Young Adult Book Holiday Gift Guide: 2017 Edition

As promised last week, here is the book buying guide for those who love to read Young Adult books. I hope this is useful to you as one more resource for finding the right book for a young adult in your life.

Note: YA tends to refer to ages 13 up, but there is a lot of range in how mature the books are and the issues and situations they deal with. If you have specific questions about content, feel free to ask me. If you don't want to ask in the comments, you can always email me. (See the contact information tab for my email address.)

I did a similar guide for the 9-12 crowd last week. You can find it here.

These are mostly books published in the past three years or so. I've put the genre and year published after each.

Links are to my reviews.

For Those Who Enjoy Epic Sweeping Tales of Magic, Myth, and Journeys

The Queen's Thief Series by Megan Whalen Turner (mythopoeic fantasy, 1996-ongoing)
*I don't write reviews of the books in this series because it's my all time favorite and I just can't. The most recent installment came out this year so it's a perfect time to buy a complete set of the series so some lucky someone can binge read them over their winter break.

The White Road of the Moon by Rachel Neumeier (fantasy, 2017)

An Inheritance of Ashes by Leah Bobet (fantasy, 2015)

Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older (urban fantasy, 2016)
*This is also a perfect pick for the below category. I went back and forth on where to place it.

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby (mythopoeic fantasy, 2015)

The Story of Owen and Prairie Fire by E.K. Johnston (fantasy, 2014 & 2015)

*And theses are also a perfect fit for the following category.

A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston (mythopoeic fantasy, 2015)

For Those Who Enjoy Art and the Way it Shapes Us and Our World

Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson (contemporary realistic, 2017)
An Uninterrupted View of the Sky by Melanie Crowder (historical realistic, 2017)

You're Welcome Universe by Whitney Gardner (contemporary realistic, 2017)

*See above category where I've marked a couple of titles that are also a perfect fit for this category.

For Those Who Enjoy Books That Ask Hard Questions and Face Hard Truths

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (contemporary realistic, 2017)

A Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (contemporary, 2017)
*My reviews of this book is coming soon, but I want to add that every single Jason Reynolds book ~~for YA~~ is phenomenal. Ever since When I Was the Greatest came out in 2014, he has put out amazing book after amazing book. You should check all of them out.

American Street by Ibi Zoboi (contemporary, 2017)

Things I Should Have Known by Claire LeZebnik

Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston (contemporary realistic, 2016)

Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina (historical realistic, 2016)

Salt to the Sea by Ruth Sepetys (historical realistic, 2016)

This Side of Home by Renée Watson (contemporary realistic, 2015)

For Those Who Enjoy the Falling, the Banter, and the Happily Ever After (or Happily For Now)

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon (contemporary realistic, 2017)

Lucky in Love by Kasie West (contemporary realistic, 2017)
*My review for this one is coming, but if you know a teen who loves romance but isn't interested in sexual content, Kasie West's books are my go to rec for that.

Geekerella by Ashley Boston (contemporary realistic, 2017)

Rose &Thorn by Sarah Prineas (fantasy, 2016)

The Season by Jonah Lisa Dyer and Stephen Dyer (contemporary realistic, 2016)

Love & Gelato y Jenna Evans Welsh (contemporary realistic, 2016)

Feel free to comment with additional choices or categories!

Comments

Lisa Roberts said…

I took your list to the library and either checked out or put on hold all but two of these titles for my 15 year old daughter. She'd had already read Salt to Sea and loved it and I have read The Hate U Give and while I gave it five stars, I know she would not like the cussing. She immediately started When Dimple Met Rishi. Thank you for this great list.

November 6, 2017 at 10:17 AM

Brandy said…

I hope she finds something that she loves!

November 7, 2017 at 6:03 PM

Kim Aippersbach said…

Sooooo many books I want to read ........

