Links of Note: January 25, 2014

January 25, 2014 |

I’m at ALA in Philadelphia for the next few days, sitting in a room full of fellow committee members as we hash out the final list and annotations for Outstanding Books for the College Bound. It’s a list updated every five years, so we’ve been reading tons and tons of fiction and non-fiction ranging from juvenile to adult in order to build a list of books that those eager to attend college or develop a lifelong habit of learning and exploration. It’s been a lot of work, and it has been a lot of reading. I’ll talk more about it once the final lists are out and public.

The introduction is sort of an explanation for a shorter-than-usual links of note post, but there was some really excellent reading over the last couple of weeks that I wanted to share. If there’s something I’ve missed, especially this past week, I’d love to hear in the comments so I have some post-conference reading to dive into.

Molly Wetta began rounding up the YA books out or coming out soon in 2014 that feature LGBTQ characters. Go read and add these titles to your expanding to-read lists.

Since it’s that time of year, and the awards will be announced on Monday morning, I found Whitney Winn’s roundup of Mock Printz discussions really interesting. See what other people think is Printz worthy around the US.

Here’s a nice post over at Tumblr of YA books featuring Korean Americans written by Korean Americans. Increase your knowledge of diverse reads.

Speaking of diversity, Matthew Jackson, who has written for us in the past, has a really excellent post at Blastr about how Marvel and Warner Brothers need to be better with developing films that feature more diversity in terms of gender and ethnicity. It’s not book-related, but it’s really good reading and really important reading.

Over at Jenna Does Books, Emily Hainsworth wrote a really great guest post about owning and accepting introversion. This is such a smart post, and I think that it’s one younger readers — and writers — should see. It’s not about requesting a special status, but rather, about accepting that you gain your energy from doing certain things and not other things and that’s perfectly fine.

Becky over at RA for All asks who is responsible for doing reader’s advisory?

Elsewhere from me, I had two posts over at Book Riot:

Why our youngest reading experiences matter — a little bit of talk about why reading books when we’re “too young” is important and helpful to us as readers (and why sometimes when we revisit those books that impacted us at that age no longer hold the same power they once did).

Continuing my “Beyond the Bestsellers” series, I talked about what to read next after diving into Ellen Hopkins.

A Couple of Mini-Trends

January 24, 2014 |

Downton Abbey Clones
It’s no surprise that authors and publishers are trying to capitalize on the mega-popularity of this British television series. While there were already a few books set in the same time period with the same soapy feel, there have been at least three (YA) published since the series started airing that are pretty transparent in their attempt to win over the show’s audience. (It’s interesting to me that Downton Abbey is an adult show but these books are YA. I wonder how much of the publishing trend is capitalizing on adults who read YA, or if there are really that many teens watching Downton Abbey. I don’t work with teens much anymore, so am not in a great position to know.)

Wentworth Hall by Abby Grahame (2012)
Synopsis: It’s 1912, and eighteen-year-old Maggie and her
mother have just returned from a year abroad where Lady Darlington has
had a baby boy, James. But he is not the only addition to the house.
They have also brought back Therese, their new French tutor, as well as
welcomed the orphaned teenage twins, Teddy and Jessica, who have just
lost their father aboard the Titanic. This adds to an already crowded
house of Darlingtons and staff, all of whom have a penchant for
gossiping about their employers. [Amazon]

Part of the ad copy for this book on its Amazon page compares it directly to Downton Abbey, as if the synopsis weren’t enough of a dead giveaway: Can’t get enough of Downton Abbey? Visit Wentworth Hall. It’s one
of England’s oldest estates, and the Darlingtons are among the elite
class of British society. But under the wealth are secrets that must
stay hidden.

Cinders & Sapphires by Leila Rasheed (2013)
Synopsis: The intertwined lives of the prominent Averley family and the servants
of Somerton Court are forever changed when an old secret comes to light. [Worldcat]

I read this one and quite liked it. Its sequel, Diamonds & Deceit, was published earlier this month.

Manor of Secrets by Katherine Longshore (2014)

Synopsis: Beautiful, wealthy, and sheltered Lady Charlotte Edmonds, sixteen,
and hardworking, clever kitchen maid Janie Seward are both ready for
change, and as their paths overlap in The Manor, rules are broken and
secrets revealed that will alter the course of their lives forever. [Worldcat]

Longshore, who you may recognize from a series of Tudor-era novels for teens, switches time periods for her newest project. I have this one on my TBR pile.

