Empty out your backpack filled with algebra and chemistry books, because you won’t be needing them on your spring break! Not sure what will occupy your time, though, while visiting relatives in Florida? We’ve got a few suggestions! Load up that empty backup with these Young Adult books you won’t be able to put down. We promise you won’t be disappointed with these page-turners, so grab your sun tan lotion, put in your head phones and enjoy the warm breeze of the ocean air as you dive into these stories of young adults we definitely wish we could spend a few days with IRL.
Glass Sword (Red Queen), Victoria Aveyard (Harper Teen, February 2016)
Victoria Aveyard has not only done it again, but she even one-upped herself! In the second installment in the Red Queen series, Glass Sword certainly does not hold back. The journey Mare now faces is to find the new bloods before the dangerous Maven does. As she sets out to discover and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join her battle, we begin to see Mare’s vulnerable side emerge. Will she shatter under the weight of the casualties around her? Aveyard’s new novel will have you reading in utter anticipation for what’s to come, while yearning for blood and romance.
Stars Above: The Lunar Chronicles, Marissa Meyer (Feiwel & Friends, February 2016)
When the Lunar Chronicles series ended I had NO idea where to go next and what series I might enjoy, besides bingeing Once Upon a Time. As a huge fan of anything fairy tale, I completely drowned myself in this epilogue, as author, Marissa Meyer, clearly hoped the reader would. This collection of short stories provides us with backstories and perspectives we may have never discovered on our own. Reading through Meyer’s well written chapters of The Keeper, The Queen’s Army and The Little Android — just to name a few — you will find yourself in love with every character inside and out.
HEAR, Robin Epstein (Soho Teen, December 2015)
When I was younger, the idea of soaring around the sky or moving objects with my mind constantly propelled my imagination. Who hasn’t dreamt of having magical powers or your own psychic ability? In this action-packed thriller, Kassandra Black is the protagonist you definitely don’t want to mess with. What you will want is to follow her all the way through this scientific and dangerous experiment. Inspired by an actual ESP study conducted at Princeton, this deadly page-turner will have you questioning everything you thought you knew about extrasensory perceptions.
Starflight, Melissa Landers (Disney-Hyperion, February 2016)
With the Star Wars buzz dying out, I needed something to fill my void of curiosity concerning space. Melissa Landers’ Starflight was a book that had me smiling from beginning to end. Set in the interstellar world, Starflight takes you on a nonstop high-stakes adventure, leaving you hoping/demanding a sequel from Landers. The relationship between Solara Brooks and Doran Spaulding will have you laughing and screaming and the tension and passion between them will help immerse you in their adventure. Before you know it, you’re flying through the book at the speed of light. To top it all off there is no love triangle, shippers, so if you were thinking this was another Hunger Game’s love story, well, you’d be wrong.
Little White Lies, Brianna Baker & F. Bowman Hastie (Soho Teen, February 2016)
In a world like today where social media is everything, Little White Lies paves the way in social media novels. Filled with juicy surprises and twists, Coretta White’s relatable high school life keeps you dedicated to her story. The pace the authors set with their writing allows you to take off, almost making you feel what it’s like when one becomes an overnight internet celebrity. Our online identity is something we each represent, but that doesn’t mean there is always truth behind it. Little White Lies gives insight into the true nature of having your secret exposed and the damage left in its destruction.
Drag Teen, Jeffery Self (Push, April 26, 2016)
Drag Teen by Jeffery Self is everything an inspirational and cheerful novel should be. J.T. Barnett feels trapped between his unaccepting family and successful boyfriend. The only way to solve this problem? Taking a road trip to Manhattan in the hhopes of entering a drag show contest. J.T.’s journey through the Holland Tunnel takes him to the Drag Teen stage where he can finally learn to simply love himself. Grab your favorite pair of high heels and those hot pink wings you’ve been hoarding since Halloween and you too can strut like the Drag Teen J.T. inspires each of us to be.
The End of Fun, Sean McGinty (Disney-Hyperion, April 5, 2016)
The End of Fun by Sean McGinty is a quirky coming-of-age novel that will have you on a roller coaster of teenage nostalgia. FUN is not just entertaining, it has become entertainment in this new world Aaron O’Faolain just wants to get out of. To leave the cyber world of FUN, you must fill out the Application for Termination first. And to start the application, Aaron must describe his grandfather’s suicide. This book’s interesting point of view of our world, especially technology, has the potential to become the next trend in Young Adult novels. Sean McGinty’s powerful debut is a heart-warming experience that will absolutely can into question your current digital habits.
