August brings with it some excellent new YA novels, so here are 10 of my favorites that I think should be on every YA library shelf. (Including one of my favorite releases of the entire Year, hello The maid and the crocodile!!!)
1 This pitch-black fate by Hayley Dennings
Sourcebooks Fire, August 6, 9781728297866
Pitch: 1926, New York. Elise is the heiress to a Reaper hunting empire, taking out vampires like her ex-girlfriend Layla. When Reapers somehow turn into humans and a series of murders occur, one of which is pinned on Layla, Elise must work with her to find out how the murders are connected to rumors of a Reaper cure.
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Shorter pitch: The heir to a vampire hunting empire must team up with a young vampire to solve a series of murders.
Give readers who ask for it: historical fantasy, fantasy with a strong thrill element
For book presentations on: Immerse yourself in vampire novels, from enemies to lovers
2 Beneath the surface by Diana Urban
Putnam, August 13, 9780593625088
Pitch: On a school trip to Paris, Ruby tracks down her best friend, who has sneaked off to meet a mysterious French boy. But when they are invited to a party in the catacombs, she and two classmates get lost underground – they never make it to the party and the people above ground are desperately searching for them.
Shorter pitch: Four teenagers are on their way to a party in the catacombs of Paris as part of their school trip and get lost while being pursued by something sinister.
Give readers who ask for it: Thrillers that are not just about murder
For book presentations on: Paris, school trips
3 The Girl and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko
Amulet, August 13, 9781419764356
Pitch: Sade is looking for a job but has inadvertently bonded to the Crocodile, a powerful god who is rumored to devour pretty girls. She also has the ability to change people’s fate by cleaning their homes. When Sade starts working as an inn’s curse eater, she must evade the Crocodile’s ambitions to finally feel safe in her place.
Shorter pitch: Finding work is difficult, as shown by Sade (who was looking for a job as a maid but accidentally bonded herself to a god named Crocodile).
Give readers who ask for it: Beauty and the Beast Readalikes, new fantasy
For book presentations on: Fantasy individual works, original fairy tales
4 Prince of the Palisades by Julian Winters
Viking, August 20, 9780593624425
Pitch: Jadon is on a PR mission. The Prince of Îles de la Rêverie needs an image fix after a horrific public breakup, so he needs to put his best foot forward, which means absolutely no romance. Well, maybe a little romance. It wasn’t the plan, but Jadon, a non-royal American, could change everything.
Shorter pitch: A prince trying to improve his image falls in love with an American boy who is not a member of the royal family.
Give readers who ask for it: love stories, queer reading
For book presentations on: royal romance
5 The New Camelot by Robyn Schneider
Viking, August 27, 9780593623015
The pitches refer to the first book, The other Merlinas I don’t usually offer a later book in the series. This is book three and concludes the series and does so brilliantly, it’s such an entertaining fantasy series.
Pitch: Camelot is a land of legends – like Arthur, the depressed botanist who accidentally pulled a sword from a stone, Lancelot, a demoted knight who currently serves as a castle guard, and Emmett, a court wizard and child of Merlin who is actually his twin sister Emry in disguise.
Shorter pitch: Do you know the feeling when you fall in love with a prophesied hero prince disguised as your twin brother?
Give readers who ask for it: funny fantasy, retellings, what to read afterwards My Lady Jane
For book presentations on: If you like romantic comedies (She’s the Man), “I’m just here to have fun”
6 The Champions by Kara Thomas
Delacorte Press, August 27, 9780593379974
Pitch: 11 years after the incident with the cheerleaders in the town of Sunnybrook (you can read the whole story in Thomas’ book, The Cheerleadersbut you can read that independently!) Hadley has just been assigned to cover the soccer championship for the school newspaper, which coincides beautifully with the poisoning of one of the team members at a party. And as in any suspicious scenario, she gets messages after being told to stay away, but how is she supposed to do that… especially when another player dies?
Shorter pitch: Hadley may be the new girl in town, but she’s after the bodies in Sunnybrook’s basement after two of the football players were mysteriously killed.
Give readers who ask for it: Thriller (especially if authors with multiple thriller titles are sought)
For book presentations on: the hidden dangers of sport (the danger is murder!)
7 Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay
Kokila, August 27 9780593461419
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Pitch: Francisco works in the fields of Watsonville after immigrating from the Philippines in 1930. His son Emil is determined to make it in America, albeit in a different way than Francisco, and works at his aunt’s restaurant in Stockton in 1965. Chris is on his high school football team in Denver in 1983, but a missed assignment means he must spend his time in the library instead of on the football field, leading to an interest in Filipino history that his father Emil disapproves of. Living in 2020 Philadelphia, Enzo is stressed about the global pandemic and the fact that his lolo Emil has moved in.
Shorter pitch: Four members of the same Filipino-American family grapple with the violence, prejudice, history and fear of nearly a century of living in the United States.
Give readers who ask for it: Books that introduce you to history
For book presentations on: Stories/family trees spanning several generations
8 Libertad by Bessie Flores Zaldívar
Dial Books, August 27, 9780593696125
Pitch: Libertad Morazán lives in Honduras, where the 2017 presidential election is fast approaching and protests are raging. In quick succession, Libi’s mom sees text messages on her phone about kissing a girl, and Libi discovers that her brother Maynor is playing a major role in the protests. This leads her to dream of a new future where she can tell the truth without fear of losing her loved ones.
Shorter pitch: A young queer poet comes of age during the 2017 Honduran presidential election.
Give readers who ask for it: recent history, queer stories
For book presentations on: Books set in Central America
9 Bridge over the Sky by Freeman Ng
Atheneum BFYR, August 27, 9781665948593
Pitch: 1924. When Tai Go and his family arrive in America from China, they are detained on Angel Island. Government immigration officials hold them in prison-like conditions under the guise of “investigating their claims” – a practice authorized by the Chinese Exclusion Act. But Tai Go finds poems carved into the walls by previous inmates. He finds hope and also meets another group of inmates who want to make a change.
Shorter pitch: Tai Go finds hope in poetry while detained indefinitely on Angel Island in 1924 under the Chinese Exclusion Act.
Give readers who ask for it: historical fiction
For book presentations on: Novels in Verse
10 Our Call Echo by Jade Adia
Disney Hyperion, August 27, 9781368090117
Pitch: Niarah plans to spend the summer building a doomsday bunker, because impending disaster may be the only thing she’s sure of. But that surefire plan falls apart when Mac shows up in her life and begins to undermine her catastrophic mindset with his sweet smile and endearing manner.
Shorter pitch: Niarah’s summer plans to build a doomsday bunker are ruined by a cute surfer named Mac.
Give readers who ask for it: grumpy/sunshine, languishing stories
For book presentations on: core of hope
Filed under: new books, youth literature, youth literature