Re-imagining the Wizard of Oz
I think the resurgence of the Wizard of Oz in pop culture may be due (at least in part) to the fact that it’s been 75 years since the 1939 movie. Whenever a nice round number like that presents itself, media creators really run with it. Below are a few recent or upcoming things we can read or see on the screen:

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige
Synopsis: My name is Amy Gumm—and I’m the other girl from Kansas. I’ve been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked. I’ve been trained to fight. And I have a mission: Remove the Tin Woodman’s heart. Steal the Scarecrow’s brain. Take the Lion’s courage. Then and only then—Dorothy must die! [Goodreads]

This is a YA book that re-imagines Dorothy as the villain, a dictator ruling over Oz. It’s also a Full Fathom Five production. I’m not thrilled about either of these facts. The Oz books have a very special place in my heart and I have a hard time reading re-tellings of them that fundamentally alter characters. This one is also being described as “Wizard of Oz” meets “Kill Bill,” which makes me give it an even bigger No Thanks.

Oz Reimagined: New Tales From the Emerald City and Beyond edited by John Joseph Adams & Douglas Cohen
Synopsis: In this anthology, the adventures of Dorothy and her unforgettable friends are
refashioned and transformed in radical ways, to new times, new places,
and even new dimensions, all while remaining true to the spirit of Oz. [Worldcat]

This sounds like a book I could get behind. Some of its contributing authors include Rae Carson, Robin Wasserman, Jane Yolen, and Jonathan Maberry, all of whom have written for teens (though not all exclusively for teens). It’s published by 47North, an imprint of Amazon. A note on the item’s Amazon page recommends the collection for readers 13 and up.

Graphic Novels by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young
I love, love, love this comic book series, written by Shanower and illustrated by Young. They’ve adapted Baum’s books into graphic novels and they are true to the source, gorgeous, and a gift for Oz lovers. The comics are monthly and are then collected into lovely hardback volumes (one volume per Oz book). So far, the duo have completed up through the Emerald City of Oz, which is book #6. I’m not sure if there are plans to continue. Skottie Young has announced that he is done with the series, but I don’t know if that means the series is done or if it will continue with a different artist. These books are perfect for the same age group as the original story – which is to say, all ages.

Emerald City
This is a tv series (at least 10 episodes) ordered by NBC for the 2014-2015 season. The creators describe it as a dark re-imagining where Dorothy (aged up to 20) gets involved in a violent war in Oz. It sounds very much like an adult show; it’s being compared to Game of Thrones (what isn’t?). I have the same sort of qualms with this one that I do with Dorothy Must Die (I’m probably just not the right audience for a Wizard of Oz re-telling), but I can definitely appreciate the fact that it draws from the many (seriously overlooked and under-appreciated) Baum sequels in addition to the first and most famous book.

Warriors of Oz
The SyFy network has picked up this mini-series about a post-apocalyptic future Oz. It re-imagines the Wizard as evil (I guess that’s more believable than Dorothy as evil). It also features the scarecrow, tin man, and cowardly lion as warriors named Brainless, Heartless, and Coward. And as far as I can tell, Dorothy doesn’t exist at all. She’s been replaced by a male warrior from our own world/time as protagonist. Hmm.

And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard

January 23, 2014 |

Emily Beam’s boyfriend killed himself in their school library. It wasn’t intentional, and it wasn’t his plan. He maybe didn’t have a plan and it was a panic reaction. Emily was there.

A funeral, followed by a trip to Boston to see her aunt, and Emily is then sent to a boarding school in Amherst. It’s the same school Emily Dickinson once attended, and immediately, Emily feels a connection to the poet, through her words and her spirit. She also connects, in a weird, disconnected kind of way, to her new roommate KT. She doesn’t tell KT why she’s new in the middle of the school year, and KT doesn’t press her. She listens, then she lies to the other girls in their hall about why Emily is as quiet, reserved, somewhat off-putting as she is. The lies don’t make Emily happy. At least they don’t when they happen (lies are hard to keep track of, as she says) but eventually, Emily appreciates the lies because they tell her something much deeper about KT.

And We Stay is Jenny Hubbard’s second YA novel. Like her first, it’s technically historical fiction, as this is set in 1995. It’s a setting that frustrated me the entire time I read the book and long after finishing. There was nothing in this book, save for a couple of easily changed pop cultural references, that necessitated the time period setting, and the only way readers are privy to that time setting period is because Emily dates the poems she writes and shares in the story. In every other way, this was as timeless as could be, and I think this was a huge disservice to an otherwise outstanding book.

