YA Horror Recommendations

I'm a huuuuuuge wimp when it comes to scary movies, but I'm really drawn to YA horror novels. I don't read them that often, but, when I do, I end up reading under the covers, ridiculously overheating but too afraid to look around the room. MONSTERS ARE OUT THERE. AND SERIAL KILLERS. AND WHAT WAS THAT NOISE?

With Halloween only a week away, I've been thinking a lot about my favorite scary reads. Some time ago I put together a post with my favorite creepy Middle Grade reads, which you can find here, but today I'm showing some love to my YA favorites!

Have you read books that fit into this category that I should read? Let me know!

Blood and Salt by Kim Liggett

Penguin - September 2015

Goodreads

Romeo and Juliet meets Children of the Corn in this one-of-a-kind romantic horror.

“When you fall in love, you will carve out your heart and throw it into the deepest ocean. You will be all in—blood and salt.”

These are the last words Ash Larkin hears before her mother returns to the spiritual commune she escaped long ago. But when Ash follows her to Quivira, Kansas, something sinister and ancient waits among the rustling cornstalks of this village lost to time.

Ash is plagued by memories of her ancestor, Katia, which harken back to the town’s history of unrequited love and murder, alchemy and immortality. Charming traditions soon give way to a string of gruesome deaths, and Ash feels drawn to Dane, a forbidden boy with secrets of his own.

As the community prepares for a ceremony five hundred years in the making, Ash must fight not only to save her mother, but herself—and discover the truth about Quivira before it’s too late. Before she’s all in—blood and salt.

Diary of a Haunting by M. Verano

Simon & Schuster - August 2015 

Goodreads

When Paige moves from LA to Idaho with her mom and little brother after her parents’ high-profile divorce, she expects to completely hate her new life, and the small town doesn’t disappoint. Worse yet, the drafty old mansion they’ve rented is infested with flies, spiders, and other pests Paige doesn’t want to think about.

She chalks it up to her rural surroundings, but it’s harder to ignore the strange things happening around the house, from one can of ravioli becoming a dozen, to unreadable words appearing in the walls. Soon Paige’s little brother begins roaming the house at all hours of the night, and there’s something not right about the downstairs neighbor, who knows a lot more than he’s letting on.

Things only get creepier when she learns about the sinister cult that conducted experimental rituals in the house almost a hundred years earlier.
The more Paige investigates, and the deeper she digs, the clearer it all becomes: whatever is in the house, whatever is causing all the strange occurrences, has no intention of backing down without a fight.

Found in the aftermath, Diary of a Haunting collects the journal entries, letters, and photographs Paige left behind.

Survive the Night by Danielle Vega

Penguin - July 2015

Goodreads

We're all gonna die down here. . . .

Julie lies dead and disemboweled in a dank, black subway tunnel, red-eyed rats nibbling at her fingers. Her friends think she’s just off with some guy—no one could hear her getting torn apart over the sound of pulsing music.

In a tunnel nearby, Casey regrets coming to Survive the Night, the all-night underground rave in the New York City subway. Her best friend Shana talked her into it, even though Casey just got out of rehab. Alone and lost in the dark, creepy tunnels, Casey doesn’t think Survive the Night could get any worse . . .
           
. . . until she comes across Julie’s body, and the party turns deadly.

Desperate for help, Casey and her friends find themselves running through the putrid subway system, searching for a way out. But every manhole is sealed shut, and every noise echoes eerily in the dark, reminding them they’re not alone.

They’re being hunted.

Slasher Girls and Monster Boys edited by April Genevieve Tucholke

Penguin - August 2015

Goodreads

For fans of Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Lois Duncan, and Daphne Du Maurier comes a powerhouse anthology featuring some of the best writers of YA thrillers and horror

A host of the smartest young adult authors come together in this collection of scary stories and psychological thrillers curated by Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea’s April Genevieve Tucholke.

Each story draws from a classic tale or two—sometimes of the horror genre, sometimes not—to inspire something new and fresh and terrifying. There are no superficial scares here; these are stories that will make you think even as they keep you on the edge of your seat. From bloody horror to supernatural creatures to unsettling, all-too-possible realism, this collection has something for any reader looking for a thrill.

Shutter by Courtney Alameda

Feiwel & Friends - February 2015

Goodreads

Horror has a new name: introducing Courtney Alameda.

