Don’t know what to read next? Looking for YA book recommendations? Welcome to the Book Chat with the Young Adult Team. Every month, the YA Team each recommends a favorite book from our YA collection. We cover fiction, non-fiction, manga, comics, and graphic novels, so there is something for everyone! There is also a mixture of new releases and old favorites, so keep an eye on our posts for books to add to your TBR.
GENEVIEVRE RECOMMENDS A FATE SO COLD BY AMANDA FOODY AND C.L. HERMAN
Dominic is known as an irresponsible and apathetic magic school disappointment. Ellery on the other hand is the school darling with huge societal pressures to succeed. Neither wants the pressure of “destiny,” but the people are waiting for a Chosen One to save them from the ultimate winter storm on the horizon that is prophesied to end all life in the summer kingdom of Alderland. Everyone expects it to be Ellery, but when the summer wand responsible for choosing the next Chosen One chooses Dom instead, and Ellery’s magic surges to impossible levels to create winter magic instead, the two are thrust into roles they never wanted.
The book is filled with themes of overcoming self doubt and trauma, the duality of summer vs. winter, the battle of fate and free will, the reality of being forced into impossible situations, and the greater good. A high-stakes dark fantasy filled with heartrending emotion and brimming with romantic tension, a unique magic system, and an unforgettable central conflict, this book will turn your expectations on their head as you wait for part two in the duology.
NICOLE RECOMMENDS THE DEEP DARK BY MOLLY OSTERTAG
Everyone has their inner monsters, even Mags – especially Mags. During the day, she takes care of her grandmother, works part-time at a local restaurant, and goes to school. At night, Mags must venture into the basement and feed the monster that’s been hidden down there ever since she was a kid. The Deep Dark is a story about learning how to accept every part of yourself, even those you might find shameful, and letting in those you love so that they might help you shoulder the burden. With complex, compelling characters and artwork that masterfully depicts this emotional story, Ostertag weaves a coming-of-age tale best suited for older teen readers and up.
KAYLEIGH RECOMMENDS CONCRETE ROSE BY ANGIE THOMAS
For fans of The Hate U Give, Concrete Rose follows Maverick, Starr’s father, as he is suddenly thrown into teenage fatherhood. Now responsible for raising a three-month-old, he’s trying to balance school, working part-time at the corner store to pay for baby supplies, and having any semblance of a social life as his friends become more involved with the gang they all belong to and his beloved girlfriend won’t speak to him when she finds out about his child. When tragedy strikes and a close family member is violently murdered, Maverick must decide what choices and sacrifices he must make as he wrestles with grief and the difficulties of fatherhood.
Concrete Rose is a story about family and community of all kinds: Maverick’s mother and his incarcerated father (the former head of the King Lords), his brothers in the King Lords who care for him throughout his uneasy relationship with the gang, his strict but caring boss at the corner store who teaches him the hard rewards of gardening, and his girlfriend and the mother of his child who each struggle with the pressures of growing up and parenthood. Maverick carries the heavy weight of his responsibilities with grace but is still only a seventeen-year-old with the hopes and desires of most teens, and Angie Thomas beautifully and compassionately depicts his journey of growing up and learning the depths of both grief and love as he is thrust head-first into adulthood.
Please be aware Concrete Rose depicts racism, gang violence, gun violence/murder, incarceration, drug trafficking/usage, underage drinking, child abandonment, sexual content, grief, and PTSD.
KELLI RECOMMENDS LOW ORBIT BY KAZIMIR LEE
This book was a great book for someone trying to figure out who they are. You follow a character who is dealing with not only their cultural identity as a Malaysian-American, but
someone who is struggling with their sexual identity as well. And having this duality added a
needed layer of depth for these kinds of stories that I really appreciated. Azar is short
tempered, deeply caring, and struggles to communicate her feelings. The realism in this
story is what draws you in.
RACHEL RECOMMENDS THE RECKLESS KIND BY CARLY HEATH
It’s Hestaland, 1904, and things are just barely holding together for three outcast teenagers. Asta, ridiculed for her deaf ear and odd appearance and dreading her upcoming marriage, only finds peace with Gunner and Erlend in their theater company. Erlend, the deeply anxious son of wealthy outsiders, wants nothing more than to spend the rest of his life with Gunner. Gunner, a heathen from the wrong side of town, has just lost his mother and his dominant arm. Asta and Erland believe the worst has passed, but in Gunner’s family, bad things happen in threes. Two more tragedies are due.
When Asta’s betrothed partially paralyzes Gunner in an attack, it starts a chain reaction that leads to Asta’s breaking off the engagement and Erlend being cut off by his family. The three of them manage to set up a kind of home just in time for Gunner to get the news that his family is about to lose their farm. There’s only one way for Asta, Erlend, and Gunner to get enough money in time to save the farm and secure their future together: winning the Christmas horse race.
The Reckless Kind is a novel that maintains a fast pace while still leaving plenty of time to allow the protagonists to make painfully believable (and frequently terrible) choices. Despite the many obstacles the characters face, this is ultimately a hopeful and joyful story. Content warnings include: period typical homophobia/sexism/xenophobia, religious discrimination, alcoholism, mental and physical illness, ableism, suicidal ideation, graphic violence (accidental and deliberate).
ADRIANE RECOMMENDS UNDER THE NEON LIGHTS BY ARRIEL VINSON
Jaelyn Coleman’s favorite place is Westside Roll, the neighborhood roller rink. This is where her parents met and Jae spends her Saturdays skating. On one Saturday she meets the cutest boy she’s ever seen, Trey. Things are going well until the news is out that Westside Roll is shutting down. I enjoyed the story, and I love a good novel written in verse! The story played well with the verse and the music from the roller rink. It almost made me think I could get out my skates again!
LAUREN RECOMMENDS SKI WEEKEND BY REKTOK ROSS
This book makes a lot of references to movies, to include The Breakfast Club, and while this story is a very different kind of survival than Saturday detention, the characters are just as surprising. This book is not for the faint of heart when it comes to descriptive medical issues and bodily functions, but if you are up for a gritty thriller, come right this way.
When their car crashes into a snowbank, each of the 6 teens in the car must use all of their collective skills to help each other out. As the days go on, their resilience and patience wane, and each person is left to care about their own needs. What I loved the most about the writing of this book was that you felt what the characters were feeling, from them being cold, scared, and unsure how to handle this impossible situation. With an unlikely hero and lots of internal turmoil, this book really started my new year off with a pounding heart and some new survival skills.
Want more book suggestions? Stay tuned for future recommendations from our team!
If you’re a young adult who likes to read, you can also submit book recommendations from our collection. Email genevievre.wood@rva.gov with a one paragraph review.