So now that I got out what didn’t work in the novel, here’s what did: the writing. This is literary YA at its finest. It’s carefully and thoughtfully constructed, as Hubbard manages to weave Emily’s past right into her present. The story is told in third person, and as we learn more about Emily’s background and why she’s truly at this boarding school, we also see how she’s fitting into the present and making sense of her past at the same time. We get the pieces of the past alongside with her present, which is offered to us in her own poetry. That poetry, inspired by Dickinson but wholly Emily’s, comes between each chapter of narrative. The poems are reflections on what happened and they serve to make sense of Emily’s story not just for us as readers, but for Emily herself. But even on the paragraph-by-paragraph level, Hubbard succeeds in telling bits of the past right into the present moment. Emily, who is grieving significant loss, falls into moments of reflection and those moments come right in the present. There’s not info-dumping here. It’s elegant, careful, and it’s tight enough that it never overwhelms the story.

There’s more to this than Paul’s suicide, though. And yes, this will be spoiler territory up until the * in the review. Emily harbors a secret, and it’s one that she has to make the most sense of for herself: she was pregnant with Paul’s baby. This isn’t a secret baby though. Paul knew about it, and Emily shared the news with him the moment she found out (he, in fact, bought her the pregnancy test, which she took at a McDonald’s bathroom in a scene that was so stark and gutting to read that it is impossible not to completely get Emily in that moment). The two of them, being incredibly responsible, did talk about the what ifs. But ultimately, Emily made the choice that she would have an abortion, and it was a decision she made with the help of her parents. She delivered the news to Paul, and it wasn’t news he was happy to hear.

Paul wanted to propose marriage and have the baby. But Emily couldn’t do that — she notes it would have been unfair to her, and to Paul, and to the baby. There’s an incredible paragraph in the story before the big reveal where Emily notes that girls don’t get to have choices. That the holes in their lives are ones they have to learn to deal with. That in a situation where there’s a baby, a boy has two choices: propose marriage or leave. It’s not meant to belittle the emotional struggle of what a boy who gets a girl pregnant goes through, but rather, it’s meant to highlight that there’s a physical aspect for a girl in the situation. A literal piece of her body created and taken in some manner or other. So when Emily makes that pronouncement to Paul, the things between them get ugly. They can’t be a couple anymore, and with that breaking up — with that news — Paul panics and does what he does.

The trip to Boston after his funeral was the trip away from their small town, where Emily could safely have the abortion. The move to the boarding school, her way to make sense of what happened without the judging eyes of the town. Without feeling like a victim for making a choice for her own body and her own life. Without feeling responsible for what Paul did with his.

Emily’s time at the boarding school isn’t perfect. She’s not a perfect girl. She breaks rules, and she finds herself in trouble. She smokes, and she isn’t good with attending to all of the responsibilities expected of her. But that’s who she is. It’s part grief, and part of something bigger that makes her a whole and flawed person. Emily’s also incredible secretive about what happened to her, and even as she begins to understand her roommate KT better, she’s reluctant to be honest. Paul’s sister calls the dorm, and it’s hard enough for Emily to take the call, let alone then face her roommate afterward. It’s when Emily overhears KT defending Emily’s right to privacy and her own secrets, though, when Emily realizes KT is, perhaps, the best kind of friend she can ever ask for.

And that’s really where I think And We Stay shines. Many will find the relationship between Emily and Dickinson and Emily and her own writing to be powerful here, but I thought the way Hubbard developed an incredible, supportive, and caring friendship between KT and Emily was the knockout element. We don’t see a whole lot of it, nor should we. Emily’s protective of everything, and her grief often counteracts what’s going on in the world around her. But there’s no question that KT respects and honors, and when Emily finally opens up, KT doesn’t press her. She listens, she offers support, and she offers a bit of herself back to Emily in a way that’s not meant to say she’s had it worse but instead to say no one is perfect and that bad things happen and you can’t always make sense of those things.

There’s something really rewarding in reading a book where the girls aren’t all bad or nasty. They aren’t all perfect here — there are girls here who are snippy or thrive off gossip — but then there are girls here like KT who knows there’s much more to being a friend than that. It’s not just KT, though. There is an entire cast of well-rounded females in this story, all of whom have flaws and make mistakes, and many of whom become real mentors for Emily as she works through what she needs to work through. Of course, there’s the thread of Emily Dickinson, too, and the way that Dickinson’s contributions to not just literature but cultural history as a female weaves well into Emily’s own understanding of self. It’s by unraveling the complexities of being a girl that Emily understands that that is the entire nature of being a girl: it’s complex. That the holes in her life, be they physical or emotional or mental, are things she can patch up with her own strength and forward movement.