Micheline Helsing is a tetrachromat—a girl who sees the auras of the undead in a prismatic spectrum. As one of the last descendants of the Van Helsing lineage, she has trained since childhood to destroy monsters both corporeal and spiritual: the corporeal undead go down by the bullet, the spiritual undead by the lens. With an analog SLR camera as her best weapon, Micheline exorcises ghosts by capturing their spiritual energy on film. She's aided by her crew: Oliver, a techno-whiz and the boy who developed her camera's technology; Jude, who can predict death; and Ryder, the boy Micheline has known and loved forever.

When a routine ghost hunt goes awry, Micheline and the boys are infected with a curse known as a soulchain. As the ghostly chains spread through their bodies, Micheline learns that if she doesn't exorcise her entity in seven days or less, she and her friends will die. Now pursued as a renegade agent by her monster-hunting father, Leonard Helsing, she must track and destroy an entity more powerful than anything she's faced before . . . or die trying.

Lock, stock, and lens, she’s in for one hell of a week.

The Girl From the Well by Rin Chupeco

Sourcebooks Fire - August 2014

Goodreads

You may think me biased, being murdered myself. But my state of being has nothing to do with the curiosity toward my own species, if we can be called such. We do not go gentle, as your poet encourages, into that good night.

A dead girl walks the streets.

She hunts murderers. Child killers, much like the man who threw her body down a well three hundred years ago.

And when a strange boy bearing stranger tattoos moves into the neighborhood so, she discovers, does something else. And soon both will be drawn into the world of eerie doll rituals and dark Shinto exorcisms that will take them from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Aomori, Japan.

Because the boy has a terrifying secret - one that would just kill to get out.

The Girl from the Well is A YA Horror novel pitched as "Dexter" meets "The Grudge", based on a well-loved Japanese ghost story.

 

The Violet Hour by Whitney A. Miller

Flux - March 2014

Goodreads

The voice inside me is breaking free. I can't stop it.

Some call VisionCrest the pinnacle of religious enlightenment. Others call it a powerful cult. For seventeen years, Harlow Wintergreen has called it her life.

As the daughter of VisionCrest's patriarch, Harlow is expected to be perfect at all times. She must be considered a paragon of integrity by the other Ministry teens and a future leader in the eyes of the world.

Despite the constant scrutiny Harlow is keeping a dark and dangerous secret, even from her best friend and the boy she loves. She hears a voice in her head that seems to have a mind of its own, plaguing her with violent and bloody visions. It commands her to kill. And the urge to obey is getting harder and harder to control ....

Amity by Micol Ostow

EgmontUSA - August 2014

 

Goodreads

Here is a house of ruin and rage, of death and deliverance.
Here is where I live, not living.
Here is always mine.

When Connor's family moves to Amity, a secluded house on the peaceful banks of New England's Concord River, his nights are plagued with gore-filled dreams of demons. destruction, and revenge. Dreams he kind of likes. Dreams he could make real, with Amity's help.

Ten years later, Gwen's family moves to Amity for a fresh start. Instead, she's haunted by lurid visions, disturbing voices, and questions about her own sanity. But with her history, who would ever believe her? And what could be done if they did?

Because Amity isn't just a house. She is a living force, bent on manipulating her inhabitants to her twisted will. She will use Connor and Gwen to bring about a violent end as she's done before. As she'll do again. And again. And again.

Inspired by a true-crime story, Amity spans generations to weave an overlapping, interconnected tale of terror, insanity. danger, and death. 

Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn

HarperTeen - June 2013

Goodreads 

On a cool autumn night, Annaliese Rose Gordon stumbled out of the woods and into a high school party. She was screaming. Drenched in blood. Then she vanished.

A year later, Annaliese is found wandering down a road hundreds of miles away. She doesn't know who she is. She doesn't know how she got there. She only knows one thing: She is not the real Annaliese Rose Gordon.

Now Annaliese is haunted by strange visions and broken memories. Memories of a reckless, desperate wish . . . a bloody razor . . . and the faces of other girls who disappeared. Piece by piece, Annaliese's fractured memories come together to reveal a violent, endless cycle that she will never escape—unless she can unlock the twisted secrets of her past. 

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

Penguin - August 2013

Goodreads

You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town… until River West comes along. River rents the guest house behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard.

Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more?

Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery... who makes you want to kiss back.

Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.

Blending faded decadence and the thrilling dread of gothic horror, April Genevieve Tucholke weaves a dreamy, twisting contemporary romance, as gorgeously told as it is terrifying—a debut to watch.

 

Have you read books that fit into this category that I've missed? Let me know!

Cover Reveals - Middle Grade - XLXII

Cody and the Mysteries of the Universe by Tricia Springstuff

Goodreads

Not everything turns out to be as it first appears when Cody and her best friend, Spencer, navigate a neighborhood mystery and the start of a new school year.

