I have a teenage daughter who is an avid reader, so every year for Christmas her grandmother gives her a gift card to Barnes & Noble. Together we browse the aisles for the next best YA (Young Adult) book, usually landing on something with a mixture of fantasy and magic. When she gets ready to go off to camp for 7 weeks, we have to stock her trunk with enough books to last the entire summer. Needless to say, I have picked up a thing or two about YA books, thanks to my kids. Young Adult books as a category did not exist when I was a teenager, so I was left with the Danielle Steele or British mysteries. Every once in a while a Classic snuck in the rotation, but nothing as complex as the YA novels found today. These books are smart, adventurous, magical and sometimes heartwrenching (think The Fault in our Stars). Topics tackled today are more timely and definitely more mature than anything in from my generation. For that, I applaud the authors who trust our youth with these grown-up themes. Below are a bunch of books that my daughter has either already read (and loved) or I have on a list to purchase for her. (I left the “Harry Potter” books off this list since we all know how great they are already). We Were Liars is one that I actually read (written by a fellow Vassar grad) and it was fantastic. I have also read some of Rainbow Rowell’s other books in the past, so I’m interested to see how Carry On compares. The one I am most excited to dive into is A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer. It is a modern-day retelling of the classic fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast, so I can’t wait to “fall in love, break the curse.” It is time to revisit my youth and read some more of these recent faves.
A Curse so Dark and Lonely ~ The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender ~ One of Us is Lying ~ Dear Evan Hansen ~ The Book Thief ~ The Hate U Give ~ City of Bones ~ Strange the Dreamer ~ The Paper Magician ~ The Weight of Feathers ~ Scythe ~ The Sun is Also a Star ~ Turtle All The Way Down ~ We Were Liars ~ Carry On ~ Eliza and Her Monsters ~ The Perks of Being a Wallflower