* And We Stay has no romance, aside from the reflection upon Emily’s relationship with Paul, and the story ends with girls empowering girls. It’s the kind of message that’s surprisingly rare in YA, and I think that’s what will resonate with readers who pick this up. This certainly could be labeled a feminist novel. The smart lines and messages about what it means to be a girl are hard to overlook — and they’re never preachy nor over the top. They’re skillfully discovered as Emily works through the events of the last couple months of her life.

Which is why I return again to my earlier criticism of the timeframe. There are a couple of very minor things that I could see a setting without a time stamp causing problems with, but they’re so minor, they could have been written around. In setting this book in 1995, I felt like what could have been an outstanding and powerful novel about the value of friendship, the challenges of grief, and the merit of feminist thinking and behaving was undercut. Nothing that happened between 1995 and today’s world has changed so significantly that this needed to be historical (and it’s historical — 1995 was almost 20 years ago, so even today’s 18 year olds weren’t yet born). It’s unfortunate that so much of the time I wanted to know why this choice in time because it really detracted from so much of the hugely positive aspects of the book. I suspect that other readers will wonder the same thing, and I think many will note, like I did, that the girl on the cover sure looks like a teen out of 2014, rather than one out of 1995 in terms of style.

Hubbard’s interweaving of Emily’s personal poetry between chapters works in the story, rather than detracts from it. I’ve read a number of books that have tried to incorporate the character’s own writing into the text and it’s a place I skip because it adds nothing (I think of things like Cath’s fan fiction in Fangirl). In And We Stay, I found myself eager to read Emily’s poetry. It was not only well-written and believable from the voice of a teen girl, but it added so much depth to what she’d been through. Her poetry also becomes a way that she lets KT in and it’s the way that KT really professes her friendship to Emily. She respects Emily’s talent and she gets it in a way no one else really can.

Pass And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard off to readers who like complex, literary novels, as well as those who love stories that may feature Emily Dickinson, young writers, or stories about grief and loss. Readers who liked Emily’s Dress and Other Missing Things by Kathryn Burak will like this one, though there’s no mystery in Hubbard’s novel. Likewise, this is a book to hand to those who want a story about friendship, complex, compelling, and flawed female characters. It’s feminist and empowering, and it should offer loads of opportunities for readers to think about what it is to be a girl in the world today (even though it’s set in 1995 — which, yes, I am going to keep bringing up because I wish it weren’t). It’s a slower read, but it’s very rewarding. I can easily see this being the kind of book with great adult crossover appeal, too.

As for the title, it’s a line from a Dickinson poem that plays a huge part in Paul and Emily’s shared lives — and the life Emily has to work out in the after. It cements in the final pages of the story.

And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard is available now. Review copy received from the publisher.

2014 Printz Predictions

January 22, 2014 |

Every year, Kimberly and I like to take our best guesses at what we think will walk away as this year’s Printz book and what might walk away being honored with silvers alongside it. We made our predictions last summer, too, but after I had the chance to do more reading and thinking, I wanted to follow up with further thoughts.

I think that 2013 was a dry year for really outstanding YA fiction. There were a lot of good books and a lot of books worth discussing, reading, and recommending to other readers. But in terms of books that would earn the distinction of Printz, I think that the field is really small. In fact, I think the best guesses I have for what might be victorious this year is something I haven’t read.

Here’s what I’m thinking has a good fighting chance of taking home a gold or a silver on Monday when the awards are announced.

Starting with the books that haven’t been talked about as much as others (perhaps “dark horse” contenders):

March, Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and illustrated by Nate Powell: There might be a question about whether this one is/was published for the young adult audience (I haven’t read it but I believe it was published YA). All of the reviews I’ve read for this one point to it being a contender. This book, which is authored by Congressman Lewis, follows his struggle for civic and human rights in the mid 1960s. Earlier this year, I read one of Lewis’s other books, and I’ll say that despite what we might think about writing and work as a Congressman, I think he might have the chops for it, and Powell’s illustrations have netted him quite a bit of acclaim in their own right. Can a graphic novel about the civil rights movement that is the first in a trilogy be a Printz? I think it just might. Again, this is hunch, based entirely on reviews and positive discussion I’ve seen around this book from smart, critical, and thoughtful readers. And maybe this will be our “White Bicycle” of the year.

The Golden Day by Ursula Dubosarsky: The writing in this one is what makes it a possibility in my mind. I wrote about this book back in August, and it’s one that’s continued to linger with me. It’s a quieter book, historical, set in Australia, with a touch of magical realism to it. It’s a really immersive read, with the literary chops to go the distance.

The Midnight Dress by Karen Foxlee: Kimberly reviewed this book back in October, and I’ve been watching as others have reviewed it (notably, the Someday My Printz blog). It earned a couple of stars, including one from Kirkus. Not having read it, I can’t talk more to the quality of the story or what exactly makes me think this might be a contender. But a hunch is a hunch, and so I’m going to put it on my list of predictions.

