Archives de catégorie : Young Adult

SPELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT de Kate Williams

The final installment in the hilarious, action-packed Babysitters Coven series that Refinery29 calls « candy for 90’s girls and Gen Z’ers alike, » featuring a coven of witchy babysitters sworn to protect the innocent and defend the world from an onslaught of evil—all before bedtime.

SPELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT
(The Babysitters Coven, Book 3)
by Kate Williams
Delacorte Press, Fall 2021
(via Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary)

Ever since Esme met Cassandra Heaven and discovered the truth about their shared legacy—that they’re Sitters, supernaturally gifted teens tasked with protecting the innocent from evil—her life has been moving at 90 mph. During the day, she chases wild toddlers, and at night, she employs a different skill set for a different kind of demon. Like, literal ones. And sometimes it’s almost fun. Her spells are getting better, her telekinesis is on point, and now that Esme’s dad and her best friend Janis know the truth, she’s no longer lying to the people she loves. She’s also learned that there’s a way to undo her mother’s curse, and with the Synod out of the picture, she might even have a chance to do it.
If she could just figure out how. But she can’t, and even with her mom living at home again, Esme can’t shake the feeling that she’s failing. Throw in the fact that Pig is still gone, Esme’s crush is MIA, and it’s cold, slushy February, and she’s in bummer city.
Esme needs a serious pick-me-up, and Janis has a plan: a Galentine’s stay-cation, with the Sitter friends Esme and Cassandra made at the Summit. Except things are getting weird in Spring River again. Esme and Cassandra just discovered a new band, and not in a good way: these guys reek of Red Magic, and their music sucks. Trouble is brewing, and if Esme’s not careful, this show might be her last—and no one likes a one-hit wonder.

Kate Williams has written for Seventeen, NYLON, Cosmopolitan, Bustle, Vans, Calvin Klein, Urban Outfitters, and many other brands and magazines. She is the author of The Babysitters Coven trilogy: The Babysitters Coven, For Better or Cursed, and Spells Like Teen Spirit. Kate lives in Kansas.

DOWN CAME THE RAIN de Jennifer Mathieu

From the acclaimed author of Moxie – now a Netflix film – and Bad Girls Never Say Die comes a bold novel about two young activists who find love and themselves as they tackle the threat of climate change.

DOWN CAME THE RAIN
by Jennifer Mathieu
Roaring Brook/Macmillan, September 2023
(via Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary)

After Eliza’s home in Houston is destroyed by Hurricane Harvey, she is forced to transfer to Southwest High School. Traumatized by the floods and anxious in her new surroundings, Eliza throws herself into environmental activism, even if it’s against the wishes of her big-oil dad.
But when she meets Javi – a boy who has experienced climate-related trauma of his own – she’s finally able to connect with someone over the devastating mental effects of ecological disaster.
Filled with nuanced themes of mental health, classism, and eco-anxiety, DOWN CAME THE RAIN is a riveting and moving tale of friendship, first love, and what it means to grow up in an ever-changing world.

Jennifer Mathieu is the author of Devoted, Afterward, The Liars of Mariposa Island, and The Truth About Alice, which won the Teen Choice Debut Author Award. Her 2017 novel, Moxie, was developed into a film by Amy Poehler for Netflix. Jennifer teaches high school English in Texas, where she lives in the Houston area with her husband and son.

I WILL FIND YOU AGAIN de Sarah Lyu

All the Bright Places meets Ace of Spades in this smart, twisty teen thriller about a girl who can’t stop pushing herself to be the best—even after losing her best friend and the love of her life.

I WILL FIND YOU AGAIN
by Sarah Lyu
Simon & Schuster BYR, March 2023
(via Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary)

Welcome to Meadowlark, Long Island—expensive homes and good schools, ambition and loneliness. Meet Chase Ohara and Lia Vestiano: the driven overachiever and the impulsive wanderer, the future CEO and the free spirit. Best friends for years—weekend trips to Montauk, sleepovers on a yacht—and then, first love. True love.
But when Lia disappears, Chase’s life turns into a series of grim snapshots. Anger. Grief. Running. Pink pills in an Altoids tin. A cheating ring at school. Heartbreak and lies. A catastrophic secret.
And the shocking truth that will change everything about the way Chase sees Lia—and herself.

