Top Ten Tuesday: YA Books you might have missed (but shouldn't have) last year.
1.
Vassa in the Night by Sarah Porter....a very weird but delightful retelling of the Vasilisa the Beautiful, a Russian folktale. It is very confusing in the beginning but then the story starts to reveal itself and it is fun and imaginative.
2.
A Tangle of Gold by Jaclyn Moriarty...This is the third book in the Colours of Madeleine series, a very creative and delightful series I highly recommend. The first book of this series is
A Corner of White.
3.
When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore...part fairy tale, part magical realism. The story of two best friends, Miel and Samir, each with a secret, and The Bonner girls who threaten to reveal the secrets to everyone.
4.
Railhead by Philip Reeve...so many YA readers forget to explore the Sci-Fi offerings each year. This one is creative with imaginative world-building.
5.
Flannery by Lisa Moore...a YA offering from a small publisher in Canada. Flannery is a teenager who is trying to make her way through school when friends abandon her and her mother can't seem to make enough money for basic needs. Surprising upbeat.
6.
The Memory Book by Lara Avery...If you have missed this book, you'll want to look around for it. Sammie is making plans for college and her future when she discovers her memory is slipping. She decides to make a book of her memories to refer to when her memory is gone. A tear-worthy book.
7.
Unbecoming by Jenny Downham...a grandmother, a mother, and a daughter all have to find themselves to make peace with each other. The best LGBT book I've read which really isn't a LGBT book.
8.
Steeplejack by A.J. Hartley...the first book in the Alternative Detectives series. Set in a analog of South Africa. A fabulous mystery. It feels a little steam-punk. A student told me today that this is the best book she's read all year.
9.
The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan...set on a cocoa plantation in the Ivory Coast where the workers are essentially slaves. When two brothers and a girl attempt to escape the plantation it turns into an exciting adventure novel.
10.
The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry...you've probably already heard me gush about this novel, my favorite of the year. It is a not-to-be-missed book about the Inquisition in France and the church's relentless quest to catch a mystic and put her to death.
