Christina Reads YA

Christina Makes the Bookish Rounds is a feature that will let you know about recent MG/YA/NA book related news. I'll post about articles from the publishing industry, cover reveals, discussions from the book community, the latest tv/movie news, and giveaways that you're hosting. If you would like to follow along with cover reveals during the week, see my Pinterest. (If you're interested in how I make these posts, here's your guide.)

Hi! Today’s post is going to be really long in the publishing section because of recent award announcements. I don’t expand on “best of” lists, but the ALA Youth Media awards are among the most important for kidlit, so I thought that y’all would like to see all the books listed out instead of going the lists yourselves.

Publishing
Rights Report 1 & 2:

• Henry & Eva - Andrea Portes (MG modern gothic series is set in Big Sur and follows the titular brother and sister as they attempt to solve the mystery of their parents' deaths. Publication of the first book is scheduled for winter 2018; HarperCollins).
• Truth Is - Amanda Searcy (debut; a psychological thriller following two teen girls, one from a Texas border town hoping to outrun her past and another who fears for her future in a public housing complex; when their worlds collide, only one girl will make it out alive. Publication is slated for fall 2017; Delacorte).
• Hidden - Miriam Halahmy (a novel about two teenagers facing homelessness. Publication is set for spring 2016; Holiday House).
• Thisby Thestoop and the Black Mountain - Zac Gorman (middle grade illustrated fantasy series; In the series, a 12-year-old-girl becomes gamekeeper at a massive dungeon full of monsters and winds up having to save the princess when a royal tour goes awry. Publication is planned for winter 2018; HarperCollins).
• The Super Happy Party Bears series - Marcie Colleen, illustrated by Steve James (These chapter books explore the hijinks of the unrepentantly cheery Bears as they annoy everyone in the Grumpy Woods – yet save the day with a party. Publication of the first two titles is scheduled for fall 2016; Macmillan/Imprint).
• Rowan Oakwing: A London Fairy Tale - Ed Clarke (an early middle grade novel about a girl who discovers the secret world of fairies hidden in London's parks. Publication is slated for summer 2017; S&S/Aladdin).
• Boy Robot - Simon Curtis (Boy Robot is the first in a planned science fiction trilogy that follows a group of synthetic cell human teens with special abilities as they fight against the government organization that created them and now wants to destroy them. Publication is scheduled for November 15, 2016; Simon Pulse).
• Gem & Dixie - Sara Zarr (Gem & Dixie is about two sisters who leave home for a road trip when their deadbeat father tries to reinsert himself into their lives. Publication is set for winter 2017; HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray).
• Fakespeare - M.E. Castle (In the MG series, a cast of children gets lost in Shakespeare's classic plays where they must deal with villains, ghosts, mysterious odors, and split tights, among other dangers. The first two installments, which will be illustrated by Daniel Jennewein, will tackle Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet. Publication for both books is slated for summer 2017; Macmillan/Imprint).
• The Forgetting - Sharon Cameron (about a place where, every 12 years, every person forgets everything – life, loves, and self – unless it is written; books are worn tied to the body at all times. But Nadia knows who hasn't written the truth because Nadia is the only person who has never forgotten. Publication is planned for fall 2016; Scholastic Press).
• Felix Yz - Lisa Bunker (MG novel which takes the form of blog entries written by a boy accidentally fused with a fourth-dimensional being, set during the last month before an experimental procedure which will either separate them or kill them both. Publication is scheduled for summer 2017; Viking).
• The Star Thief - Lindsey Becker (debut; a middle grade fantasy adventure in which an orphaned girl is caught in the crossfire of a feud between a master of mythical constellations and the captain of a spectacular flying steamship – and doesn't know whose side to join. Publication is slated for spring 2017; Little, Brown).
• Buried Lives: Slaves of George Washington's Mount Vernon - Carla Killough McClafferty (Buried Lives will bring to light the forgotten lives of the slaves owned by Washington for a middle-grade audience. Publication is tentatively set for fall 2017; Holiday House).

Jodi Meadows’s new fantasy trilogy about a girl stripped from her political family and imprisoned, her fellow inmates who know more than they say, and a dangerous secret about illegal dragon trafficking that might be her only hope of escape, to Katherine Tegen Books (announcement from here).

Nothing from last week.

