November 2023 YA New Releases

I was pretty selective with these November 2023 YA new releases. I think very purposefully about what my students will actually read–and what may not be available in my school library. I want my classroom library to be a place where students find something special and personal–something that speaks to them.

Yellowjackets meets She Is a Haunting in this debut speculative thriller that follows a disgraced teen idol who comes face-to-face with the demons of her past in a glittering, cutthroat K-pop competition. She is a Haunting is a book I covered in my blog earlier this year.

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BEFORE

Newly out trans guy Max is having a hard time in school. Things have been tough since his summer romance, Danny, turned into his bully. This year, his plan is to keep his head down and graduate. All that changes when new It-girl Gloss moves to town. No one understands why perfect, polished Gloss is so interested in an introverted skater kid, but Max blooms in the hothouse of her attention. Caught between romance and obsession, he’ll do whatever it takes to keep her on his side.

AFTER

Haircuts, makeovers, drugs, parties. It’s all fun and games until someone gets killed at a rager gone terribly wrong. Max refuses to believe that Gloss did it. But if not Gloss, who? Desperate to figure out truth in the wake of tragedy, Max veers dangerously close to being implicated—and his own memories of that awful night are fuzzy.

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2023 Recommendations

Check out all my 2023 recommendations here.

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October 2023 YA Book Releases

October 2023 YA Book Releases are about more than just Halloween. There’s even a Christmas title that won me over.

Love in Winter Wonderland by Abiola Bello

Let’s get Christmas out of the way first. An African-American boy who works at his family’s bookstore falls in love with a fellow employee when they must stop a gentrifier from shutting down the bookstore on Christmas Eve. Still, it’s a swoon for me. Adorable.

The Forest Demands Its Due by Kosoko Jackson

Kirkus called it a bold addition to the queer academia genre. A student at a private school trying to solve a mystery stumbles upon something even more dangerous in the forest.

Plan A by Deb Caletti

Starred Kirkus review. A girl goes on a road trip away from her small Texas town to get an abortion when she finds out she’s pregnant.

When Ghosts Call Us Home by Katya de Becerra

Starred Kirkus Review. When Sophia Galich was twelve, she starred in her older sister Layla’s amateur horror movie Vermillion, which recorded raw footage of her very real reactions to scenes her sister concocted in their old Californian house on the coast. A good follow-up would be Home Before Dark by Riley Sager, which I recently devoured, along with The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.

The Blackwoods by Brandy Colbert

Starred Kirkus Review. This is about four generations of a famous family and what happens when you’re born into it with no option to escape.

2023 Recommendations

Check out all my 2023 recommendations here.

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August YA Book Releases 2023

Get ready for back to school with these fabulous new books!

All You Have To Do by Autumn Allen

I am so excited for this book. It’s told in two overlapping narratives. The first is set on an Ivy League campus in the wake of MLK Jr.’s assassination. The other takes place in 1995 amidst the Million Man March at a New England prep school. This is an examination of Black excellence and what it takes to succeed across time that I can I see students bringing into today. This debut novel received a starred Kirkus Review.

The Narrow by Kate Alice Marshall

Only one person has fallen into the underground river (the Narrow) beneath a girls’ boarding school and lived. And now that girl and her roommate’s secrets become intertwined as they explore the Narrow and the ghosts that haunt it. This novel received a starred Kirkus Review.

The Infinity Particle by Wendy Xu

A graphic novel that tells the story of a girl who falls in love with an AI humanoid. Great intersection of science fiction and contemporary issues. I would also recommend Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful.

The Reunion by Kit Frick

Perfect for White Lotus fans, this book tells the story of a family reunion at a posh Caribbean resort. One person checks in and never checks out. After this book, you could recommend some classic closed-room mysteries from Agatha Christie or some more contemporary fare from Lucy Foley.

The Last Girls Standing by Jennifer Dugan

A summer camp slasher where the surviving counselors are trying to figure out what happened. Queer psychological thriller at its finest. I would pair it with The Honeys, The Final Girl Support Group, and My Heart is a Chainsaw.

2023 Recommendations

Check out all by 2023 recommendations here.

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Recommend these new summer reads to your students, or gather them for yourself!

Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler

In this queer rom-com, teen girl has to choose between spending the summer with her dad (and the girl she’s crushing on) in NYC or with her estranged mom in LA (and the guy she never saw coming). Both timelines play out Sliding-Doors-style.

Unexpecting by Jen Bailey

Juno meets Heartstopper when a gay teen finds out he is going to be a father.

Good as Gold by Candace Buford

For fan’s of Netflix’s Outer Banks. A teen must search for her town’s sunken treasure to clear her family’s name and save her future. Starred Kirkus review.

An Echo in the City by K.X. Song

Star-crossed lovers meet during the 2019 Hong Kong protests. Starred Kirkus review. I would pair it with Patron Saints of Nothing.

When It All Syncs Up by Maya Ameyaw

About an African-American teen ballerina and the racism she confronts to pursue dance. I would pair it with Life in Motion (a Misty Copeland memoir).

2023 Recommendations

Check out all by 2023 recommendations here.

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May 2023 YA Book Releases

Finish the school year strong with these May 2023 YA book releases!

Hurt You by Marie Myung-Ok Lee

For teachers looking for a replacement or paired text for Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men.

This Korean American contemporary retelling of Of Mice and Men tells the story of a teenage girl trying to protect her neurodivergent older brother as their family searches out better access to services for him.

Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley

For students who like stories about justice or indigenous peoples.

I have been excited about this book since I heard the author describe it at the 2022 NCTE Convention as Tomb Raider but where the protagonist is recapturing stolen indigenous artifacts for her community. This book has a starred Kirkus review.

Money Out Loud by Berna Anat

For students who have money goals, jobs, dreams of business, or maybe just need a wake-up call about money. Anyone could read it, but she often addresses the barriers specific to people of color and speaks to the experiences of first-generation Americans.

Another one I have been looking forward to reading! Berna is a financial edutainer on Instagram/Tik Tok. I have no doubt that this book is written in her trademark informational (and hilarious) style. This book has a starred Kirkus review.

All The Dead Lie Down by Kyrie McCauley

Pair with Mexican Gothic and for a challenge, The Turn of the Screw and The Haunting of Hill House.

This is a gothic romance with a haunted house (my jam!). This book has a starred Kirkus review.

From Here by Luma Mufleh

For students who may be having a similar experience or want to understand an experience very different from their own.

A memoir of a gay Muslim woman who immigrates to the United States. As an adult, she founds a nonprofit. This book has a starred Kirkus review.

2023 Recommendations

Check out all by 2023 recommendations here.

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