Sarah Lyu grew up outside of Atlanta, Georgia, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. She loves a good hike and can often be found with a paintbrush in one hand and a cup of milky tea in the other. Sarah is the author of The Best Lies.

THE MANY HALF-LIVED LIVES OF SAM SYLVESTER de Maya MacGregor

In this queer contemporary YA mystery, a nonbinary autistic teen realizes they must not only solve a 30-year-old mystery but also face the demons lurking in their past in order to live a satisfying life.

THE MANY HALF-LIVED LIVES OF SAM SYLVESTER
by Maya MacGregor
Boyds, Mills & Kane/Astra, May 2022
(via KT Literary)

Sam Sylvester has long collected stories of half-lived lives—of kids who died before they turned nineteen. Sam was almost one of those kids. Now, as Sam’s own nineteenth birthday approaches, their recent near-death experience haunts them. They’re certain they don’t have much time left. . . .
But Sam’s life seems to be on the upswing after meeting several new friends and a potential love interest in Shep, their next-door neighbor. Yet the past keeps roaring back—in Sam’s memories and in the form of a thirty-year-old suspicious death that took place in Sam’s new home. Sam can’t resist trying to find out more about the kid who died and who now seems to guide their investigation. When Sam starts receiving threatening notes, they know they’re on the path to uncovering a murderer. But are they digging through the past or digging their own future grave?
THE MANY HALF-LIVED LIVES OF SAM SYLVESTER explores healing in the aftermath of trauma and the fullness of queer joy.

“This captivating story centers a memorable, relatable protagonist surrounded by a lovable ensemble cast. The central mystery is gripping and fast-paced, but the book never fails to give all the characters motivations and backstories, making even the tertiary characters feel lived-in enough to be believable…A thrilling debut featuring lovable and well-developed characters. » —Kirkus, starred review

“Sam’s intimate developing relationships and outwardly bright future provide respite and optimism, even as they battle internal fears for the future. Equal parts delicate and devastating, MacGregor’s thought-provoking prose, evocative settings, and vividly characterized cast combine to provide a hopeful look at survival and closure.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

Maya MacGregor is a writer, singer, and artist. They sing and write in Gàidhlig and in English. You can find their bilingual work on tor.com, in Steall magazine (summer 2020), and Uncanny magazine, with poetry in Poets’ Republic and elsewhere. They sing with the Glasgow Gaelic Musical Association, the Alba Choir, and Fuaran. THE MANY HALF-LIVED LIVES OF SAM SYLVESTER is their first young adult novel.

GOOD AS GOLD de Candace Buford

Fans of Netflix’s Outer Banks will devour this contemporary YA novel with a propulsive mystery about one girl’s search for her town’s legendary sunken treasure in order to clear her family’s name and save her future.

GOOD AS GOLD
by Candace Buford
Disney-Hyperion, June 2023
(via Kaplan/DeFiore Rights)

Some treasures are meant to stay buried . . . Casey’s life in Langston has been charmed. She’s the queen bee of her prep school, a shoe-in for prom queen, and on her way to the Ivy League come fall. She can’t wait to leave the whole town of Langston behind her. That is until her father loses his job and she finds herself on the brink of losing her ticket out of town.
The town of Langston is known for its picturesque lake and robust summer tourism. Everyone who lives in town has heard the rumors at some point—there is a treasure buried deep below the surface that no one has ever been able to find. Few people actually believe in the treasure, and even fewer have searched for it. But some have tried . . .
Suddenly an outcast from her popular squad, Casey falls in with a new group of friends who are exactly the opposite of her usual crowd, but are more accepting. Together they devise a plan to find the elusive treasure, in a quest to get the money and save Casey’s family and her future. But what they find is much more complicated than just a pile of gold. With thrilling twists and turns and high stakes adventure, fans of Outer Banks will devour this summer adventure.

Candace Buford has been an avid reader since childhood―always looking for stories with strong and complex POCs. She graduated from Duke University with a degree in German Literature, which exposed her to the delightfully creepy side of storytelling by writers like Kafka and Brecht. She also holds a law degree from Penn State Law School and a business degree from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business. Raised in Houston, Candace currently lives in the heart of Texas, where you can find her huddled in café corners, scribbling away in her notebook. She shares her life with a rocket scientist and a Plott Hound, who both ensure there is never a dull day. Candace is also the author of Kneel and Whatever Happens, a Julie and the Phantoms original novel.