November 21, 2017 at 1:25 AM

Serafina and the Black Cloak

Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty is a thrilling tale of mystery and adventure set at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC in 1899. Having lived in Asheville and visited the house several times, there was no way I was going to pass up a chance to read this. (Also it's MG fantasy, always a bonus for me.) Serafina lives in secret in the basement of the Vanderbilt's spacious vacation home. She has lived there most of her life. Her father worked on the house as it was being built and is the mechanic who runs the massive generator and keeps the electricity going. Serafina is the chief rat catcher, slipping through the halls of her massive home secretly and quietly. She is light on her feet, sees well in the dark, and is quick enough to catch the vermin and keep them out. Serafina knows she if different and strange. Her father insists she stay hidden. But all that changes when one night Serafina witnesses a horrible crime. A little girl, a guest in the house, is fleein...

Shorter Musings MG Fantasy

Here are some shorter musings on recent MG fantasy reads. Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack This book is fun. It is a book full of adventure, an obvious bad guy, some more complicated morally gray area characters, and a strong, brave heroine. It is also a book about friendships, community, and fighting for what is right. All things that usually work for me really well. While I enjoyed this, I did feel it was a little overlong and there were certain plot points at the end I didn't love. However, there were things I thought were done really well, such as Anya's Jewish faith and the idea that power needs to be challenged. In the end it was a middle of the road read for me, but it is one I will certainly be recommending to dragon and fantasy adventure lovers I know! R is for Rebel by J. Anderson Coats This is tough because I usually really like Coats's books. I had such a hard time with this one though on so many levels. It's difficult to get into because t...

Favorite Kissing Scenes

When thinking of a favorite things post I could do for February I decided it would have to be kissing. I've already done couples and I was feeling in the mood to do something fluffy and Valentine's related. So kisses it is. I read more MG than YA, and the YA I read tends to not focus on romance so this was actually harder than I expected it to be though a few jumped into my head right away. (And one of my choices does actually come from a MG book. One is adult. Gasp!) The actual scene from the book is quoted followed by my thoughts. The king lifted a hand to her cheek and kissed her. It was not a kiss between strangers, not even a kiss between a bride and a groom. It was a kiss between a man and his wife, and when it was over, the king closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the hollow of the queen's shoulder, like a man seeking respite, like a man reaching home at the end of the day . - The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner Turner doesn't write the...

Shadowshaper

Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older is everywhere. Best of lists. Award buzz. Blogs everywhere. It's one of those books everyone is reading and talking about. I had it on my TBR but decided I definitely needed to read it before the year was out just so I could weigh in on one of the most talked about books of 2015 if asked. It is deserving of every good thing said about it. Every. One. Sierra was looking forward to a relaxing summer break. Her plans involved hanging out with her friends and painting. They did not involve being chased by zombie like creatures and threatened by a magical power connected to her family's heritage she has never heard of. When murals begin fading all over her Brooklyn neighborhood, Sierra is perplexed. When her grandfather, who had a stroke, begins to apologize and starts repeating strange phases and insisting Sierra get the help of a boy she barely knows to help her finish her mural, Sierra is concerned but mostly about her grandfather. Then at a...

The Penderwicks in Spring

The Penderwicks is not just one of my favorite ongoing series; it is one of my favorite series of all time. I'm always astounded by the depth of emotion and diverse, realistic relationship dynamics Birdsall is able to capture with these characters. The Penderwicks in Spring surpassed my expectations even though they were astronomically high already. It is now my favorite, having edged out The Penderwicks on Gardam Street . Minor spoilers for first three book are in this review. If you haven't read this series, get started: The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy The Penderwicks on Gardam Street The Penderwicks at Point Mouette Spring is coming to Gardam Street and Batty and Ben Penderwick couldn't be more excited. The season is bringing with it anticipation and new opportunities. Nick Geiger, the Penderwicks' neighbor, is returning home on leave from the Army after being at war. Both Skye and Ba...

Random Musings of a Bibliophile

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