Happy Summer!
We here at YA Books Central are looking to help you keep cool, we’ve teamed up with wonderful publishers to organize a great giveaway to make it happen!
Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. – Jenny Han
Teen socialite Rian Callusa’s privileged NY life is over! Following her parent’s nasty divorce, and the death of her aunt & uncle, Rian’s mom drags her kicking and screaming all the way to Everglades City. Who cares if her new home is a mansion when it’s in the middle of nowhere without a nail salon or shopping mall in sight? And friends? Hell might as well freeze over before Rian would hang out with her hillbilly cousins.
The news that her Dad won’t be returning to New York after his job abroad crushes any hope Rian had of moving back to the Big Apple. So without a plan B, Rian explores the swamp and learns her cousins aren’t as backward as they first appeared. She even falls head over heels for a cute vintage-loving local girl. Now that she thinks about it, this might turn out to be the best summer of Rian’s life! Until her cousin Travis gets drunk at a party and confesses the dark truth about what really happened on Old Palmetto Drive, sending Rian into a tailspin of fear and self-doubt.
Title: The Dark We Know
Author: Wen-yi Lee
Publisher: Zando / Gillian Flynn Books
Release Date: 8/13/2024
Growing up in Slater, Isadora Chang never felt at ease in the repressive small town, even before she realized she was bisexual—but after the deaths of two childhood friends, Slater went from feeling claustrophobic to suffocating. So, Isa took off before the town could swallow her, too. Even though it meant leaving everything she knew behind, including her last surviving friend, Mason.
When Isa’s abusive father dies, however, she agrees to come back from art school just long enough to collect the inheritance. But then Mason turns up at the cemetery with a revelation and a plea: their friends were murdered by an evil that haunts the town, and he needs Isa to help stop it—before it takes anyone else.
When Isa begins to hear strange songs on the wind, and eerie artwork fills her sketchbook that she can’t recall drawing, she’s forced to stop running and confront her past. Because something is waiting in the shadows of Slater’s valleys, something that feeds on the pain and heartbreak of its children. Whatever it is, it knows Isa’s back . . . and it won’t let her escape again.
Wen-yi Lee’s young adult debut is an intimate and gripping exploration of trauma, healing, and the lasting power of friendship, as a runaway teen must finally face the sinister forces that defined her childhood, and in doing so, demand her right to survive.
Title: The Loss of the Burying Ground
Author: J. Anderson Coats
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Release Date: September 3, 2024
In this twisting, page-turning read, shipwrecked teen girls from opposing sides of a long war must find common ground in order to survive.
When the Burying Ground goes down in neutral waters, it sends the delegations from two warring nations—and the peace treaty they were about to sign—to the bottom of the ocean. The only survivors are a pair of teen girls: Cora, daughter of a Duran newspaper man, and Vivienne, lady’s maid to an Ariminthian princess. Neither has known a time when war between their two countries did not rage, but now they must learn to trust each other if they are to find sustenance, avoid dangerous pirates, and have any hope of rescue from the remote island they washed up on. However, in the midst of a conflict steeped in fierce national identity, propaganda, disinformation, and radicalization, finding a common path forward seems nearly impossible, for both Cora and Vivienne and their respective countries. But when the teens’ politically charged rescue seems likely to extend the war, Cora and Vivienne realize they do have a shared purpose: peace. If only it isn’t too late.
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Title: Mighty Millie Novak
Author: Elizabeth Holden
Publisher: Flux
Release Date: August 20, 2024
Social anxiety, her parents’ divorce, and messy friendships won’t stop Millie’s pursuit of what she wants—in roller derby or in love. But her own lies might . . .
Sixteen-year-old Millie Novak is stuck in an “if only” rut. If only she were stronger and faster, maybe her roller derby teammates would take her seriously. If only she had the guts to go back to in-person learning, maybe she’d have a social life. If only she weren’t such an awkward mess, maybe she could get the attention of that cute girl on the all-star derby team. And don’t get her started on her family!
