Young Adult Book Snaps

All My Rage takes us from Lahore, Pakistan (then) to recount the story of Misbah and Toufiq (who are Salahudin’s parents) to (now) in Juniper,...

A contemporary YA novel that brilliantly balances magical realism with a grounded coming-of-age story.

There are four stories woven into the Shusterman’s brilliantly conceived novel, Roxy. Brother and sister, Isaac and Ivy Ramey, are accompanied as...

Angie Thomas takes us back seventeen years, to the Garden, where she first introduced us to Maverick Carter, unravelling the back story of Starr...

On the night of April 19, 1989, a 28-year-old female jogger was brutally attacked and raped in New York’s Central Park. After prolonged police...

If you think we don’t need another book that explores what it is like to be the target of racism in America, then you are not paying attention. As I...

Young Adult authors are exploring more and more topics that expose readers to the uncomfortable truths of our world. Patron Saints of Nothing takes...

It’s a saccharine sweet love story; wildly predictable; and short on captivating writing. But, it is told from a point of view and about characters...

This is the first of five YA reads in a Book Relay I am participating in. Our Literacy Lead never lets us down when she recommends titles, and this...

Ellen Hopkins does not shy away from tough topics– and she delivers them to a dedicated YA audience that embraces her use of both poetry and prose to...

This is a compelling and riveting YA novel set far in the future. A future in which all disease has been cured, and humans live forever. Except for a...

Norris Caplan is the son of Haitian parents, living in Montreal and loving Canadian things like hockey, specifically the Montreal Canadiens. But now...

Another win in the YA category! We all play roles in our lives, and Mara plays many: she is a twin; a daughter; a girlfriend; a friend; a student;...

Two Snaps!! I inhaled this one!!! It is a sensational YA novel adapted from the Broadway smash-hit. Beware: after reading you’ll want to book a trip...

Laurie Halse Anderson is well-versed in writing compelling novels for Young Adults. Her best-known novel, Speak, became a finalist for the National...

Consider this a primer for young feminists. Jennifer Mathieu drops us into Vivian Carter’s high school– and her high school looks a lot like high...

In a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by global warming, Frenchie and his compatriots are on the run from the Recruiters. Indigenous peoples have the...

This is a great YA read. What I liked the best was the interspersion of a podcast in which the presenter is trying to make sense of the disappearance...

Another YA novel from Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U Give. Thomas creates strong voices for her central teenage characters that rap with swagger...

Date read: March 20, 2019. Another touching and authentic novel for Young Adult readers! Grace has a home-life that makes her desperate for...

Date read: December 3, 2018. Read this poem/letter in one sitting. I told you already to read everything Reynolds writes… still true. This book is...

Date read: November 5, 2018. Finished late at night in the dark with a flashlight. Used to do that to read past curfew. Did it last night because I...

Date read: October 9, 2018. Loved it. Was riled by it. My haunches were rankled, my dendrites were alight. If 1984 and The Handmaid’s Tale got...

Date read: September 5, 2018. A long, beautiful, heart-breaking love letter… an amazing YA novel. One I book-talked with my young readers.

Date read: August 29, 2018. Amazing YA novel! Two very loud snaps! I was riveted to this story. My students also loved it. A painful and harrowing...

I had mostly written Jodi Picoult off, but I am so glad my neighbour loaned me this one, and that I had an open mind. I loved it. An absolutely...

Another amazing YA read. An excellent look at how hate and fear destroy lives mixed with a more hopeful message of tolerance and love.

Another lovely book, thoroughly enjoyed. Can’t wait to bring it to school to loan to a reader!

A thoughtful and touching YA novel about what family really means, and that’s not necessarily blood.

I inhaled this. Written in short, fierce, narrative verse it spans all of sixty seconds of time and the intensity is palatable. Amazing Young Adult...

Young Adult– but does not hesitate to take on complicated race issues.