Cody’s best friend, Spencer, and his parents are moving in with his grandmother right around the corner, and Cody can’t wait. For one thing, Cody needs Spencer to help solve the mystery of the never-seen Mr. Meen, who lives on the other side of the porch with a skull-and-crossbones sign in the window and an extermination truck out front. How’s Cody to know that a yellow jacket would sting her, making her scream "Ow! Ow!" just as they start spying? Or that the ominous window sign would change overnight to "Welcome home," only deepening the mystery? In this second adventure, Spencer’s new-school jitters, an unexpected bonding with a teacher over Mozart, and turf-claiming kids next door with a reason for acting out are all part of Cody’s experiences as summer shifts into a new year at school.

Compass South by Hope Larson

Goodreads

It’s 1860 in New York City. When 12-year-old twins Alexander and Cleopatra’s father disappears, they join the Black Hook Gang and are caught by the police pulling off a heist. They agree to reveal the identity of the gang in exchange for tickets to New Orleans. But once there, Alex is shanghaied to work on a ship that is heading for San Francisco via Cape Horn. Cleo stows away on a steamer to New Granada where she hopes to catch a train to San Francisco to find her brother. Neither Alexander nor Cleo realizes the real danger they are in — they are being followed by pirates who think they hold the key to treasure. How they outwit the pirates and find each other makes for a fast-paced, breathtaking adventure.

Grayling's Song by Karen Cushman
Goodreads 

When Grayling’s mother, wise woman Hannah Strong, starts turning into a tree, Hannah sends Grayling to call “the others” for help. Shy and accustomed to following her mother in everything, Grayling takes to the road. She manages to summon several “others”—second-string magic makers who have avoided the tree spell—and sets off on a perilous trip to recover Hannah’s grimoire, or recipe book of charms and potions. By default the leader of the group, which includes a weather witch, an enchantress, an aspiring witch, a wizard whose specialty is divination with cheese, and a talking and shape shifting mouse called Pook, Grayling wants nothing more than to go home.

Kidnapping, imprisonment, near drowning, and ordinary obstacles like hunger, fatigue, and foul weather plague the travelers, but they persist and achieve their goal. Returning, Grayling finds herself reluctant to part with her companions—especially Pook. At home she’s no longer content to live with her bossy mother, who can look after herself just fine, and soon sets out on another journey to unfamiliar places . . . possibly to see the young paper maker who warmed her heart.

Island of the Sun by Matthew J. Kirby

Goodreads

No description available.

Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand
Goodreads

THINGS FINLEY HART DOESN’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT

• Her parents, who are having problems. (But they pretend like they’re not.)
• Being sent to her grandparents’ house for the summer.
• Never having met said grandparents.
• Her blue days—when life feels overwhelming, and it’s hard to keep her head up. (This happens a lot.)

Finley’s only retreat is the Everwood, a forest kingdom that exists in the pages of her notebook. Until she discovers the endless woods behind her grandparents’ house and realizes the Everwood is real--and holds more mysteries than she'd ever imagined, including a family of pirates that she isn’t allowed to talk to, trees covered in ash, and a strange old wizard living in a house made of bones.

With the help of her cousins, Finley sets out on a mission to save the dying Everwood and uncover its secrets. But as the mysteries pile up and the frightening sadness inside her grows, Finley realizes that if she wants to save the Everwood, she’ll first have to save herself.

Reality and fantasy collide in this powerful, heartfelt novel about family, depression, and the power of imagination, for fans of Counting by 7s and Bridge to Terabithia.

Child of Spring by Farhana Zia

Goodreads

Engaging writing and a delightful protagonist bring life in a contemporary Indian village to life. Basanta longs for the beautiful ring worn by her young mistress, but when it comes into her possession, she realizes that it's not the wonderful possession she expected. Increasingly aware of the struggles of her less privileged friends, Lali and Bala, she finds a way to improve their lives and entertain their community and the beautiful ring takes on new meaning.

All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor
Goodreads

From Leslie Connor, award-winning author of Waiting for Normal and Crunch, comes a soaring and heartfelt story about love, forgiveness, and how innocence makes us all rise up. All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook is a powerful story, perfect for fans of Wonder and When You Reach Me.

Eleven-year-old Perry was born and raised by his mom at the Blue River Co-ed Correctional Facility in tiny Surprise, Nebraska. His mom is a resident on Cell Block C, and so far Warden Daugherty has made it possible for them to be together. That is, until a new district attorney discovers the truth—and Perry is removed from the facility and forced into a foster home.