And on to the books that have received more attention and discussion in conjunction with their potential for being named a Printz:

Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick: Again, this was one I haven’t read, but with enough smart discussion from other readers, I think it’s a contender. Short, interwoven stories with strong and memorable writing. This one’s earned a few starred reviews, too, which, while not always an indicator of anything, does help it land a spot on my list in this case.

September Girls by Bennett Madison: I’ve read and reviewed this one, and like Dubosarsky’s book above, it’s stuck with me. In terms of the story itself, there’s so much to mine about gender and sexism, and it’s done in a way that’s very much a fairy tale. The way Madison weaves two narratives together — that of the story itself and the voices of The Girls — is excellent. I think in a year where there haven’t been a whole lot of out of the ballpark books, this one might be one. September Girls earned five starred reviews, which puts it at the top of the list of most starred reviews in YA this year.

Boxers & Saints by Gene Luen Yang: This is another book — and I’m going to call it one book since that’s how the National Book Awards looked at it — that I haven’t read, but it’s one that Kimberly reviewed. I’ve got nothing substantial to say personally, but again, I trust the reviews I’ve read of this one and the boatload of accolades it’s received already as indication that there’s something here that makes it a Printz contender. Gene Luen Yang is also not a stranger to the Printz, which while not necessarily a reason he’d be a contender, I think it does suggest his work has a quality to it that bears extra attention and consideration.

And let’s end my predictions with three books I’d love to see earn a gold or a silver because they were outstanding 2013 reads that have all of the qualities necessary. This is the “wish list,” if you will:

17 & Gone by Nova Ren Suma: I reviewed this one early last year, and it’s one that I continue to say has a real chance at a Printz. The writing, which is layered, and the story itself, which is immensely layered have something to them that just blows me over as a reader. There’s so much to dig out and dig into, and for me, it was the second reading of Suma’s novel that really made it stand out. I haven’t had the chance to reread a lot of books, but this one worked better on the next reading and I suspect a third or fourth reading would unearth even more depth.

Black Helicopters by Blythe Woolston: This is another one I reviewed early last year, and it’s also one that I had to read more than once before I could make a lot of sense of it. But it was in those subsequent rereads that I found so much to dig into here. This is a short book — under 200 pages — but it’s packed. Trafficking, conspiracy theories, black helicopters, secret government operations, and really damn good writing.

Friday Never Leaving by Vikki Wakefield: Here is a book that almost nobody has been talking about. I reviewed it last fall, and it’s still rattling around in my mind. The writing in this book is out of this world, not to mention that the story itself is rich. Kirkus’s starred review does a really good job, too, highlighting what about this book makes it a contender.

Now that I’m looking at my list, the only real contemporary novel in here is the Wakefield novel (though Woolston’s arguably fits, too, depending upon your read). I don’t think it was a weak year for contemporary though, and the Morris committee seemed to agree, since they selected three contemporary finalists. I won’t even hazard a guess with what the winner may be, since I think any of the three contemporary novels have a real fighting chance at the prize — and since I haven’t read the two other novels, I can’t speak to whether they do or don’t comparatively.

I know it makes me an outcast, probably, but I think that we won’t be seeing a Rainbow Rowell book on the final list this year. Everyone and their mother seems to think otherwise, but I don’t think either of her books have the literary chops to make the cut. Like with The Fault in Our Stars a couple of years ago, it’s worth pointing out that the Printz is not a popularity award. Just because a book got great marketing and had good reader reception doesn’t mean it has all that it takes to win the Printz. Will people be upset about it? Probably. But I’ve been surprised how many have believed it’ll go the distance and despite how many discussions I’ve read as to why, I’m still not convinced people are talking with their critical eye (both her books are heart books and there’s nothing wrong with that, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it doesn’t fall apart under close reading and scrutiny).

It’ll be interesting to see how right or completely off-course these guesses are come Monday. You never really know what the discussion is like throughout the year for the committee nor do you know how hard someone will champion a title or two the days leading up to the big announcement.

Related, did I mention I got onto the ballot for the 2016 Printz committee? Thanks to everyone who helped by signing my petition back in the fall. Elections open in mid-March, and I’ll share a bit more information about voting and my qualifications when the time gets closer.

The “Meet” Market: YA X-Meets-Y Pitches of Note, Part Two

January 21, 2014 |

Yesterday, I talked about the “x-meets-y” pitch style for a pile of YA books. Since there were so many interesting ones I came across, I thought I’d round up another set of those pitches in a second post. As you might notice, there is one particular publisher who really likes this method of describing what a book is.