After the one-two punch of her beloved older brother’s departure for college and her parents’ overdue split, Millie decides it’s time to reinvent herself. With the help of her new friend Pumpkin and a little bit of deceit, Millie crafts a plan to cement her status on the team and get her crush to fall for her.
But reinvention isn’t easy. Millie’s constantly shown up by show-off teammate Stork, and the only way she can get her crush’s attention is through increasingly elaborate lies. Worse, she begins to suspect Pumpkin is not the supportive friend she’d imagined. Toughest to handle? Realizing the person she’s in love with might not be her longtime crush, after all
Title: Firebird Caged
Author: Maya Chhabra
Publisher: Jolly Fish Press
Release Date: August 1, 2024
Ashley didn’t mean to get pregnant her senior year in high school. She didn’t mean to scare her hardworking and financially struggling mom, or to hide the truth from her awkward ex, Danny. She also didn’t mean to illegally take her well-off friend Madi’s prescription Xanax to cope with the stress—and she definitely didn’t mean to do it more than once.
When a doctor reports Ashley to the State of Wisconsin as a drug-addicted threat to her own unborn child, she is forcibly detained under the obscure and secretive Act 292 civil detention system for pregnant women, stranded in the county juvenile shelter home, and stigmatized by authorities who assign her fetus a lawyer but not her. It’s a struggle for Ashley just to get medical care for the pregnancy supposedly being protected—never mind fighting for her own freedom and making sure her baby isn’t taken away by social services after birth. Who’s going to protect Ashley herself?
But Ashley is stronger than anyone knows, and she has allies on the outside who believe in her. This is a fight Ashley can win—but only if she stops drifting passively, starts believing in herself, and chooses not to give in to despair.
Characterized by exciting, fast-paced plots and themes that are relevant for high school students, Horizon’s Hi-Lo books are both engaging and easy to read. Short chapters, simple sentence structures, and an accessible format make these books perfect for teen reluctant readers. Horizon books are written at a 2nd- to 3rd-grade reading level with an interest level of ages 14 and up.
Title: Firebreak
Author: Jennifer Phillips
Publisher: Jolly Fish Press
Release Date: August 1, 2024
High school junior Alia is good at sports but struggles with schoolwork, hindered by her learning disabilities. The latest history assignment on genocide is just more homework to be endured. That’s until a troubling conversation with her beloved grandmother reluctantly jolts Alia into action. Between the country’s shifting mood toward the elderly and new government programs championed as practical ways to deal with a burgeoning elderly population, Alia fears that senior citizens are being targeted for something more ominous. To rally others and challenge the growing oppression, Alia will need to step up and speak out. But people tend to doubt Alia due to her learning difficulties. Can she get people to listen to her? More importantly, can she believe in herself?
Characterized by exciting, fast-paced plots and themes that are relevant for high school students, Horizon’s Hi-Lo books are both engaging and easy to read. Short chapters, simple sentence structures, and an accessible format make these books perfect for teen reluctant readers. Horizon books are written at a 2nd- to 3rd-grade reading level with an interest level of ages 14 and up.
Title: EXES & FOES
Author: Amanda Woody
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Release Date: 7/23/24
When two ex-best friends decide to hold a competition for the new girl’s heart, they don’t expect to fall for each other instead.
Emma has been a thorn in Caleb’s side since middle school. Having tarnished their friendship in eighth grade, she’s now little more to him than an unkempt,unruly, disastrous bisexual mess. Over the years, she’s gotten in the way of every romantic relationship he’s attempted to settle into, using little more than mischievous charisma to lure them into her clutches.
To Emma, Caleb sets the record for World’s Largest Stick in the Mud. Uptight,unbearably tidy, and a rule-follower, he’s exactly the kind of boring person her mother wishes she was. When she discovers they’re both after Juliet, the new girl, Emma proposes a competition to nudge him out of the way. Whoever can get Juliet to kiss them first wins, and the opposition must bow out with the promise of never talking to her again.