When Perry moves to the “outside” world, he feels trapped. Desperate to be reunited with his mom, Perry goes on a quest for answers about her past crime. As he gets closer to the truth, he will discover that love makes people resilient no matter where they come from . . . but can he find a way to tell everyone what home truly means?

Key Hunters: The Mysterious Moonstone by Eric Luper
Goodreads

Cleo and Evan have a secret. A collection of books so dangerous they are locked up tight. A friend has vanished inside the pages of one of them. It's up to them to find the key that will set her free.

A PRICELESS DIAMOND...STOLEN!

When Cleo and Evan go undercover to help a rookie detective interview a mansion full of suspects, nothing is as it seems. They must catch the crook -- and find the right key -- or they could be trapped inside this mystery forever...

Mayday by Karen Harrington
Goodreads

A powerful coming-of-age story about the importance of finding your voice
Wayne Kovok lives in a world of After. After his uncle in the army was killed overseas. After Wayne and his mother survived a plane crash while coming back from the funeral. After he lost his voice.

Wayne has always used his love of facts to communicate ("Did you know more people die each year from shaking a vending machine than from shark attacks?"). Without his voice, how will he wow the prettiest girl in school? How will he stand up to his drill-sergeant grandfather? And how will he share his hopes with his deadbeat dad? It's not until Wayne loses his voice completely that he realizes how much he doesn't say.

Filled with Karen Harrington's signature heart and humor, Mayday tackles an unforgettable journey of family and friendship.

The Eureka Key by Sarah L. Thomson

Goodreads

When middle school puzzle master Sam and history wiz Martina win a contest for a summer trip across the US, they discover they've been drafted into something vastly more extraordinary. Joining another kid on the trip, Theo, a descendant of George Washington himself, they must follow clues to find seven keys left behind by the Founding Fathers. Together the keys unlock Benjamin Franklin's greatest invention--a secret weapon intended to defend the country. Each key is hidden in a unique location around the U.S., protected with puzzles, riddles, and traps. This has kept the weapon safe . . . until now! Gideon Arnold, a dangerous descendant of the infamous Benedict Arnold, is on the chase.

In competition with Arnold and his thugs to reach the artifacts first, Sam, Martina, Theo, and readers must use their wits to solve ingenious puzzles, escape death-by-booby-trap, and, by the end of the series, save our nation by uncovering many of its greatest secrets.

The World from Up Here by Cecilia Galante
Goodreads

From the award-winning author of The Patron Saint of Butterflies comes a story about the courage it takes to face your biggest fears.

Wren Baker has never felt brave a day in her life. She doesn't even know what she's afraid of, really. Only that if she raises her voice or leaves her mark or ventures too far from home, she'll risk falling flat on her face.

But that all changes when Wren's cousin Silver walks into her life. Silver is totally fearless. Maybe that's why she's the most popular girl in the sixth grade. She dares Wren to take risks, to live out loud, to finally spread her wings. So when Silver decides to break all the rules, Wren is forced to make a choice: Is she in or is she out?

There's only one way Wren will ever learn to fly. It's time for her to stand at the edge of the unknown . . . and jump.

Full of heartache and hope, The World From Up Here is a tender, moving story about old secrets, new friendships, and what it means to face the things that scare us most.

Which new covers are your favorite?  Let me know in the comments!

Interview with Barbara Herkert, author of Sewing Stories: Harriet Powers' Journey from Slave to Artist

I'm thankful for the opportunity to welcome picture book author Barbara Herkert to The Hiding Spot today. Barbara has two nonfiction picture books releasing into to the wild this month: Sewing Stories: Harriet Powers' Journey from Slave to Artist (available now from Random House) and Mary Cassatt: Extraordinary Impressionist Painter (available 10/27 from Henry Holt BFYR). I've not yet had the opportunity to read her biography of Mary Cassatt, but I very much enjoyed her introduction to the remarkable Harriet Powers.

Herkert's depiction of Harriet Powers and her art left me feeling inspired and eager to learn more about this artist and her legacy. The collaboration with illustrator Vanessa Brantley-Newton is inspired and incredibly well done. And I was happy to see that Herkert included a explanations of the stories recorded in Powers' two surviving quilts at the end of the book.

Learn more about Herket's inspiration for this book, her writing process, and a book that provided her with hiding spot below!

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Can you share the story behind Sewing Stories - how you came to learn about Harriet Powers and your decision to share her story. 