Excerpts: Heartless - Marissa Meyer, The Problem with Forever - Jennifer Armentrout, Glass Sword - Victoria Aveyard, Up to This Pointe - Jennifer Longo, Star Struck - Jenny McLachlan

Authors: Passenger - Alexandra Bracken, Front Lines - Michael Grant, The Way Back to You - Michelle Andreani, How It Ends - Catherine Lo, Firsts - Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, Bounders - Monica Tesler, an open mic with many different authors who talk about their personal experiences on B&N Teen, Chris Grabenstein, Last Stop on Market Street - Matt de la Peña and here with Publisher’s Weekly (he’s the first Hispanic author to win the Newbery and the book is the second picture book to receive the award), Laura Ruby on winning the Printz for Bone Gap, and Sophie Blackall on winning the Caldecott

Awards/Lists: The 2015 Middle East Book Award Winners, The 2016 Amelia Bloomers List,Teen Vogue’s Best 7 YA Books to Read Right Now, the ALA 2016 Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers winners were announced (and in the top ten of those quick picks, for fiction: Red Queen; The Iron Trial; Zeroboxer; Dumplin’; The Silence of Six; Shadowshaper; Nimona; Everything, Everything.). Also ALA’s 2016 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Readers (in the top ten for fiction: The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich, read by Charlotte Parry and Christian Coulson; Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan, read Mark Bramhall, David De Vries, Macleod Andrews, and Rebecca Soler; Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero, read by Kyla Garcia; Half Wild by Sally Green, read by Carl Prekopp; Illuminae: The Illuminae Files_01 by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, read by Olivia Taylor Dudley, Lincoln Hoppe, Jonathan McClain; Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray, read by January LaVoy; Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs, read by Kirby Heyborne; Trollhunters by Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus, read by Kirby Heyborne; Waistcoats & Weaponry by Gail Carriger, read by Moira Quick) and the 2016 Rainbow List were announced (In the top ten for fiction: Polonsky, Ami. Gracefully Grayson;Selznick, Brian. The Marvels; Albertalli, Becky. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda; Mesrobian, Carrie. Cut Both Ways; Reid, Raziel. When Everything Feels Like the Movies; Scelsa, Kate. Fans of the Impossible Life; Stetz-Waters, Karelia. Forgive Me If I’ve Told You This Before). Also the ALA 2016 Best Fiction for Young Adults List (top ten include: Albertalli, Becky. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda; Bardugo, Leigh. Six of Crows; Brooks, Kevin. The Bunker Diary; Crowder, Melanie. Audacity; Older, Daniel José. Shadowshaper; Reynolds, Jason. The Boy in the Black Suit; Ruby, Laura. Bone Gap; Shabazz, Ilyasah and Kekla Magoon. X: A Novel; Shusterman, Neal. Challenger Deep; Silvera, Adam. More Happy than Not.). And the ALA 2016 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults List (top ten fiction include: Anderson, Laurie Halse. Wintergirls; Bracken, Alexandra. The Darkest Minds; Hale, Shannon. Book of a Thousand Days; Jamieson, Victoria. Roller Girl; Kuehn, Stephanie. Charm & Strange; Lewis, John, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell. March 1; Maberry, Jonathan. Rot & Ruin; Meyer, Marissa. Cinder; Mullin, Mike. Ashfall; Yolen, Jane. Briar Rose).

The 2015 Epic Reads Book Shimmy Award Winners: Best of Shelf: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas; The Pagemaster: Sarah J. Maas; New Kid on the Shelf: Sabaa Tahir; Cover Lust: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard; We Need Diverse Books: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh; Mental Health Matters: All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven; Here and Now Award: PS I Still Love You by Jenny Han; Reality Bites Award: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard; Hot Under the Cover Award: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas; World Series Champ: The Selection series by Kiera Cass; Blast from the Past Award: Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson; The Retelling Award: Winter by Marissa Meyer; Epic Adaptations: Mockingjay Part 2; Most Anticipated Award: The Crown by Kiera Cass; Book Nerd of the Year: Sasha ofyoutube.com/abookutopia.

Here’s a round-up from Time about the ALA Youth Media Award Winners and one from CNN and one from Publisher’s Weekly, if you don’t want to read the full list below. The ALA Youth Media Award Winners:

John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature: “Last Stop on Market Street,” written by Matt de la Peña, is the 2016 Newbery Medal winner. The book is illustrated by Christian Robinson. Three Newbery Honor Books also were named: “The War that Saved My Life,” written by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley; “Roller Girl,” written and illustrated by Victoria Jamieson; and “Echo,” written by Pam Muñoz Ryan.

Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children: “Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear,” illustrated by Sophie Blackall, is the 2016 Caldecott Medal winner. Four Caldecott Honor Books also were named: “Trombone Shorty,” illustrated by Bryan Collier, written by Troy Andrews; “Waiting,” illustrated and written by Kevin Henkes; “Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement,” illustrated by Ekua Holmes, written by Carole Boston Weatherford; and “Last Stop on Market Street,” illustrated by Christian Robinson, written by Matt de le Peña.

Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award, recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults: “Gone Crazy in Alabama,” written by Rita Williams-Garcia, is the King Author Book winner. Three King Author Honor Books were selected: “All American Boys,” by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely; “The Boy in the Black Suit,” by Jason Reynolds and “X: A Novel,” by Ilyasah Shabazz with Kekla Magoon.

Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award: “Trombone Shorty,” illustrated by Bryan Collier, is the King Illustrator Book winner. Two King Illustrator Honor Books were selected: “The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth & Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore,” illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and “Last Stop on Market Street,” illustrated by Christian Robinson, written by Matt de la Peña.

Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award: “Hoodoo,” written by Ronald L. Smith, is the Steptoe author award winner.

Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award: “Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement,” illustrated by Ekua Holmes, is the Steptoe illustrator award winner.

Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement: Jerry Pinkney is the winner of the Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults: “Bone Gap,” written by Laura Ruby, is the 2016 Printz Award winner. Two Printz Honor Books also were named: “Out of Darkness,” by Ashley Hope Pérez and “The Ghosts of Heaven,” by Marcus Sedgwick.

Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience: “Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah,” written by Laurie Ann Thompson, illustrated by Sean Qualls... wins the award for children ages 0 to 10. “Fish in a Tree,” written by Lynda Mullaly Hunt and “The War that Saved My Life,” by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley...are the winners of the middle-school (ages 11-13). The teen (ages 13-18) award winner is “The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B,” written by Teresa Toten.

Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences: “All Involved,” by Ryan Gattis, “Between the World and Me,” by Ta-Nehisi Coates, “Bones & All,” by Camille DeAngelis, “Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits,” by David Wong, “Girl at War,” by Sara Nović, “Half the World,” by Joe Abercrombie, “Humans of New York: Stories,” by Brandon Stanton, “Sacred Heart,” by Liz Suburbia, “Undocumented: A Dominican Boy’s Odyssey from a Homeless Shelter to the Ivy League,” by Dan-el Padilla Peralta, & “The Unraveling of Mercy Louis,” by Keija Parssinen.

Andrew Carnegie Medal for excellence in children’s video: Weston Woods Studios, Inc., producer of “That Is NOT a Good Idea,” is the Carnegie Medal winner.

Laura Ingalls Wilder Award honors an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have made, over a period of years, a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children. The 2016 winner is Jerry Pinkney.

Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults: David Levithan is the 2016 Edwards Award winner.

May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award recognizing an author, critic, librarian, historian or teacher of children’s literature, who then presents a lecture at a winning host site. Jacqueline Woodson will deliver the 2017 May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture.

Mildred L. Batchelder Award for an outstanding children’s book translated from a foreign language and subsequently published in the United States: “The Wonderful Fluffy Little Squishy” is the 2016 Batchelder Award winner. Originally published in French in 2014 as “Le merveilleux Dodu-Velu-Petit,” the book was written and illustrated by Beatrice Alemagna, translated by Claudia Zoe Bedrick. Three Batchelder Honor Books also were selected: “Adam and Thomas,” written by Aharon Appelfeld, iIllustrated by Philippe Dumas and translated from the Hebrew by Jeffrey M. Green; “Grandma Lives in a Perfume Village,”, written by Fang Suzhen, illustrated by Sonja Danowski and translated from the Chinese by Huang Xiumin; and “Written and Drawn by Henrietta,” written, illustrated and translated from the Spanish by Liniers.

Odyssey Award for best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States: “The War that Saved My Life,” produced by Listening Library, an imprint of the Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group, is the 2016 Odyssey Award winner. One Odyssey Honor Recording also was selected: “Echo,” produced by Scholastic Audio/Paul R. Gagne, written by Pam Muñoz Ryan and narrated by Mark Bramhall, David de Vries, MacLeod Andrews and Rebecca Soler.

