiny. Your only problem now is your girlfriend. . . who isn’t Destiny.

Butterfly by Sonya Hartnett: This quiet novel explores what it’s like for Plum Coyle to finally come of age and the value and importance of people and things in one’s life.

The Convicts by Iain Lawrence (series): Tom seeks revenge for his father’s unfair imprisonment in London, but as a result, he’s sent to Australia and being convicted of murder. But there’s much more to await him when he arrives down under.

The Crimes and Punishment of Miss Payne by Barry Jonsberg: Calma and Kiffo know from the second they see Miss Payne enter their classroom, they don’t like her. So they’re going to get revenge, and when they begin their stalking, they learn there’s something much more sinister about their teacher than they ever suspected.

Rose by Any Other Name by Maureen McCarthy: Rose’s life is crumbling all around her. At first, she had it all, but it takes little time for things to change. She’s ready to run away, but she is stopped before she can get too far. A snarky character and a twisting plot will resonate with readers.

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta: A little mystery, a little intrigue, and a whole lot of questions arise over the course of this novel about discovering one’s roots. Also: you might know this book because it won a Printz award.

Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah: When Amal decides to begin wearing the traditional hijab, she’s suddenly finding herself in a very different spot in school. Can she fit in at school and follow the beliefs she has?

The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty (series): Letters, diaries, and journal entries plot this story of three girls who become pen pals with three boys over the course of a school year.

Singing the Dogstar Blues by Alison Goodman: This science fiction is set in a futuristic Australia and follows a group of time-traveling students (and maybe even an alien).

Guarian of the Dead by Karen Healey: A fantasy novel set in and near a New Zealand boarding school that plays upon a number of the Maori legend, mythology, and lure.

The 10 p.m. Question by Kate de Goldi: This quirky novel follows 13-year-old Frankie who has a billion questions about the world and few answers. Most people don’t take him seriously, except his mother — and it’s his mother he has his most worrying question about. Enter a girl who has as many questions and may have an answer to the one he can’t ask the person he trusts most in the world.

Violence 101 by Denise Wright: Hamish’s anger problems land him in a home for troubled youth. But when he arrives at his new residence, a series of events cause him to divert his attitude about everything and dive head first into a rescue mission to save someone in an area where two soldiers have already lost their lives.

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Of course, this is just a sample of what’s available. Many of these authors have additional books that fall into these settings, so those are also worth checking out. Additionally, if you’re able to purchase books outside a jobber or are looking to expand your foreign fiction for teens, there are a number of book sellers in Australia willing to send books overseas — Adele at Persnickety Snark has posted links to a number of those sellers here. If you don’t know where to begin, a few titles looking interesting to me and that have gotten some good reviews and acclaim from other readers include Kirsty Eagar’s Raw Blue, Fiona Wood’s Six Impossible Things, and Cath Crowley’s Graffiti Moon.