Recently Added to the YA Bookshelf

Taking a look at some of the most recent additions gracing the shelves of our YA department.

Havenfall by Sara Holland

Deep in the mountains of Colorado lies the Inn at Haverfall, a sanctuary that connects ancient worlds. For generations, the inn has protected all who seek refuge within its walls, and any who disrupt the peace can never return. For Maddie Morrow, summers at the inn are an escape from reality. It's where Maddie fell in love with handsome Fiorden soldier Brekken. And it's where one day she hopes to inherit the role of Innkeeper from her beloved uncle. But this summer a body is found, shattering everything the inn stands for.

"A suspenseful, engaging tale of a young woman trying to unravel her past to save her future." -- School Library Journal

Wished by Jen Calonita

Maxine, with the help of an over-enthusiastic genie, makes a wish that has everyone at the Fairy Tale Reform School focusing on producing a musical rather than figuring out how to combat Rumpelstiltskin.

The fifth installment in the beloved Fairy Tale Reform School series where the teachers are (former) villains.

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds

This is NOT a history book. This is a book about the here and now. A book to help us better understand why we are where we are. A book about race.

"Readers who want to truly understand how deeply embedded racism is in the very fabric of the U.S., its history, and its systems will come away educated and enlightened. Worth of inclusion in every home and in curricula and libraries everywhere. Impressive and much needed." -- Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

Moment of Truth by Kasie West

At sixteen, Hadley Moore knows exactly who she is -- a swimmer who will earn a scholarship to college. Totally worth all the hard work, even if her aching shoulders don't agree. So when a guy dressed as Hollywood's latest action hero, Heath Hall, crashes her swim meet, she isn't amused. Instead, she's determined to make sure he doesn't bother her again. Only she's not sure exactly who he is.

Kasie West is a GoodReads Choice Awards nominee.

Wicked As You Wish by Rin Chupeco

Many years ago the magical kingdom of Avalon was left desolate, encased in ice when the evil Snow Queen waged war. The refugees of Avalon -- including Prince Alexei, the sole survivor of the Avalon royal family -- are stuck in Arizona. His friend, Tala Warnock, knows his secret -- and has a few of her own. The appearance of the Firebird, Avalon's deadliest weapon, ignites the refugees' desire to journey back to Avalon. But the Snow Queen, powerful but long thought dead, wants nothing more than to take the Firebird's magic for her own.

"An enchanting story that is both a feast for the senses and a unique spin on the hero's journey." -- Publishers Weekly

Nextflix Adaptation

Over the weekend, Netflix announced that a film adaptation of "The Selection" by Kiera Cass is in the works.

No details about casting have been released, but the streaming service announced the film will be directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour, who also directed Netflix's 2018 film adaptation of the novel "Nappily Ever After" by Trisha R. Thomas.

"The Selection," the first novel in Cass' five-book series, can best be described as "The Hunger Games" meets "The Bachelor." Set in a futuristic America, now known as Illéa, the country is ruled by a royal line and citizens are divided into eight castes -- with Ones being the most wealthy and Eights comprising outcasts and orphans. As a gesture of goodwill to its citizens, when each prince comes of age a nationwide contest is held to search for the next Queen of Illéa, with 35 young women chosen from an audition process across the nation.

We follow the story of America Singer, a young woman in the artistic-dominated Caste Five who is selected against her wises to compete for the crown. Knowing her heart lies with her secret boyfriend, Aspen, America goes to the capital to meet Prince Maxon Schreaves and the other selected contestants. Motivated by the weekly stipend being sent back to her underprivileged family, America strikes up friendships and tries to stay in the contest as long as possible.

But in a contest dominated by love and manipulation, there's plenty to go wrong.

"The Selection" has a wide fandom, with followers voicing their desire for an adaptation for years. The series has been picked u by networks twice in the last decade, but hopefully the third time's the charm and the wait will have been worth it in the end!

In the meantime, fans of the series can look forward to the first book in Cass' new series, "The Betrothed," which is scheduled to come out in May.

"The Selection" series can be borrowed as audiobooks or ebooks through the Overdrive app.

This writing brought to you by Courtney Dobrzykowski

Getting to Know...Madison

Introducing another valuable member of our YA volunteer team, Maddy Youngman! A 16-year-old 10th grader, Maddy has accumulated 19.5 hours to date.

My Favorite Book Genre: Dystopian

Someone I Look Up To: My Family, Ellen Pompeo

My Favorite TV Show: Grey's Anatomy

A Topic That I Can Talk About For An Hour: Basketball

An Invention That I Would Uninvent: Plastic

Person I Would Want With Me On A Deserted Island: Owen Bickel

My Happy Place: Basketball court or my home

My Spirit Animal: Anteater

Something Interesting About Myself: Up until about age 10 I always wanted to be a country singer

Future Plans: Culinary Arts or Elementary Teaching

Favorite Quote: "I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13

Disney Adaptations

Being stuck at home makes for a great chance to revisit your favorite childhood movies, and for a lot of us, that means Disney.

