Check out what's new in YA Fiction as we start off the new year in 2017:
Continued Series Fiction:
UnBound by Neal Shusterman (Part of the Unwind Dystology)
In this latest installment of the Unwind Dystology, author Shusterman along with collaborators Terry Black, Michelle Knowlden, Brendan Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman explore even more aspects of a world that has accepted the unacceptable in short stories that examine the world of "unwinding"--transplanting more than 99% of the bodies of out-of-control teens into other people-- in a way we haven't seen before, providing a fresh framework, new characters, and a different take on some events.
Mind Games by Heather W. Petty (Sequel to Lock & Mori)
In modern-day London, sixteen-year-old Miss James "Mori" Moriarty and classmate Sherlock Holmes set out to discover who is framing Mori for the Regent's Park killings.
Ever the Hunted by Erin Summerill (Book 1 in the Clash of Kingdoms Series)
Seventeen year-old Britta Flannery is the outcast daughter of a bounty hunter who must use her powers to track her father's killer in a world of warring kingdoms and dangerous magic.
Speculative Fiction:
Spindle by E. K. Johnston
Yashaa sets out to break the curse over the kingdom with his three friends and the princess herself in this lush, transformative retelling of Sleeping Beauty.
Riverkeep by Martin Stewart
When 15-year-old Wulliam's father is possessed by a dark spirit, Wull must care for him and take on his family's mantle of Riverkeep, tending the Danék. Wull finds out there is a cure for his father's illness, and embarks on an epic journey to kill the great sea-dwelling beast known as the mormorach.
Like a River Glorious by Rae Carson
After her harrowing journey west to California, Lee Westfall has finally found a new home, one rich in gold, thanks to her magical power, a power that seems to be changing every day. But this home is rich in other ways, too: with friends who are searching for a place to be themselves, just as she is, and with love. Jefferson, her longtime best friend, hasn't stopped trying to win her heart. And Lee is more and more tempted to say yes. But her uncle Hiram hasn't given up his quest to get Lee and her power under his control. When she's kidnapped and taken to him, Lee sees firsthand the depths of her uncle's villainy. Yet Lee's magic is growing. Gold no longer simply sings to her, it listens. It obeys her call. Is it enough to destroy her uncle once and for all?
Children of Eden by Joey Graceffa
Rowan is a second child in a world where population control measures make her an outlaw, marked for death. She can never go to school, make friends, or get the eye implants that will mark her as a true member of Eden. Indeed, her kaleidoscopic eyes may very well give her away to the ruthless Center government. Outside of Eden, Earth is poisoned and dead. All animals and most plants have been destroyed by a man-made catastrophe. Long ago, the brilliant scientist Aaron Al-Baz saved a pocket of civilization by designing the EcoPanopticon, a massive computer program that hijacked all global technology and put it to use preserving the last vestiges of mankind. Humans will wait for thousands of years in Eden until the EcoPan heals the world.
Realistic Fiction:
Saving Red by Sonya Sones
Right before winter break, fourteen-year-old Molly Rosenberg reluctantly volunteers to participate in Santa Monica's annual homeless count, just to get her school's community service requirement out of the way. But when she ends up meeting Red, a spirited homeless girl only a few years older than she is, Molly makes it her mission to reunite her with her family in time for Christmas. This turns out to be extremely difficult--because Red refuses to talk about her past. There are things Molly won't talk about either. Like the awful thing that happened last winter. She may never be ready to talk about that. Not to Red, or to Cristo, the soulful boy she meets while riding the Ferris wheel one afternoon. When Molly realizes that the friends who Red keeps mentioning are nothing more than voices inside Red's head, she becomes even more concerned about her well-being. How will Molly keep her safe until she can figure out a way to get Red home?
All We Have Left by Wendy Mills
In interweaving stories of sixteen-year-olds, modern-day Jesse tries to cope with the ramifications of her brother's death on 9/11, while in 2001, Alia, a Muslim, gets trapped in one of the Twin Towers and meets a boy who changes everything for her as flames rage around them.
Air by Ryan Gattis
After 17-year-old Grey witnesses the tragic death of his mother in Colorado, he is shipped off to live with his aunt in inner-city Baltimore, where he struggles to fit in to a new school and community. His new friend Akil introduces him to the enigmatic Kurtis, the leader of a group that uses high-octane sports as a form of social activism. By challenging the police with death-defying stunts and posting videos of them online, Kurtis, Grey, and their group become unlikely heroes in the fight against the prejudice that surrounds them.
Mystery and Thrillers:
Three Truths and a Lie by Brent Hartinger
When friends Rob, Liam, Mia, and Galen gather for a weekend of fun deep in the forest, one is hiding a lie and not everyone will live to find out which one it is.
Messenger by Carol Lynch Williams
Evie Messenger, who can see and talk to ghosts, tries to solve the mystery of a teenage ghost who is following her.
Romance:
Shame the Stars by Guadalupe García McCall
In the midst of racial conflict and at the edges of a war at the Texas-Mexico border in 1915, Joaquín and Dulceña attempt to maintain a secret romance in this reimagining of Romeo and Juliet.
We Are Still Tornadoes by Michael Kun & Susan Mullen
Growing up across the street from each other, Scott and Cath have been best friends their entire lives. Cath would help Scott with his English homework, he would make her mix tapes (it's the 80's after all), and any fight they had would be forgotten over TV and cookies. But now they've graduated high school and Cath is off to college while Scott is at home pursuing his musical dreams. During their first year apart, Scott and Cath's letters help them understand heartache, annoying roommates, family drama and the pressure to figure out what to do with the rest of their lives. And through it all, they realize that the only person they want to turn to is each other. But does that mean they should be more than friends? The only thing that's clear is that change is an inescapable part of growing up. And the friends who help us navigate it share an unshakable bond. This funny yet deeply moving book--set to an awesome 80's soundtrack--captures all the beautiful confusion and emotional intensity we find on the verge of adulthood ... and first love.
The Best Possible Answer by E. Katherine Kottaras
Ultra-high-achiever Viviana Rabinovich-Lowe learns something they never covered in her AP courses: that it's okay to be less than perfect, because it's our imperfections that make us who we are.
The Memory Book by Lara Avery
When a rare genetic disorder steals away her memories and then her health, teenaged Sammie records notes in a journal to her future self, documenting moments great and small.
Girls in the Moon by Janet McNally
Tired of the half-truths surrounding her famous family's past, Phoebe visits her indie-rock darling sister Luna to see how she fits into a family of storytellers.