I first learned about Harriet Powers when I was researching anonymous women artists for another project. Many women created “acceptable” forms of art during the 19th Century through embroidery or quilting or painting, but those art forms often have no name attached. At the back of one book on this subject, I discovered Harriet’s photograph and pictures of her applique story quilts. The beauty of her art immediately drew me in—the shapes within each square create a rhythm that continues throughout each quilt like a melody. The scraps of fabric sing of a life of hardship, of an artist who found beauty and peace through creativity. Harriet’s photograph haunted me. I had to find out more about her. 

Tell us a bit about your writing process. Do you begin with the text, a general idea, specific scenes...? 

My writing process begins with research, and more research. I absorb myself in a person’s life and take copious notes. I ask myself, how would this person’s story appeal to children? What obstacles did this person face? The research may take up to a year, and sometimes I hit a brick wall. I never really know when the first draft will come to me along the research path—one day the words are in my head, and I jot them down fast. Next comes weeks of honing down those words, finding the right rhythm and alliteration. It’s a bit like composing a song. Or painting a life with words. 

My blog is dedicated to my personal hiding spot, books. Name a notable book that has provided you with a hiding spot. 

Snowflake Bentley is such a perfect picture book biography in my mind. Jacqueline Briggs Martin is a master of poetic language. Her word choice sings. I love how she combines the sparse text with sidebars in this book to provide more information to curious readers. The artwork by Mary Azarian is a dream. 

What can your readers look forward to next? 

I have a picture book biography entitled Mary Cassatt: Extraordinary Impressionist Painter coming out later this month. In 2017, look for a picture book biography about E.B. White.

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More About the Book

Goodreads

Harriet Powers learned to sew and quilt as a young slave girl on a Georgia plantation. She lived through the Civil War and Reconstruction, and eventually owned a cotton farm with her family, all the while relying on her skills with the needle to clothe and feed her children.

Later she began making pictorial quilts, using each square to illustrate Bible stories and local legends. She exhibited her quilts at local cotton fairs, and though she never traveled outside of Georgia, her quilts are now priceless examples of African American folk art.

Barbara Herkert’s lyrical narrative and Vanessa Newton’s patchwork illustrations bring this important artist to life in a moving picture-book biography. 

About the Author

Barbara Herkert has been creating stories and illustrating them since the first grade. She currently writes picture book biographies. She loves the research and finding hidden gems about a person's life that will appeal to young readers. Herkert received a biology degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a masters degree in writing for children from Hamline University. She studied art and art history at Oregon State University, and has taught art appreciation at local schools. Herkert lives on the wet and windy Oregon coast with my family. She also spends creative time in a log house in central Oregon. Learn more about Barbara Herkert on her website here.

 

Guest Post with Jess Keating, author of the My Life is a Zoo series

This month Jess Keating's third Life is a Zoo book, How to Outfox Your Friends When You Don't Have a Clue, is out in the world! If you Jess Keating and her books aren't already on your radar, I suggest you remedy that immediately. But first, check out this guest post from Jess in which she shares the ways in which her training as a zoologist prepared her writing!

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Five Ways Being a Zoologist Prepared Me to Be a Writer

A Guest Post by Jess Keating

I’ve always wanted to be a writer. But I didn’t know I wanted to be an author until I finished graduate school. Like many authors, I came to this business on a windy path rather than a linear one. But you know what? I wouldn’t change a minute of any of it! There are many ways that being a zoologist prepared me for the world of fiction. Here are a few! 

 #5. Hit the Books! 

Knowing how to research is one of the most important parts of my job. And this holds true for writing fiction, as well as nonfiction. If imagination is a writer’s best friend, I think research must be the trusty sidekick. Underrated, but completely essential to the quest. How else are you supposed to create a world that people can believe in? I think research can help inform the content of your book, but also how you write the book itself. For every new project, I have several notebooks dedicated to research to help build worlds, characters, and plots. I also have notebooks dedicated to writing craft research! 

#4. Colorful Characters 

If you’ve ever read my books, you know I like to include a lot of animals. This isn’t just because I like cool creatures. I think animals provide an instant touchstone of sorts, helping to create moods and atmospheres, but also add character, drama, and humor. But you don’t need to write about animals for them to help your writing! The next time you’re stuck trying to develop a character, try assigning them an animal. Keep that animal in mind as you write each character—their attitudes, faults, and responses—and you will be surprised how quickly they take shape! Is your main character showy like a peacock? Or stealthy and guarded like a jaguar? Because animals are so deeply entrenched in our psyches, they hold a lot of power. Let them out to play and you may be amazed! 