Pura Belpré (Illustrator) Award honoring a Latino writer and illustrator whose children’s books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience: “Drum Dream Girl,” illustrated by Rafael López, is the Belpré Illustrator Award winner. Three Belpré Illustrator Honor Books for illustration were selected: “My Tata’s Remedies = Los remedios de mi tata,” illustrated by Antonio Castro L., written by Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford; “Mango, Abuela, and Me,” illustrated by Angela Dominguez, written by Meg Medina and “Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras,” illustrated and written by Duncan Tonatiuh.

Pura Belpré (Author) Award: “Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir,” written by Margarita Engle, is the Belpré Author Award winner. Two Belpré Author Honor Books were named: “The Smoking Mirror,” written by David Bowles; and “Mango, Abuela, and Me,” written by Meg Medina, illustrated by Angela Dominguez.

Stonewall Book Award - Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award given annually to English-language children’s and young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience: “George,” written by Alex Gino and “The Porcupine of Truth,” written by Bill Konigsberg... are the winners of the 2016 Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Awards respectively. Two honor books were selected: “Wonders of the Invisible World,” written by Christopher Barzak and “Sex is a Funny Word: A Book about Bodies, Feelings, and YOU,” written by Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth.

William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens: “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda,” written by Becky Albertalli is the 2016 Morris Award winner. Four other books were finalists for the award: “Because You’ll Never Meet Me,” written by Leah Thomas; “Conviction,” written by Kelly Loy Gilbert; “The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly,” written by Stephanie Oakes; and “The Weight of Feathers,” written by Anna-Marie McLemore.

I didn’t go over: YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction, the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award, and the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award. Also deleted the publisher information from each book, as I figured you’d search for them on Goodreads + elsewhere if interested.

If you’re looking for interviews with some of the winners, check out the authors section above!

We Need Diverse Books announced the winners of its mentorship program: Lisa Braithwaite, nonfiction mentee with Patricia Hruby-Powell; Deirdre D Havelock, picture book mentee with Nikki Grimes; Sun Jones, young adult mentee with Malinda Lo; Charlene Willing-McMannis, middle grade mentee with Margarita Engle, and Jacqueline Alcántara, illustration mentee with Carolyn Dee Flores.

Diversity is not a black and white issue and children’s books shouldn’t present it that way.

Algonquin YR, specifically Workman, has announced a new campaign: I Love MG. On Twitter, they’ll be discussing it January 25-29. ← I have been reposting this little blurb about #ILoveMG for the last couple of weeks, but now Publisher’s Weekly has written an article on the hashtag and campaign! Here’s a #ILoveMG post by a librarian.

Ethnically diverse writers writing for the ages of 10-14 should check out the Roll of Thunder Publishing Contest set for April by Penguin Random House.

The format of the recently announced sci-fi duology by Lauren Oliver sounds intriguing, and in this interview with Publisher’s Weekly, she talks about the big plans HarperCollins has plus the Before I Fall movie.

HarperCollins won the lawsuit over Open Road and is now publishing an ebook of Julie of the Wolves.

Just as children’s books need diversity, so do comic books.

Renee Ahdieh will be writing both stories from The Wrath and the Dawn that readers voted on.

Simon Teen’s community, Pulseit, has announced the creation of RivetedLit, which is launching in February and focused on YA lit.

Cover Reveals:

Discussion/Other Blogger Posts:

Have you read any of the popular YA books releasing in January?

Why the British tell children’s stories better than Americans -- Me: Why do people make such grand, sweeping statements?

When J.K. Rowling finished Harry Potter, she graffitied a bust of a hotel statue.

It’s all about quotes: sad quotes from your favorite children’s books, quotes on body positivity

Nerdist’s list of 2016 books they can’t wait to read in 2016 features some YA novels. So does Kirkus’s 10 Most Anticipated Titles of 2016 and Goodreads’s 15 Highly Anticipated Titles of 2016.

People on tumblr tend to come up with some of the best posts on YA theories and tropes.

Emma Watson is launching her own feminist book club. I love when celebrities tweet about reading books, so more of these please.

Do you think that the focus of YA movies will shift onto contemporaries now that the Hunger Games franchise has ended? (“Needless to say, we’re at the teen movie tipping point...Of course, that’s not to say dystopian teen epics are going away completely (nor should they)...However, since “The Hunger Games” bowed in November, interest has certainly peaked — but has it waned?.. I’d say so. At this point in the zeitgeist, dystopian YA has a tendency to all look the same after a while...There will always be stories about teenagers coming-of-age in a confusing modern world. I would bet my menial life-savings on it. But what makes stories like “Looking For Alaska,” “Eleanor & Park” and Becky Albertalli’s “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda” is that they capture what being a teen is really like. The fear and fun and unexplainable sadness and all of the emotions you feel at any given moment.”). Expecting to see more articles like this crop up, especially depending on how new adaptations do in the theater and beyond.