But plans go awry when Juliet seems mostly interested in hanging out with both of them together. Emma and Caleb just have to figure out whether winning Juliet’s heart is worth the torment of constantly dealing with each other, andthe risk of reopening wounds from a past they thought they had left behind.
Title: FULL SHIFT
Author: Jennifer Dugan; illustrated by Kit Seaton
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Release Date: 8/27/24
In this queer, supernatural YA graphic novel from the author of Some Girls Do and the illustrator of Wonder Woman: Warbringer, a reluctant teen werewolf would do anything to be human—if that’s what it takes to win her crush’s heart.
Tessa feels like she doesn’t fit in anywhere. Not at school, where she can’t figure out how to confess the feelings she has for her friend Maddie. And definitely not at home, where the other werewolves in her family make her feel like an outcast because she can’t even shift into her full wolf form yet. Sometimes she thinks her whole life would be easier if she wasn’t a werewolf at all.
When word gets out that a group of werewolf hunters has infiltrated her pack’s territory and that they’ve developed a cure that can make werewolves human, Tessa thinks she’s found the answer to her problems. But when she discovers there might be more to the hunters’ plans than anyone knows, it’s up to Tessa to put herself on the line to protect the lives of those she loves most. And the only way to save them is to embrace the wolf inside her that is howling to get out.
Title: UNDER THE SURFACE
Author: Diana Urban
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Release Date: 8/13/24
Title: A Misfortune of Lake Monsters
Author: Nicole M. Wolverton
Publisher: CamCat Books
Release Date: 7/2/2024
An ambitious teen girl is forced to continue her family’s legacy of secretly impersonating the town’s famous lake monster, but suddenly finds a real monster in the lake who wants to eat its way through the populace.
Title: Morgana and Oz Vol. 1
Author: Miyuli
Publisher: Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group
Release Date: 9/3/24
What happens when a struggling witch meets an angsty vampire? Either love or war.
Morgana belongs to a long line of witches, and Oz to the rival vampire clan. After a chance encounter… and maybe a few stray spells… these two need to find a way to work together, or risk all-out war between coven and clan.
It’s a Romeo and Juliet story where a boy and a girl from two rival clans, one a vampire and one a witch, meet cute, like each other, but then the girl makes a serious mistake and turns the boy into a cute kitty.
Collecting episodes 1-19 of the hit fantasy WEBTOON series.
Title: Your Throne Vol. 1
Author: SAM
Publisher: Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group
Release Date: 9/3/24
Your Throne Volume 1 collects the first twelve episodes of the stunning fantasy WEBTOON comic by SAM with over 830 million reads worldwide. Two noblewomen, Medea and Psyche, who were competing for the throne of the Vasilios Empire, must struggle to survive in a dangerous world of magic and betrayal when their souls are reversed.
Tensions are brewing under the seemingly calm surface of the Vasilios Empire, a kingdom ruled by the Imperial Family and the Temple.
Lady Medea, the brilliant and charismatic daughter of the Duke of Solon, was the clear frontrunner to be the crown prince’s bride – until Lady Psyche Callista showed up. Medea had so far reigned at the pinnacle of high society, inspiring fear and envy in equal parts, but her fortunes changed when the kind and gentle Psyche arrived. Crown Prince Eros calls off his engagement to Medea, completely blindsiding her, and creates a competition for his hand.
Medea outshines Psyche in the Crown Princess competition at every turn, but Eros makes his choice: Psyche will be his bride. Medea, whose life ambition is becoming a member of the royal family, is filled with resentment, and promises revenge against Psyche.
Soon after Medea’s plan began to unfold, the two women met on holy grounds for the yearly day of prayer for peace. The rivals accidentally fall into the water together, and Medea prays to the empire’s guardian deity, “Give me everything Psyche has!” The next day, the two open their eyes in unfamiliar rooms and realize that they have changed bodies.