All descriptions are from Edelweiss, and all of the books are either published in the last year or are coming out this year.

If you’ve seen a particularly noteworthy x-meets-y recently that I didn’t catch in either this post or yesterday’s, I’d love to hear it in the comments. Likewise, I’d be interested in knowing what you think of this pitch style and whether you think they’re effective in terms of explaining the book.

Fargo meets Pretty Little Liars in this gripping and darkly humorous murder mystery.

Friendship, Wisconsin, is a quiet little town. The kind of place where everyone wears a smile and no one ever locks doors. But all of that changes the day homecoming queen Ruth Fried is found murdered in the middle of a cornfield.

Kippy Bushman, Ruth’s best friend, knows that Friendship’s small-time cops are hopelessly unprepared for the investigation. And Kippy just won’t stand for that, don’tcha know. Armed with only her tenacious Midwestern spirit and Ruth’s secret diary, Kippy decides to look for the murderer on her own. But in a small town like Friendship-where no one is a suspect-anyone could be the killer.

Kathleen Hale’s gripping debut novel is an intricate, ingenious murder mystery that perfectly blends horror with humor. It will keep readers guessing, laughing, and cringing-not necessarily all at the same time-from the very first page until its dramatic final chapter.

No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale is available now.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer meets The Fifth Wave in this blockbuster new series from Kimberly Derting.

A flash of white…and then…nothing. When softball phenom Kyra Agnew wakes up behind the local gas station she has no memory of the night before. She makes her way home only to find that five years have passed…yet she hasn’t aged a day.

With the help of her old boyfriend’s annoying little brother, Tyler-who is now a handsome teenager-she begins to uncover what happened to her that fateful night five years ago. They discover strange facts and phenomenon no one can explain, and other people who have been “taken,” just like Kyra. With a determined, secret government unit after her, Kyra desperately races to find an explanation and reclaim the life she once had…but what if the life she wants back is not her own?

The Taking by Kimberly Derting will be available April 29 from HarperTeen.

The Bourne Identity meets Virals in this thrilling mystery of erased memories, secret experiments, and genetically altered teens.

They were made to forget. But they’ll never forgive.

Everything about Anna’s life is a secret. Her father works for the Branch, at the helm of its latest project: monitoring and administering treatments to the four genetically altered boys in the lab below their farmhouse. There’s Nick, solemn and brooding; Cas, light-hearted and playful; Trev, smart and caring; and Sam . . . who’s stolen Anna’s heart.

When the Branch decides it’s time to take the boys, Sam stages an escape. Anna’s father pushes her to go with them, making Sam promise to keep her away from the Branch, at all costs.

On the run, with her father’s warning in her head, Anna begins to doubt everything she thought she knew about herself. She soon discovers that she and Sam are connected in more ways than either of them expected. And if they’re both going to survive, they must piece together the clues of their past before the Branch catches up to them and steals it all away.

Altered by Jennifer Rush is available now.

It’s Bring it On meets The Craft in this spellbinding witchy series debut.

A stolen book. A deadly plan. A destiny discovered.

If high school is all about social status, Indigo Blackwood has it made. Sure, her quirky mom owns an occult shop, and a nerd just won’t stop trying to be her friend, but Indie is a popular cheerleader with a football-star boyfriend and a social circle powerful enough to ruin everyone at school. Who wouldn’t want to be her?

Then a guy dies right before her eyes. And the dusty old family Bible her mom is freakishly possessive of is stolen. But when a frustratingly sexy stranger named Bishop enters Indie’s world, she learns that her destiny involves a lot more than pom-poms and parties. If she doesn’t get the Bible back, every witch on the planet will die. And that’s seriously bad news for Indie, because according to Bishop, she’s a witch too.

Suddenly forced into a centuries-old war between witches and sorcerers, Indie is about to uncover the many dark truths about her life-and a future unlike any she ever imagined on top of the cheer pyramid.

Hexed by Michelle Krys will be available June 10 from Delacorte.

The Scarlet Letter meets Minority Report in bestselling author Sophie Jordan’s chilling new novel about a teenage girl who is ostracized when her genetic test proves she’s destined to become a murderer.

When Davy Hamilton’s tests come back positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome (HTS)-aka the kill gene-she loses everything. Her boyfriend ditches her, her parents are scared of her, and she can forget about her bright future at Juilliard. Davy doesn’t feel any different, but genes don’t lie. One day she will kill someone.

Only Sean, a fellow HTS carrier, can relate to her new life. Davy wants to trust him; maybe he’s not as dangerous as he seems. Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.