#3. The Scientific Method 

I know, it sounds nerdy. But at its heart, writing is all about getting the words down. Taking a scientific, experimental approach to your writing can make all the difference. Zoologists (and all scientists for that matter!) are trained to ask questions and explore answers, observing along the way. Try applying that to your own writing process! Start a spreadsheet, even. Do you create more, or feel better when you write in certain conditions? Does a standing desk help or hurt your wordcount? What about food? Do you feel productive after a meal? Maybe you feel best with smaller snacks, so you stay ‘hungry’ for your writing? Every aspect of your writing life can be tweaked, and taking a scientific approach to it can help get those words on the page. Try out new ways of working, and evaluate yourself after a month and then try something different. This is a free ticket to be a mad scientist! 

 #2. It’s All So Interesting! 

I’ll be honest. I get a little bored when I hear people say “write what you know”. Ignore them. Write what interests you! Having a passion for zoology has certainly helped me write my books. But the same goes for any field. Does physics interest you? Chocolate-making? Garden gnomes? Scientists are notorious for following tiny hunches, which lead them to bigger questions and maybe even some answers. Cultivate a curious mindset for all of your interests, and fill your life and notebooks with anything that inspires you. You never know when that random Wikipedia-spiral about the history of pirates (or cheese, or spaceships) will lead to a story! 

#1. Dissection 

 In the zoology world, this word has an entirely different (and often goopier) meaning. How does it work? is a question that scientists often ask, and I think writers should be asking the same question. Stories work for many reasons, and dissecting them to figure out their innards and ticking parts is a crucial step to figuring out your own work. If you want Frankenstein to wake up, you need to go backwards and start small. One of my favorite pastimes is to dissect movies. I sit in front of the screen with a notebook, and pause it every time there’s a scene change. I write down what happens in each scene, and whether it’s part of a main plot or subplot, and how it’s affecting each character. It’s tedious work, but soon, a pattern emerges, and I’m left with a pretty cool outline that essentially explains why that particular story works. Do this a few dozen (or hundred) times and you’ll have some very useful help for character development, plot, and more! 

What about you? Do your interests and passions inform your writing life? 

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Praise for How to Outfox Your Friends When You Don’t Have a Clue:

“With her trademark kid-oriented wit and lighthearted touch, Keating leads readers through the daily emotional ups and downs of the typical just-turned-teenager who is trying to juggle hormones, parents, schoolwork, and, most importantly, her friends...A sweet reminder that being middle school girl is about far more than boys and makeup.” -Kirkus, starred review

Praise for the My Life is a Zoo Series:

“Keating perfectly captures the fears, awkwardness, and excitement of being 12 and delivers a positive story with plenty of humor that emphasizes thinking for and becoming comfortable with oneself.” –Booklist on How to Outswim a Shark Without a Snorkel

“Life is literally a zoo for shy twelve-year-old Ana, who is trying to avoid seventh-grade bullies while hiding that her family lives among crocodiles and elephants.” –Los Angeles Times on How to Outrun a Crocodile When Your Shoes are Untied

About the Book

Goodreads

Surprise! Ana’s long-distance BFF is finally coming back to visit. But with her purple hair and new attitude, Liv is barely the girl Ana remembers. This new Live probably thinks a birthday party at the zoo is lame. Maybe if Ana has a supersecret sleepover instead, she’d never have to introduce Liv and Ashley, former enemy and now Ana’s best-ish friend. What could go wrong?

About the Author

As a zoologist turned middle grade and picture book author, Jess Keating has been sprayed by skunks, bitten by crocodiles, and been a victim to the dreaded paper cut. 

She has a Masters degree in Animal Science and a growing collection of books that are threatening to take over her house. She lives in Ontario, Canada, where she loves hiking, watching nerdy documentaries, and writing books for adventurous and funny kids.

Visit Jess's website here. Looking for the Keating Creature newsletters for teachers and other curious folk? Go here: https://www.smore.com/u/jesskeating

Cover Reveals - Young Adult - XLXI

The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry

Goodreads

I must write this account, and when I have finished, I will burn it.

Buried deep within the archives of a convent in medieval France is an untold story of love, loss, and wonder and the two girls at the heart of it all.

Dolssa is an upper-crust city girl with a secret lover and an uncanny gift. Branded a heretic, she’s on the run from the friar who condemned her mother to death by fire, and wants Dolssa executed, too.

Botille is a matchmaker and a tavern-keeper, struggling to keep herself and her sisters on the right side of the law in their seaside town of Bajas.