Trapped in another woman’s body and in unfamiliar territory, Medea and Psyche will both have to play a dangerous game to survive.
This volume collects episodes 1 to 12 of the dazzling WEBTOON comic Your Throne.
Title: THE EMPIRE WARS
Author: Akana Phenix
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Release Date: August 8, 2024
The Empire Wars is a powerful YA debut in which magic may be a young woman’s only hope for survival.
Coa, who was born feral in the North Transatlantic wilds, has been captured. Now, Coa is subject to public humiliation and execution in a gruesome spectacle known as the Great Hunt.
If participators die in the Great Hunt, their entire families will be executed—in front of everyone. The nationalist regime known as the Allied Force will not rest until all foreigners are exterminated. Coa’s best hope of survival might be Princess Ife—born of privilege but newly married into the authoritarian lineage.
Her riskier choice is an alliance with a gorgeous, cunning fellow participator, marked as a traitor to his militarized nation. Coa entangles herself with the captivating young man but soon finds he could be her ultimate downfall …
Title: TIGER’S TALE
Author: Colleen Houck
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Release Date: September 17, 2024
From New York Times bestselling author Colleen Houck, Tiger’s Tale reimagines the epic fantasy that delighted readers with romance, danger, and magic, leaving them breathless and yearning for more.
The Tiger’s Curse takes many forms …
Anastasia and Verusha Stepanov are the tsar’s only children, heirs to the prosperous and sprawling Kievian Empire. Headstrong and fierce, the twins have long scorned their father’s opulent palace and the diplomatic obligations that come with it, preferring to train with the Royal Guard and dream of a soldier’s life beyond the palace walls.
But with their father lost in the recent war and their once indomitable mother succumbing to illness, the young women know that one of them must soon ascend the throne, make a politically advantageous marriage, and begin producing heirs. Yet the succession is far from clear, as both would prefer the path of the second born: head the Royal Guard, travel the far reaches of the empire, and seek out a destiny of her own making.
As their beloved mother’s condition worsens, the sisters grow more desperate, seeking any healer who might give her more time. But when a stranger arrives offering another option, the sisters refuse his proposal and banish the strange man. As he departs, the stranger unleashes a devastating curse that sends Veru and Stacia fleeing their home on an adventure beyond anything they ever imagined …
Title: WHAT WE WISH FOR
Author: Melody Maysonet
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Release Date: September 17, 2024
From award-winning author Melody Maysonet, What We Wish For is a poignant YA novel that explores one teenager’s coming-of-age as she struggles through homelessness, family feuds, and her mother’s addiction.
Be careful what you wish for …
Fifteen-year-old Layla Freeman likes to pretend her life is fine. After all, her mother is about to celebrate thirty days sober, and yeah, they’ve moved into a homeless shelter, but it’s only temporary, right? Her mom will get better, and in the meantime, it’s important that no one at school finds out where she’s been living for the past month. Layla has worked hard to build her reputation as a girl who doesn’t care what others think of her, but the truth is she does care—deeply—and she’s tripping over her own lies, especially to her best friend, as she tries to pretend nothing’s wrong.
With their time at the shelter running out, Layla hatches a plan to get help from her rich aunt and uncle, despite the long-standing feud between their families. When the plan backfires and her mom ends up in the hospital after an overdose, the silver lining is that she’s sent to fancy rehab—paid for by Uncle Scott and Aunt Tanya. Layla gets to move into her aunt and uncle’s mansion while her mom is gone and begins building a tentative friendship with her snobby cousin—even as her relationship with her best friend deteriorates.
Armed with new wealth, new relationships, and even a new mother figure, Layla thinks all her dreams have come true … But secrets have a way of coming out, and one secret above all threatens to turn her world upside down—and destroy her entire family.
Author: Kayla Cottingham
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Release Date: August 27, 2024
Author: Kara A. Kennedy
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Release Date: July 23, 2024
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