The New York Public Library just revealed a bunch of images for people to use (in memes?), and some of them are really interesting and quite random.

YA readers make New Year’s resolutions in a particular way.

A comic about the reality of reading and its escape.

2016 YA books with utterly irresistible concepts: yeah, I think that I’d agree in general with the title and some books being auto-buy just because of concept. Like The Winner’s Curse and in this list, The Girl from Everywhere among others.

If you’re a Sherlock fan, these recommendations are for you.

14 of B&N Teen’s Most Anticipated Historical Fiction of 2016: one of my New Year’s bookolutions was to read more YA historical fiction, so I am all over this list, especially Salt to the Sea and Outrun the Moon and A Tyranny of Petticoats.

What’s it like when you’re not a debut author anymore? (“Book releases are kind of like human birthdays….And then eventually you get to the age where you forget how old you are and just want to eat pizza in your apartment with your pants off. Depressing? Sure, but at least you made it to another year.– Hannah Moskowitz”)

Oh, that feeling that another book will never be as good.

I frequently link to B&N Teen blog posts here, and here’s a round-up from the editor of their favorite posts of 2015.

You know what’s sad? Carrie Fisher was in the news a bunch before the release of the new Star Wars movie, but I feel like a lot of articles pretty much emphasized how much weight she’d lost instead of how she’s a mental health hero.

Diverse fantasy books that will challenge your idea of fantasy fiction! Hello… list made for me. (“Fantasy recommendation lists are characterized by their safety...More often than not, though, the recommendations that they receive are the same few critically acclaimed authors whose work is all too often presented as representative of the genre. My belief is that Fantasy literature is the perfect lens for readers to challenge our ideas of humanity, violence, society, and power.”)

Attention to Book Nerds Who Like Yoga!

Gayle Forman's books teach you lots of life lessons.

I wrote about my own New Year’s Bookolutions if you’re interested.

Movies/TV Shows:

2016 is poised to have a lot of adaptations, so to make it easier on all of us trying to keep track, I made a calendar of adaptations (w/ their release dates) that I thought were relevant to the YA community.

Did you watch the Shadowhunters tv premiere yesterday? If not, you’ll be able to watch on Netflix today. And here’s something to tide you over for next week: stills from the next episode, The Descent into Hell Is Easy. Plus, you should let me know if these 10 things made it into the show (or were at least hinted at, in the beginning) -- I didn’t have the opportunity to watch yet.

A new poster for The Jungle Book adaptation.

The season 3 extended trailer for 100 was revealed. So was an intense new clip and photo of Clarke, and a clip of Sam Mendeson the show.

New photos and a clip from the 5th Wave, releasing in less than 9 days now.

Another character graphic for Allegiant: Christina.

Giveaways:

Adventures in Children's Publishing giveaway(s).

Giveaways listed at Saturday Situation by Lori of Pure Imagination and Candace of Candace's Book Blog.

Don't forget to enter YABC's giveaways for the month.

Sci-fi and Fantasy Friday {SF/F Reviews and Giveaways}.

If you have a giveaway, you should let me know.

Other:

New YA Releases: Teen Frankenstein by Chandler Baker, Other Broken Things by Christa Desir, The Heir and the Spare by Emily Albright, The Killing Jar by Jennifer Bosworth, Traveler (Seeker #2) by Arwen Elys Dayton, Zero Day by Jan Gangsei,Bookishly Ever After by Isabel Bandeira, The Assassin's Masque (Palace of Spies #3) by Sarah Zettel, Underwater by Marisa Leichhardt, Up From the Sea by Leza Lowitz, American Ace by Marilyn Nelson.

Recent Recommended Reads: You can read my review of The Mirror King by Jodi Meadows. I also just finished reading Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman, which I actually really enjoyed so maybe more on that later?

I went to the launch event for Passenger by Alexandra Bracken and Truthwitch by Susan Dennard, which was a lot of fun. Do y’all ever want me to write up event recaps? I sometimes don’t even really mention them, but if you’re curious enough, I can.

Which articles did you like best? Did I miss any news? Did you host a cover reveal or discussion that I should have posted about? A giveaway? Leave the links, and I'll either edit this post or post about 'em next week.