News — YoungAdultLiterature

s “As Native people, we’re still fighting to crack the 2 percent mark for representation in the field. Two percent of stories published on our own land.” Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee Creek Nation) has been an advocate for Native children’s literature since the publication of her first book Jingle Dancer 20 years ago. She’s continued to champion on behalf of children’s literature broadly while furthering her passion for sharing Native stories for young people. “As a child, I tended to avoid books with covers that hinted at any Native related content, probably because of negative experiences with inaccurate or bigoted...

The air is warming up and even if we’re in a world that looks unfamiliar, nature is doing what it’s meant to do this time of year: reemerging, reenergizing, and getting ready to bloom. In addition to nature, book season is also upon us, with a ton of amazing spring 2020 ya books to add to your TBR. Because of publishing shifting daily, some of the publication dates for the below books have changed. It is impossible to keep track of them all at this point, so if something interests you and it’s not publishing at the date listed, preorder the...

We’ve got a debut murder mystery for you to put on your radar. Check out the cover for You’re Next by Kylie Schachte, out June 2020, and read the exclusive excerpt below! When a girl with a troubled history of finding dead bodies investigates the murder of her ex, she uncovers a plot to put herself—and everyone she loves—on the list of who’s next. Flora Calhoun has a reputation for sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong. After stumbling upon a classmate’s body years ago, the trauma of that discovery and the police’s failure to find the killer has haunted...