When their lives collide by a dark riverside, Botille rescues a dying Dolssa and conceals her in the tavern, where an unlikely friendship blooms. Aided by her sisters and Symo, her surly but loyal neighbor, Botille nurses Dolssa back to health and hides her from her pursuers. But all of Botille’s tricks, tales, and cleverness can’t protect them forever, and when the full wrath of the Church bears down upon Bajas, Dolssa’s passion and Botille’s good intentions could destroy the entire village.

From the author of the award-winning All the Truth That’s in Me comes a spellbinding thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final page and make you wonder if miracles really are possible.

Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies by Lindsay Ribar

Goodreads

Twin Peaks meets Stars Hollow in this paranormal suspense novel about a boy who can reach inside people and steal their innermost things—fears, memories, scars, even love—and his family's secret ritual that for centuries has kept the cliff above their small town from collapsing.

Aspen Quick has never really worried about how he's affecting people when he steals from them. But this summer he'll discover just how strong the Quick family magic is—and how far they'll go to keep their secrets safe.

With a smart, arrogant protagonist, a sinister family tradition, and an ending you won't see coming, this is a fast-paced, twisty story about power, addiction, and deciding what kind of person you want to be, in a family that has the ability to control everything you are.

Invisible Fault Lines by Kristen-Paige Madonia
Goodreads 

"My father disappeared on a Tuesday that should’ve been like any Tuesday, but eventually became the Tuesday my father disappeared.”

Tired of living in limbo, Callie finally decides to investigate her father’s disappearance for herself. Maybe there was an accident at the construction site that he oversaw? Maybe he doesn’t remember who he is and is lost wandering somewhere? But after seeing a familiar face in a photo from the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, she wonders if the answer is something else entirely.

Hailed by Judy Blume as a "remarkable young novelist," Kristen-Paige Madonia, author of Fingerprints of You, explores how to rebuild a life after everything seems lost.

100 Days of Cake by Shari Goldhagen

Goodreads

Get well soon isn’t going to cut it in this quirky and poignant debut novel about a girl, her depression, an aggressive amount of baked goods, and the struggle to simply stay afloat in an unpredictable, bittersweet life.

There are only three things that can get seventeen-year-old Molly Byrne out of bed these days: her job at FishTopia, the promise of endless episodes of Golden Girls, and some delicious lo mien. You see, for the past two years, Molly’s been struggling with something more than your usual teenage angst. Her shrink, Dr. Brooks isn’t helping much, and neither is her mom who is convinced that baking the perfect cake will cure Molly of her depression—as if cake can magically make her rejoin the swim team, get along with her promiscuous sister, or care about the SATs.

Um, no. Never going to happen.

But Molly plays along, stomaching her mother’s failed culinary experiments, because, whatever—as long as it makes someone happy, right? Besides, as far as Molly’s concerned, hanging out with Alex at the rundown exotic fish store makes life tolerable enough. Even if he does ask her out every…single…day. But—sarcastic drum roll, please—nothing can stay the same forever. When Molly finds out FishTopia is turning into a bleak country diner, her whole life seems to fall apart at once. Soon she has to figure out what—if anything—is worth fighting for.

Gemini by Sonya Mukherjee
Goodreads

Clara and Hailey are 17-year-old conjoined twins at a crossroads. Clara wants to stay close to home, avoid attention, and study the night sky. Hailey wants to travel the world, learn from great artists, and dance with mysterious boys. As high school graduation approaches, each twin must untangle her dreams from her sister’s and figure out what it means to be herself.

Alice and the Fly by James Rice

Goodreads

A spellbinding first novel about a painfully shy teenager that shows how obsessions and phobias can upend your life

Greg is cripplingly shy, afraid of spiders, and obsessed with Breakfast at Tiffany's. He's not exactly the most popular kid at his high school. In fact, he pretty much goes out of his way to avoid talking to anybody he doesn't have to. And it doesn't help that he has a severe lisp.

But Greg's English teacher, Miss Hayes, can see that there's something different about him. He's insightful and sensitive beyond his years, and maybe--just maybe--he'll use these strengths to break out of his shell someday. Miss Hayes urges Greg to keep a journal. "This isn't an assignment," she tells him, "just write down your thoughts."

Greg begins to write about everything from his mother's ill-conceived interior decorating ideas to his job at the local butcher's shop. When Greg begins to take an interest in a girl at his school named Alice, he realizes that he will have to face his most paralyzing anxieties if he wants to befriend Alice and help her escape from her violent family life.