But just rewatching the movies on Disney+ can only go so far. Thankfully there are several authors who have taken inspiration from the franchise, from novelizations of the films themselves to twisted retellings and villain backstories. And many of those are available on the Overdrive app, free to access on your mobile devices using your library card number!

Just searching "Disney" in the app will show you hundreds of ebooks and audiobooks. Warning: picture books, biographies on Walt Disney and guides for the theme parks will be mixed in with these results! But scrolling through, you'll find plenty of books following your favorite films and characters.

Not in the mood to browse? Here are some of our favorite books and series to get you started:

1. Twisted Tales

What would happen if one key aspect of your favorite Disney films were switched? Authors of the Twisted Tales series create retellings of the films they were inspired by -- and some are more wild than others. What if Aladdin had never found the lamp? What if Mulan had to travel to the underworld? There are seven of these novels available on Overdrive, but more are being released every year, with twisted retellings of Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and Cinderella currently in the works.

• Aladdin: A Whole New World by Liz Braswell
• Beauty and the Beast: As Old As Time by Liz Braswell
• Frozen: Conceal Don't Feel by Jen Calonita
• The Little Mermaid: Part of Your World by Liz Braswell
• Mulan: Reflection by Elizabeth Lim
• Sleeping Beauty: Once Upon a Dream by Liz Braswell
• Snow White: Mirror, Mirror by Jen Calonita

2. Villains

We just love to hate Disney villains, but were they always so terrible? Author Serena Valentino creates unique backstories for Disney villains old and new, and she'll have you empathizing with them in no time -- whether you like it or not! All six of the released books are available on Overdrive, but Evil Thing, featuring Cruella deVil, is slated to come out this summer.

• The Evil Queen, the Beast and Ursula - A Villains Collection contains the first three novels in one audiobook: Fairest of All, The Beast Within, and Poor Unfortunate Souls. The latter two are also available on ebook.
• Maleficent - Mistress of All Evil
• Mother Gothel - Mother Knows Best
• The Three Witches - The Odd Sisters. Note: This novel follows the history of three sister witches who have significant roles in the previous works and are not classic Disney villains themselves.

3. Movie-to-Book Adaptations

Experience your favorite Disney movies in a new way by reading them! Disney created novelizations of many of its movies from over the years, though not for many classics. Here is a list of some movies you can read.

• Frozen
• Beauty and the Beast
• Tangled
• Finding Nemo
• Pete's Dragon
• Monsters Inc., and Monsters University
• The Good Dinosaur
• Inside Out
• Up
• Tinker Bell
• Mary Poppins Returns

Other titles have been inspired by their Disney movie equivalents, but have created side stories and continuations.

• Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book
• Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel

This writing brought to you by Courtney Dobrzykowski

Youth Preview

A preview of notable new titles for YA readers that are scheduled to be published this spring and summer...

Again Again by E. Lockhart

If you could live your life again, what would you do differently? After a near-fatal family catastrophe and an unexpected romantic upheaval, Adelaide Buchwald finds herself catapulted into a summer of wild possibility, during which she will fall in and out of love a thousand times--while finally confronting the secrets she keeps, her ideas about love, and the weird grandiosity of the human mind.

Release: June 2

A Cloud of Outrageous Blue by Vesper Stamper

Edyth grew up in a quiet village with a loving family, before losing everything she holds dear in the blink of an eye. Suddenly sent to live in a priory and work with ancient texts, Edyth must come to terms with her new life and the gifts she discovers in herself.

Release: August 25

Everything's Not Fine by Sarah Carlson

Seventeen-year-old Rose Hemmersbach aspires to break out of small town Sparta, Wisconsin and achieve her artistic dreams, just like her aunt Colleen. Rose's love of Friday Kahlo fuels her paint brush and her dreams to attend a prestigious art school. Painting is Rose's escape from her annoying younger siblings and her family's one rule: ignore the elephant in the room, because talking about it makes it real.

Release: May 26

My Eyes Are Up Here by Laura Zimmerman

If Greer Walsh could only live inside her head, life would be easier. She'd be able to focus on excelling at math or negotiating peace talks between her best friend and...everyone else. But you can't play volleyball inside your head. Or go to the pool. Or have confusingly date-like encounters with the charming new boy. You need an actual body for all of those things. And Greer is entirely uncomfortable in hers.

Release: June 23

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people.

Release: May 5

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

There was and there was not, as all stories begin, a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. But for Soraya, who has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens, it's not just a story.

Release: July 7

Parachutes by Kelly Yang

They're called parachutes: teenagers dropped off to live in private homes and study in the United States while their wealthy parents remain in Asia. Claire Wang never thought she'd be one of them, until her parents pluck her from her privileged life in Shanghai and enroll her at a high school in California.

Release: May 26

Faith: Taking Flight by Julie Murphy

Faith Herbert is a pretty regular teen. When she's not hanging out with her two best friends, Matt and Ches, she's volunteering at the local animal shelter or obsessing over the long-running teen drama The Grove. So far, her senior year has been spent trying to sort out her feelings for her maybe-crush Johnny and making plans to stay close to Grandma Lou after graduation. Of course, there's also that small matter of recently discovering that she can fly.

Release: July 7