Uninvited by Sophie Jordan will be available January 28 from HarperTeen.

This one might win for the least helpful but most head-scratching “meets.”

La Femme Nikita meets Maximum Ride in this action-packed debut novel about seventeen-year-old Wren, who rose from the dead as a Reboot and is now the government’s top soldier-until she is given an order she refuses to obey.

Wren Connolly died when she was twelve years old. She woke up 178 minutes later as a Reboot. The longer a Reboot is dead, the stronger and less human she becomes when she returns-making Wren 178 the perfect weapon.

Callum 22, on the other hand, is practically still human. He’s the worst trainee Wren has ever had, yet there is something about him that makes her feel alive. When Callum refuses to follow a direct order, Wren is commanded to eliminate him. She has never disobeyed before, but now she’ll do whatever it takes to save Callum’s life.

Reboot by Amy Tintera is available now.

The Raven Boys meets TV’s Charmed in this spellbinding paperback original about a seventeen-year-old girl who finds her normal life colliding with her secret magical one.

They say a witch lives in the old house under the bridge. Always in the shadows, draped in ivy and sorrow…. Some people think it’s only a silly tale to scare children, but it’s true. Every word.
Josephine Hemlock knows that the rumors of a witch living in Willow’s End, Nebraska, are true-after all, she’s the witch in question. Jo has always managed to keep her magical life separate from her normal one. But now the mysterious Curse that killed her mother-and so many Hemlock witches before her-has returned. Soon Jo realizes that the life she’s fought to keep hidden could destroy the one she’s worked so hard to protect.

House of Ivy & Sorrow by Natalie Whipple will be available April 15 from HarperTeen.

M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village meets Michael Grant’s Gone series in this riveting new adventure from Amy Plum, internationally bestselling author of the Die For Me series.

Juneau has grown up knowing that she and the rest of the people in her village are some of the only survivors of World War III. But when Juneau returns from a hunting trip one day and discovers that everyone in her village has disappeared, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries in remote Alaska for the very first time, she learns a horrifying truth: There never was a war. Everything was a lie.

Juneau must now make her way in a modern world she never knew existed. But while she’s struggling to rescue her friends and family, someone else is looking for her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about the secrets of her past.

After the End by Amy Plum will be available May 6 from HarperTeen.

The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor & Park in this beautifully written, clever, and emotionally poignant novel.

Born with cerebral palsy, Amy can’t walk without a walker, talk without a voice box, or even fully control her facial expressions.

Plagued by an obsessive-compulsive disorder, Matthew is consumed with repeated thoughts, obsessive rituals, and crippling fear.

Both are in desperate need of a friend to help them reach out to the world. When Amy decides to hire student aides to help her at school, Amy and Matthew are thrust into each other’s lives. As they begin to spend time with each other, what started as a blossoming friendship eventually grows into something neither expected.

Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern will be available June 3 from HarperTeen.

Stephen King meets Tuck Everlasting in this riveting, emotionally complex story about a teenage girl haunted by the loss of her sister-and trapped by the strange power that fuels her small town.

Gardnerville is a paradise.

A place where no one gets sick, and almost no one ever dies.

A place built on secrets and lies.

A place that will creep into your heart, keep you guessing-and never let you go.

From the author of Another Little Piece comes a spellbindingly unique tale of a town trapped in a cycle of madness, and a teenage girl haunted by the loss of her sister. Four years ago, Skylar’s sister, Piper, led her classmates on a midnight death march into a watery grave. Now Piper is gone. But the secrets she left behind keep taunting Skylar-whispering that if she wants her sister back, she must find a way to stop Gardnerville’s murderous cycle once and for all.

Don’t You Forget About Me by Katie Karyus Quinn will be available June 10 from HarperTeen.

John Green meets Stephen King in this original take on the zombie apocalypse, about a teen boy protecting his fragile younger brother from the horrors around them. With great plot twists, nonstop action, and profound commentary on environmental devastation, human nature, and identity, this is a striking debut novel by a promising young author.
It happened on Halloween.

The world ended.

And a dangerous Game brought it back to life.

Seventeen-year-old Michael and his five-year-old brother, Patrick, have been battling monsters in The Game for weeks.

In the rural mountains of West Virginia-armed with only their rifle and their love for each other-the brothers follow Instructions from the mysterious Game Master. They spend their days searching for survivors, their nights fighting endless hordes of “Bellows”-creatures that roam the dark, roaring for flesh. And at this Game, Michael and Patrick are very good.

But The Game is changing.

The Bellows are evolving.

The Game Master is leading Michael and Patrick to other survivors-survivors who don’t play by the rules.