The Language of Stars by Louise Hawes
Goodreads

Sarah is forced to take a summer poetry class as penance for trashing the home of a famous poet in this fresh novel about finding your own voice.
Sarah’s had her happy ending: she’s at the party of the year with the most popular boy in school. But when that boy turns out to be a troublemaker who decided to throw a party at a cottage museum dedicated to renowned poet, Rufus Baylor, everything changes. By the end of the party, the whole cottage is trashed—curtains up in flames, walls damaged, mementos smashed—and when the partygoers are caught, they’re all sentenced to take a summer class studying Rufus Baylor’s poetry…with Baylor as their teacher.
For Sarah, Baylor is a revelation. Unlike her mother, who is obsessed with keeping up appearances, and her estranged father, for whom she can’t do anything right, Rufus Baylor listens to what she has to say, and appreciates her ear for language. Through his classes, Sarah starts to see her relationships and the world in a new light—and finds that maybe her happy ending is really only part of a much more interesting beginning.
The Language of Stars is a gorgeous celebration of poetry, language, and love from celebrated author Louise Hawes.

You Were Here by Cori McCarthy
Goodreads

Grief turned Jaycee into a daredevil, but can she dare to deal with her past?

On the anniversary of her dardevil brother's death, Jaycee attempts to break into Jake's favorite hideout—the petrifying ruins of an insane asylum. Joined by four classmates, each with their own brand of disfunction, Jaycee discovers a map detailing her brother's exploration and the unfinished dares he left behind.

As a tribute to Jake, Jaycee vows to complete the dares, no matter how terrifying or dangerous. What she doesn't bargain on is her eccentric band of friends who challenge her to do the unthinkable: reveal the parts of herself that she buried with her brother.

You Me Us by Aaron Karo
Goodreads

In a hilarious comedy of errors that Booklist has dubbed “a good choice for fans of John Green,” high school matchmaker Shane Chambliss is content finding love for his classmates—until love finally finds him.

What if the secrets of dating and love were revealed in one simple formula? That’s the tantalizing proposition high school senior Shane Chambliss offers the hopeless and hapless guys who come to him for relationship advice.

After the girl of his dreams breaks his heart, Shane devises a mysterious formula called the Galgorithm and establishes himself as the resident dating guru at Kingsview High School. But his attempts to master the art of romance go outrageously awry.

As Shane tries to navigate the ensuing drama, he must follow his heart, abandon all the rules, and ignore his own advice in a quest for true love. What he discovers, no formula could ever predict...

Wandering Wild by Jessica Taylor

Goodreads

Raised by Wanderers, sixteen-year-old Tal travels the roads of the southern wild in her Chevy by day and camps in her tent trailer at night. Hustling, conning, and grifting her way into just enough cash to save her fifteen-year-old brother, Wen, from bare-knuckle fighting was once enough to keep her dreams of traveling the whole world at bay. Everything changes when the Wanderers set up camp in a little town called Cedar Falls.

There, Spencer Sway, a boy Tal tried to hustle at a game of billiards, keeps popping up into her life—and worst of all—into her scams. Buttoned-up, starched-and-ironed Spencer talks of places where Tal’s truck can’t take her. His promises of traveling across oceans are almost enough to shatter her love of the Wanderer life.

When a boy shows up at camp, ready to make good on a nearly-forgotten arranged marriage to Tal, Tal and Wen make a pact: No matter the cost, they will use their limitless skills of grift to earn the bride price and buy back her future—even if Spencer Sway gets used along the way.

Shades of Darkness by A.R. Kahler
Goodreads

American Gods meets The Secret History in this suspenseful start to a brand-new fantasy trilogy about a girl named Kaira Winters, the murders that keep happening at her artsy boarding school, and the lengths she must go to in order to protect the people she loves.

When Kaira Winters decided to go to Islington—a boarding school deep in the woods of Michigan—she thought she could finally get away from everything she has tried so hard to forget, including some things from her past that she refuses to believe ever actually happened.

Everything seemed great until the bodies of murdered students started appearing all over campus. The victims seem to have been killed in some sort of ritual sacrifice. And even worse, Kaira’s dreams are giving her clues to the killer’s identity.

Though she tries to resist, Kaira quickly realizes that she is the only one who can stop the violence, but to do so she must come to terms with her past. She’s going to have to listen to the voice that is buried deep within her…the one that claims to have unimaginable power…the one that claims to be an actual goddess.

But even if Kaira can harness the power within her, will it be enough to stop the darkness that has fallen over her school? And if it is strong enough, then what’s to stop the goddess from wreaking her own havoc once she’s released?

Filled with murder, mystery, and a little bit of magic, this fresh genre-bending novel is a thrilling page-turner you won’t be able to put down until the very last page.

Which new covers are your favorite?  Let me know in the comments!