And the brothers will never be the same.

The End Games by T. Michael Martin is available now.

Game of Thrones meets the Grimm’s fairy tales in this twisted, fast-paced romantic fantasy-adventure about Sleeping Beauty’s daughter, a warrior princess who must fight to reclaim her throne.

Though she looks like a mere mortal, Princess Aurora is a fairy blessed with enhanced strength, bravery, and mercy yet cursed to destroy the free will of any male who kisses her. Disguised as a boy, she enlists the help of the handsome but also cursed Prince Niklaas to fight legions of evil and free her brother from the ogre queen who stole Aurora’s throne ten years ago.

Will Aurora triumph over evil and reach her brother before it’s too late? Can Aurora and Niklaas break the curses that will otherwise forever keep them from finding their one true love?

Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay will be available December 9 from Delacorte.

Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl’s journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she’s ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex’s secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge will be available January 28 from Balzer and Bray.

The Fault in Our Stars meets Sarah Dessen in this lyrical novel where sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukemia and creates a take-no-prisoners bucket list that sets off a war at school…only to find out she’s gone into remission.

What if you’d been living your life as if you were dying-only to find out that you had your whole future ahead of you?

When sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukemia, her prognosis is grim. To maximize the time she does have, she vows to spend her final months righting wrongs-however she sees fit. She convinces her friend Harvey, who she knows has always had feelings for her, to help her with a crazy bucket list that’s as much about revenge (humiliating her ex-boyfriend and getting back at her archnemesis) as it is about hope (doing something unexpectedly kind for a stranger). But just when Alice’s scores are settled, she goes into remission.

Now Alice is forced to face the consequences of all that she’s said and done, as well as her true feelings for Harvey. But has she done irreparable damage to the people around her, and to the one person who matters most?

Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy will be available March 18 from Balzer and Bray.

Gone Girl meets Pretty Little Liars in this romantic and suspenseful teen murder mystery about a girl’s quest to uncover the hidden secrets in her town before it’s too late.

Growing up in a house of female morticians, Lily Graves knows all about buried secrets. She knows that perfect senior-class president Erin Donohue isn’t what she seems. She knows why Erin’s ex-boyfriend, hot football player Matt Houser, broke up with her. And she also knows that, even though she says she and Matt are just friends, there is something brewing between them-something Erin definitely did not like.

But secrets, even ones that are long buried, have a way of returning to haunt their keeper.

So when Erin is found dead the day after attacking Lily in a jealous rage, Lily’s and Matt’s safe little lives, and the lives of everyone in their town of Potsdam, begin to unravel. And their relationship-which grew from innocent after-school tutoring sessions to late-night clandestine rendezvous-makes them both suspects.

As her world crumbles around her, Lily must figure out the difference between truth and deception, genuine love and a web of lies. And she must do it quickly, before the killer claims another victim.

The Secrets of Lily Graves by Sarah Strohmeyer will be available May 13 from Balzer and Bray.

The Diviners meets The Luxe in this thrilling Jazz Age suspense novel about a budding magician who has spent her whole life trying to hide her very real-and very dangerous-powers.

Born of Illusion is the story of gifted illusionist Anna Van Housen, who assists her mother, the renowned medium Marguerite Van Housen, in her stage show and séances, easily navigating the underground world of magicians, mediums, and mentalists in 1920s New York.

As the illegitimate daughter of Harry Houdini-or so Marguerite claims-sleight-of-hand illusions have never been much of a challenge for Anna. The real trick is keeping her true gifts a secret: because while Marguerite’s own powers may be a sham, Anna actually can sense people’s feelings and foretell the future.

But as Anna’s powers intensify, she experiences frightening visions that lead her to explore the abilities she’s tried so long to hide. And when a mysterious young man moves into the flat downstairs, introducing Anna to a society that studies people with gifts like hers, she begins to wonder if there’s more to life than keeping secrets.

Born of Illusion by Teri Brown is available now.

The Hunger Games meets Matched in this high-concept thriller where citizens must prove their worth by defeating the other version of themselves-their twin.

Two of you exist. Only one will survive.

West Grayer is ready. She’s trained for years to confront her Alternate, a twin raised by another family. Survival means a good job, marriage-life.

But then a tragic misstep leaves West questioning: Is she the best version of herself, the version worthy of a future?

If she is to have any chance of winning, she must stop running not only from herself, but also from love…though both have the power to destroy her.

Dualed by Elsie Chapman is available now.

Any favorite “x-meets-y” pitches in this batch? Any confusing ones? Do any of these pique your interest in a way that you might not have otherwise even paid attention?